Skoda Laura 2.0 TDI

Inside, the stylish, contemporary cabin lives up to the luxury tag. The top of the dash is swathed in soft-touch plastics, there are splashes of high-quality chrome all over the dashboard and the only thing we didn’t take an instant liking to is the wood trim on the dashboard, especially the bit on the ashtray lid. Some of the attention to detail is terrific though.

The door bins, for example, are huge and moulded to hold a one-litre bottle. Rearward visibility is a bit limited though because of the thick pillar and the high boot-lid. A good thing that this car comes with parking sensors then. This being the L&K, it is impressively specced. You get the touch screen audio system from the Superb, leather seats, steering- mounted audio controls, climate control and a powered driver’s seat with memory. The only thing we missed is the paddle shift option. We think that at this price and for this engine and gearbox, it is essential.

Space is good and the only criticism we can level at it is that the rear seat backrest is a bit too upright and the cushion is on the firm side. With the rear seats in place the capacity is 560 litres, which grows to 1,420 litres when the rear seats are folded down.