Team-BHP - Skoda Octavia 2.0 TSI DSG Review

Had a quick check of the car today at TAFE Bangalore (did not get time for test drive). Fell in love with the interiors instantly, those suede elements really add upmarket feel (not sure how difficult is to maintain). Overall well built car and really liked the dark upholstery, infact liked the interiors better than my previous gen. 2 spoke steering wheel in real is not that bad. Did not miss sunroof at all, only wish they had all black interiors.

Hated the alloys in L&K, tyres felt under sized (width), might be coz I had upgraded to 225 -17 and used to that.

Do not think the ground clearance is bad, infact felt it is almost same as previous gen. Will try in test drive soon.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunikkat (Post 5118991)

Overall well built car and really liked the dark upholstery, infact liked the interiors better than my previous gen.

Had a question since you own the previous gen and are currently evaluating the new gen - I felt that the new gen has distinctly less kneeroom at the back compared to previous gen. However none of the official reviews mention that . Could you confirm ?

I found the rear space to be same as previous gen. But the design elements in the door, the additional booster in front seat, more under thigh support in back seat and dark upholstery make you feel the space is slightly lesser. But as said these make the car feel more premium too.

My next car will be a 3 series (BMW has always been my favourite) - it’s just that I don’t see value YET in plonking 50 big ones considering the depreciation and interest rates, especially after the mods on my current ride. If all goes well might be another 2 to 3 years.

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Originally Posted by JishD (Post 5119135)

I was also in the same boat a couple of months ago. I own the previous gen Octavia and went to have a look at the current gen car.
The rear seat space felt definitely lesser compared to the older gen. Also, the black roof lining didn't help matters as I did get a feeling of claustrophobia when sitting in the rear seat. However, the cabin has definitely been bumped up a notch.
To be honest, it didn't feel like a worthy stretch from the current gen especially given the current price. Hence, I ended up going ahead with the 2WD Diesel Tucson while still keeping the Octavia to keep the thrill alive. I can comfortably say I am having fun with the best of both worlds.

Just test drove the L&K variant. While the engine and gearbox is stellar, there is not much else to talk about. I felt that built quality of Skoda sorely missing, the steering was super light almost like that of an i20 petrol. The suspension was absorbing the bumps well but on accelerating it took away the high speed confidence.

The aircon control and the vent placement is a blunder by Skoda. The vents cools your hands as they are so low and changing the fan speed and temperature is a huge task. May be poeple get used it after some time but its really bad.

No sunroof is ok, but at least the roof should not be dark Grey/ Black it really feels dark and cramped.

The biggest bummer was the cabin nvh, in traffic you could feel a lot of road noise and even the horn from the car.

I dont think they are being able to sell the car well, I was offered hefty discounts without even asking for it.

Will now wait for the Tiguan, else think long and hard about the Tucson

Had a rather disappointing experience with Global Skoda, Kolkata. They are the only surviving Skoda dealership in Kolkata right now and the SA has been in regular touch with me since last year December when I test drove the Superb.

After hearing the news of the new Octavia launching, I had expressed my interest to him. Since launch, I have not been able to go to the showroom to see the car so I checked with him on Friday if they could send the car over on Saturday at 11am. He promptly agreed but asked me if he can come over at 12pm. I was ok with it.

You can read about my love for the Octavia in this post.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...ml#post4530435

We bought the previous generation 1.8 TSI (L&K) from them in January 2019 and my love for this beautiful machine has only multiplied since then. So I was really looking forward to this one. So eagerly waited for 12pm, Saturday.

He calls me to check if he can get the car 2pm. I said ok.

I continued to wait. Then they never turned up.

I sent him a text in the evening asking what the heck happened? He called back and said the car was involved in an accident and if he can bring the car on Sunday. I did not say anything as I was a bit miffed with him. Later on in the evening, I texted him if he can bring the car at 12pm today. He agreed.

Again, Sunday 12pm. Nothing. They dont turn up, they dont care to let me know that they are not coming.

I used to think of them (Global Skoda, Kolkata) as one of the better Skoda showrooms. But a disappointing experience overall.

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Originally Posted by Pancham (Post 5119865)

I sent him a text in the evening asking what the heck happened? He called back and said the car was involved in an accident and if he can bring the car on Sunday. I did not say anything as I was a bit miffed with him. Later on in the evening, I texted him if he can bring the car at 12pm today. He agreed.

Again, Sunday 12pm. Nothing. They dont turn up, they dont care to let me know that they are not coming.

Just today, around 3:40 pm, while returning back home from Dum Dum, saw the White Octavia L&K (TD vehicle of Global Skoda, Kolkata) being driven hard and rashly by a guy (most probably the showroom driver). He was trying to overtake the other cars at a very reckless speed while entering the Maa Flyover. :mad:

Pretty sure they must've gone to some other client's place instead of visiting you.

I had taken a TD of the same vehicle just 4 days after its launch and had also asked my SA to bring in the Superb as well. He had promptly done so and I was able to take a TD of both the cars, back to back, at my residence without any fuss from Global Skoda. My experience so far with them is satisfactory.

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Originally Posted by sampadroy (Post 5120199)

Hi Sampad. Could you share the name and number of your SA please ?

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Originally Posted by sampadroy (Post 5122897)

I've PMed you his contact details. Hope it helps! :)

Many thanks to Sampad. I called up his SA and got a test drive just now. Loved loved loved it. Although I did feel he was in a hurry to leave for other test drives. Overall, loved the car. The interior quality, touch and feel, seats everything felt super premium. There is nothing to write about the power and pull of the Octavia. It was brilliant as expected. But I would still want to drive it back to back once with the 1.8L TSI.

Bummer is he said there are no offers or discounts. I read in this thread that people have been offered discounts upto 1L. Not sure why but he said there are no offers. :sadface

For now Octavia is very much in the mix provided he gives me a good deal.

I've had my eyes on the Octavia for far too long now. From Google to Twitter, I've deliberately kept a close eye on it as I thought this is going to be the car to replace my almost 10yr old Yeti which will be deemed unfit for Delhi roads soon. Perhaps that is why I have a bunch of opinions on this one, from its price to its drive. Though I am a little late to the party, as my first post on this platform, it's a delight to share them with you.

On Price
I think the price is fair, the 1-2 Lacks that it seems overpriced maybe adjusted for through discounts in the time to come. The place where Skoda went wrong IMO is with its positioning. Reading Zac Hollis's tweets it's clear that the audience they are catering to is not the same as the one the previous Octavias targeted. Instead of luring buyers with a 20L pocket to go for a gorgeous and powerful 25L sedan, they are trying to entice buyers looking for a German Badge to save money and settle for the Octavia. The problem is, they already have the Superb for that, which is an established name in itself. This point is emphasized by the sales figures of July where Superb is outdoing the Octavia (which has JUST come to the market, what a shame).

On Drive
I was only 16 when I drove the Yeti. Little did I know that my first ever driving experience is with probably the best driver's car ever to be sold in the Indian market. Over time I realized, this is a hard one to replace when it comes to driving dynamics and I had huge hopes from the Octavia. Sadly, they were all let down. The car lacks any character whatsoever when it comes to its drive IMO. It's too easy, steering too soft, suspension too soft. There wasn't much to take away from it other than the punch of the 2L TSI. But that too comes at a cost, the test drive vehicle was managing a mileage of 6.1km/L.

However, I was impressed by its premium to feel interiors, which made me soften my views on its price.

Overall
I think the new Skoda Octavia is a hard sell for buyers like me. It is now over budget, seems too delicate with its suede interiors and ground clearance and fails to please with its drive. On top of that, it does not give me the confidence of taking it on unknown terrains. Maybe for buyers who have multiple cars in their arsenal, including an SUV, this can be an exciting offer, to get a car that almost feels like a Mercedes/BMW from the inside at this price. But then, why not just get the Superb :D

For me, I am now looking forward to test driving the Jeep Compass :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pancham (Post 5130489)

Guys, anyone has an idea if it’s worthwhile to go for the standard maintenance package? It’s priced at 45k and I am not sure if it’s for 3 or 4 years. How much will I be looking at for normal servicing on an annual basis?

It's definitely worthwhile to buy this package as it is valid for 4yrs/60K. The average cost per service would be around 14-15K if you don't opt for this and pay per service. I got it for my 2019MY 1.8TSI and have faced no issues at all for first two services.

I understand this is a relatively new car. Given it's getting closer to festival season and very likely that first set of buyers have already taken delivery of their cars, have any discounts started rolling in? I'm choosing between Octavia L&K and BMW 220i M Sport. Love the quality of interiors and featureset on both. Would have preferred all black interiors with red stitching in the Octavia. A lighter exterior color like silver or white with black interiors, red stitching, red calipers, de-badging the L&K decals, and a different OEM wheels from Europe would make this am ideal car for a year or two for me. Level of configuration choices in the US on cars has spoilt me to the point that I have to buy versions offered here and mod some aspects.