[shobhit.shri]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

High but not atrocious at all I feel. I bought my MY16 1.8 Style Plus (top variant then) in January 2016 for an ex-showroom of 20.15L.

How come a ~50% increase - from 20.15 to 29.5 - in 5 years is not an atrocious raise?

At current FD interest rates of around 5%, 20L will be 25.64L in 5 years. At these rates, buying a "value luxury" car would be a better "investment" than putting your money in FD

[Zodak]

As someone who took the plunge and bought a Superb Sportsline at 30.XX in December, I am actually relieved to see the horrible pricing. I was worried that if the Octavia get's launched with the same engine at 25.XX, buying a Superb would look like a bad decision. But then I believe, every manufacturer just wants to move every car one segment up by adding a few bells and whistles and pricing it 20-25% higher than previous out-going model. As other BHP-ians have mentioned, I feel they have priced the car keeping a target of 150-200 units per month and discount Superb later to make it like a steal. Might be a good strategy to wait till year end and pick-up Superbs as OTR which is more or less same as the price of Octavia.

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by Axe77

I just LOVE notchbacks for this aspect. Sedan like driving dynamics with more than SUV space.

Well said, we are dangerously () here but here are a few of mine:

Like an upmarket Tata Ace :


With 2 complete MTBs:


With half our local nursery:


ONLY downsides are the boominess from the empty boot (especially TDIs at certain engine RPMs) & the last gen Superb's complex latching system which was prone to wear and tear. I cured the former by keeping my trunk organizer and some cleaning cloths etc. inside which absorbed the noise.

NOTHING can beat a notchback in this regard and I am happy to see that the new Octavia superbly continues the tradition!

[m8002?]

The pricing is high and as expected. I think the reason is that there is no other alternative in that segment from mainstream manufacturers. There is only Elantra but its outdated now. I don't think anyone considering the big 3 would be looking at the Octavia for its value offering. For them, the brand plays a major role than similar/better features.

Just imagine, if there was the Civic / new Elantra/ new Corolla in the 17-20 lacs price point, then the Octavia would have been priced similar.

This is the price of the petrol variants in Oct 2019.
https://www.zigwheels.com/news-featu...5401/#leadform

Elantra : 15.39 - 20.32
Octavia MT : 16 - 19
Octavia AT : 20.6 to 23.6
Civic : 17.94 to 21.25
Corolla : 16.5 to 20.19

There is no justification for a 30% hike in 1.5 years for the AT variants.

[Keynote]

Originally Posted by GTO

Updated the likes & dislikes at the start of the review. This is now the first dislike point:
• L&K variant is overpriced by 4-lakh rupees, in our opinion.

Hope Zac is reading this one too . Many thanks GTO

[sunikkat]

No doubt Octavia is over priced by 2 to 3 lakhs. But as mentioned by few earlier, even if they would have priced 3 lakhs lesser the sales numbers wouldnt have made much difference. So from a strategy point they can make more profit per unit and also give them space to price Kushaq and the sedan above Rapid.

If in market with a budget of up to 40 lakhs on road, this would have been my default choice over Compass, Tucson and Superb (too big for my liking). But straight away from the showroom would have upgraded to 225 tyres.

If i was flexible with the budget I would have still chosen this over C class and A4 without a doubt, but then not comparable with 330i. Now that will blow away Octavia :-)

Lucky are those who bought RS 245 recently without waiting for the facelift for good discount. Now that is best of both worlds, even if it was lying in the stockyard for more than a year

[Rajeevraj]

Wow, where are the prices heading towards. 36L OTR Bangalore . I don't think the purchasing power of people in this segment has risen accordingly.

As always, I am looking at newly launched cars which are in my shortlist for the next upgrade couple of years down the line with regard to what budget I would need to have to purchase a 2-3 year old pre-owned model. I guess around 25L.

[sgm]

This thread is buzzing with activity. This shows how close to heart this car is for so many. There is a love- hate relationship, you either love a Skoda or hate it due to the infamous horror stories and stay away from it, no middle ground
An Octavia brings a lot of practical features and good performance, therefore it appeals to enthusiast and others, so the expectations are too much.

I personally like the look of Superb and at this price point would go for Superb than an Octavia. Based on the media reviews on handling and suspension, the Octavia does not hold much advantage in handling department compared to the bigger Superb (older Octavia was a much better handler), so overall I'm a bit disappointed from a car with such a great legacy.

If you compare against the previous generation

Positives:

More tech inside
More comfort for family
More reliable DQ381 instead of the infamous DQ200 and bigger 2Ltr TSI

Negatives

Heavier on the wallet
Previous gen looked more handsome and sportier
Stretch a bit and you can get that elegant looking Superb
Softer suspension and compromise on handling
Work horse 2Ltr TDI missing

[GeeTee TSI]

This is one such truly global, contemporary product which will one can buy in India without ascribing to compromise, cost cutting or poverty spec.

Features like felt-lined storage surfaces, touch sensitive cabin lights, interior surfaces and textures (and more serious ones like the drivetrain, multi-link rear suspension and safety systems) not only trump cars which are segments higher; but will also remain special for some time before others catch up.

It has the potential to make one's face smile whilst making one's wallet weep!

[reppy]

There is not enough in the Octavia that screams for the premium justification. Further, absence of panoramic sunroof and ventilated seats is criminal for the money being demanded.

If the price being asked for is a no compromise one, and on top of that the mandatory extended warranty packages for a Skoda due to their electromechanical nightmares, then in my opinion the car should also be a no compromise car.

The Superb is, the Octavia isn't. Period.

[NevGin]

Originally Posted by thechinmay

Pricing seems to be along expected lines - not amazing and not terrible. Hopefully we'll see a couple of lakhs discount in a few months which would make it quite attractive.

And this is exactly why they have priced it the way they have. My personal opinion is that they would have factored in margins after the discounts they would need to give and then announced pricing.

[JoshMachine]

Originally Posted by Omkar

G
Boot lid (errr...hatch) opens quite high:

Q to current Octavia owners: how high does the boot lid get, in a fully opened position?
Couldn't see mention of a boot-close electronic button / mechanism from the outside.

[Caramba]

Originally Posted by Pancham

Bottom line: People who have actually lived with (and driven) the recent gen Octavia will compare it to the 3 and C whereas, those who have not, will compare it to the Elantras and Seltos'. For the latter, I would suggest, take some time out and take a nice long test drive with a clear mind. Just my tuppence.

As an erstwhile owner, could not agree more with this comment. While most may feel this is overpriced, I think this is one of the best sedans money can buy not just in terms of driving pleasure. The space is perfect, the fit and finish top notch and the car really reliable. In 5 years had only one gremlin which was fixed immediately and otherwise the service also was topnotch and surprisingly reasonable. But for the lure of the badge, this is the car to buy.

[nidhikapoor]

Originally Posted by Caramba

As an erstwhile owner, could not agree more with this comment. While most may feel this is overpriced, I think this is one of the best sedans money can buy not just in terms of driving pleasure. The space is perfect, the fit and finish top notch and the car really reliable. In 5 years had only one gremlin which was fixed immediately and otherwise the service also was topnotch and surprisingly reasonable. But for the lure of the badge, this is the car to buy.

Absolutely agree. This is one of the best sedans for the money, but as I have kept on harping, I wish they had given us more driver features in the fourth gen, like adaptive CC and lane assist.

[Hayek]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

High but not atrocious at all I feel. I bought my MY16 1.8 Style Plus (top variant then) in January 2016 for an ex-showroom of 20.15L.

Amidst tens of posts cribbing without justification about the pricing of the Octavia, this is one of the few that makes sense in my view.

Unfortunately, we all tend to get carried away by the money illusion - and think that a Rupee today is the same as a Rupee 5.5 years ago. If the 1.8 Style Plus was ₹20.15 L in January 2016, that translates to ₹ 24.99 L ex show room today just based on the depreciation of the INR against the EUR in this period. Consider the extra cost of a 2 L TSI BS6 engine VS a 1.8 TSI BS4 engine, the DQ381 wet clutch gearbox against the DQ200 dry clutch gear box, the far superior ICE system in the new Octavia, and inflation even in Europe over the past 5.5 years (6% over this period in Germany) - and you could very easily justify at least 15 -20% more - which would get the Style Plus to ₹ 28.75- 30 L. So on that basis, the L&K at ₹ 28.99 L and the Style at ₹25.99 L seem like real steals.

Approaching this from another angle, if we look at comments on all recent CKD car launches (the Jeep Compass, the Citroen C5 Aircross, and now the Skoda Octavia), we find the same theme - the car is over priced by ₹3-5 lakhs. That is because we are anchoring to prices from 5 years ago and failing to realise that the auto industry is actually doing a great job keeping prices down for vastly superior products.

The only benchmark against which the Octavia really looks over priced is the prices that people got for the 2020 Superbs and Tiguan Allspaces in the November to March period. But these were discounted prices for clearing inventory after a Covid year in which inventory planning went completely awry. We can’t compare launch prices for a new car with that. Needless to say I am delighted that I got my Tiguan Allspace for the price of an Octavia L&K

If you are price sensitive, that is a sensible approach to take. Wait for one of the periodic crises that hit the car industry, and buy products that are about to be replaced and whose inventory manufacturers want to move. But there is no point cribbing about prices at which products are launched - it is a competitive marker and manufacturers certainly do the best they can.

I do hope this sells reasonable numbers - I certainly don’t want VAG to down the shutters and exit India. But guess the fate of the Taigun and Kushaq will matter far more in that regard.