[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by Guna

3. Possible Choice C : You may be able to get an uncleared stock of previous gen Octavia L&K with a huge discount.

Except from the infotainment screen which looks bit outdated, I don't see the new gen car significantly better in any other areas. (In fact it seem to have lost some of the traits and features)

I'm assuming you mean as 2nd owner if the dealer could not sell any old Octavia.

As far as I know all octavias were sold last year. Remember you cannot register an old Octavia any more since it is BS4. So slim chances you will find one.

[ostreichwein]

Originally Posted by Guna

3. Possible Choice C : You may be able to get an uncleared stock of previous gen Octavia L&K with a huge discount.

This will be from the BS-1V era, and sadly no dealers would have leftover stock, and neither are they permitted to sell BS-IV cars anymore. I remember back in January 2020 some really sweet deals were being offered on the last of those 1.8 TSI L&Ks

Finding a low run pre-owned car would be the only option if one's looking at previous gen model, though I'd have a mental block in spending around 20 big ones on a used car, unless I absolutely trust the condition it has been kept in.

[Guna]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

I'm assuming you mean as 2nd owner if the dealer could not sell any old Octavia.

As far as I know all octavias were sold last year. Remember you cannot register an old Octavia any more since it is BS4. So slim chances you will find one.

My bad, I meant the petrol (1.8 TSI) Octavia but realized that even they were stopped as they could not be upgraded to BS6.

[itwasntme]

You're partly right in the sense that many dealers (including from Skoda) bought the unsold stock at the last minute, registered as BS-IV, and later resold them to second owners.

However, these were all sold out long back.

[Kashi053]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

This sub is why the L&K has a 16" spare. The Style has a full size 17" one.

Slight correction.
Style comes with 205 60R16 and
L&K comes with 125 70 R18 space saver.

I guess that woofer needs more diameter hence the R18 in L&K.

[TokyoDrifter]

Test drove the car this last weekend. Far from the "sporty" feel of the last generation. Doubt anyone would pick L&K Octavia over Superb Sportline therefore - and even the SA tells me that this pricing is mainly to get rid of the Superb Sportline stock

As for me, happy with the Polo 1L TSI for now. The wait continues.

[sampadroy]

Well, okay!



Let's see how long can Mr. Zac hold this without offering discounts!

[RoadTrippin]

After the initial excitement of around the launch this thread took a quick nosedive and there were no posts for more than a week. I imagine this is reflective of the general mood of the customer for this car. The pricing (combined with the slight dampening of the sportiness of the ride) has definitely muffled enthusiasm, even among the Octavia diehards. I have not been in town, spending some time in my village, thanks to the lockdowns but my city dealer is messaging me every other day asking about when he can send the car for the test drive. I imagine that tells a different story to Zac's bombast.

[TokyoDrifter]

Originally Posted by RoadTrippin

I imagine that tells a different story to Zac's bombast.

Know of a colleague who has splashed the big bucks for L&K in Bangalore. He believes it’s good for both self-driven and rear-seat drives for the family. Also felt Superb is a tad large for his liking (and did want the additional features on L&K vs Sportline).

He waited for too long and wanted to buy a car too badly - hence took the plunge. A few converts are bound to go for this one, but that’ll fade out soon like we all predict.

[itwasntme]

https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/skoda/...rm-test-review

A very positive review of the 1.5TSI - I feel they will bring it at some time to India even if it risks getting cannibalized by the Slavia.

[sunikkat]

I doubt it, considering they are positioning current Octavia as value alternative to big 3 getting 1.5 will dilute their positioning by starting at lower price band. And Slavia might take the place of previous gen Octavia 1.4

[RoadTrippin]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/skoda/...rm-test-review

A very positive review of the 1.5TSI - I feel they will bring it at some time to India even if it risks getting cannibalized by the Slavia.

What stood out for me is the fuel efficiency: 47mpg which transltes to 19.9 kmpl. That's sensational for a petrol. Even assuming our traffic, fuel quality and road conditions will give it a 15-20% dip, we could be looking at a 16-17 kmpl efficiency on road.

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by RoadTrippin

What stood out for me is the fuel efficiency: 47mpg which transltes to 19.9 kmpl. That's sensational for a petrol. Even assuming our traffic, fuel quality and road conditions will give it a 15-20% dip, we could be looking at a 16-17 kmpl efficiency on road.

It should be a (still excellent) long term average of 16.6 km/lt because it's an UK gallon

[Timothy]

Had gone to the the Skoda service centre last week to get the internal sensor, which had malfunctioned, changed under warranty on my 1.8 TSI L&K. At the showroom, they had a blue colour Octavia Style ready for delivery for a customer.

Just sharing some observations on the new model based on my experience of owning the 3rd Gen. model bought in Jan. last year. The front facia, although looks a bit odd in images but in actual its not that bad and quite acceptable. Also several people were mentioning that the Good Year Assurance look really skinny, but I didn't quite think so and found them to be acceptable. Its not that you have to rush and get them changed, you can use them for 25-30k kms. and then change them, but if you have the budget you can change them to a better and probably a more comfortable set. ( I have had the Assurance on my Civic, so I know its pit falls)

From the side, the car pretty much looks like the earlier model and even from the front and rear, its not starkly different except for the tail & the headlamp cluster. From the inside it is pretty minimalistic, but for me who is now in his fifties, I prefer the dials and the knobs of the earlier model any day. Perhaps the younger lot would like this minimalistic design where everything is electronically controlled. The previous gen. I feel had just the right amount of electronics.

Another thing I noticed is the price that everyone has been complaining about , the OTR price for style in Delhi NCR is a shade over 30L & for L&K it is 33.50 L, which is not that bad considering the previous gen. 1.8 Tsi L&K was 28L when it was discontinued. You are getting a bigger engine, a better DSG with shift by wire tech., electronic parking brake.... To me the Style model makes perfect sense as it is pretty well loaded in itself.

The car does look extremely desirable and for someone looking for a VFM luxury sedan, you can't get anything close without shelling out an extra 15-20L. I do understand, people do keep comparing the prices to the Superb but the two cars will appeal to two completely different profile of people. I would pick the Octavia over a Superb any day !!

[NT56]

I had the opportunity of a short test drive in the new octavia over the weekend and here are my opinions/thoughts.

Good
- The front look is good but side and back are lovely. I would definitely notice and admire the car if I see it on road
- I loved the minimalistic and elegant design of the cabin. Both the screens look modern and sharp.
- Ride is comfortable and smooth. Sound insulation is very good against traffic and wind noise. But road/tyre noise comes in.
- I couldn't test handling much however I felt the balance between ride quality and handling was very good. In absence of an adaptive suspension I would happily trade off slight (not a lot) handling for comfort because of my driving environment.
- Throttle response is very good and enough power is available for overtakes and sharp bursts. Kick-down made me smile but it would have been even better if the gearbox shifted up slightly later. I didn't have to use the paddle shifters because there is enough power in most situations.
- On a rough trail with no tarmac and 3 on board I didn't scrap the bottom.

Not so good
- I am afraid of the Skoda ASS
- The steering is too light for me. The light steering contributes more to that soft feel in corners instead of the suspension. While this makes the car very easy to drive in the city I didn’t like this trade-off and really missed the drive modes. I enjoy the steering of the 2019 Civic much more.
- I fear the light beige suede like material in the cabin might require a lot of maintenance
- Ventilated seats are missed.

Price
The following things are added from previous generation Octavia Style trim in my order of preference.

- Gearbox upgraded to DQ-381 (DQ-200 scared me a lot in previous generation)
- Virtual cockpit
- Better cabin and dash that will age better
- Electronic parking brake with auto-hold
- Upgraded ICE and wireless android/ios
- 2.0TSI with 70 NM more torque
- Better exterior design especially the back
- 17" wheels
- Dynamic guidelines in the reverse camera
- Launch control

Assuming that the previous generation Style was priced reasonably at 20.6(Ex-showroom), I would be okay to pay around 3.5 lakhs more for current generation Style which will age better in my opinion. But at 26 lakhs, it’s still 2 lakhs more than it should be according to me.

Summary
This car feels less than but close to entry level luxury cars in power and premiumness. It also feels better than but close to 2019 civic in terms of refinement and handling. It's a great all-rounder because it's easy in city and fun on highways with sufficient space for a small family. The niche sedan lovers who don’t want the size of the superb will really appreciate this car.

Other thoughts
For people who feel bad about missing car deals in 2020-21 here is another view point. While the last financial year was good to buy cars but it was a much better year to buy equities. So if one delayed one's car purchase for some reason and is even a half decent investor, one can probably afford a car that is a segment higher.