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-   -   A close look: The 2017 Skoda Octavia Facelift with hands-free parking (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/188824-close-look-2017-skoda-octavia-facelift-hands-free-parking-7.html)

Yesterday I went to the Skoda site to get some updates about the new Octavia.In the engine section,I could see only the 1.4L listed which puzzled me.Could not find the 1.8L petrol engine anywhere on the Octavia webpage.

I then booked a TD but both the call center and the showroom guys mentioned that the 1.8 TSI is available.

Skoda needs to improve its communications or else it might not get any new customers :Frustrati

The fabia 1.6 is what got me to become a member of this forum and it is now the Octavia which awakens one from the posting hibernation which one has been going through for the last few months!

This is in the context of Delhi / Gurgaon - i took a very short test drive in Gurgaon about a week ago , the blue will be on offer soon , was informed that by the dealer very confidently, i suspect September...or maybe a 'new color' edition sorts for the upcoming holiday season? Neither was i told about the 1.8 not being available anymore, if i had given them 50,000 that day i would have been sitting on a booking right now.

As someone who owned the Fabia , the ex wife still owns it stupid: , i have no apprehensions about buying into Skoda again, i faced only one major problem with the Fabia and that largely because i decided to make it a problem. Additionally i come from the Fiat Tjet family so my desire for performance is fairly up there. Every year i save for the 3 series and every year BMW raises it by 4-5 lacs... and i end up being short by...4-5 lacs!

I was dead set on the Jeep, but the entire launch sequence of the Compass and what it offers at the price point it does does not organically push either the heart or the mind to buy it (More on the jeep thread on that later)

So i cannot afford the 3, i am not sure about the Jeep... what else is there and the Octavia is the natural emerging choice, which made me want to see it in the flesh atleast and hence the short visit to the dealer who despite everything gave me a TD back to office in Gurgaon (during peak office rush)

I like, if not love the front looks of the car. No problem with the headlight arrangement. For me everything the car offers from a features perspective is a massive upgrade... remember i go from owning a lines which has a screen size of the ambient lighting strip this car has !! Drove the 1.8 TSI Style Plus, i liked how the car behaved under moderate driving conditions , managed to make a few runs on sport and using the paddle shifter's ( Did this get missed being mentioned in the review?) which i enjoyed and i am confident that this will only be better with open roads and less traffic. I am also confident that despite them softening the suspension , the Octavia was so nicely tuned that it will still live upto expectations from most potential owners.

I personally love a sun roof, i might only use it 3-4 times a year when i go visiting home in the hills but it adds to the cabin for me significantly. The touch screen yes is a fingerprint magnet but with the screen on none of that is visible, and it is not too much of an effort even after a long day at work to wipe twice with a microfiber if you are subject to OCD..... like i can be.

What i dont like are the dials, they might have been changed but they come across as looking rather 'stale' for a car of this class, maybe it is the colors , perhaps, but not to my liking. An engraved texture like the City looks far better.

For me this is the car in the market. Gurgaon has horrible roads but that's about 20-25% of my drive , which does not warrant me turning into a 4X4 guy, and neither am i in a rush, i am happy to wait till Diwali / November.... which will not only add to the un-affordability factor for the 3 but also possibly get me into a discount period for the Octavia... 1 lac discount , 2.5 for the existing car and voila its even more VFM.... and the blue is hopefully out by then too.

+1 regarding the sound insulation. I was comparing to my Jetta. Surprisingly, the car had rattles from the left front. Car had done only 2500 km. That was a bit unsettling. Had a longish TD. The car feels good to drive, but not able to comment on the LED headlights. They are adequate, nothing exceptional though. Probably a long night drive will throw more light on this. The SA tried to demonstrate the auto park and failed twice before he could make the car do its bit. Looks like a gimmick. The ambient light and HU Look and feel great. Wish skoda gave a choice for bigger and less boring wheels.

I would be surprised if the vrs was only a lakh more! Unless they plan to bolt on the body kit to the existing Tsi. The real deal would be a CBU and might cross 25 plus ex showroom. Just a feeling.

On the Skoda website, while you are on the petrol engine page, look for a arrow on the right hand side, upon clicking it will show you the 1.8 TSI. It's all there may be you missed looking at the arrow. Hope this helps!

The race blue might be available in mumbai as well. Just a question, might be a little daft, but how can we check if the car we are getting is the new facelift and not the 2016 stock?

And if they are giving race blue, why is it not there on the website as an official colour? I'm worried they will give me a 2016 model with new headlamps in the blue colour lol ��

My bad lol:

No wonder I was so confused since 1.8 is the engine to go for.

I think the split headlights will give it away. lol: Aside from that, you can check the manufacturing date etc before taking delivery.
I spoke to my dealer today about the VRS and I understand that it might come in a month or two. He didn't have any ideas on the cost front but expects it to be about a couple of lakhs costlier than the current one. One interesting point though - He did mention that it will be substantially more powerful (200+BHP) but also said "Sir mileage kitna kam milega. 5 ka mil jaye to bahut hai!". Point to be noted my lord.

The worry i have with the 2.0L TSI is whether it will be finicky about fuel and will need 97 Octane for reliable functioning.

Getting the new headlamps, new infotainment system, and a few other goodies will be just too expensive and troublesome for the dealer.

Probably has stock of a few blue Octys that he is allotting to you, or will probably come up with an excuse post booking. Ask him to provide the VIN No. of the car being allotted to be 100% sure.

Problem solved. I booked the black. Looked like the batmobile. Daughter loved it. Big fan of batman. Easy choice. Have to sort out finance and will get delivery next month. Happy man.

Went to the showroom again today to clarify the information that was given to me. This was confirmed by two visiting Skoda officials present there as well. They are no longer taking bookings of Style Plus as they are introducing L&K. They are probably delivering vehicles of Style Plus of earlier bookings. However was again told that no stock of the Style Plus is available from the Factory for new bookings.

They are saying expect delivery of this end of September/beginning of October. Which kind of puts a spoke in plan as I have already sold my previous vehicle. Quite frustrating from Skoda to do this 2 weeks after launch.

Requested for the Octavia 1.8 TSi test drive through the website.The first call from the call center came very promptly probably a minute after the request.

Call from local Skoda dealer Jia automobile came a couple of days later.Told them to arrange for a test drive for the 1.8 TSI Style Plus this Saturday.The reply "Sir,we do not have the new car ready for test drive".

Some things never change :Frustrati

Not sure whether other Skoda owners in Kolkata are satisfied with the dealer experience here.

Can't speak for the dealer experience, but the after sales is much improved. They have a new workshop in Howrah and I am satisfied with the service provided,
Car is unreliable as ever though, has left me stranded a few times now.

Thanks a lot for providing this input.

I also feel that they have the best driving experience but can be a tad unreliable.Thats a shame and might end up owning the Tucson(slightly overbudget) or Elantra.

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Could this be true? The vRS is coming back once again? I'm skeptical because the engine is not a 1.8 TSi.