[adi_petrolhead]

Finally I got the chance to write up my experience on the Octavia. Hope it helps the community.

How it all began, a sad story:

I was very happy with my 2012 White Skoda Laura TDI Ambition DSG, which had clocked about 43000 kms and was soon due for its third service. Immaculately maintained car, fresh tyres, new Bolero music system, etc. etc. add-ons. I was planning to get Stanley leather seats for it soon.



I am a regular highway commuter since my present home and work place are 120 kms apart. I usually drive about 500 km a week, including 4x120 km highway runs. There was some construction work going on at the usual highway, so I took a diversion suggested by my cousin, and went ahead at my regular speeds (80/90 km/h for efficient driving) and loud music. Suddenly, I see a white Honda Activa entering the middle of the road from the RHS of me, about 100 m away. I start honking and flashing the high beam, while lifting my foot off the gas. The bugger just didn't stop, and after 5 seconds of heavy screeching and severing, a big "bang" and a "jump" later, my Laura came to a halt.

What I saw first, a shattered windscreen, MID flashing "P/N" for the gearbox damage, and when I tried to open my door, it would not open, I had to kick it open. I rushed to the person who hit my car, put him in my car, it was driving in "limp-home mode" . Dropped him at the nearby hospital, he just had minor bruises from the windscreen glass, and was fully conscious, thank God for that.



I started towards home when I noticed the car wont go past 1st gear, and also would not engage in reverse. The mechatronics had been shredded, leaking out all of the ATF as well via a cracked gearbox body. I left the car at a known person's office parking, and called for a towing service, who then took the car to the Skoda body shop. Two days later they informed me that the gearbox had completely been destroyed, and other body damages, wheel damage, etc. will cost me about 10 Lacs with labour and will be payable upfront even before they ordered a new gearbox. By the way, the new DQ250 gearbox alone costs 6.5 Lacs The car was given up to claim Total Loss. I got a claim after 2 months of struggle, of approximately 10.75 lacs only. I originally paid 17 lacs for the car.

---

The search begins: My attention was caught by the outgoing Superb, the minor refreshed Laura Elegance TDI DSG which came with a Bolero audio system, electric seats, Maxidot, and Steering with audio and Maxidot controls. But soon I heard, the Octavia is just about to be launched and I could wait for another month or so.

On the 9th of October, the dealer had received a car for pre-launch event. It was a Silver TDI Elegance. I went and saw the car, and I was in complete awe. I sat in the car, first thing I was already crazy about was the sunroof and immediately tried my hand at it, looked at the finish and fit lines, steering felt good, started the engine with just a slight twist of the key, it was much more silent than my Laura TDI CR engine and we were in an enclosed room! Tried the headlights as I wanted to see them in the flesh, and sold!

Went out and booked the car and gave the cheque for the token amount.
Originally I booked a Race Blue 1.8 TSI Elegance. After a week I was informed that the color has not launched yet, and I had to choose from Black, Silver, Beige and White. I asked for Black of course. Delivery was promised in 10 days, and I was hopeful, as at the time I bought my Laura, they told me 15 days to delivery, but delivered in a week!

Happily punting around in my "bouncy" Vento TDI. (no offence to Vento owners, but I hate the ride of the car, its too bouncy for my habit of the Laura and Octavia, even Innova) It was almost F1 time. I left for Delhi and had not heard from the dealer about the car till then. It was over a month now, with constant delays and excuses. I finally called to cancel my booking and I asked for a refund. After two hours of that call, I got a call from the SA, that they had two options, Silver or Black. I chose Black, and got the delivery on 1st November 2013. Its till date to my knowledge, the only 1.8 TSI Elegance in Gujarat.

[thebfg]

Hey man, congratulations on the car! The Octavia is a stunner! Black looks especially good, bringing out all the design elements. Have you planned any mods? As your Laura had the bolero unit, before giving the car to TL you could have salvaged it and installed it in the new car. You have already experienced the horrible Skoda ASC. Hope it gets better.

P.S. Mods shouldn't this be in Test Drives & Initial ownership reports section

[joethomasv]

Finally the much awaited 1.8 TSI review! The car looks beautiful in black. An average FE of 12 for a 180 bhp petrol auto is something.

Originally Posted by adi_petrolhead

In my case, contrary to joemathewsv, the Auto mode does not cool the windscreen. Might be a leak in the dash in his car. This was a common problem in the Laura.

Looks like a visit to the service centre is due. I hope they don't have to remove the dash to fix this.

[adi_petrolhead]

Originally Posted by joethomasv

Finally the much awaited 1.8 TSI review! The car looks beautiful in black. An average FE of 12 for a 180 bhp petrol auto is something.



Looks like a visit to the service centre is due. I hope they don't have to remove the dash to fix this.

Thanks Joe! I had the same problem in my Laura. I am not sure how they fixed it, but I was told that there was a leak, and it was sealed. Even I hope they don't open up your entire dashboard, I am not sure how well they will fit it back again. May be just the top strip of air vents on the dash will be opened to do the job.

Smashing!! The way you started the thread with your experience.
Mods, please make a note on how the photographs have been taken & ensure such a quality pics in our Official review threads too? (Applies to some photos only)
Lovely photographs mate. Simple & Elegant.

And you have already clocked 11K in 6 months. So you are already enjoying it. And it doesn't make any sense wishing you, when you are already happy. Keep us updated at regular intervals. Thanks for sharing.

[abhinav.gupta88]

I am now definitely sure that my thread was a motivation for The Legend Lovers to write their Love Stories :lol


Your car was definitely an inspiration to buy the Octavia, have followed all your posts from the official review thread.

Wishing you many more smiling and joyful miles.

[Amarendranath]

Congratulations Adi!

The color is absolutely stunning.! White and black seem to be the stand out colors on the new Octavia. I hope you had no issues with the sunroof as discussed earlier before your buy. Also did read few of the issues you were facing with the car, I sincerely hope those shall be the last. Congrats once again. Wish you miles of safe and trouble free ownership.

[adi_petrolhead]

Extended Warranty and Insurance: EW was not available at the time, and still is not available after 6 months. They are still 'designing' it as per the dealer. The on road price I got was Rs. 20 lacs and a couple of thousands plus or minus. I got an excellent Insurance from ICICI. Its called a Diamond Plan, covers the full cost of registering the car, tyre burst, hydrostatic damage, zero dep, cashless cover, total cost: Rs. 60000/- I know its too much but it was at least better than the zero-dep only policy given by the dealer for Rs. 85000/- at the time.

Accessories:
I got a mobile phone holder and front mud flaps as add ons, costs about Rs. 2000/- for both.


Mobile Phone Holder very handy. Large phones (read androids) will definitely not fit. Its like its made for an iPhone.

[adi_petrolhead]

A Pictorial overview of the main features, special mentions!

First up, a comparison of size vs. Laura


This profile is the most beautiful, the car looks so long! but notice the position of exhaust, even the handbrake cables are placed exactly the way they were in the Laura. Wish it had an Electronic Parking brake and Auto Hold feature. It would have been a boon in traffic conditions when one does not need to slot it in 'N' and apply the handbrake manually.

Front of the car, the presence, with DRL off, and DRL on which can be configured in the settings in HU



Not a huge fan of the rear. A slightly more muscular look would be better. Spoiler adds slight character but is available only in the TSI 1.8. The exhaust pipes are bent downwards, there is no way of adding a Steel Muffler tip :(


The interior door release. Its pretty much similar to the Laura, but the one in the Laura was much more sturdy, and had a plastic back which gave it a good feel. The one in my car is already loose and squeaks when I operate it


I call it, 'The Menace Maker'. Again a comparison to my old Laura, the moment you try to shift the lever in to 'D', it doesn't give any jerks, while the Laura did. Surely a step up in better refinement then by Skoda. Both the 'S' and the '+/-' tiptronic mode are for driving enthusiasts. Both modes shift automatically too if you redline the engine. 'S' mode will make downshifts super early, but the tiptronic mode won't downshift quick, it begs you to get involved and indulge in some Rally style push and pull action!


The HU and its new avtaars. The music layout is pretty much the same as in older Bolero units. OPS display is a bit of a gimmick I say, a rear camera is sorely missed along with a bigger screen. Where can we find the original Columbus unit of the O3 sold in the UK and other countries in EU?

The climatronic display appears only when you press the 'Setup' button on the control panel below. An irritating thing about this is that the display doesn't go back to the original view unless and until you press a button on the HU. You can change modes from 'Low, Medium and High' in this menu.


This menu displays the amount of fuel being used by the battery to run the AC, Head/Fog lights and other electronic items on the car. I don't know how useful it will be to save fuel. But in Consciously adjust the AC to a higher temperature after seeing it consumes 1L of fuel per hour to operate the AC.


Music Controls on the steering LHS


Phone and MID controls on the RHS

However, you can only control the screen in the MID from these controls, not the screen of the HU. Which is pointless because you can't search for your contacts and music safely, when the car is in motion. My Innova disables the HU screen's phone search option when the car is in motion, Octy doesn't. Another reason why it is pointless is that it doesn't have voice activation. The button on the wheel merely mutes the audio playback and does nothing else. You can't use Siri or Google Now without the physical buttons or commands on your phone itself.

I also noticed that the MID displays several details like the Oil temperature. Now what do I need the Oil temperature for? Am I driving an Indica or an Ambassador? Share your wisdom on the use of this information in the car's MID.
There is an option in the HU to activate ECO tips. What this does is reminds you to close windows while driving at high speeds on the highways, to avoid wind resistance! Very nice touch indeed. It displays a message on the MID like:

1. Do not rev the engine while stationery
2. Do not keep the engine running on idle
3. Close all windows (while driving at high speeds on the highways) to avoid wind resistance!

If you have connected your car's bluetooth to your phone, it will remind you to pick up your phone while you turn off the car and leave the vehicle.

The car won't lock centrally if the key is in the ignition and the driver door is open.



Clear and precise! Note that the Plastic Glass covering the MID slopes from 'inwards to outwards'. This means that the scratches on the glass given my obsession with cleaning the car, are visible all the time. My beloved Laura had an inward sloping glass cover which never showed and scratches whatsoever.

I got 3M paint sealant advance treatment done. This is the reflection of the car in light, even after 11000 Kms.


HAHAHA! Call me silly but I like seeing water droplets on the sunroof when driving in rain! Just adds more light in the cabin and looks classy!


The AFS light switch. The beams bend with the steering input, only in Auto mode. The respective fogs light up only when the side indicator is turned on, or while steering is turned left or right too. Thats the cornering feature. There is also auto levelling in rain conditions.

[adi_petrolhead]

All are worried about Fuel Efficiency. I am too, and hence I have begun driving very sedately. When driven in city, the avg. FE comes to about 10 km/l. The worst figure I have managed is about 7 km/l which was after red line driving and in manual mode. Sometimes I just want to hear the engine rev its nuts off!


Highway figures are excellent! I couldn't believe it at first but I have repeated this phenomenon innumerable times now! See the picture below, 16.6 km/l with an average speed of 74 km/h **bows**

[adi_petrolhead]

Personal Likes on the vehicle:

• Looks brilliant
  
• POWERRRRRR!! (grins)
  
• DSG of course
  
• Pratical boot
  
• Refinement overall
  
• Braking and safety features, all this contributes to incredible stability, masking speeds is the Octavia's pedigree.

Personal Dislikes on the vehicle:

• Quality of plastics on the door, the metal body panels, are not as tough as the Laura. Saving weight doesn't mean degradation of quality and the original Skoda tank like feel!
  
• Service related issues with the dealer, although my personal experience, but they are not at all professional. Be it my buying experience or service, they disappoint each and every time.
  
• Concerns related to Fuel quality. Since I have already had a fuel pump change in the car, it means I have to be super careful while choosing a bunk to fill up petrol. 91 octace fuel is not easily available, and there is no foolproof method of testing fuel quality before filling up. Link to the thread dedicated to my car's issue is here: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...placement.html
  
• Rattles in the sunroof and dashboard, now have extended to the ORVM's too. I don't know how will they fix it unless replace it completely, at least the ORVMs. Lets find out when I go in for a service at 15000 kms which should come up in just 1-2 months more
  
• High floor hump at the rear, not only its an eyesore, it kills the practicality of a third rear passenger. I don't know why do they have it still. Octy is not a RWD car. Wake up Skoda?
  
• No Extended Warranty still
  
• Lot of us are making a fuss about the steering wheel being too light. I disagree, I like the light steering in the city, while it weighs up perfectly as you pick up speed.
  
• Black color is the most difficult to maintain and have to do a lot to keep it that way. An expensive obsession LOL.

[adi_petrolhead]

Driving Experience so far:

1. Refinement in the car is is simply unbelievable. I don't know if all modern petrols are so refined, silent, shudder free, vibration free, but the last petrol car I owned was an Esteem. Since then its always been diesels in the family and now I have again broken the rules of economy at home and I don't regret it.
2. Steering sharpness is something only VW and Skoda have mastered other than Merc and BMW. The steering is absolutely finger light in the city, at speeds below 60-70 kph. As you pick up speed, the steering is also good to hold, a little broad though for my taste. The steering weighs up precisely as you pick up speed, and even the slightest of correction is spot on!
3. Suspension does a great job on the highways, but I can hear the tyre slotting in a puddle or a pothole, while passing through it at higher speeds. The tyres are not that great at all. Wish I had swapped them on day one, now will have to wait till I completely exhaust the life out of them. I am super confused which ones to buy, Michelin or Pirelli? Yokohama's are not on my list, have used only Yokohama's so far but I want something better.
4. From tyres comes the Handling, and surprisingly it is just that 5% less confidence inspiring than that of my old Laura. I don't know why, this car is lighter and all, but the sheer confidence is a miss. It surely feels lighter to drive, on the efforts to make a u-turn, etc. but the overall emergency maneuvers and braking is spot on.
5. Braking comes from all round discs, gigantic ones at the front covering up almost all the space behind the alloy, and action is very sharp. Even after 12000 kms, I have not had to complain about the pedal going loose as it did in the Laura.
6. Acceleration from standstill in 'D' is nothing to talk about. But if you start in 'S', you are in for a treat. Find a patch of dirtless tarmac to avoid any kind of wheel spin cos it will spin a lot, and floor the throttle. This car will take you to 100 km/h from still, only under 8 seconds! phew!
7. The torque comes in much earlier, at 1250 RPM, which is very delightful on highways and in the city as it allows for quick overtaking in both conditions, while avoiding the occasional manual gear change.
8. It does not shove you in your seat, so don't keep your expectations high!
9. All the bluh-blah about 180 ps power, I don't know how many hp this engine really makes, while running on Indian fuel. So I am assuming it must be running at least 10 hp lower than the original tune up.
10. It sure is not a guzzler when it comes to petrol. It's very economical when you drive sedately, so that's completely dependent on your driving style. What figures are others getting here?

[adi_petrolhead]

That sums up my initial experience with the Octy. I had never thought I would be making up my mind to buy another Skoda. But I did, and I am not regretting it. If Skoda is reading this, pls improve your after sales division, educate them, train them, don't give us helpless imbeciles to treat our expensive cars like this, let me interact with the technical person looking after my vehicle during service appointments, when I want to explain the issue in the car.

The Sales staff too is so poorly trained. I can't understand why Skoda doesn't pay heed to such things. Improving sales starts from the attitude of your employees.

I observed that all Skoda dealerships have some kind of snob-factor to them. They are very proud, but being a snob about the fact is not positive.

Although all my issues were handled positively, they took a lot of time and tests to determine the issues related to 'faulty fuel' and it was proven based on visual appearance and smell, apparently Skoda mechanics are expert 'fuel smelling testers' but I would definitely want Skoda to inform people about a list of approved fuel bunks, if they cannot adapt to Indian fuel qualities.

A few more pictures of the interesting features:


These tiny white LED's are near the sunroof controls, and light up with the headlights.

They illuminate the central console as above

These are the sunroof controls, that beg to be of a better quality. also has tilt only feature.

A view at night

Now is this a gimmick? or is it really helpful? I am talking about the yellow area of guidelines which is interactive, with the steering input, supposed to help us park easier, but how? better Skoda could have given the self park feature which is optional in the UK version.

[noopster]

Thread moved from Assembly Line to Initial Ownerships section. Thanks for sharing!

[B747]

Originally Posted by adi_petrolhead

All are worried about Fuel Efficiency. I am too, and hence I have begun driving very sedately. When driven in city, the avg. FE comes to about 10 km/l. The worst figure I have managed is about 7 km/l which was after red line driving and in manual mode. Sometimes I just want to hear the engine rev its nuts off!
Highway figures are excellent! I couldn't believe it at first but I have repeated this phenomenon innumerable times now! See the picture below, 16.6 km/l with an average speed of 74 km/h **bows**

Superb review with stunning pics, in black it looks absolutely stunning.
Man 16+kmpl from a 1.8L petrol which has 180 horses is absolutely brilliant. Hats off to VAG/Skoda engineers.