What to buy: Liftback or Wagon?

[Vlad Tepesz]

. In saying that, I'd probably actually buy the wagon again because I've had the liftback already .

not helping!

[Makk]

I bought a wagon (1.8TSI)...I'm traditionally more into sedans & hatches as far as looks go, but the octavia wagon has a nice balanced look, especially from the side.
As a drummer, boot space was very important to me. The liftback has a great boot too (same size?) and I could have easily been happy with it but the chance for a nice square area was too good to refuse for objects that stick up awkwardly. Trips to Ikea with back seat passengers!

Another factor for me was the rear visibility - I think it's really great in the wagon, all around.
When I drove the liftback I found it to be not as good due to the pillars.
I had a Mazda 3 hatch previously, I found that akin to peering through a porthole - in the Octavia with the huge rear vision mirror and side mirrors, there's almost no blind spot!

[Jake02]

not helping!

I am fully aware of this .

[onyertod]

IMHO the wagon looks a whole lot better than the liftback. The roof rails are handy.
The liftback is more akin to a hatch rather than a conventional sedan.
I wonder, with the cargo blind closed, how much noiser if any, is the wagon over the liftback in everyday use?

[MarksVRS]

Wagon hands down!

No-one has mentioned the loading height and rear door opening although I doubt the access in the hatch is anywhere near as convenient as the wagon. In 18 months of ownership I have use the WHOLE wagon space many times, and the extra $2k will be a blur in the past as soon as you get behind the steering wheel.

And I am sure there is not much difference in noise between the hatch and wagon, as the hatch still does not have a completely separate boot anyway. Either way, it is nothing that you cannot fix with a couple of spare hours and some sound deadening....

[Jake02]

Wagon hands down!

No-one has mentioned the loading height and rear door opening although I doubt the access in the hatch is anywhere near as convenient as the wagon.

Rear seat access is fine as the slope in the roof (where you actually sit) starts after your head and how do you mean boot access is easier on the wagon? Where the bootlid is attached to the body is further forward in the liftback and the bootlid lifts higher (it's easier to put stuff in and you don't have to worry about hitting your head unless you're 7 ft tall unlike the wagon).

However, we can all conclude that the Octavia is easily the most practical in the mid-size class .

[dru]

However, we can all conclude that the Octavia is easily the most practical in the mid-size class .

Thats damn right! We looked and looked around at cars that could give us the sporty feel while satisfying the 'future family' needs of having a larger boot and being 4 door. Compare the boot of the RS to the XR5 and MPS and soon you realise how big it is!

At the end of the day, we got a great deal on our RS but could only secure that deal in a Liftback - if we did it again and had the opportunity then I would get the wagon.

[dArK5HaD0w]

Wagon hands down!

No-one has mentioned the loading height and rear door opening although I doubt the access in the hatch is anywhere near as convenient as the wagon.

i disagree, and Jake02 has already explained why.

the liftback has a bigger "mouth" so to speak, as ur not hindered by the 'extra roofline' that comes with a wagon.
the disadvantage - because of the bigger door on the liftback, extra care needs to b taken in low (height) carparks.

Thats damn right! We looked and looked around at cars that could give us the sporty feel while satisfying the 'future family' needs of having a larger boot and being 4 door. Compare the boot of the RS to the XR5 and MPS and soon you realise how big it is!

u can say that again. the golf gti is good, but the boot space didn't cut it. the jetta 147 is good too, large boot, but the sedan style boot meant a small opening (mouth), so that was no good either.
the octavia rs - same drivetrain, same components, equal quality, huge boot, and thousands in savings

[Gnat]

Compare the boot of the RS to the XR5 and MPS and soon you realise how big it is!

Yeh, massive difference, and they happen to be the 2 cars I was looking at before I discovered the RS.
Soooooo glad I researched and researched before I bought.

Yeh as mention the Liftback "entry" is actually larger than the wagon. Huge opening.
Small Disadvantage: gotta have the garage door down before openning the liftback.

[dru]

Yeh, massive difference, and they happen to be the 2 cars I was looking at before I discovered the RS.
Soooooo glad I researched and researched before I bought.

Yeh as mention the Liftback "entry" is actually larger than the wagon. Huge opening.
Small Disadvantage: gotta have the garage door down before openning the liftback.

We actually were about to talk a deal for both to see what we could get for our money until a mate put up on facebook "Hey, just got a Skoda Octavia vRS - you should check it out!"...so I did and that was the end of that