Škoda is calling it the “Return of the Legend” and its quite true. Škoda’s new Octavia is bound to become an even greater legend then the first car that hit the Indian shores more than a decade ago.
The new Octavia has the quintessential Czech character with its sculpted countenance and bold muscular lines all over that simply make it a clever looking car. Recently, we drove the new Octavia in the hills of Himachal Pradesh to see how well this legend in the making, copes with the rudeness of Indian roads.
Škoda has changed a lot of things on the new Octavia however, the car still retains its Czech character. The bold front-end, the sculpted side profile and the simple yet clever rear end look quite amazing. The Octavia also gets the brand’s new logo that was launched in the international market a while back. The new Octavia looks bigger and it is bigger thanks to VW Group’s modern miracle the MQB modular architecture that has enabled the new car to have more room on the inside. It has grown in length and is also taller then the earlier car. There is tonnes of space on the inside just like the earlier car. You can seat tall people in utmost comfort as there is plenty of knee and headroom in the back. The front also has a good amount of leg, knee and head room and the cabin has this airy and roomy feel. Quality has moved up big time as the interiors look and feel excellent. The leather seats, the soft touch plastics and the attention to detail all take your breath away.
The new Octavia is also loaded with features that will please many. It has got a big infotainment system with a touch sensitive screen that dominates the centre console. It displays an array of information related to the car and the music system. The instrument console is easy to read and has a digital display that shows various things like current song, trip meter, odometer and a lot more. It also has a tyre pressure monitor system that monitors the tyres air-pressure. You get an array of connectivity options like Bluetooth and others however, if you wish to connect your USB devices to the music system you would have to buy a separate connector that has all the conventional ports. You also get steering mounted controls for the Bluetooth and audio. In the top-end variants you also get a panoramic sun-roof that is electrically adjustable.
Safety wise you are also covered as the new Octavia comes with six airbags, traction control, stability control and ABS braking. But with its tank like build quality you don’t really need to worry about safety.
We drove the 1.4 TSI and the 2.0 litre diesel, both of which are excellent engines and have a very good power output. The 1.4TSI petrol engine develops 140PS of power and 250 Nm of torque whereas the 2.0 litre diesel develops 143PS of power and a healthy 320 Nm of torque. Both engines are quite refine and have linear power delivery. However, the 1.4 litre felt a bit underpowered while climbing the hilly terrain of Himachal. Both the car we drove came with a six speed manual transmissions which were smooth and had short throws. The ratios are well matched with the respective engines and you don’t have to fiddle around with gear shifts to enjoy the power. Handling of both the cars was similar as both have the same chassis and suspension settings. Ride quality is excellent thanks to the perfectly setup suspension that gobbles up road imperfections with ease without rocking the occupants of the car. The steering is quite direct and communicates well with the driver. Brakes are also quite good and provide ample bite be it light braking or hard braking.
Overall, the new Octavia is an excellent piece of engineering that will do really well in the Indian market. Škoda is offering two more variants in the Octavia line-up, one is a more powerful petrol variant that comes with a 1.8 litre TSI engine producing 180PS of power and 250 Nm of torque mated to a DSG gearbox. The second option is the top end diesel that has the same 2.0 litre motor however, it comes with all the bells and whistles and also a DSG gearbox. Prices start at Rs 14 lakh for the 1.4 TSI engine and will go all the way up to Rs 20 lakh for the top-of-the-line diesel variant with DSG gearbox. To read more about our first impressions of the new Octavia, you can get a copy of our upcoming October issue.
