The automatic gearbox has added an important new weapon to the Octavia’s arsenal, but is it good enough to beat the best?

“The Octy offers the ease of an auto and the economy of a diesel.”

Skoda Octavia 1.9 TDi Auto
List price (ex-showroom,
Mumbai) Rs 13.44 lakh
Top speed 175.5kph
0-60kph 5.41sec
0-100kph 13.74sec
Kpl 13.79 (overall)
For Economy, ease of driving
Against Noisy engine

With Skoda expanding its Octavia model range, it was only a matter of time before the automatic variant came to the showrooms. But before you can say “Another automatic?”, remember that this one is a diesel, and not just any diesel. The four-speed auto ’box is mated to the Octy's venerable 1.9-litre turbo-diesel, a super-frugal engine which promises to more than compensate for the inherent inefficiencies of an automatic.
In short, unlike its gas-guzzling petrol rivals, the Octavia diesel auto won't lighten your wallet at the same rate. But a diesel auto also spells sluggish performance. Clearly, the Octavia diesel auto won't have the punch of its manual diesel sibling, leave alone its petrol rivals. So, what's it like to drive? Pretty good, actually. It's nice and responsive in city traffic and you always feel like there is a surfeit of power. The four-speed ’box makes full use of the torquey Skoda motor and seamlessly moves through across the well-spaced ratios. On part-throttle, it upshifts quite quickly, learning to live in the diesel's narrow power band. Keep your foot down and it holds each gear till 4800rpm, a point at which the engine feels boomy and noisy. In fact, with only four ratios to play with, you're often pushing the engine to the red line to extract the maximum performance.
The dash to 100kph comes up in an unexciting 13.74 seconds and the auto will go on to record a max speed of 180kph. The auto ’box kicks down well too but there is a bit of lag during downshifts, which you learn to cope with.
On the highway, the shortcomings of an automatic transmission are accentuated and the Octy auto clearly doesn't have the grunt of its manual sibling. The slight delay between downshifts can make quite a meal of tightly-timed overtaking manoeuvres on single-lane roads. Switching to 'manual' mode and sticking it in a particular gear before overtaking is more reassuring than letting the auto ’box do the work for you. The gear lever was a touch balky and required a firm hand to snick up and down.
Fuel economy figures recorded are, naturally, not as impressive as the manual but 10.5kpl in the city and 17.08kpl on the highway put this Skoda in a different league as far as automatics go. Unlike other autos, the Octy diesel is a car whose drinking habits you can easily accept.
Other Octavia strengths and weaknesses remain. The tough build quality and superb ride are just as good but the lack of legroom at the rear is still the main chink in the armour; is unlikely to be a major concern though, because auto owners are more likely to drive the car themselves.
It is best suited to those who drive themselves and commute long distances every day, but the Octavia is actually a great city car too, offering the ease of an auto, the economy of diesel and the comfort of a solid and well-sprung car. Priced at Rs 13.44 lakh (ex-showroom, Mumbai) it is Rs 80,000 more than the manual, but then convenience does come at a price.