[sameerg]

Originally Posted by 84.monsoon

The 1.8 TSI AT Ambition looks like a steal now, if they keep the prices unaltered at around 19 Lacs ex showroom. It now gets six airbags, reversing camera, full Led headlights, 8 inch touchscreen on top of the pre face-lift variant.

I think you meant Style. From the brochure added couple of posts back, Ambition seems to have 4 airbags and missing the other two features. Or am I missing sth??

[84.monsoon]

Yes, my apologies. I meant Style (mid variant) which used to be called ambition plus. It really has pretty much every feature of value one would look for and hopefully they price it on par with the previous mid variant.

[RohanDheman]

Originally Posted by CarguyNish

While the A3 & A4 are good cars, they just don't justify that premium over this car (Octavia) now that the Jetta has been discontinued.

As an Octavia owner and a hardcore Skoda fan- allow me to disagree a little bit here and explain why i am doing so!

When i got my Octavia in October 2016, my best friend picked up the A3 diesel after 15 days. I have unlimited access to the A3 and on multiple occasions have had the opportunity to drive the Octavia and the A3 back to back for considerable period of time. Both the cars are top of the line and have the same engine and gearbox combo.

However, this is where the Audi trumps the Octavia
- Far far better ride and handling
- Much sportier stance and driving position
- The overall interior quality is much better than the Octavia
- Better build quality overall
- the overall refinement and noise insulation is far superior on the Audi
- much better sound setup
- I have a far bigger grin on my face in the Audi than the Skoda
- The snob value that comes with owning an Audi (does not matter to me- i have a E36 and C200 for that)
- the added convenience of auto-hold in traffic

Having said that- I could not convince myself to spend the additional 10 lac and get an A4 or even the Superb for that matter because for my requirement, the Octavia fit the bill perfectly. I tried my level best to convince my friend to at-least see the Skoda once. But he was adamant that since he drives alone 90% of the time, he wanted to buy himself a good solid luxury sedan and closed in on the A3. That is when i realized that when a person wants to buy into a luxury brand (and the associated lifestyle) a couple of lacs here and there makes no difference to them.

Therefore, for a person whose mind is set on A3/A4 and the like, does not usually go a segment below and buy the sensible car! As much as i hate to say or admit to this- in a place like Delhi and for young lawyers like us, getting out of an Audi feels far more special than a Skoda Octavia (no matter how much superior the product is!).

Oh and the A4 is in a different league all together now- so i am not comparing Octavia and the A4 at all.

Rohan

[volkman10]

Dealers are speculating a July 20th launch of the 2017 Octavia.

[AMG Power]

Pics of the new Octavia - note (1) sensor for the auto park near the rear wheel and (2) interior discreet mood lighting strips on the door trims with 10 different shades that can be selected from the larger touch screen.

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by AMG Power

note (1) sensor for the auto park near the rear wheel

So this will be offered in India? Ought to be a useful feature if it can be used for parallel and angled parking.

Parking ease is greatly dependant on the starting position in either case; does anyone know how the car copes with those that are badly out of whack to start with?

[volkman10]

Skoda Octavia Facelift Launching On July 13.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zhr17wyyw4

[84.monsoon]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Skoda Octavia Facelift Launching On July 13.

Price corrections they do on the Superb post GST will give us a good indication of what to expect on the pricing of the new Octavia. The cars share a lot of stuff, engines/transmissions etc. As of now, I do not believe Skoda have announced post GST pricing for the Superb.

IMO, Skoda has a huge opportunity to price the new Octavia's style variant for better volumes. The Cruze is gone and Corolla is under-powered/not as nice to drive. Elantra is indeed strong competition. However, the new style variant is really feature packed and if introduced at say Rs. 18 Lac price point for the TSI AT, will have a good chance to succeed.

[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by Sawyer

So this will be offered in India? Ought to be a useful feature if it can be used for parallel and angled parking.

Parking ease is greatly dependant on the starting position in either case; does anyone know how the car copes with those that are badly out of whack to start with?

I'm guessing just like the parking feature on more expensive cars, it will not last in our conditions where we have just about enough space to squeeze the car in.

Great party trick for those people who have enough space to park comfortably, but if you're thinking it will help newbies - doubtful.

Personally, while the rest of the features are great, I would have liked to see all black interiors on the Octavia. Would have made it that much more upmarket in my opinion!

[M00M]

Originally Posted by lamborghini

l

Personally, while the rest of the features are great, I would have liked to see all black interiors on the Octavia. Would have made it that much more upmarket in my opinion!

They won't launch black interiors coz it's deemed as less premium. But from a maintenance and a reality stand point even a dark grey interior would've made more sense than the beige.

[dhruvritzed]

Just got this msg
Bookings open for the New SKODA Octavia! Explore the sleek & crystalline design, stunning looks, brilliant tech features. To know more click bit.do/NewOctavia

[lancer_rit]

Originally Posted by RohanDheman

As an Octavia owner and a hardcore Skoda fan- allow me to disagree a little bit here and explain why i am doing so!

However, this is where the Audi trumps the Octavia
- Far far better ride and handling
- Much sportier stance and driving position
Rohan

The A3 (esp 1.8TSI DSG) is a pleasure to drive, very responsive, refined and engine/transmission is mapped great, suspension is very good. To me it felt, even better (more compact, chuckable, steering felt better) than a 320d on hill roads in the Alps (both rental cars, the 320d was a station wagon and on winter tyres to be fair). It accelerated way better, the DSG manual shifts were great. So, it does indeed trump the Octavia by a fair bit. Space at rear is pretty bad though.

One could not say the same for the A4 though (before the new model this year)!! Dull steering, underpowered engines/poor transmission, The Octavia 1.8 TSI DSG easily beat it for driving pleasure and response.

[AMG Power]

The rear of the new Octavia with the revised tail lights. You need to look close to spot the new crystalline design.

[AMG Power]

For the enthusiasts:

The New Octavia will have 2 areas of difference that could improve or reduce from the driving experience depending on your point of view:

1. The rear track has been widened by 20mm to "improve aesthetics" and handling & stability.

2. The suspension has been further softened so expect a slightly more bouncy ride at high speeds but a better ride in town.

[Santoshbhat]

Originally Posted by AMG Power

[b]
2. The suspension has been further softened so expect a slightly more bouncy ride at high speeds but a better ride in town.

Why would they do this? I don't think the Octavia was ever criticised for a harsh ride. In fact its handling prowess always impressed every reviewer. Why would they want to dilute their USP? Unless they received negative feedback from owners stating that the ride is 'uncomfortable'.

As an enthusiast I would be terribly disappointed if indeed they have further meddled with the suspension in the name of adjusting to Indian conditions. As if jacking up the ride height wasn't enough.