Competitive pressures prompt new Octavia’s makeover moves

The Skoda Octavia has been the only premium executive sedan that has been worth coveting since the exit of the Honda Civic. For sometime, the Chevrolet Cruze proved to be a good alternative to buyers who wanted similar handling and dynamics, and were wary of Skoda’s after sales experience. But with GM exiting the Indian market, the Cruze is also out of the equation.

The dark horse that has risen and come back into the swing during the last few months is the Hyundai Elantra. This redesigned and reequipped 2017 model has seen a near tripling of volumes during the first two months of this fiscal compared to the same period last year. The Skoda Octavia, in the meantime, has seen a big drop in sales numbers despite the fact that the current model is no pushover. But apparently, the buyers in this segment are not very adventurous and also possibly not really owner-drivers.

That possibly explains why the car that stays unruffled in the midst of the turmoil despite being the least exciting in the segment is the Toyota Corolla. The Corolla delivers a whole lot in many other departments including reliability, low maintenance costs and the post sale ownership experience. The Corolla leads the segment with monthly sales of more than three times its nearest rival. But buyer preferences could change with more choice coming into the segment and an increase in the share of young buyers who are looking to migrate back into a sedan after having had their fill of sports utility vehicles.

It didn’t look like the Skoda Octavia needed a facelift; maybe a readjustment of the kind of value it could deliver to the buyer. It can certainly help if Skoda resets its sales and service benchmarks, and starts by offering more dealers in the major metros. For a start, Skoda has chosen to give the Octavia the facelift treatment. Looking at the redesigned new face, I did have a change of heart.

The new 2017 Octavia gets a twin-eyed look with split (or double as Skoda calls it) headlamps, which manage to boost the perceived width of the car. The rectangular split headlamp is a feature that has been used in the past by other manufacturers too. But, with the addition of what Skoda calls the Quadra LEDs in the headlamp, the combination is quite good looking on the new Octavia. The trademark butterfly grille is still there, but now features a chrome surround and glossy black slats. The front fender is completely new with an elongated new airdam and a chrome split line. Cornering fog lamps are a carry over.

The bonnet slab itself also gets a makeover with some additional creases and surfaces to make it look more muscular. The side profile remains unchanged except for the new 16-inch, 10-spoke alloys. At the rear, the tail-lamps get a new LED combination and reflectors. The rear fender is also new and is now more compact. There are no major mechanical changes to the car, except for an increase in the rear track, which is now 30 mm wider.

The new Octavia’s cabin was always a benchmark when it came to the fit and finish. The dashboard in the new model nearly remains the same except for the new infotainment system and touchscreen mounted at the top of the centre stack. With connectivity becoming a big deal in-car, the new system offers multiple options like Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and a new App based BossConnect feature that lets backbenchers wirelessly connect and control music and navigation commands of the system. There are a number of new storage options, nothing more significant than the 590-litre boot, which looks even more spacious thanks to the notchback style (tailgate hinged at the roof).

The material and fit and finish quality in the new Octavia is top grade for the segment. With today’s smartphone wave, additional USB charging points are always welcome and the new model gets two at the rear too. The cabin also gets a lot of LED ambient lights and footwell lights in the new Octavia. It also gets a full complement of safety features including eight airbags and the addition of the iBuzz driver fatigue alert system.

The new Octavia gets all the three engines from the current model. So, the trio – 1.4TSI, the 1.8TSI and the 2.0TDI have been carried over with the same state of tune. A minor improvement in aerodynamics and a slightly lower kerb weight enables the new Octavia to offer a marginal improvement in mileage. I test drove the 1.8TSI, which is my personal favourite, and the 2.0TDI.

The 1.8TSI petrol engine is offered only with the seven-speed DSG gearbox. The 1,798 cc engine continues to deliver 180 PS of peak power and 250 Nm of peak torque. This turbocharged, direct injection petrol engine was always a delight to drive. Refined and with loads of power that is delivered almost all the way to the redline, it is perfect for owner drivers who really want to enjoy their car.

The 2.0TDI is offered with a six-speed manual transmission and the six-speed DSG. This 1,968 cc engine delivers 143 PS of peak power and a sumptuous 320 Nm of torque. On the road, though the torque kicks in quickly and most of it is available from about 1,600 rpm, the DSG tranny in the diesel test mule we were driving seemed to be slower than the petrol’s seven-speed auto. But the near absence of turbolag makes the diesel very useable even in city conditions.

The other engine on offer is the 1.4TSI, which is mated to a six-speed manual transmission. Rated mileage figures are 16.7 kmpl for the 1.4TSI, 15.1 kmpl for the 1.8TSI, and 21 kmpl and 19.5 kmpl for the manual and auto gearbox versions respectively of the 2.0TDI.

I felt that the new Octavia’s steering lacked in feedback and also felt over-assisted. But, it wasn’t lacking in precision.

The suspension felt a bit firmer than the outgoing model. Handling quality has always been the Octavia’s forte and the new model still holds on to its top seed position.

Skoda is yet to officially launch the new Octavia so prices haven’t been announced. But, the ex-showroom prices are likely to be in the range of ₹17.5 lakh to ₹23.5 lakh between the four power trains and their three trim variants.