He 3D printed a model of an Octavia, put it on a drone, took a photo and won. This gave him the chance to be one of the first to drive in the upgraded version of Škoda’s bestselling car. What did he like most about the Octavia?

Raphaël Poissonnier from France is the winner of a competition organised by Škoda on the Printables.com platform. First prize gave him the chance to take part in the press presentation of the new Octavia model, so in May Raphaël headed to Vienna with a group of French journalists for the first test drives. The route took the participants from Vienna airport to Moravia.

Raphaël Poissonnier’s winning photo

“I really enjoyed the car. Especially when I went off on my own in it, I enjoyed it so much that I was often late arriving at the destination,” Raphaël says with a smile. He also says that taking part in the event marked the beginning of new friendships. “It was great to share the experience of a new car with people who know much more about cars than me,” he says.

Best first impression

What impression did the new Octavia make on him? “I myself drive an oldish small car, but I often drive various rental cars when I’m on business trips. I’ve never driven a Škoda before, so the Octavia was a big and pleasant surprise for me,” he begins his review. When listing all the things that impressed him, he mentions the assistance systems in particular.

“I tried out the intelligent adaptive cruise control and features like Lane Assist, which I found extremely useful. The cruise control is so good that sometimes you hardly have to touch the pedals, and I always felt safe and comfortable in the car thanks to it,” Raphaël says. Another great feature he appreciated is the head-up display, which shows navigation instructions and other useful information directly in the driver’s field of vision.

Raphaël Poissonnier really appreciated the practical details in the interior.

Raphaël also praises the Octavia’s practical details. Although he wasn’t able to make use of all the space in the luggage compartment during the weekend, he discovered lots of other handy features of the car. “I took my drone with me, of course, and used it to take pictures. And there are plenty of USB-C ports in the car, so charging the drone and other electronic devices on the road wasn’t a problem,” he points out. The USB-C port in the interior rear-view mirror is also useful, he says, making it easy to connect the on-board camera. “In my car, I also have to think long and hard about where to put rubbish. The Octavia has little bins in the door pockets, and that’s extremely practical,” says Raphaël.

Interior of the fourth-generation Škoda Octavia

Before returning to his 3D printer at home, Raphaël also enjoyed some time off in Prague and a visit to Prusa Research. “The tour was great, because I got to see parts of their production facilities they don’t usually show. It was also nice to be able to discuss the tools they use with their experts,” the competition winner explains. “I’ve been toying with the idea of making a living with my new 3D printer for a while now – as an engineer, I could provide customisation services to various small firms,” Raphaël adds.

Who knows, maybe this idea will induce him to switch up to an Octavia after it impressed him so much. “None of my friends have Škodas, but I will definitely recommend they add them to their shopping list. And when I decide to replace my current car, I definitely know where to look first,” he says with a smile.

Raphaël entered the competition not only to get the chance to drive the new Octavia, but also because he wanted to test the capabilities of his 3D printer, which he bought himself for Christmas last year. The competition challenge was to print a model of the car on the 3D printer and take the most original photo with it.

Raphaël stuck his 3D model of the Octavia on his lightweight drone and sent it soaring through the sky. His creativity was appreciated by other users of the Printables platform. “It was all a bit last minute, and I was quite lucky that everything went smoothly. I also took the picture in a hurry because the competition deadline was drawing close and the weather was bad, which is not ideal for flying a drone. So ultimately I was extremely pleased with the result,” says Raphaël, who also received a new printer from Prusa Research for winning the competition.

Raphaël Poissonnier

Originally from Saint-Étienne, Raphaël works as a project manager in machine engineering, so he has a fairly clear idea of what the automotive industry entails. His job even involves working with some Czech companies that are his employer’s customers. During his studies at technical college he gained experience abroad, for example in Finland. “I love travelling and exploring new cultures,” he says.