[GTO]

A cousin visited the Skoda showroom and has been offered the Octavia L&K and Superb Sportline at exactly the same price of 34.xx lakhs. Family travels together in the city & on the highway, so backseat will be used, although the car will always be self-driven (no chauffeur).

Which would you pick for the same price? The L&K Octavia or the Sportline Superb?



I told him the Octavia will be a bit more fun to drive, is fresh off the block and also be easier to park in the city. But I did suggest that the Octavia is "overpriced" at 34.5 lakhs, while the Superb is well-priced for the same money. The Octavia L&K does have the features advantage too, especially with that deadly sound system etc. which the Superb Sportline doesn't get.



On the other hand, the Superb offers limo-like space, a comfier drive and "big car" presence. Not as much fun as the Octavia, but a nice experience nevertheless. The L&K variant with the better sound system + ventilated seats etc. is being offered for a few lakhs more, but he is already stretching his budget to 34 lakhs, so isn't keen.

[speedmiester]

Definitely Octavia. The bells and whistles of the L&K variant will be well worth it over the Superb.
Since the car will be self driven, Octavia is the better choice.

Even personally, given an option, I will choose Octavia. Superb is too long a car for daily drive and Octavia is not skimping on rear space.

[Axe77]

Firstly, superbly relevant thread / comparo. Really depends on what specifically they want. No really clear answer to this. Personally I would pick the Superb Sportsline for the same price. More car, same engine, close enough driving dynamics.

Here are some considerations laid out but the lines are well and truly blurred:

1. Length: Yes the Superb is a tad longer but the Octavia is no Rapid either. To my mind the delta length is not a big differentiator when it comes to parking inconvenience. Add to that most malls etc have parkings and if I was going to some cramped place I'd probably have a second smaller car I can use instead for such a trip.

2. Comfort: Extra back seat comfort is always perceptible and the Superb will score here. Also, if they are long term owners, you can't rule out driving patterns changing over the years and a chauffeur coming into the picture.

3. Resale: Expect discounts at some point on the already overpriced L&K Octavia. While I would not choose based on resale per se, you can't ignore that a discounted Superb will effectively translate to lesser depreciation than buying a full priced Octavia at launch which subsequently got discounted. Also, in a price sensitive resale market, the Superb might have better pull than the Octavia.

4. Driving pleasure: I don't believe the difference will be dramatic enough to choose Octavia over the Superb but this is very relative and personal of course. I will usually pick even millimeters extra back seat comfort- someone else may have the same opinion on difference in driving dynamics.

5. Iteration: Both are current gen iterations so in that sense, getting a superb at Octavia price is great.

6. Variants: This is a big one. Personally, I could live without the L&K features and make do with Sportsline - it helps that I also like the interior look and feel of the Sportsline. Its an extremely compelling variant by itself and the extra features on the L&K are not fatal (very subjective of course). Add to that the fact that the Superb gets a sunroof (I hope the Sportsline does I haven't checked). I would love the idea of opening up the internal cover at night / early AM so I can look up through the glass house. Gives an incredible feeling of space.


EDIT: In my case, I'd most likely make the stretch for the Superb L&K so a lot of the points above become moot but then that's not the specific question asked here so I'm not delving into more detail on this aspect and keeping the comparo strict to the two variants.

[itwasntme]

Eyes closed Octavia L&K. My rationale:

Brand new launch future-proof from every aspect. Will stay fresh through 2025 at least. The new Superb (2023) will eclipse the old one in a more radical way.

A simple change to 225/50/17 Pilot Sport 4 is enough to transform the handling without compromising the ride.

Superb is just that little bit more difficult to self-drive in crowded places.

[PrideRed]

May be we should add A4 to the poll too? Though I am not a sedan guy, between two I would go with Superb. Octavia to me has lost its sportiness, features have gone missing, almost similar to Superb w.r.to driving dynamics and personally don't like the new looks either.

[Shubham_Mclaren]

A very valid dilemma, true for other places as well. I know Shanghai has the same problem: the Octavia chartering into Superb territory.

Obviously, no black and white here, but here's what I say:

If family is a bigger stakeholder in the decision - Superb it is. Sans the gizmos, your family deserves to be pampered with the space, ride comfort, and the road presence/ stepping out of a limo.

However if one finds oneself alone in the driver's seat anywhere more than 60% of time, Octavia in a no-brainer.

[Guna]

I see that the Superb Sportline comes with a panoramic sunroof, and if that is important to someone, that should tilt in it's favor.

[sagpatel]

If I have to buy it right now, i would pick the superb. But if I can wait 4-5 months I may consider Octavia because Skoda will offer discounts after a while. Octavia L&K may be 31-32 L after discounts vs 34-35 for Superb sportsline after discounts.

[RJK]

I’d pick Superb over the Octavia; more comfortable for family. If he prefers tight handling then Superb will disappoint point but if not, Superb makes a compelling case. Both will depreciate like train wrecks but on the Superb, pain will be lesser since it is already discounted. I wouldn’t let Skoda make a sucker out of me by paying full price on the already overpriced Octavia.

Cheers

[NevGin]

Voted Octavia. I just prefer something that is just starting its product life cycle even if it is not tested. The size difference in my opinion does not matter much and it will be a better drivers car.

[androdev]

Those who have owned Octavia understand that it's just such a perfect car for India. Just the right size both for city and highways, rugged for bad roads, enormous boot space, BMWish power and dynamics, stylish without big bills and so on. For sedan lovers, it's a nightmare to upgrade from Octavia.

Superb is better for someone looking for more upmarket image and highway family usage.

When the price is same, I tend to prefer the higher segment car if the car doesn't look ugly - more engineering and thought go into it and that sort of things appeal to me.

[CEF_Beasts]

Anyday Superb over Octavia!

If the Octavia is 80% of the A4, C-Class or 3 series, then the Superb is 75% of the A6 and 5 series (excluding the E-Class due to it’s longer wheelbase for India)

Reasons to pick the Superb:
- Full segment up car.
- Slighty better looking than the Octavia.
- Full Alcantra wrapped black cabin vs Octavia’s beige.
- Same 2L TSI engine.
- Better rear legroom and boot space.
- Sportline gets a 3-spoke steering which looks much better than that 2 spoke incomplete steering wheel.
- Sunroof
- Better integration of the touchscreen.
- Retains the knobs and buttons on the touchscreen resulting in much better ergonomics.
- High mounted central AC vents will actually be more effective in blowing cold air on the face than the Octavia’s very low ones.

[DDiSLover]

Originally Posted by GTO

A cousin visited the Skoda showroom and has been offered the Octavia L&K and Superb Sportline at exactly the same price of 34.xx lakhs. Family trav...

....his budget to 34 lakhs, so isn't keen.

Superb any day. As many pointed out, while the Octy is an amazing vehicle, it is overpriced by 3-4 lacs. The SportLine makes for a no brainer, especially if you do not care for a few gimmicks like automatic parking, foot controlled boot release etc.

I made my choice of a Superb SportLine back in February (that's my car in the OG post!! ), and I always wondered if I made the right choice vs waiting for the Octy. Now, I'm even more convinced that I made the right call.

Attachment 2168340

[Phukan23]

Superb for me. Apart from a better sound system, Octavia L&K doesn't have much differentiating factor. Sportline with all black Alcantara interior, Panoramic sunroof etc are enough said to choose Superb.

[Gsynch]

Interesting dilemma but Superb over Octavia for me.

Pros of selecting Superb have already been mentioned here so add one more.

Better perceptual selectivity on social status: For non -enthusiasts, Superb will be seen as a true Lambi Gaadi while Octavia is just another Sedan like City and Verna (no offence to Octy owners, personally I wouldn't agree with this).