I got my driver's license almost 15 years ago, about a month sooner than my dad did. At the time, I didn't even want to think about station wagons and so we went out and bought an almost-hot hatch ...

How significant certain cars really were to their manufacturers’ over fortunes is a contentious topic, but in the Skoda Octavia’s case that importance is wholly justified. Launched 30 years ago, the ...