[Tats07]

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

The 1.4 TSI in the New Octavia produces 140 PS in Europe. Given that the 1.8 TSI in the last generation produced 160 PS in the Indian version as well as the European version, there is every reason to believe that the 1.4 TSI should be tuned to produce 140 PS , like the European cars.

Well 140 PS is certainly better than 122 PS, and the new Octavia will be lighter too, so that should augur well for the power to weight ratio. How the car will ride and handle our roads is upto how they tune the suspension. The car is unlikely to come with an independent rear suspension.

As I understand, the 140 PS version is a turbo+super charged variant of 1.4 TSI. It might become too expensive, plus there's the question of quality of fuel. Hence I thought 130 PS variant, which is only turbocharged, might be more likely, though I'm not sure if they actually release 1.4 TSI in 130 PS state of tune anymore. But that state of tune did exist. On the other hand, the VW may not want Octavia to be given more power than Jetta, so 122 PS it would be. That would be disappointing. Even the Honda City produces 118 PS, turbocharged it is not though.

Please correct me if am wrong.

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by khoj

AFAIK both the Jetta and the Laura come with multi link suspension (transverse & longitudinal links) mounted on to a common torsion stabilizer bar making this a semi independent system at best.

An all independent system would be McPherson struts all around with or without a trailing stabilizer bar. I doubt very much that any manufacturer would go with these now-a-days as not only is this set up more expensive but the strut's towers eat up a whole lot of boot space. The last vehicle IIRC to offer this set up was the Baleno where all the wheels danced truly independent of the one next door.

I beg to differ.

The Jetta comes with two types of suspension, the Multilink - for european cars and a more basic set up for the US version. There are big differences between the US spec cars and rest of the world. More here

The Octavia share this basic set up. Only the high end vRS gets the multilink.

[Santoshbhat]

Originally Posted by khoj

A TSI engine is basically an engine equipped with both a turbo & a super charger to begin with. Is it not?

Nope. All TSI engines are necessarily turbo charged, while some are turbo charged as well as super charged.

Originally Posted by Tats07

As I understand, the 140 PS version is a turbo+super charged variant of 1.4 TSI. It might become too expensive, plus there's the question of quality of fuel. Hence I thought 130 PS variant, which is only turbocharged, might be more likely, though I'm not sure if they actually release 1.4 TSI in 130 PS state of tune anymore. But that state of tune did exist. On the other hand, the VW may not want Octavia to be given more power than Jetta, so 122 PS it would be. That would be disappointing. Even the Honda City produces 118 PS, turbocharged it is not though.

Please correct me if am wrong.

THe 140 PS 1.4 TSI in the new Octavia is just turbo charged and not super charged. It is basically the same engine as the Jetta 1.4 albeit in a higher state of tune.

Downgrading the power to keep it below the Jetta seems suicidal in today's competitive market. The would do well to retune the Jetta's engine to produce 140 ps as well.

THese engines work best with 95 RON, but there should be no issue with 91 RON available here.

Quoting from my Laura TSI manual

" Prescribed fuel - unleaded petrol 95/91 RON
Use unleaded fuel with the octane rating 95 RON. You can also use unleaded petrol91 RON, but this leads to a slight loss in performance. If, in case of necessity, the vehicle must be refuelled with petrol of a lower octane number than the one prescribed, you must continue driving at medium engine speeds and low engine load. Driving at high engine revs or a high engine load can severely damage the engine! Refuel as soon as possible with petrol of the prescribed octane number."

[Tats07]

Thanks Santoshbhat! That explains it all. Now let's wait for the launch. :-)

[amitg79]

Just browsed over to the Skoda UK website, and the quoted 0 - 100 kmph (0 - 62 mph) for the new Octavia is 8.1 seconds!

http://www.skoda.co.uk/models/new-oc...ch/performance

That's faster than the MK1 vRS and nearly as fast as the Laura TSI. The 175 bhp 1.8L will be even faster! Expect the new Octavia to be a petrolhead favorite soon.

[sharc_biker]

The car seems to be great.
Is this the end of the road for the Laura or will they still retain it after the new Octy launch?
The rear Tail light assembly looks similar to the Audi A6 (C6)

[sunny310c]

Here is another spyshot from Topgear.

http://www.topgear.com/india/car-new...golf/itemid-50

With so many sightings in the last few days, what are the chances of a launch sooner than diwali? I saw some members here speculating about the launch being in August. I hope its sometime around that time and not Diwali. Wouldn't want to wait another 6 months to get my hands on this beauty.

[vkochar]

Originally Posted by sunny310c

Here is another spyshot from Topgear.

http://www.topgear.com/india/car-new...golf/itemid-50

With so many sightings in the last few days, what are the chances of a launch sooner than diwali? I saw some members here speculating about the launch being in August. I hope its sometime around that time and not Diwali. Wouldn't want to wait another 6 months to get my hands on this beauty.

Well I cannot say if this is official news or not but I just heard a little birdie say the car is most probably going to be launched in May.

I am really hoping so it is true as I have stopped my Elantra booking. I am so in need of a car at the moment. I just hope they price it right.

The white looks tempting.

[Abhi_Automobile]

Originally Posted by vkochar

Well I cannot say if this is official news or not but I just heard a little birdie say the car is most probably going to be launched in May.

I am really hoping so it is true as I have stopped my Elantra booking. I am so in need of a car at the moment. I just hope they price it right.

The white looks tempting.

Man, I am saying 'pass' to a 2 lakh cash discount on the Jetta CL TDI variant. Assuming that the Octavia launch is just around the corner. We'll see what happens after that. Maybe I'll repent letting go of a great deal on the Jetta or maybe I'll cherish being able to buy an automatic version for similar cost. Let's see..

[hitinv]

Lets me share some closer pictures. Spotted in Goa .

[sunny310c]

Originally Posted by vkochar

Well I cannot say if this is official news or not but I just heard a little birdie say the car is most probably going to be launched in May.

I am really hoping so it is true as I have stopped my Elantra booking. I am so in need of a car at the moment. I just hope they price it right.

The white looks tempting.

I read somewhere that the launch is planned for sometime in June, which is along the lines of what very early reports said, mid 2013. What I am wondering is if we can rule out a Diwali launch if the car is already being road tested or is it normal for manufacturers to do road tests 6 months ahead of the launch.

As for the price, it's anybody's guess but I would be surprised if it is priced higher than the current laura. Whatever the price, the general consensus seems to be that it will be value for money, with high quality interiors, lots of features and generally a step above the current generation.

Originally Posted by Abhi_Automobile

Man, I am saying 'pass' to a 2 lakh cash discount on the Jetta CL TDI variant. Assuming that the Octavia launch is just around the corner. We'll see what happens after that. Maybe I'll repent letting go of a great deal on the Jetta or maybe I'll cherish being able to buy an automatic version for similar cost. Let's see..

I hope you don't regret passing that offer on the Jetta and something tells me you won't. Just have a feeling that this car will be worth it. Let's just hope the launch is closer to June than October.

[Arch-Angel]

I always loved skoda's designs. It would be a pain to see the future owners of this lovely machine stuggle for getting quality A.S.S. Time to pull up those socks now Skoda, they have been left loose for quite a long time.

[oops]

Originally Posted by sunny310c

I read somewhere that the launch is planned for sometime in June, which is along the lines of what very early reports said, mid 2013. What I am wondering is if we can rule out a Diwali launch if the car is already being road tested or is it normal for manufacturers to do road tests 6 months ahead of the launch.

As for the price, it's anybody's guess but I would be surprised if it is priced higher than the current laura. Whatever the price, the general consensus seems to be that it will be value for money, with high quality interiors, lots of features and generally a step above the current generation.

I have very strong feeling that in June, Skoda will launch European Rapid as Octavia and in October (around Diwali), European Octavia as Laura.
Because Volkswagen is not willing to launch a product on European Rapid's base, it will be imported as CKD kits. Below is the reason why I feel it so strogly:

1. Rapid: Petrol top-end- 8.38L, Diesel top-end- 9.76L
(Elegance model has been introduced once again)
2. Laura: Petrol base(Amition)- 14.65L, Diesel base(Ambition)- 14.55L
(Active Variants of Laura have been discontinued)
3. Superb: Petrol base(Ambition)- 18.06L, Diesel base(Ambition AT)- 22.57L
(Active variants have been discontinued. Manual variants of Diesel have been discontinued)

Between Rapid Top-end and Laura base, there is enough space (6.27L for Petrol and 4.79L for Diesel) for Octavia.
Between Laura base and Superb base, there is enough space for new Laura with advanced Features and increased prices.

Lets Hope for the best.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by oops

I have very strong feeling that in June, Skoda will launch European Rapid as Octavia and in October (around Diwali), European Octavia as Laura.
Because Volkswagen is not willing to launch a product on European Rapid's base, it will be imported as CKD kits.
…
…

Sorry, but I don’t see a reason for this kind of speculation. The Octavia is being spotted in various cities, almost all automobile media is reporting on the launch of 3rd gen Octavia in its original name, why bringing the Euro Rapid into the picture again? If you have any news/leads on the launch of Euro Rapid in India, please share it here. Thank you.

[sunny310c]

Originally Posted by oops

I have very strong feeling that in June, Skoda will launch European Rapid as Octavia and in October (around Diwali), European Octavia as Laura.
Because Volkswagen is not willing to launch a product on European Rapid's base, it will be imported as CKD kits. Below is the reason why I feel it so strogly:
....
....
Between Rapid Top-end and Laura base, there is enough space (6.27L for Petrol and 4.79L for Diesel) for Octavia.
Between Laura base and Superb base, there is enough space for new Laura with advanced Features and increased prices.

Lets Hope for the best.

I can see your point about the price gap but wouldn't we have also seen the European Rapid on the roads by now if that were the case. Also, am not sure but is there such a big difference in terms of the dimensions of the European and Indian Rapid so as enable Skoda to place the European version in a higher segment. I know the European spec is slightly longer, wider with a longer wheelbase but is that enough to put it in a higher segment. Am not sure. Let's not forget, when news about the new Octavia coming to India first came out, most auto-experts stated that the Laura would be discontinued and Skoda would revert to calling it the Octavia. So, I would be surprised if the Laura name continues in the Indian market once the new Octavia is launched.