[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. It might not have the new looks and drive by wire but by no means it is a slow car and plenty are available at almost half the price of a new one.

[sbenstewart]

Originally Posted by GTO

Wow, Carwale says the on-road Mumbai price is 34.50 lakhs. My brother bought a Superb L&K for 33 lakhs just in January. Same engine, same gearbox, bigger size and yes, sunroof & ventilated seats too .

You indeed are right. I had went with the Superb L&K late 2020 too, and now having saved already on the months long wait, we also got the time to enjoy the car, the Superb moniker, the space and more importantly all the times we've stared at the machines parked at the house.

[greenh0rn]

Originally Posted by PrideRed

All this for may be 8-10L more? At these prices of Octavia, Superb and 330i are easy picks. A4 is running discount and I would not be surprised if I get 4 rings for for another 5-6L more!

Impossible. As I mentioned the cheapest luxury D1 you can get is ~52 on the road, and 330i is 55+ even in Delhi. C-class goes even higher. Octavia will always be 20-30 lakh cheaper, and never just 8-10L.

We may not be ready to accept it, but prices have actually increased across the board in the premium/luxury space.

[petrol_power]

And the irony is that we break our head thinking why "D" segment sedan is a dying breed and writes pages after pages trying to find the answer.
The car which used to cost 19.99 lacs ex showroom (and with a discount of around 1 to 2 lacs in on-road) suddenly becomes dearer by 6 lacs in one fine morning.

Whatever we try to justify by adding 50k for better gear box, 50k for engine (though no much apparent increase in real life performance), miscellaneous features, it cannot go higher than 1-2 lacs. Rate of inflation, R&D cost, etc would be covered under economies of scale and the frequent revision of prices, which anyways they will do even after this 6 lac jump in a morning.

I am sure that "D" segment sedan customers are not dead, there are still many people who love a sweet performing "D" segment sedan. Its just that current set of "D" segment manufacturers are killing the segment by wrong strategies. We need companies like KIA to bring in their models for this segment to revive. Till then its RIP "D" segment.

[coolboy007]

As it has been earlier said, Skoda is not here to get volumes and even if this was priced 2-3 L cheaper, it would still garner 200 units a month. Lack of diesel is not going to pinch because when your target sales are just 200-250/month, it hardly matters. I hate this new concept of bundling everything inside the touchscreen HU, even for some thing as basic as reducing blower speed, i need to go inside the damn screen and it is not even Tesla size to make matters worse. Lack of sunroof would be tough to explain to your wife and kids.

Octavia does not have any other competition and Skoda would get away with this since the big 3 Germans have not been playing the DISCOUNTS game for some time now owing to lack of CKD kits.

Once the usual discounts start coming back on the 330i sport and if one has the budget to spend another 7-8L, i see no point in going for this one if you are an enthusiast and can compromise on the feature list.(330i sport is much better kitted than the earlier F30 cars).

[vinu_h]

Won't this 30L Octavia eat up the Superb market ?

I don't see too many practical feature differences between the two. I'm almost regretting having spent 10L more on a Superb.

[PrideRed]

Originally Posted by greenh0rn

Impossible. As I mentioned the cheapest luxury D1 you can get is ~52 on the road, and 330i is 55+ even in Delhi. C-class goes even higher. Octavia will always be 20-30 lakh cheaper, and never just 8-10L.

We may not be ready to accept it, but prices have actually increased across the board in the premium/luxury space.

In Jan 2021, offer I got on 320D Sport was 47L all inclusive. 330i Sport was out of stock but folks have got car for around 46L. They were willing to come down a bit if I was willing to take BSI. A6 was at ball park of 60L OTR. Few folks here in TBHP have got Sportline Superb couple of months ago for 35L or lesser OTR. Situation might not be same now as stocks would have dried up, but once things do get normal and come December discounts will start putting in, unless everyone follow Mercedes. Discount on L&K is inevitable.

[Karvel]

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.

Why is that?

++ 5 years of inflation;
++ Consistent rupee depreciation;
++ Large raises in global input costs;
++ A brand new BS-VI engine;
++ A better DSG which does not seem to have the pitfalls of the DQ200;
++ All sewn together into a completely new platform, and
++ Keeping up with the Jones'es in terms of pricing.

Agree completely. My VIN 16/MY 17 Style Plus TDI AT costed 24 lacs OTR exactly 4 years back, after discounts. This new one L&K will cost about 30-31 lacs OTR after 6 months. The gap is more or less taken care by USD rate alone - 65 vs 74 now. Thats alone a 15% increase. And add inflation of 4% average each year. So I would say, its a better pricing.

But, my heart still, refuses to accept the 29 lac ex-showroom price. :(

One thing I am happy about is resale price of my silverbull will go up.

[nkrishnap]

Excellent Review of the 2021 Octavia. Carries on the strong points but lacks a few features which are crucial in the segment.

Pricing, OVERPRICED is what it is at best. The Superb makes a better case with a bit discount thrown in.

Last but not the least, Gook luck to Skoda to get these off the showroom floor.

[karanddd]

Faisal Khan of Motorbeam says the car feels bouncy at higher speeds and on expansion joints. If that's true, it's very disappointing.

[itsbaman]

I like new OCTAVIA's resemblance to elder sibling SUPERB, while earlier generation resembled younger sibling RAPID. Exteriors have got some bling as compared to the previous generation. Interiors are as always simple as well as elegant at the same time. However two-spoke steering wheel might split the opinions, I don't like it personally, as I am used to watching three-spoke steering wheels. Not having a sunroof is not an issue for me as it only increases the price while not being practical in India at all. Fortunately, Skoda is one of the manufacturers which understands the impracticality of the overhyped sunroof. The only and most significant factor is the starting price. I was expecting the base variant, maybe with a lower-spec engine and fewer not-so-useful features, to be priced under 20 lacs ex-showroom. But with 26 lacs ex-showroom, OCTAVIA has definitely upgraded its segment. It's no longer a D-segment sedan but a VFM (and compromised) luxury sedan. I wonder if luxury sedan buyers consider OCTAVIA over already established SUPERB. I think with OCTAVIA exiting the segment, the only option left for C-segment sedan owners to upgrade in the sedan segment is Elantra, which is not an option for me at least.

[megazoid]

Well written review and an exhaustive coverage. Great work!

Designing a car once upon a time was easier with the driving aspects factored in and comparisons were mostly around the purposeful side of things. Nowadays, there is so much going on from soft touch plastics, to popping gear levers to missing gear levers to hidden handbrakes to seats wrapping themselves around you to the touchscreen functioning better than an Ipad, that the small fundamental aspects like better to drive and "built around the driver" notions are vaguely traded terms. Just wish the fundamental aspect of a nice taut driver focused car could also drive sales without the excesses.

[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.

[84.monsoon]

Wow, I think this level of pricing is way too high. And to think an Octavia Corporate Edition was launched in 2019 for 15.49 lakhs based on the Style Trim, which was reasonably loaded with two-zone climate control system, four airbags, electronic stability control, LED headlamps, 16 inch alloys etc. (granted that as an MT car). Prices have definitely settled at a different level completely! The Superb Corporate Edition was available at 23.99 in 2019. Even the Base Octavia is now much more expensive than what the Superb Corporate Edition costed less than 2 years ago.

For someone wanting to buy a well speced D-segment sedan at a reasonable price point, the options keep getting narrower. While the choice in SUVs in similar price segments keep growing in sedans, it keep shrinking.

[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!

But on the other hand seems like Skoda has made this their flagship model and it is making (or going to make) superb and other future launches a value for money deals! Or at least look like it!