Team-BHP - Should I buy the current Skoda Octavia A7 or wait for the next-generation?

So I am in the market for a new sedan and we have finalized the Octavia petrol 1.8 TSI L&K. We always knew that a model refresh was to be expected sometime around 2020 but as the moment draws near, its causing some confusion on what is the correct decision.

Let’s start with some facts (or conjecture :)):

The current car is presumably at the end of its production life-cycle and therefore would have all major bugs ironed out. I personally would not be comfortable purchasing the new car for at-least 6 months from launch.
The 1.8 TSI engine might be discontinued. The engine has already been discontinued from all major markets in lieu of the newer 1L, 1.5L and 2.0L power-plants. I'd wager that VW would bring the 1.5 TSI as a replacement here as that would make sense for many offerings below the Octavia's price range and would still be competitive in the segment as the other cars like Civic are equivalent to the 1.4 TSI in terms of power.
Performance is a major reason to choose this in place of the Civic which is why i feel that the 1.5 TSi might be a deal breaker.
There are discounts upwards of 1 Lakh right now on the existing car and we know manufacturers like increasing prices in January. Combine this with chances of increase in taxation and we end up with a risk of the new car costing at least 2 Lakh more than the current one.
The new model will be showcased in September i.e. roughly 3 months from now. But judging by the launch rumors of the Superb facelift, Skoda would probably consider launching the new car to coincide with the formal rollout of BS 6 emission norms i.e. around April 2020.
I have this feeling that Skoda might even skip launching the new car as the Karoq sounds like an ideal fit for this price bracket and has the all-important virtue of being an SUV
I'm not too worried about buying a BS 4 certified car as it is a Petrol variant.

Which brings us to the question, will it be wise to buy the car now? If not, i think we are looking at postponing the purchase by at-least one and a half year after factoring in the launch in April plus another 6 months to have the initial bugs ironed out.

Let the debate begin. :thumbs up

It all depends if you're willing to wait for that long.

A newer model will always be more contemporary and age that much better, not to mention it will look fresh for another 7 years which this Octavia may not - and a Rs. 1-2L price difference for a long term 25L buy is probably worth it.

An added bonus could be if the DQ200 DSG is replaced with a more reliable one, but we will only know that by September / October.
You could wait till closer to launch date of the new Octy and make up your mind. Typically discounts will only increase closer to date of the new car.

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Originally Posted by lamborghini (Post 4604168)

An added bonus could be if the DQ200 DSG is replaced with a more reliable one, but we will only know that by September / October.
You could wait till closer to launch date of the new Octy and make up your mind. Typically discounts will only increase closer to date of the new car.

Judging by the torque figures listed for the 1.5 TSi, it will in all probability continue to use the DQ200 DSG gearbox. The 2.0 TSi uses a different 7 speed variant of the transmission that exceeds the 250NM torque limit. So if the gearbox remains the same but there is a decease in the power output, it doesn't sound like a fair trade as we loose performance while the risk stays the same.

Its true that the discounts would increase closer to the launch date but it would also mean lack of choices in things like the color or having a recently manufactured car. Its not unlikely that Skoda launches a special edition car with a black cabin just to finish off the remaining kits. I'd like to avoid a situation where it feels like we are making a compromise in lieu of saving another 50K.

It might be a mind vs heart decision but the longer we wait, it would be even more difficult to convince ourselves to ignore waiting for the BS6 roll-out.

Quote:

Originally Posted by theMandarin (Post 4604137)

Off late I have been noticing that apart from apex supercars, development in mass market cars has come down (simply extra electronic "features" over the years) perhaps this could be attributed to modern day packaging and efficiency gains as well as electric tech that manufacturers are working towards, but that is what I feel personally. Keeping that in mind, I'd say go ahead with the current gen Octavia as long as it suits all your needs :thumbs up

Quote:

Originally Posted by theMandarin (Post 4604137)

[*]The current car is presumably at the end of its production life-cycle and therefore would have all major bugs ironed out. I personally would not be comfortable purchasing the new car for at-least 6 months from launch.

I concur

Quote:

Originally Posted by theMandarin (Post 4604137)

[*]Performance is a major reason to choose this in place of the Civic which is why i feel that the 1.5 TSi might be a deal breaker.

Have you looked at how thin the seat backs on the Civic are? I'm sure performance isn't the only reason. I feel the Civic doesn't feel premium enough for the class anymore

My 2 cents .. @theMandarin

If Skoda decides to change the powerplant from the 1.8 ltr tsi, it will be the 1395cc engine block that Audi currently offers on the petrol A4. They also have to differentiate with the upcoming RS245 to justify the premium.

There are tons of reviews on TBHP on how good the 1.8 ltr engine feels and as you have very well pointed out, the quirks are all sorted in a mature model like the current one. DQ200 gearbox isn't that much of nightmare that it used to be earlier.

If I were in your shoes, I would push the showrooms to give a better discount on the current model and pick it up rather than wait for a new one. Car prices are going up every day and the new variant is going to be priced at a premium compared to the current model.

In the end, it also depends on how much time you are willing to wait.

Quote:

Originally Posted by theMandarin (Post 4604137)

Dear Mandarin,

I may be biased being an existing MY16 TSI owner but in my mind, there is no scope for debate :D.

There are simply no other comparable petrol executive D1 sedans / SUVs that can deliver the same luxury, power, sheer space, cachet and head-turning ability that the TSI offers.

Further, September 2020 is a long way off - you'll be 414 days (i.e. 9,936 hours or 596K minutes or 35.7L seconds) OLDER on 1 September 2020 calculated from 15 July 2019 when you could instead be taking delivery of your A7 1.8 L&K!

Don't over-think it - just go ahead!

My recommendation = WAIT.

Reason = Deciding right now would be like shooting in the dark because there is so little information on the next generation car. Closer to the launch date, we'll have a clearer picture on the pros & cons, engines etc. What's more, the discounts on the outgoing generation will also be the highest then. Therefore, WAIT and make an informed decision.

Very rarely has an existing generation car been preferred over the next generation although, of course, there are exceptions - related thread.

Quote:

Originally Posted by theMandarin (Post 4604137)

The current car is presumably at the end of its production life-cycle and therefore would have all major bugs ironed out. I personally would not be comfortable purchasing the new car for at-least 6 months from launch.

Agreed. However, within VAG, most important mechanical bits are recycled from other cars, so I wouldn't worry too much unless the engine / gearbox are all-new.

Quote:

Combine this with chances of increase in taxation and we end up with a risk of the new car costing at least 2 Lakh more than the current one.

While budgets & approaches vary from person to person, I wouldn't base a buying decision of a 25-lakh car on a 2-lakh rupee price difference. It's like going to the Taj for dinner and not having dessert to save $$$.

Plus, invest the money you'd have otherwise spent on the current-gen Octavia today and you'll easily gain 2 lakhs in a year :D.

Quote:

I have this feeling that Skoda might even skip launching the new car as the Karoq sounds like an ideal fit for this price bracket and has the all-important virtue of being an SUV

Skoda is more established in the premium segments than the ones below. They're also extremely profitable. Considering the Octavia's long history in India, I think it's here to stay.

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Originally Posted by IshaanIan (Post 4604233)

I have been noticing that apart from apex supercars, development in mass market cars has come down (simply extra electronic "features" over the years)

Well said :thumbs up. Agreed.

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Originally Posted by GTO (Post 4604616)

This is what i thought as well but it directly conflicts with what @itwasntme said. And he made some really good points :D.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO (Post 4604616)

Very rarely has an existing generation car been preferred over the next generation although, of course, there are exceptions - related thread.

Here i'll have to disagree. Many examples come to mind; Swift, Zen, City, 5 Series just over the top of my head. I think there's a fair chance that it can go either way.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO (Post 4604616)

Agreed. However, within VAG, most important mechanical bits are recycled from other cars, so I wouldn't worry too much unless the engine / gearbox are all-new.

I'm willing to bet good money that the engine will definitely be changed. The engine is the main reason why many people are willing to disregard the service/reliability/cost issues and if you take it out of the equation, the balance tilts in favor of the Civic.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO (Post 4604616)

This is true but when i go back and think that i could've purchased the vRS for roughly just 2 Lakhs more (when the temporary price corrections happened after GST rate changes), it seems pointless to keep paying more and more for what is essentially the same thing.

With the recent drop in sales, there's another period of ambiguity for any price corrections after the budget but this is also an endless cycle of waiting for the next big thing.

It really makes you miss the good old days when your parents were responsible for your decisions. lol:

Quote:

Originally Posted by jogidada (Post 4676309)

So what did you finally decide? Did you take the plunge. I am in a similar situation as you currently :)

Well i bought the L&K near the end of July. :)
I had a road trip planned so was waiting to update the thread with some cool pictures. stupid:

Haven't got a chance to drive it a lot though but i can attest that everything thats been said about the 1.8 TSi is true. The dealership experience post-purchase has been less than stellar though. I'll be documenting it in an ownership thread soon.

I'm sure you know that the new car will be showcased in November so best to factor that into your decision. Let me know if you have any questions for me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jogidada (Post 4676309)

So what did you finally decide? Did you take the plunge. I am in a similar situation as you currently :)

My guess is as follows

Lusty Performance - buy existing Octavia
Diesel - buy existing Octavia

Something which is better than the 1.4 Octavia but not lusty as 1.8 TSI - wait for the new Octavia.

The new Octavia is around the corner, considering lead time to homologate, get kitting system in place, a new Octavia in India is 12 months away.

If I were you, find a good used 1.8 Octavia. Await the new Octavia and make your choice.

There are few things which are weird in the upcoming model to me and I don't know if they can tilt the decision:

2 spoke steering wheel in place if 3 spoke. 3 spoke design not only looks elegant, it helps while taking turns.
Unconventional headlamps which taper in towards the grill (in all cards it is the other way)
Dashboard, even though new, looks asymmetrical and unconventional.

Again these are based on the spy shots and the production model offered in India could be different.
1.4 TSI that is talked about here, is that a 3 cylinder engine? In that case my decision would be even more towards the current model.
But I will go with GTO's recommendation to wait.

If you wait for the next gen Octavia there is some doubt I have on engine options. Since the 1.8L TSI is no longer going to be available since is not BS6 and internationally it's been discontinued as well, you will not see Octavia from April 2016 since they will most likely get the next gen car a few months later.

The engine will most likely be a 1.5L TSI with 150PS. There is also a 2.0L TSI with a new 7 speed wet clutch DQ380 DSG box that can handle 380Nm torque. This might come but the price will not be cheap and my guess is will cross 30L in top end trim or maybe just sportline trim or something.

Their focus will be 1.5L TSI since diesel BS6 will also be priced higher.

Most likely the Octavia will get the 1.5L TSI and Superb will get the 2.0L TSI.