A HIGHER OCTAVIA

Skoda’s aiming higher with the new Octavia, promising better space, a better engine and a better chassis. Just how good is the new Czech?

‘ With a generous increase in rear seat legroom, it’s hard
to find a serious chink in the new Octavia’s armour. ’

The Octavia is the car that turned around Skoda's image and fortunes and proved that the Volkswagen-run Czech company can make world-class cars. In India too, Skoda's success has hinged entirely on the Octavia, especially since the company lacked the marketing muscle or huge budgets to establish the Skoda brand. The Octavia, which uses tried-and-tested VW components, proved itself as a credible saloon and quickly won over customers,essentially by word-of-mouth. In fact, Skoda, seen as a bargain brand in most markets, is perceived as a prestige one in this country. Hence, the new Octavia will enter this market from a position of strength.

Skoda has tackled one of the few criticisms we levelled at the older Octavia; that its rear legroom was poor. By increasing the dimensions of the car, rear passengers are now treated to the sort of room we associate with the best in class and a pair of six-foot adults can be happily accommodated here.
The boot is big enough to be hired out as a concert venue and the 60/40 split folding rear seats allows larger loads to be carried with ease. The seats however don't fold completely flat.
The interior design tends to conjure up words such as ‘sensible’ and ‘practical’ but never ‘interesting’ or ‘exciting.’ Finished in a dull grey, the new Octavia doesn't convey that luxury feel the minute you get into it. Slivers of faux aluminium span the cockpit in an attempt to lighten what is otherwise a sombre and lifeless ambience, but this feels like an afterthought. However, once you live with the car, begin to stroke and touch the interiors, you discover the sheer quality of the materials is astonishing. The older car's interiors are superbly built but the new Octavia takes the game further and will shame many more expensive machines. Every surface has a pleasantly honed and substantial feel that would not be out of place in an Audi.
The new dashboard is logically laid out with simple graphics and clear dials, while most of the major controls are housed in the centre section. The stereo is built into the centre console and operates from a large screen surrounded by ‘soft keys’ that aren't always really intuitive, but otherwise, the switchgear is easy to navigate.
The interiors feel very well crafted, from the solid door pads to the ‘slush-moulded’ dash-top that gives a tactile impression of exceedingly high quality.
Though the new Octavia is badged a 1.9 TDi, it's powered by an engine that's quite different from the 1.9 turbodiesel found in the older Octavia. The new model gets VW's pumpe-düse motor, which in 1.9-litre form pumps out 103bhp. This engine instantly feels livelier than the older Octavia's. It's responsive, eager and ready to leap into a gap in traffic or move away rapidly from a set of lights. But on the open road and goaded by the Octavia's well-balanced chassis, you often need to work the engine harder than you’d think.
The need to work the 1.9 motor exposes what is possibly the new Octavia's biggest drawback: a lack of refinement. Maybe we expected the new Octavia to move the game on but the gruff engine is as noisy as the older model. Not only does it have awkward harmonics, but you can feel the engine vibrate through the pedals and gearknob. As if to make up, the slick gearshift with its short throw is a delight to use, and the ratios are well stacked.
With the independently-suspended VW Golf Mk5 platform as a base, the new Octavia, not surprisingly, comes with dynamics far ahead of the older car's. It's not that the older Octavia has bad road manners — in fact, it's got the best ride and handling in its class. This means the dynamics of the new Octavia promise to be a quantum leap ahead of its rivals in India.
The benefits of a well-sorted multi-link suspension set-up are immediately apparent. The new Octavia doesn't pitch like the older model and is a lot more agile. It rides with real poise, the suspension dealing with all types of road surfaces in a quiet, controlled fashion and body control is generally very good. It's only on long undulations taken at speed that the combination of a soft suspension and the weight of the iron-block engine up front can set the car's nose nodding. Grip levels are decent even though the Octavia we drove was shod with modest 195/65-ZR15 rubber.
When Skoda launches the Octavia early next year, it is sure to take the game forward in the luxury segment. The car's biggest weakness, a lack of legroom, so critical in our predominantly chauffeur-driven market, has been addressed. It's now hard to find a serious chink in the new Octavia's armour and if the car is priced correctly, Skoda has a sure-shot winner on its hands.l

FACTFILE
SKODA OCTAVIA 1.9 TDI PD
How much?
Price Rs 14 lakh (est)
How big?
Length 4572mm
Width 1973mm
Height 1462mm
Wheelbase 2578mm
Kerb weight 1510kg
Engine
Layout 4-cylinder, 1896cc, turbodiesel
Max power 103bhp
Max torque 25.43kgm
Specific output 54.32 bhp per litre
Power to weight 68.21 bhp per tonne
Installation Front, transverse, front-wheel drive
Bore/stroke 79.5/95.5mm
Valve gear 2 per cylinder, SOHC
Gearbox
Type 5-speed, manual
Suspension
Front MacPherson struts, coil prings, anti-roll bar
Rear Multi-link, coil prings, anti-roll bar
Steering
Type Electro-hydraulic power assisted rack and pinion
Lock to lock 3.0 turns
Brakes & Wheels
Front 288mm ventilated discs
Rear 260mm ventilated discs
Tyres 195/65 ZR15
WHAT TO EXPECT
An old staff favourite that is now almost impossible to criticise — a star is born.

Captions:
Derivative styling is deeply unexciting but may find favour among Indians; familiar lines disguise an all-round increase in dimensions.

Not even fake-aluminium inserts can liven up a dreary interior, but quality is breathtaking; ‘pumpe-düse’ TDi motor lively but coarse.

Rear end almost undistinguishable from old car, but houses sophisticated multi-link suspension.

New Golf platform means a vast increase in rear space, eliminating one of the old car’s key problems.

Boot could swallow an elephant.

Thoughtful storage bins abound.

Good grip even with poor rubber.