[karlosdeville]

Originally Posted by vid6639

So is that a CRDi unit like the new A4 and recently updated passat or the PD engine in the older Passat.

Didn't see this earlier sorry. The 2 litre diesel will be a PD engine with 6 speed DSG box standard, making a yummy 320 Nm torque. The car is a lot more silent than I thought though, noise didn't intrude much even with the windows down.

[vineethvazhayil]

i saw a brand new Superb V6 with a for registration board in Chennai today. So looks like the old one is still selling, and people aren't waiting for the new avtaar.

[Yeldo]

Originally Posted by karlosdeville

And lets face it - the Octavia, however old it is, is still a fantastic product dont you agree?

, But I agree. The Octavia is a fantastic car. I miss my Octy which I sold with very low kilometers on the odo. The Laura that came afterwards is IMHO not worth that much extra.

The new Superb seems to be a really superb product. I'm already rubbing my hands in anticipation.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by ajmat

Why single out skoda - everyone has had rip off moments - maruti with the Baleno, Hyundai with the tuscon, HM with the Cedia etc.

No doubt. However, the key difference is : Skodas rip off moments continue after delivery too (in service & repairs). The Baleno was never an overtly expensive car to own, and neither is the Cedia.

Originally Posted by karlosdeville

And lets face it - the Octavia, however old it is, is still a fantastic product dont you agree? Why should a product be discontinued if still competitive?

Karl, I disagree-

1. The Octavia has cramped interiors by todays Rs. 10 lakh standards. Amongst its competition of the Magnum, Civic & Altis, it offers the least space inside. Even as a front passenger, I cannot stretch my legs. Even the cheaper Verna & ANHC have more room.

2. Ditto with the bland interior design. And not much has been done to refresh the exteriors either.

3. If Skoda wants to continue with its "premium positioning", it must think like a premium brand. You will know all too well that selling an outdated model dilutes the brand. Else Toyota would still be making money on the Qualis, Honda on the NHC and Mercedes on the W124. Selling 2 or 3 generations of the same car may work for a value positioned brand like Maruti or Hyundai, but not for a company with premium aspirations. In my eyes, the Octavia has gotten too long in the tooth and should RIP.

[SkyWalker]

Originally Posted by GTO

1. The Octavia has cramped interiors by todays Rs. 10 lakh standards. Amongst its competition of the Magnum, Civic & Altis, it offers the least space inside. Even as a front passenger, I cannot stretch my legs. Even the cheaper Verna & ANHC have more room.

2. Ditto with the bland interior design. And not much has been done to refresh the exteriors either.

3. If Skoda wants to continue with its "premium positioning", it must think like a premium brand. You will know all too well that selling an outdated model dilutes the brand. Else Toyota would still be making money on the Qualis, Honda on the NHC and Mercedes on the W124. Selling 2 or 3 generations of the same car may work for a value positioned brand like Maruti or Hyundai, but not for a company with premium aspirations. In my eyes, the Octavia has gotten too long in the tooth and should RIP.

In the current market, Octy is nothing but a horribly overpriced car "selling" at a premium it doesn't deserve. No wonder it isn't selling.

Superb, at 20L OTR would be a great positioning though. For once, Skoda would have got the pricing right.

[karlosdeville]

Originally Posted by GTO

Karl, I disagree-

1. The Octavia has cramped interiors by todays Rs. 10 lakh standards. Amongst its competition of the Magnum, Civic & Altis, it offers the least space inside. Even as a front passenger, I cannot stretch my legs. Even the cheaper Verna & ANHC have more room.

2. Ditto with the bland interior design. And not much has been done to refresh the exteriors either.

3. If Skoda wants to continue with its "premium positioning", it must think like a premium brand. You will know all too well that selling an outdated model dilutes the brand. Else Toyota would still be making money on the Qualis, Honda on the NHC and Mercedes on the W124. Selling 2 or 3 generations of the same car may work for a value positioned brand like Maruti or Hyundai, but not for a company with premium aspirations. In my eyes, the Octavia has gotten too long in the tooth and should RIP.

Very true on the space front, it can get uncomfortable. I somehow do like the 'bland' interior design - classic, timeless, pleasing. Not very dynamic, but great quality.

[shortbread]

Skoda makes great cars, No doubt.
But despite their sucess in the Indian market, i find their commitment appaling. Their attempts at localisation of products is poor. Fabia is a great car but the main reason the car is so overpriced is due to the huge imported content.
Their reason of not getting the right quality from local vendors is just basically bull$***. Instead they have chosen the easier route of expecting the custtomer to shell out more.
For a market that has graciously recieved what essentially is a low cost European brand, Skoda's commitment in return has been lacking.
The likes of Toyota, Honda, GM, Ford, Renault, Nissan... are investing a lot despite the current climate in developing India specific cars at competitive prices and aiming at exporting them around the world.

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by karlosdeville

Very true on the space front, it can get uncomfortable. I somehow do like the 'bland' interior design - classic, timeless, pleasing. Not very dynamic, but great quality.

There is a bolt which if removed lets the front passenger seat go even further back

[abhinav.gupta88]

I too have removed that bolt.
It goes pretty furthur back now.

[Mpower]

In Europe the car is known as Octy Classic and is positioned as a VFM/rugged/proven/cheaper entry level sedan somewhat similar to the positioning of the Accent and Ikon in India. But in India it sells in the 'aspirational' segment where people are looking for novelty and something new and special.

I think they are keeping it because they need something in the 10-11 lakh bracket. But it badly needs a dose of makeup and price drop.

Originally Posted by GTO

Selling 2 or 3 generations of the same car may work for a value positioned brand like Maruti or Hyundai, but not for a company with premium aspirations. In my eyes, the Octavia has gotten too long in the tooth and should RIP.

Dunno if they are diluting the Skoda brand but definetly they have diluted the 'Octavia' name. Not many who have 11 lakhs want one because its been around so long.

Originally Posted by karlosdeville

Very true on the space front, it can get uncomfortable. I somehow do like the 'bland' interior design - classic, timeless, pleasing. Not very dynamic, but great quality.

It is good not doubt, but people get bored of the same thing no matter how good it its. People want novelty. Its like playing your fav song over and over again.

Originally Posted by ajmat

There is a bolt which if removed lets the front passenger seat go even further back

would only ruin the back seat room which was tight to start with. But I think he meant 'on the space front' rather than 'front space'

[f450]

Originally Posted by Mpower

I think they are keeping it because they need something in the 10-11 lakh bracket. But it badly needs a dose of makeup and price drop.

Dunno if they are diluting the Skoda brand but definetly they have diluted the 'Octavia' name. Not many who have 11 lakhs want one because its been around so long.


People get bored of the same thing no matter how good it its. After a while it gets old. Like a old record...


..and further ruining the back seat room which was tight to start with.

Second all your points. And very true that people don't want to buy an Octavia anymore. In fact, I'm surprised they're still finding customers..

[Invinsible]

Just read the article on test drive of SUPERB from Autocar and the verdict well "A luxury saloon that pulls out all stops" gets 9/10.

The one they tested is a 1.8TSI, 160bhp, 25.5kgm at 1500-4500rpm torque (even diesels give their max torque at 1800+).
Power to weight ratio: 108.76 per tonne
Torque to weight 17.33 per tonne
Gearbox : 7 Speed DSG with paddle shift. Yes its not the 6 speed.
Weight : 1471kg.

Here's what it says about the motor:
"The 1.8 motor uses direct petrol injection and a turbo-charger to augement power, with max power rated at 160bhp. Turbo-charged direct injection motor also produce more torque than normally aspirated ones, this motor making a massive 25.5kgm from just 1500rpm on, really low down for a petrol motor.
While the large V6 that powered the earlier Superb made more power, this 1.8TSI makes almost as much torque.
As a result the Superb accelerates hard to 100kph in 9.1 seconds and carries on to 150kph in under 20 seconds. That's faster than manual 2.4 Accord and considerably faster than the automatic Accord which takes around 12 seconds to 100. To put the 1.8 Superb's performance in perpective, it beats the previous, bigger and more powerful V6 by 2.3 seconds. All this thanks to the 7 speed DSG"

Fuel Efficiency:
City: 8.3kpl
Highway: 12.5kpl

Handling and ride also receives praises along with the massive interior space.

Some figures:
0-60kph : 4.52 sec
0-100kph : 9.10
0-160kph : 23.70
0-180kph : 33.07

1/4 mile : 16.60

Acceleration in gear :
20-80kph in kickdown : 5.76s
40-100kph in Kickdown : 6.93s

8 Airbags. Guess the knee airbag has been omitted much what I thought.
Gets a touch screen head unit with a cd-changer, navigation and phone feature.

Comfort: Here's a caption on it
" Skoda has gone all out with the new Superb to make you feel you are buying a Rs.40 lakh car for nearly half the price. The comfort and quality are in an orbit shared with BMW and MERCS. There are simply no signs of economising and that's what makes Superb so Special. But the big surprise is the thoroughly capable 1.8TSI petrol motor which has the performance and fuel efficiency to threaten the Accord"

Few!! Just amazing. To describe Superb is an under statement for this SUPERB. I am sure diesel is gonna be one car which is really gonna give nitemares to it's competition.

Am definitely gonna be heading to the Showroom soon.

P.S: With a a basic Remap (220bhp & 370NM torque) and I wonder what it would do with further mods on this it's gonna be car, with luxury, comfort, awesome performance, great high cruiser. Can't wait to hold one.

[f450]

Thanks for the review, it looks great! Only wish there was a bit more power but it's looking like a must-buy even before anyone's seen one on the roads...

[Sahil]

Nice...so it even has a peppy petrol engine. The car is suprising not as heavy as I expected it, 1470kgs is not bad at all.
If the petrol's this good, the diesels gotta be better as that will bring in the volumes.
Any updates on the price or manual transmission? The DSG would be a treat to drive.

[Akshay1234]

autocar also says itll be 22-23 lacs and not 19 as posted here though i guess thatll be different from city to city.

so this is the same engine as in the rs except in a different state of tune and using different injection technology?