Meet the Fleet (Part I)

The Diesel Car long-term reports in every issue give you the lowdown on the most important cars on sale today – here’s a reminder of how some of our testers fared in October’s issue.

Peugeot 508 SW Active 1.6 e-HDi EGC

Driven by James Folkard

Less than four months since the 508 first went on sale in the UK, and we have the very latest in micro-hybrid technology right here on the Diesel Car fleet. Our 508 SW boasts the new 1.6-litre e-HDi engine, with stop and start system and the electronically controlled manual gearbox.

What all of this actually means is that the engine cuts out when the car is brought to a stop and the foot brake is applied. And there’s no clutch pedal, yet it isn’t an automatic gearbox in the true sense of the phrase – it is an automated manual, with fancy electronic trickery taking away the need for the driver to operate the clutch. More on this, just as soon as I’ve got my head round it all.

The 1.6-litre e-HDi engine produces 110bhp, although I must say if I had been asked to guess its power output, I would have said it was quite a bit more. This is a big car, and is certainly not sluggish, despite its small capacity engine. And there are more tiny figures – in SW estate guise, the 508 e-HDi produces just 110g/km of CO₂, placing it in tax band B and costing just £20 a year at today’s rates. The first year’s tax disc is totally free – quite remarkable considering the size of car. Early fuel economy figures are sitting around the 40mpg mark – a little way off the 67.2mpg that Peugeot quotes. With greater familiarity with the gearbox (and less right foot), I’m sure the numbers will start moving in the right direction.

Skoda Octavia GreenLine II 1.6 TDI CR

Driven by Sue Baker

The front wing of our newest longtermer wears a little green flower symbol atop the words GreenLine. It identifies the extraordinarily frugal nature of the Skoda Octavia of which I am now custodian. This is one of the biggest cars able to boast a CO₂ output of below 100g/km, with the hopeful promise of fuel consumption topping an impressive 74.3mpg. Oh dear, in its first month on the fleet, it hasn’t quite managed that. No, I must be doing something wrong, because during my first 350 miles in the Octavia I have only managed 73.1mpg. Must try harder! This car interests us because it is a family size, full five seater with lots of boot space, stretching from a standard 585 litres to a stonkingly good 1,455 litres with the back seats folded. Yet it has positively anorexic running costs: with its 99g/km CO₂ and low fuel thirst, it qualifies for a free tax disc and is congestion charge exempted. It’s no slouch, though, with a quoted top speed of 119mph and 0-62mph acceleration in 11.4 seconds. Its arrival on the fleet was followed swiftly by the announcement that Skoda is now judged the UK’s most satisfying car to own, having come top in the 2011 ownership survey carried out by the Consumers Association’s Which? Magazine. Skoda scored the top-ranking satisfaction rating of 88.4 per cent, beating every other manufacturer. After a highly satisfying year with a Yeti, I’m not surprised, and the first month with the Octavia bodes equally well.