Definitely didn't buy my Octavia for looks though I am OK with the appearance. Had an Astra Turbo before the Octavia which was good looking but impractical and wayward when you got stuck into it. The Octavia is the polar opposite - sober, stable, anonymous (it's not an RS). I bought it because it is the perfect size for my needs, super practical and has a Euro flavour.

I agree that VAG has done poorly with marketing the brand, though I'm unsure what Skoda is meant to be here. Lots of forum members have an RS or Superb with options, making their cars more of a prestige buy. I saw mine as a value proposition - Euro engineering with potentially good reliability at an affordable price. Prestige was not much of a consideration though I like the left field positioning of Skoda in general. Like others I am heartily sick of VAG positioning VW and Skoda to cannibalise rather than complement each other. No sooner does Skoda get some potential traction through a unique model offer or price advantage than VAG matches it with a VW product. Sheesh.