Chevrolet Silverado vs Skoda Octavia

What's the difference?

This is a serious truck with load-carrying and towing capabilities far beyond Australia’s ubiquitous Ranger/HiLux-sized one-tonne utes. However, those vehicles thrive in urban use due to their relatively compact dimensions so, in that context, this pick-up is simply too large to be a practical alternative. However, if you have more specialised work and recreational requirements, like GCMs as high as 12 tonnes with spacious comfort for a crew of five, this big American would be tough to top.

While other brands may have a higher profile, the quality of this Octavia RS proves Skoda deserves a greater share of the limelight. If you’re thinking about a primo mid-size sedan, or wagon, or even a medium SUV, this car combines satisfying performance with low-to-the-ground dynamics, immense practicality, top-shelf safety and solid value-for-money. It’s nicely put together using quality materials and the ownership package is class competitive. Do yourself a favour and add it to your new-car shopping list.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

MY24 brings a freshened front-end appearance with new fascia, headlights, body-coloured bumpers and grille garnish, black body highlights and more.

With a traditional ladder-frame truck chassis and sprawling 4036mm wheelbase, this behemoth measures almost 6.4 metres in length (6387mm) and more than 2.2 metres in width (2263mm).

It also stands more than 2.0 metres tall (2039mm) and has a vast 16.1-metre turning circle. So, multi-storey car parks, drive-thru takeaways etc are best avoided. And domestic driveways (if wide and long enough to accommodate it) may suffer under its weight over time.

It rides on 20-inch high-gloss black alloys with LT275/65 R20 Goodyear Wrangler all-terrain tyres and carries a full-size spare.

New Z71 off-road suspension includes skid plates and Rancho twin-tube dampers, offering 251mm of ground clearance and 28.5 degrees approach/19 degrees ramp breakover/23.6 degrees departure angles.

However, its 4x4 capabilities would be better suited to accessing rugged worksites, pulling a large caravan out of a boggy campground or towing a large boat trailer up a slimy boat ramp, than hardcore bush-bashing on narrow tracks.

The Silverado’s extensive remanufacturing to RHD, performed on a dedicated production line in Melbourne, exudes OEM standards of fit and finish. The dashboard module is particularly impressive, in providing a mirror image of the LHD original in appearance and function.

The leather-appointed cabin is a highlight, offering palatial space and comfort for all. It features a tasteful blend of contrasting materials and surface treatments, including silver-grey woodgrain inserts on the doors, dash and centre console plus exposed stitching along seams and subtle splashes of chrome.

The entry pathway to the rear seat is expansive, thanks to wide-opening doors and a flat floor with no transmission hump to straddle. There’s executive-lounge rear head and legroom, even for tall people, combined with enough shoulder room to ensure a crew of five can travel in comfort.

The current Octavia complies with Skoda’s sharp and angular approach to exterior design, with cool, jagged LED headlight clusters sitting either side of a blacked-out octagonal grille.

A brand signature is the bonnet shutting low and flush over the front guards to create a broad hood panel with longitudinal character lines running down its length. Similar creases flow confidently along the car’s flanks with 19-inch alloys filling the wheel wells nicely.

A smoothly tapering turret ends with a steeply raked rear screen on the sedan and wagon with angular LED tail-lights following a similar pattern to the headlights.

As well as the black grille, car-spotters should look out for the RS’s black finish on the window frame surrounds, roof rails (wagon only) wing mirrors and tailpipes as well as red brake calipers and RS sports bumpers front and rear.

Always a subjective call, but I for one think this car looks distinctive and contemporary while avoiding unnecessary flashiness.

Inside, the treatment is relatively reserved, with a grey through to black colour palette and high-quality materials, including soft-touch surfaces around the dash, doors and console, as well as ‘mouse fur’ and faux carbon sections on the upper dash.

The sports front seats are trimmed in a combination of synthetic leather and synthetic suede with quilted panels in the centre of the cushion and backrest. They feel as good as they look and are easy to get in and out of. Red contrast stitching throughout the interior dials up the racy tone.  

A sizeable central media touchscreen sits proud of the dash with the VW Group’s ‘Virtual Cockpit’ ahead of the driver configurable through multiple set-ups. And a smattering of dark chrome and brushed metal highlights (including on the pedals) finish off a beautifully executed interior.  

With its towering 3762kg kerb weight, the 2500 HD offers a choice of ADR load ratings (NB1 or NB2) which must be specified by the customer at the time of ordering (at no extra cost) to ensure the correct certification for vehicle registration.

The NB1 category allows up to 4500kg GVM/733kg payload, which can be driven by car licence holders. NB2 allows up to 5148kg GVM/1386kg of payload, but requires a truck licence. Our test vehicle is certified for the lower NB1 rating.

The 2500 HD is rated to tow up to 3500kg of braked trailer with a 50mm ball and up to 4500kg with a 70mm ball. These trailer weights are well within its capabilities, given that its GCM rating (how much it can legally carry and tow at the same time) is an eye-popping 12474kg.

Yep, that’s more than 12 tonnes, which allows for trailers weighing more than 4500kg using heavy-duty connections like pintle hooks, goosenecks/fifth-wheel turntables installed and certified by specialist aftermarket suppliers.

The enormous load tub offers almost 2.0 cubic metres of cargo volume and has large external steps front and rear for easier access. The load floor is 2089mm long, 1814mm wide and 533mm deep, with 1317mm between the rear wheel-housings allowing Aussie or Euro pallets to be carried.

It’s protected by a tough spray-on liner, plus there are 12 load-anchorage points, LED lighting, power tailgate and a camera to keep an eye on loads when driving. Our test vehicle was also fitted with adjustable and removable load-dividers, which are part of the GMSV accessories range.

Cabin storage for driver and front passenger includes two bottle/cupholders and a large bin in each door plus a single glove box. The centre console has a large open tray up front, two bottle/cupholders in the centre and an Esky-sized box at the back with padded lid that doubles as a plush elbow rest.

Rear seat passengers get a bottle/cupholder and bin in each door plus two more bottle/cupholders in the rear of the centre console and another two in the fold-down centre armrest. There are also large storage pockets on both front seat backrests and compartments cleverly hidden behind hinged upper backrest cushions.

The 60/40 split rear seat base can swing up and be stored vertically if more internal load space is required. This also provides access to the under-seat storage accessory fitted to our test vehicle. You’d seriously struggle to run out of cabin storage!

Practicality is an area where Skoda comes into its own. At every turn the brand’s design and engineering teams have obviously kept day-to-day usability in mind with thoughtful tweaks to make life easier.

Some have become low-key famous like an umbrella slotted into the driver’s door (Rolls-Royce-style) and a small lidded rubbish bin in the driver’s door pocket.

But over and above that, the Octavia’s efficient packaging means in a car measuring just on 4.7m long there’s heaps of room up front for the driver and passenger, with lots of handy storage options. 

Aside from generous door pockets there’s a box between the seats with a padded lid (adjustable for height and length when in use as an armrest), a 15W wireless charging pad (with ventilation from below to keep devices cool), a big glove box (with pen holder), multiple cupholders, a cupholder insert able to hold a phone and/or some coins, numerous oddments trays and a sunglasses compartment overhead (not fitted with optional panoramic sunroof).

And in the back, sitting behind the driver’s seat, set for my 183cm height, there’s tons of leg and headroom with more practical design thinking on display.

For example, map pockets on the back of the front seats have a phone-sized slot stitched into them. There are pull up shades for each window, big bins in the doors with plenty of room for bottles and more, a pull-down centre armrest with fold-out cupholders (plus some oddments space), adjustable climate control vents plus a box on the floor for extra bottles and ‘stuff’ (removable if you need foot room for a centre passenger).

Power and connectivity runs to five USB-C sockets (two front, two rear and one near the rear-view mirror for dashcam duty) plus a 12-volt outlet in the boot. 

Speaking of which, head to the boot and the ‘plenty of room’ theme continues. With the 60/40 split folding rear seat upright there’s 600 litres of space in the sedan and 640 litres in the wagon. Lower the backrest and that number increases to 1555 and 1700 litres, respectively. That’s plenty, and more than the Mazda6.

The sedan and wagon feature anchor points for securing loose loads, extra storage bays behind the rear wheel wells, there’s a ski-port door behind the rear armrest, load divider rails in the sedan, remote release handles for the rear seat, bag hooks, a luggage net… the lot. 

The powered tailgate includes hands-free opening, there’s a space-saver spare under the floor and towing capacity for a braked trailer is 1600kg (750kg unbraked).

Priced at $58,490 for the sedan and $59,990 for the wagon, both before on-road costs, the Octavia RS has one competitor that meets the mid-size sedan and wagon criteria with cost-of-entry somewhere in the same ballpark. And that’s the current Mazda6 20th Anniversary Edition.

Pitched at $54,385, before on-road costs, for the sedan and $55,685 (BOC) for the wagon, the Mazda goes toe-to-toe with the Skoda on size, equipment and performance, although the ‘6’ leans more towards a premium rather than outright performance vibe. And the Mazda has recenetly been discontinued in Australia.

The Accord VTi-LX Hybrid ($59,900, drive-away) puts Honda in the sedan mix and if you’re considering a pure electric medium sedan, the BYD Seal Premium comes in at $58,798, before on-roads while the Tesla Model 3 Single Motor RWD sits at $54,900.

So, aside from the safety and performance tech, covered a little later, what can you bank on in terms of included features for a price tag giving $60K a serious nudge?

The answer is… heaps. Standard equipment on the Octavia RS includes three-zone climate control, adaptive cruise control, a 13-inch multimedia touchscreen, sat nav, 12-speaker Canton audio (with digital radio), a 10-inch configurable digital instrument display, a head-up display, sports front seats (heated with six-way power adjust, memory and massage function), heated rear (outboard) seats, a power tailgate (with hands-free opening), keyless entry and start and rain-sensing wipers.

There’s also ‘Intelligent Park Assist’, LED external lighting (including matrix LED headlights), 19-inch alloy rims, heated and power-folding exterior mirrors (with memory function), synthetic leather and synthetic suede trim, a flat-bottom leather-trimmed steering wheel, alloy finish pedals and rear privacy glass as well as wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. 

Worth noting solid, metallic and pearlescent paint options (seven colours) are included as standard, with the single premium metallic ‘Velvet Red’ colour adding $770. 

That’s as much fruit as you should expect in this part of the market and a bit more.  

The 6.6-litre Duramax turbo-diesel V8, with driver-switchable exhaust brake, is tailored for heavy-hauling with an external engine oil cooler and functional bonnet scoop feeding fresh air to the engine’s intake system.

In the latest MY24 specification, it produces 350kW at 2800rpm and 1322Nm of torque at 1600rpm. That’s 18kW and 98Nm more than the previous model.

The refined 10-speed torque converter automatic with column-shifter is also fitted with an external oil cooler, while closer gear ratios and revised final-drive ratios for MY24 enhance all-round performance.

A dual-range transfer case offers a choice of four drive modes comprising 2WD, 4WD high-range, 4WD low-range and Auto (traction-sensing full-time 4WD). Also new is an automatic-locking rear differential.

Its armoury of advanced towing hardware and technology includes a 4500kg tow-bar with 12-pin wiring harness and integrated trailer brake controller.

Plus, there’s a rear-view camera with hitch guidance, automated trailer lighting test, in-vehicle trailering app with trailer profiles, trailer theft alert, trailer tyre pressure/temperature monitoring and lots more.

New MY24 features include adaptive cruise control which can be used when towing (detecting the additional weight behind the vehicle to automatically increase braking distances). Others are 'Trailer Side Blind Zone Alert' (TSBZA), which extends the blind zone area when towing, plus 'Gross Combination Mass Alert' (GCMA) which alerts if you exceed the GCM.

The Octavia RS is designated ‘195TSI’ which relates to the power output of its 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-petrol engine driving the front wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch auto transmission.

It’s a fourth-generation evolution of the Volkswagen Group’s long-serving ‘EA888’ engine series, an iron block/alloy head unit featuring direct-injection and variable valve timing to produce (you guessed it) 195kW and 370Nm.

The dash readout was claiming 17.5L/100km at the end of our 351km test, which comprised mostly city and suburban driving plus some highway running with a full payload.

Our own figure, calculated from fuel bowser and tripmeter readings, came in slightly lower at 16.8, which is decent economy for a vehicle weighing more than 3.7 tonnes unladen in ‘real world’ driving.

So, based on our figures, you could expect a realistic driving range of around 800km from its big 136-litre tank.

The Octavia RS’s official fuel consumption figure on the combined (urban/extra-urban) cycle is 7.0L/100km, the 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine emitting 159g/km of CO2 in the process (wagon 160g/km).

A start/stop function is standard and on a launch drive program through rural Victoria, covering several hundred kilometres’ worth of urban, B-road and freeway running we saw a (dash-indicated) figure of 6.9L/100km. With a 50-litre fuel tank on board, the RS’s theoretical range is around 715km.

In the city, expect an average in the high 8.0 range, which isn’t out of order for a 1.5-tonne sedan (1.6-tonne wagon).

Side-steps and large handles on the A- (and B-) pillars assist climbing aboard. It’s a very comfortable driving position, given the multiple seat and steering wheel adjustments along with plush elbow rests on both sides.

The large door mirrors, combined with numerous camera angles including the central rear view mirror's pin-sharp image, provide commanding all-around vision.

The steering is nicely weighted and surprisingly communicative for such a giant, providing good feel and response at all speeds.

The suspension tuning is supple enough to provide a smooth ride, yet retains enough firmness to minimise the ponderous feel inherent in vehicles of this size and weight.

Braking response is also reassuringly strong, without requiring huge pressure on the brake pedal to achieve it.

The 6.6-litre turbo-diesel V8 and 10-speed auto provide effortless performance. With maximum torque tapped at just 1600rpm, the engine is barely ticking over at city and suburban speeds.

And it requires less than 1500rpm to quietly maintain 110km/h on the highway, which combined with its low tyre and wind noise results in a supremely relaxed long-haul cruiser.

With its NB1 GVM rating, we loaded more than half a tonne into the load tub, which combined with our crew of two was just under its 733kg payload limit.

It simply didn’t notice the added weight, storming up our 13 per cent gradient, 2.0km-long set climb with acceleration unmatched by any loaded vehicle we’ve tested on this ascent.

Its engine-braking on the way down using the exhaust brake also set a new benchmark, never exceeding 50km/h and 2000rpm on overrun without once touching the brake pedal.

Skoda claims 0-100km/h acceleration in 6.4 seconds for the Octavia RS sedan and 6.5sec for the wagon and it feels willing with solid mid-range punch available. 

Peak power comes on stream up high (5250-6500rpm) but maximum pulling power is on tap from 1600-4500rpm, which is spot-on for urban running, easy highway cruising and safe overtaking.

A sports exhaust dials up a rorty note when pushing on and the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission proved quick and smooth on a launch drive covering mainly rural B-roads and some freeway sections.

Steering wheel-mounted paddles add extra involvement when you’re in the mood to push through some twisty stuff and select ratios manually.

Speaking of corners, suspension is by struts at the front and a multi-link arrangement (unique to the RS grade) at the rear, with an electronically controlled limited slip differential and ‘Dynamic Chassis Control’ standard. Ride height is 15mm lower than the standard Octavia.

DCC is Skoda code for an adaptive damper set-up and the system offers a ‘Comfort’ mode to help manage bumps, although it adds an air of floatiness on the open road. As the name implies, ‘Sport’ buttons everything down and road imperfections immediately make their presence felt. ‘Normal’ is surprisingly comfortable without upsetting the car’s balance and overall compliance. 

Standard rubber is 225/40 Bridgestone Potenza S005, providing a good grip vs comfort compromise, and the electrically assisted progressive rate rack and pinion steering is accurate, providing good road feel without being too sharp or ‘pointy’. Braking is by ventilated discs all around and the pedal is strong and progressive.

Under the heading of miscellaneous observations, engine, wind and road noise are modest, the grippy sports front seats remained comfortable over several hours behind the wheel, plus a relatively tight 10.4m turning circle and standard 360-degree camera view system make parking easy.  

The current Skoda Octavia was given a maximum five-star ANCAP rating following assessment in 2022. High scores in the adult and child occupant protection categories focused on the stability of the car’s passenger compartment in front offset, full front, side and pole impact crash tests.

For the 2025 model year, standard active (crash-avoidance) tech now includes turn assist and advanced driver fatigue detection, which is on top of auto emergency braking (AEB) operating from 5.0-250km/h (with car and ‘vulnerable road user’ detection plus junction assist), lane keeping assist (and emergency lane keeping), rear AEB, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, a reversing camera, a 360-degree camera view, tyre pressure monitoring, front and rear parking sensors and more. 

If, despite all that, a crash is unavoidable the airbag count runs to 10 - dual front, front side, rear side, side curtain, front centre and driver's knee.

There are three top tether points for securing child seats across the second row with ISOFIX anchors on the two outer rear positions. 

That’s an impressive safety run down, as good or better than any category competitor.

The Silverado is covered by a three year/100,000km warranty with three years roadside assist.

Scheduled servicing is every 12 months/12,000km, whichever occurs first, and there's no capped-price servicing. This ownership package falls short compared to rivals like Ford's RHD F-150.

The Octavia is covered by Skoda’s seven-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, which is ahead of the mainstream five-year warranty pack, although a little short of some, like MG and Mitsubishi at 10 years.

Service is recommended every 12 months/15,000km and a four-year/60,000km service pack will set you back $2000, with 12 months’ roadside assistance topped up for another year after each trip to an authorised workshop.

That $500 per service charge is a solid amount but not outrageous for a premium, especially Euro, mid-sizer. For reference the Mazda6 20th Anniversary averages $552 per service over the same period.