We here at OVERSTEER have always been quite fond of all things Skoda-ish. The Superb is just that, the Fabia is a wonderfully unpretentious supermini, the Roomster was just brilliantly quirky, the Yeti just plain cool and anything with a RS badge on it was just awesome.
And the previous Octavia was just one of our favourite kind-of-mid-size cars – it looked good and was a tight and nicely balanced package, with a range of strong engines and an overwhelming air of general all-round niceness about it.
Now there is a new one. We go for a blast out to Raglan and back to check it out.
What is it?
Slightly confusing for a start, especially when it comes down to exactly what segment it plays in. Is it a slightly larger compact liftback and wagon hanging around in the VW Golf/Ford Focus segment? Or is it a slightly smaller mid-sizer, loitering around the bottom of the Mazda6/Toyota Camry segment with that other slightly size-confused car, the Suzuki Kizashi?
I have no idea, so lets just not worry about it, because its impressive pricing makes it incredibly competitive in the compact segment and an absolute bargain in the medium segment.
The new Octavia comes in eleven different flavours made out of a combination of four engines, two body styles, two drivetrains and two spec levels. Stick with us, it’s not anywhere near as confusing as it sounds…
The Ambition spec level starts off the range and is available in either liftback or wagon body styles, with a choice of a 103kW/250Nm 1.4-litre turbo petrol four-cylinder, a 77kW/250Nm 1.6-litre turbo diesel four-cylinder or a 110kW/320Nm 2.0-litre turbo diesel four-cylinder.
All are front-wheel drive and the two smaller engines are hooked up to a seven-speed dual clutch transmission, while the larger diesel engine gets a six-speed dual clutch trans due to its greater torque.
The Ambition comes standard with all the expected safety bits and pieces (including 7 airbags) as well as electric, heated, folding door mirrors, fog lights, rear parking sensors, rain sensing wipers, automatic headlights and 16-inch alloy wheels.
Inside the Ambition models come with a multifunction display, cruise control, a four-spoke leather steering wheel with multifunction controls, an auto-dimming rear view mirror, climate air conditioning, Bluetooth phone connectivity, an eight-speaker, single CD audio system and cloth upholstery.
The TSI 103kW Ambition liftback starts off the pricing at an impressive $34,900, while the TDI 77kW comes in at $36,500 and the TDI 110kW is $38,100. The wagon versions all add $2,000 to the liftback prices.
The Elegance models come next, with a choice of the 110kW 2.0-litre diesel or a 132kW/250Nm 1.8-litre turbo petrol four-cylinder engine. The diesel gets the 6-speeds DSG, while the petrol has the 7-speeder, except for the single 4WD model in the line up; the TSI 132kW Elegance 4×4 wagon which gets the 6-speed DSG.
The Elegance spec level adds 17-inch alloy wheels, auto-dimming door mirrors, front and rear parking sensors, dual zone climate control, Bluetooth phone connectivity with voice control, a 6-CD audio system with a 5.8-inch touchscreen and leather/cloth upholstery.
The TSI 132kW Elegance liftback lands at $39,900, while the TDI 110kW is $41,500. Wagons also add the same $2,000 premium, while the TSI 132kW 4×4 lands in wagon-only form at $43,600.
As usual, Skoda have an impressive range of options available for the Octavia, with radar cruse control ($2,000), the Park Assist self-parking system ($1,500), an electric sunroof ($2,000) and full leather on the Elegance models ($3,000).
There is a range of hot RS models coming in October, boasting the brilliant 162Kw/350Nm 2.0-litre turbo petrol four-cylinder engine from the VW Gold GTI or a 135kW/380Nm 2.0-litre turbo diesel four-cylinder engine, both hooked up to either a six-speed manual or a 6-speed DSG. But seeing these weren’t available at the launch, we will leave the details on that until we drive one. It will be priced between $47,000 and $52,200 depending on engine, transmission and body style (the wagon body style adds a $2,500 premium here).
What’s it like?
Rather unsurprisingly, and very much like the last model, it is very good indeed.
While we didn’t get a chance to sample all the engines available at launch, the 1.4 petrol and 2.0 diesel were both particularly impressive, with the small petrol being the surprise package of the day. But then it probably shouldn’t have been, as it is an impressive engine in everything it goes into.
A large part of the surprise did come from the base model’s handling and ride quality. With any Octavia with less than 110kW getting a torsion beam rear suspension set up (and anything over 110kW getting a superior multi-link set up), the little 103kW 1.4 car seemed to handle every bit as well as the more powerful multi-link diesel car.
The diesel had a slightly superior ride, but not enough that you would really notice in the long term and both handled the wonderfully twisting road out to Raglan and back with impressive abilities. Crisp, eager handling and a refined ride make the Octavia feel every bit as good as its equivalent VW siblings.
What’s good about it?
Strong, willing engines (the ones we tried, at least and we can’t imagine the 132kW petrol will be in any way weak, while the 77kW diesel is an impressive little slugger in other VW Group cars), slick, fast transmissions and impressive ride and handling abilities all set the Octavia apart.
The interior is well-specced and well built, as is the overall build quality of the car. It looks great, with the new corporate face sitting well on the Octavia’s conservative, yet distinctive lines.
What’s not so good?
That new corporate face has made it particularly difficult to distinguish between the smaller Rapid, the Octavia and the larger Superb now that they all have it!
The interior, although exceptionally well put together, is still quite plasticky.
First impressions?
If you are currently in the market for a compact or mid-size car then you definitely need to take a look at the Skoda Octavia.
Brilliant build quality, strong, frugal engines, handsome looks and remarkably good prices put a lot of ticks in the right boxes, while the excellent handling, nice ride and impressive range of options add a lot more ticks.
A strong contender in whatever category you choose to put it in, the Octavia was – and looks to remain – one of our firm favourites.
Specifications
Models/prices
TSI 103 Ambition – $34,900 (wagon – $36,900)
TDI 77 Ambition – $36,500 (wagon – $38,500)
TDI 110 Ambition – $38,100 (wagon – $40,100)
TSI 132 Elegance – $39,900 (wagon – $41,900)
TDI 110 Elegance – $41,500 (wagon – $43,500)
TSI 132 Elegance 4×4 – $43, 600 (wagon only)
RS TSI 162 manual – $47,000 (wagon $49,500)
RS TSI 162 DSG – $49,000 (wagon – $51,500)
RS TDI 135 manual – $47,700 (wagon – $50,200)
RS TDI 135 DSG – $49,700 (wagon – $52,200)
Powertrain
1.4-litre inline four-cylinder petrol producing 103kW/250Nm; seven-speed dual clutch transmission; front-wheel drive (TSI 103 Ambition), 1.6-litre inline four-cylinder diesel producing 77kW/250Nm; seven-speed dual clutch transmission; front-wheel drive (TDI 77 Ambition), 2.0-litre inline four-cylinder diesel producing 110kW/320Nm; six-speed dual clutch transmission; front-wheel drive (TSI 110 Ambition and Elegance), 1.8-litre inline four-cylinder petrol producing 132kW/250Nm; seven-speed dual clutch transmission; front-wheel drive (TSI 132 Elegance or TSI 132 Elegance 4×4 with six-speed dual clutch transmission; four-wheel drive), 2.0-litre inline four-cylinder petrol producing 162kW/350Nm; six-speed dual clutch transmission or six-speed manual; front-wheel drive (RS TSI), 2.0-litre inline four-cylinder diesel producing 135kW/380Nm; six-speed dual clutch transmission or six-speed manual; front-wheel drive (RS TDI).
Fuel consumption: 5.3l/100km (TSI 103), 3.9l/100km (TDI 77), 4.5l/100km (TDI 110), 6.1l/100km (TSI 132), 6.7l/100km (TSI 132 4×4), 6.2l/100km (RS TSI 162 manual), 6.4l/100km (RS TSI 162 DSG), 4.6l/100km (RS TDI 135 manual), 5.0l/100km (RS TDI 135 DSG)
CO2 emissions: 124g/km (TSI 103), 102g/km (TDI 77), 119g/km (TDI 110), 131g/km (TSI 132), 134g/km (TSI 132 4×4), 142g/km (RS TSI 162 manual and DSG), 119g/km (RS TDI 135 manual and DSG)
Safety
ANCAP/EuroNCAP rating: n/a
Air bags: 7
Stability control: yes
Lap/diagonal belts: 5
