Family car for under £20K (used). Audi vs. Skoda?

Thanks for the pics, really useful. How is it for a week away? Do you find you can get what you need in the boot, or find yourself resorting to the roof box or stowing stuff in the footwell's?

I've managed to fit everything in the boot, but depends how much you take. My wife insists on taking the massive pillows and the kitchen sink.
 
Nah, the engines are mounted longitudinally still in the A4/A5/A6 and transverse in Superb/Golf/Octavia/A3/A1/Q3 etc. Completely different layout

Well, you might want to consider the fact that the part numbers for the centre diff on the 2.0l A4, A6, Octavia and Superb (and Passat for that matter) are the same? The bigger 4WD cars (Q7, Touareg, Cayenne etc.) are different.
 
I have 2 small kids (3 & 5) and there's no way we could've coped with anything smaller than our A6. My gf doesn't pack light :D

Anyway, as posted above by @WJA96 , the Audi will cost more in the long run with no real benefit other than the badge and high quality interior plastics.
Get a Superb. They represent excellent value for money and very easy to find ones dripping with spec. Also cavernous rear & boot space.
 
I have 2 small kids (3 & 5) and there's no way we could've coped with anything smaller than our A6. My gf doesn't pack light :D

Anyway, as posted above by @WJA96 , the Audi will cost more in the long run with no real benefit other than the badge and high quality interior plastics.
Get a Superb. They represent excellent value for money and very easy to find ones dripping with spec. Also cavernous rear & boot space.

I completely forgot about the plastics. There is something utterly lovely about being inside an A6. Especially a high-spec one with Beaufort Oak and light-coloured leather on the doors, center console and dashboard.
 
I bought a 2015/65 Superb SEL Exec 190ps tdi hatch about 2 weeks ago. Yes its a large car but you wouldn’t know it whilst driving. The 19” wheels on mine do reflect every imperfection in the road but it is really quite quick for a large car, by family hatch standards. The rear legroom and boot are cavernous but it drives like a smaller car. The performance and xenon lights with the frankly ingenious high beam assist are incredible coming from a very basic 2014/64 tdi AWD Kia Sportage 134 bhp. The Skoda is packed with gadgets.
 
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I bought a 2015/65 Superb SEL Exec 190ps tdi hatch about 2 weeks ago. Yes its a large car but you wouldn’t know it whilst driving. The 19” wheels on mine do reflect every imperfection in the road but it is really quite quick for a large car, by family hatch standards. The rear legroom and boot are cavernous but it drives like a smaller car. The performance and xenon lights with the frankly ingenious high beam assist is incredible coming from a very basic 2014/64 tdi AWD Kia Sportage 134 bhp. The Skoda is packed with gadgets.
The current superb estate is both shorter and narrower than a previous-generation C7 A6.
 
The current superb estate is both shorter and narrower than a previous-generation C7 A6.

And yet it has the same overall legroom (F 995/R 1001 vs F 1049mm/R 965mm) and more luggage space (1970l vs 1680l with the seats down) than a 4G/C7 A6. And that's with a shorter wheelbase. I'm sure the seats and cabin trim are thinner but ultimately its the bigger car inside.
 
I've had a couple of Skoda Octavias and the boot was plenty big enough from when my kids were born to last year (11 & 9). Much as I love my Skodas (currently have a Kodiaq), the Audi interior is nicer, as are the equivalent options. However, for £20k you should be able to get a nice petrol auto Octavia VRS with lots of options. I'd definitely do a test drive in both to see if the extra cost of Audi is worth it.

My view was that it wasn't and I don't care about the badge. but then I wanted to spend the extra cash on my weekend car!
 
Don’t forget the Passat - the latest generation is a step up in terms of badge and quality over the Skodas and offers all the practicality you could need in estate form. If you can grab a decent one
 
Don’t forget the Passat - the latest generation is a step up in terms of badge and quality over the Skodas and offers all the practicality you could need in estate form. If you can grab a decent one

I disagree. VW’s image is in the toilet. While their dirty monkey-gassing hands were in all the VAG products it’s their name on all the lawsuits and their executives in the dock so it’s their reputation that has taken the biggest hit. Their perceived quality is also a myth these days where they’ve cut so many corners to save money it’s just not what people expect anymore.
 
VW Touran. They aren't lookers but they're ridiculously practical family cars.

You can get three isofix seats in a row in them, which you can't do in the big SUV's. Size wise they're actually similar to a hatchback in length and width but their brick like shape makes them feel like a Tardis inside.
 
VW Touran. They aren't lookers but they're ridiculously practical family cars.

You can get three isofix seats in a row in them, which you can't do in the big SUV's. Size wise they're actually similar to a hatchback in length and width but their brick like shape makes them feel like a Tardis inside.
Ewwww
Caravelle or nothing
 
A5 Sportback owner here for the last 4 years. I've been delighted with it, 5 doors, great boot space and so far, extremely reliable. For 20k you could certainly pinch a new shape 17/18 plate with a low mileage. It wasn't a consideration for us at the time and only really knew about the 2 door. The 5 door, nearly as good looking and very practical. It's had a stoves cooker in it, childrens bikes, furniture and contents of quite a large car boot sale.

It's been a reliable drive too so far and just nudged 123k mileage and can't see us replacing it anytime soon. One for thought anyway

Audi-S5-A5-Sportback-SPERRFRIST-inlineImage-5d6c5e42-973968.jpg
 
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