2021 Skoda Octavia Review : 12 Pros & 12 Cons

Skoda Octavia Pros:

• A well-rounded premium sedan. 80% of the A4 / C-Class / 3-Series at a significantly lower price
• Understated exterior & interior styling matched with solid build quality
• Comfortable cabin with good quality materials, supportive seats and plenty of storage
• Insanely fun 2.0 turbo-petrol engine with 187 BHP & 320 Nm on tap
• Fast & improved wet-clutch 7-speed DSG (instead of the notoriously unreliable DQ200)
• Mature suspension. High-speed manners are sorted
• Cavernous 600 liter boot gobbles up big bags! This is your airport express
• Loaded with features such as Bi-LED headlamps, wireless connectivity & smartphone charging, hands-free parking, high-res touchscreen with gesture controls, hands-free boot operation etc.
• 610W Canton ICE with 11 speakers & a subwoofer provides a truly premium sound experience
• 5-star Euro NCAP crash test rating. Loaded with safety features such as 8 airbags, 3-point seatbelts for all passengers, ESP, EBD, hill hold, brake assist, fatigue alert etc.
• Sheer attention to detail (touch-sensitive cabin light controls, felt-lined glovebox, two boot lamps, memory seats for passenger too, umbrella holders, USB-C port on the IRVM, smartphone pockets at the rear, keyless sensors on all doors, washer on the parking camera, storage nets…)
• 6-year extended warranty & 4-year all-inclusive service package

Skoda Octavia Cons:

• Lack of powertrain options. No diesel engine for heavy users or a cheaper, more reliable MT
• New-style large radiator grille will divide opinions. Some like it, some find it ugly
• Misses in the equipment list such as a sunroof, ventilated seats & regular USB ports
• Pathetic stock tyres are among the worst we've experienced. An upgrade is compulsory
• DSG reliability woes (although we're a bit more optimistic about this new DQ381 gearbox)
• Skoda’s notorious dealerships & after-sales horror stories
• Petrol revs to just ~6,000 rpm! That's too low for such a beautiful turbo-charged motor
• Single digit fuel economy of the turbo-petrol AT in the city
• No full-size spare wheel. Also, we don’t like the after-market’ish design of the L&K rims
• Merely 137 mm of ground clearance seems risky for broken Indian roads & tall speed humps
• Complex electronics & suspect long-term reliability
• Massive rear floor hump makes things uncomfortable for the 5th occupant

Read Team-BHP’s detailed Skoda Octavia review.