[Dr.Vikas]

Hi friends,
A lot of brain storming discussion going on here, over the proposition of the New Octavia 2021. That's the liveliness of this community !

Being an Octavia mk3 owner, I would take this opportunity to share my composition that was shared on Skoda Owners Group of India on FB, when the Kushaq was about to launch..
This is just my expression of thoughts, which was loved by Zac Hollis, Director Skoda India also when shared with him personally.

BonHomie @ Skoda

A Car Ownership
Sometimes a Need,
Otherwise a Passion !

Driving a Skoda
Always an Obsession !

Irrespective of you
Be a Professional,
An entrepreneur,
or a Serviceman,

Once a Skodian,
It's more likely
To be a Skodian !!

Owning Skodas
Might be the only Infection,
That naturally,
Needs NO Vaccination..

Love thy Skoda Guys,
And
Do remember,
It's more than just
'Simply Clever' !

Hope, this would be appreciated by all Skodian's here.
Thanks,

[Surprise]

Originally Posted by vikrantshete

So... If the pricing is that high for the new Octavia, it might be a blessing in disguise for the old owners who wish to sell off theirs. For prospective buyers used Octavia could make a lot of sense

Originally Posted by AMG Power

Someone I know has a 10,000 km run 2016 MY single owner 1.8 TSI for sale. His price is 16L negotiable.

Better handling, better looking, faster, 3 spoke steering wheel, non quirky alloys, no EVO tag indicating compromises.

Suddenly 16L feels a steal.

Already the used car market is doing good & the octavia's, esp TDI's are hot cakes down south. This pricing is only going to make the demand for Octy's more & raise the costs in the used market. Few might even want to hold their steeds for longer time as there are limited options, unless one puts a huge money onto the market for this segment

[Karvel]

Originally Posted by IN07KL0484

Another great review!

So the L&K is around 33.5 Lakhs OTR here in delhi. Now add peace of mind value at 4-5 lakhs for the extended warranty and service packages, which is an absolute must for a skoda, and you are looking at 40 big ones.

Not sure how to justify this!

Not really. Extended warranty and service pack will cost about 1.3 lacs. So its about 35 lacs. And wait for diwali, new year, there will be discounts and all inclusive in Delhi will be 31-32 lacs. Not bad for a better built & better handling D Segment car.

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by TusharK

Skoda has launched the fourth generation Octavia in India. The car is available in two variants - Style and Laurin & Klement, at a price of Rs. 25.99 lakh and Rs. 28.99 lakh (ex-showroom) respectively.

They’ve done a Kodiaq here. It’s about 4-5 lakh more expensive than it ought to be.

The L&K should have retailed just under 30L Rs. on road. Instead its likely just shy of 35L on road in Mumbai I would expect.

Petrol only sedan when the fuel is kissing triple digits, with a scary gearbox and generally low reliability. It’s got its work cut out although I’m conscious it has its distinct following too. It’s gonna be a tough enough sell for the Octavia L&K over the Superbly priced Sportsline sibling itself.

What baffles me is the inconsistency in Skoda’s pricing approach. While the Octavia and Kodiaq are badly overpriced, the Superb is the epitome of value luxury. The same is expected for the Kushaq (although time will tell for sure) and the Rapid too is actually not a badly priced car. I fail to understand this inconsistency in pricing by Skoda (this is just like Kawasaki in the biking world - from some of the most VFM priced products and some ridiculously priced ones, all from the same stable).

[rahulraag]

Originally Posted by AYP

Since we are discussing the alternates in the segment, let us not forget the Tucson as well. If you are willing to live with a 2015ish interior(with a standard panoramic sunroof ), you get a cracker of a package with a 2L diesel putting out 190 Horses and 400 NM of Torque.

Yes, the Octavia has its strengths, but the Tucson has its own advantages as well.

As someone who crossed this bridge recently, my two cents.

I made the same purchase decision without full conviction when I had to scamper to find a replacement (not by choice) for my 2019 Octavia, earlier this year. At the time I firmly believed I will regret my decision not to wait for the 4th Gen Octavia. I did consider Superb but I was put off by the complete apathy on display by the dealers to sell the car. I did not get a call back for 2 weeks (by then I had sealed the deal with Hyundai).

Coming to the two cars - even though the Tucson is no sloth I do miss the the beautiful engine and driving dynamics of the Octavia, and with the upgrades I think that difference would be even more glaring. On the flip side, I love the switch to diesel, and how the Tucson has served me over 5k kms in 3 months (even with the lockdown in place for most part). There are few other touches in Octavia that I liked which are missing in Tucson - all one-touch power windows, auto-dimming OVRM. For me Octavia was also a surprisingly easy car to live with - the only money spent was the first scheduled service at 15K Kms which came to around 13k (including new COVID powered money pinching enterprises like fumigation, sanitization). The 3 year maintenance package that came free of cost with Tucson should cover that.

At the same time, we are completely in love with the panoramic sunroof (I know the general sentiment against this as a feature, but I rather have it than not). It does wonders to the black interiors and the overall ambience. I have noticed collective groans from my co-passengers whenever I close the blinds. Secondly, the peace of mind with the higher GC - as much as I loved driving the Octavia, the amount of babying it required over bad patches, and sometimes even weirdly placed slopes was annoying.

If Octavia was available in the market in Feb 2021 I would have possibly picked one in a heart beat. I did briefly flirt with the idea of vRS but the search was tedious. But I am not so sure now if I would be happy with the premium I would end up paying. In 2019, Style variant came around 19.99 Lakhs ex-showroom and Bangalore dealers were offering discounts up to 1.5 lakhs. If I remember correctly, L&K in Kerala could be had OTR 28 lakhs around the same time. Yes we are talking two years later and the economic landscape has changed, but I would still have nightmares if I had to pay 5-7 lakhs premium for a similar car (4th generation is definitely superior on paper) in 2 years time.

I think the price announcement for the 4th gen Octavia I can sleep more peacefully about my decision to pick the Tucson in March 2021. So thank you Skoda, you still bring me a smile even after our saga has ended (for now)

[reddify]

I've learnt to drive in and owned a type 2 honda city for about 7 years now. The last 2 years, I've been driving the family S-Cross 1.3 and put about 30k kms on it. I'm an extremely enthusiastic driver that enjoys the low ground clearance dynamics of a sedan & have always been a hardcore sedan person I also live in bangalore, which means roads suck, and travel on state highways with unmarked speedbreakers every now and then. So the higher GC of a faux-SUV has started appealing to me.

Looking now to buy my first 'nice' car & wanting to spend around 25-26L otr, I've been trying to find the right car for almost a year now. At most could've pushed another 2L.

Sadly this space seems entirely barren for someone like me. Let me explain.

What do I want?
-Sedan like dynamics
-European mannerism at speed, independent rear suspension
-Fresh design & interior (not necessarily 0 buttons)
-Panoramic sunroof (will never be opened but the blind will never be shut. Also the girlfriend loves them so.)
-big boot for roadtrips with luggage for 4
-Power and torque of a step above the kia/hyundai 1.4
-Petrol preferred for the snappy feel, Diesel preferred for the mileage, so either will do
-Manual prefered over the automatic (I'm still young enough to use that clutch)
-Zero off-roading ability required
-comfy armrest
-Ability to hit an unexpected speed breaker little faster than ideal and shake it off is appreciated

Civic
Took a long hard look at the civic. Loved the interiors & exteriors. The CVT killed the petrol and the diesel was the only option, couldn't digest the 120hp but found that a stage 1 tune can add 30hp & 80nm. Didn't feel right to have to spend 26L, risk the warranty with a tune and still be stuck at 150hp. Honda helped with my decision and pulled the civic before I made up my mind. If we had the 1.5 turbo MT in India. It'd be parked at home right now.

City
Check our the new city. Looks very nice for the price from outside. But the second I sat inside, it almost felt claustrophobic. There was simple no breathing space between my shoulder and the window. I'm 5'11 with a slight heaver than average build. So nothing too far from the regular Joe. Also the talk of vertical movement at speed is little unnerving.

S-Cross
The S-Cross has spoilt me. I sit comfortably at high speeds on NHs. Limited mostly by the lack of power. I want & need a step up in road holding dynamics.

Elantra
The Elantra was never an option. Too old, looks too Korean on the inside. Doesn't drive well enough and underpowered, although affordable. Was offered 21L otr SXO blue in Bangalore for a 2019 car in Jan.
On an unrelated note, would love opinions on Honda city vs Elantra.

Compass
Then the compass facelift leaked!
Had driven a friend's petrol compass & loved the premium quality the car exuded but the interior just didn't do it for me. The facelift changed that. I love the new interiors.
With no sedan options at this point I considered it seriously. The variant for me would the middle of the road Limited O Diesel MT at 28L otr BLR before discounts. It got the white & tan interior I liked, it skipped the ungainly digital MID which I didn't like. Only real miss is ventilated seats, tpms and projector headlamps. The later 2 could be retrofit at a later date as well. I only wish the car offered atleast 50L more boot space. But I decided I could live with these. If I could snag it at 27L with some discounts I would be quite happy

Octavia
All this while, I waited patiently for the Octavia to come in, I'd watched all the European videos and knew everything about the car. I had high hopes and dreams and would even consider stretching to 29.9L otr if it had no compromises.
(Little known or mentioned fact. All YouTube reviews mention the Octavia sedan doesn't get a sunroof world over. False. A LWB version of the Octavia saloon called Octavia pro gets a regular non panosunroof in China.
It wouldn't take much to fit that sunroof on the Indian car)

I can understand why it's priced as such with inflation etc. But it really is too close to the superb imho. The superb looks more stately, the sportline version gets the matrix headlights, sexy interiors and a sunroof for the price of the L&K Octavia now. Just doesn't feel right to put your money on the Octavia. And I'm too young at 25 to get a superb.

The dream would be a Octavia 2.0 MT with all black interiors, semi-pansunroof, crystal element DRL & ventilated seats at 24L ex-showroom.


But after drooling at euro spec pictures and videos for months. This incredibly ugly beige & piano black fest made me want to puke. It looks like the inside of a house lizard, that colour. Why not a light grey/white like the compass ? Much classier than horrible beige. Or even tan like the alcazar. Skoda got it very wrong here. The beige looked okay on the previous gens but with the lower set piano black bar and black ac vents on the dash, this version looks bad.
And then the 'suedia' which will 100% be a nightmare that will bother me to no end because of how easy it will soil. Who wants to stress out every time your friend who you were hanging out with sitting on the grass doesn't dust off every bit of soil from their bottom before getting back into your car.. I noticed the side edges of the seat, near the memory buttons are a cheap looking CLOTH! Not leather not suedia or whatever they call it. But CLOTH. This cost cutting is just unacceptable.

I could've lived without the ventilated seats or the sunroof. But to not have both at 33L is a joke. The compass has the sunroof. Yes skoda's got a lovely powerful engine but the compass isn't too far off with 30nm more and 20hp less. Also I can get a MT!
The skoda MID is neat & ICE is better than the compass ICE, I also loose the large boot space and lower Centre of Gravity.
But I gain speed breaker ability, interiors I can digest, buttons for AC, nice real MID dials, a sunroof, diesel efficiency and 4-5L saved for fuel & ceramic coating etc.

While I'm sure a Sportline version will come along. I estimate ex-showroom will be around 27.5, even with discounts, it may mean about 5L over the compass I'm looking at. That's before I get a discount on the compass if I wait till December.
Also on my mind is that the compass while recently facelifted is towards the end of the generation. But i think it looks fresh enough to remain relevant for another 5 years atleast.


------

Frustrating times/market/niche

The median Octavia/Superb buyer may be in their 40s and at that age I assume they can afford to shift budgets by 5 or even 10L to get the car they really want.

But for someone like me, that craves a car with solid dynamics & isn't quite as flexible with the budget. There simply is no real option within the 21-32L bracket. It seems I must remain content with a Creta or soon the Kushaq with it's Baleno sized boot, or up my spending by a whopping 50% or 10L to have some better options.

It's been incredibly frustrating that there are no options at the ~25L mark. Baring the compass. I simply fail to understand why there aren't anymore options here.
(Not considering t-roc. C'mon it's the just a nicer looking Taigun for 4L more? No thank you. And harrier? Reviewers seem to love it, but it's hardly the corner carver types)

Seems to me a Civic ZX 1.5 turbo MT would've been a great contender at around 26-27L otr Bangalore

The new skoda MQB-A0-IN Slavia seems very promising. But sharing platform and engine with the Kushaq, it will be priced similarly at 21L otr top end.

The question still remains. What is the enthu cutlet driver with 25-26L to do in today's market !

Maybe the only viable answer will be to eventually have a Octavia platform sharing Crossover localized upto 85% min. It would bring down costs significantly and I'd definitely put my money on that. Pls god let it have multi-link suspension in the rear.

Cheers, come at me with your thoughts, comments and opinions.

----

All the youtubers have put out their Octavia drive reviews except for EVO India. Something tells me Evo's drive review of the Octavia which is not out yet, will explore this dynamic of octavia vs compass in greater detail.

Just waiting on their opinion of body roll, handling and dynamics, build quality & robustness between the two.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by reddify

(Little known or mentioned fact. All YouTube reviews mention the octavia sedan doesn't get a sunroof world over. False. A LWB version of the Octavia saloon called Octavia pro gets a regular non panosunroof in China.
It wouldn't take much to fit that sunroof on the Indian car)

Yes the octavia pro does have it but it has an entirely different roof panel so the same sunroof can’t just be fitted onto the shorter roof.

Secondly india gets its kits from Czech Republic which has no sunroof option for any country. The Chinese long wheel base and stretched roof is not just a matter cutting a hole and fixing sun roof. It’s a lot more structural design.

But after drooling at euro spec pictures and videos for months. This incredibly ugly beige & piano black fest made me want to puke. It looks like the inside of a house lizard, that colour. Why not a light grey/white like the compass ? Much classier than horrible beige. Or even tan like the alcazar. Skoda got it very wrong here. The beige looked okay on the previous gens but with the lower set piano black bar and black ac vents on the dash, this version looks bad.
And then the 'suedia' which will 100% be a nightmare that will bother me to no end because of how easy it will soil. Who wants to stress out everytime your friend who you were hanging out with sitting on the grass doesn't dust off every bit of soil from their bottom before getting back into your car.. I noticed the side edges of the seat, near the memory buttons are a cheap looking CLOTH! Not leather not suedia or whatever they call it. But CLOTH. This cost cutting is just unacceptable.

The side edges of the seat are cloth not for cost cutting but to cut the squeaky sounds from leather. They are not much of cost cutting but add cost since it’s an extra material that is almost denim cloth since it gets more wear.

[reddify]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Yes the octavia pro does have it but it has an entirely different roof panel so the same sunroof can’t just be fitted onto the shorter roof.

Secondly india gets its kits from Czech Republic which has no sunroof option for any country. The Chinese long wheel base and stretched roof is not just a matter cutting a hole and fixing sun roof. It’s a lot more structural design.

The side edges of the seat are cloth not for cost cutting but to cut the squeaky sounds from leather. They are not much of cost cutting but add cost since it’s an extra material that is almost denim cloth since it gets more wear.

Sure, there would be some changes structurally. but I still believe the effort required to engineer it would be a days work. Manufacturing a short run of roof panels would be more of a hassle. Yet, with a little motivation I am certain Skoda could make something happen, I just don't think they actually want to.

Aaah, cloth to cut squeaks make sense. I suppose it's just the ugly colour, and that's why it appears cheaper than the suede or leather. It definitely is not denim however, it appears thin, and is already creasing in the review photo. It looks like the kind of material that will develop those ungainly lint balls with a little rubbing.

I'm sure Skoda would have had the sense to pick a material that's better than what I'm describing however.

MOD NOTE - Please capitalize where required. Thanks.

[GTO]

Updated the likes & dislikes at the start of the review. This is now the first dislike point:

Originally Posted by Omkar

Skoda Octavia Cons:

• L&K variant is overpriced by 4-lakh rupees, in our opinion

[jeygani]

Good strategy by Skoda on pricing front, bad for enthusiasts though.

I don't think Skoda is trying to increase market share, just get maximum profits by selling few cars. Anyways they can't handle volumes for servicing, so better sell less cars with maximum profit.
More cars will translate to bad image due to poor service quality denting their image further.

[ghost-was-here]

I guess Skoda is no longer interested in sales volume for Octavia. New SUVs are going to be handed that responsibility. Octavia will remain to milk enthusiasts who need a good and fast D segment sedan.

People here say Skoda will be happy with ~200 unit per month, but honestly I don't see those numbers after the initial 3-4 months.
One good thing might come out of this, if the response is extremely poor (in our SUV favoring market), they might wake up and price the Kushak better.

[rudrakshmahajan]

I've been venting out at the pricing of Octavia everywhere. But that's just because I thought maybe I'd be able to buy this for my father. He loves sedans and we haven't been able to find one decent option for 22-25L. The civic is gone too. Although if we look at it from Skodas pov following seems to be the strategy:

1). Move the superb to 40-45. Compete with the Camry and take the 2 series head on. The superb is an old model. Engine of the Octavia and superb produce the exact same amount of power. The superb is currently a discounted product for Skoda. In order to move that to 40-45, they introduced the CKD Octavia with a solid engine

2). There's a huge missing middle. The gap between the rapid and the Octavia is huge. They'll probably fill it with a 1.5 but a different brand.

Here are the challenges for Skoda:

1). Cost and availability of Skoda - For a brand that sells less than 1000 units per month, it'll be hard for Skoda to deliver on dealer viability. Which is why they find very hard to increase their network of dealers. Add to that the expensive part and the whole servicing experience goes for a toss. After the warranty period, this can become a fairly expensive car to own.

2). Skoda is testing the rapid CNG?!?? It's hard to compete with BMW/Audi/Mercs if your best selling product starts at 7L with a CNG variant in testing. The Indian buyer doesn't just buy a >40L car for the on road performance. It's a mix of prestige and performance. Skoda just doesn't command that. It's a good brand to have but it's no BMW.

The new Octavia will sell 150-200 units at max currently. The superb will be phased out and introduced after a few months at 40-45. Same for the Kodiac.

Seems like the Kushaq will be launched between 15-20. The biggest question is how much of a compromise will the Kushaq be?

[Pancham]

Just in case anyone wants to see what the Octavia's boot is capable of, this is a full sized Montra hybrid bike:

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by rudrakshmahajan

1). Move the superb to 40-45. Compete with the Camry and take the 2 series head on. The superb is an old model. Engine of the Octavia and superb produce the exact same amount of power. The superb is currently a discounted product for Skoda. In order to move that to 40-45, they introduced the CKD Octavia with a solid engine

Will be a BIG mistake. Price the Superb a shade under the Camry and the Camry will eat it up for breakfast. You’ll be amazed how many people will jump ship to the Camry over the Superb if they were priced neck and neck. And what the Camry doesn’t gobble will be taken over by well discounted big Germans.

Originally Posted by Pancham

Just in case anyone wants to see what the Octavia's boot is capable of, this is a full sized Montra hybrid bike:

I just LOVE notchbacks for this aspect. Sedan like driving dynamics with more than SUV space. That’s my roadie sitting comfortably in my 3GT. No need to even remove the wheel.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-...ml#post4534319 (BMW 3 GT Sport Line - Ownership Review)

[axe_deo]

Originally Posted by Omkar

• L&K variant is overpriced by 4-lakh rupees, in our opinion

The 2017 Octavia VRS ( CKD) at 25.49 lakh ex-showroom was launched cheaper than the current style version. That was also a 2.0 tsi with wet clutch dsg, albeit an older one.
But, at the current price point of superb, the Octavia L&K variant has undercut the superb sportline by 3 lakhs. So with respect to that pricing seems justified. Because earlier also the difference between Octavia L&K 1.8tsi AT and Superb style 1.8tsi AT was around 4 lakhs. So, even the superb has got pricier. Just that we didn't notice it as much as we have noticed in the Octavia.