Corolla design more modern but not as solidly built as the Skoda

The Indian-made Corolla is the Altis, its Asian version, that sells in a number of South-East Asian countries. The Altis bodystyle comes with generous splashes of chrome and a more upmarket nose and tail section as the Corolla is sold as a semi-luxury car in markets such as ours. The nose is the most attractive looking part of the car. The wrap-around fused light pods with their clear lenses are extremely striking and lift what otherwise would have been an dull design. The multi-layered compound tail-lamps with their circular theme make the tight, well defined rear look more appealing as well. But the Corolla undoubtedly looks best when viewed in profile.

The high waistline, nicely shaped C-pillar and mildly cab-forward glass area give it a contemporary look. The build quality is again typically Japanese, light and 'tinny', lacking a feeling of solidity.

The Octavia originates from a different school of automotive thought. Germanic strength abounds in everything you touch and feel. The doors 'clop' open, the hatch thuds shut and you're extremely aware that the designers have laid a great deal of emphasis on chassis strength and longevity. The design is typically Germanic too. Slap a VW or Audi badge on the Octavia and it could pass off as a model from one of these sister brands. In fact, 70 percent of the Octavia is made from the Volkswagen parts bin.

The Octavia's snub nose, the ample-looking bumper, the rectangular grille and the distinctive drooping mirrors are design elements you tend to notice.

Another very interesting design element of the Octavia is the steeply raked flying buttress-like C-pillar that leads to the boot section. One of the Octavia's talking points is its amazingly cavernous boot. You get 528 litres of luggage space and that's without lifting up the parcel tray!

Both the Corolla and the petrol Octavia have disc brakes all around but only the Octavia gets ABS as standard.

Vertically stacked clear tail-lamps, boot is huge but has high sill; Corolla's organic tail-light eye-catching, boot is wide and large enough

Skoda's Germanic looks complement battle-tank build quality, but basic petrol engine is a letdown.