WHILE medium-sized sedans are mostly a mixture of mediocrity and the mundane, the few that are also offered as wagons often fare better.

New to the fold is the third-generation Skoda Octavia, previously of the small-car fraternity but now a ferociously competitive player with many and varied talents.

Frankly we’d prefer the Skoda over virtually every compact SUV alternative for a variety of reasons, but the Czech charmer can be a little harsh in a couple of surprising areas when assessed against segment leaders, including the Ford Mondeo, Volkswagen Passat and Mazda6.

Here we admire the volume-selling 103TSI DSG Ambition Plus Wagon.

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