Team-BHP > Team-BHP Reviews > Test-Drives & Initial Ownership Reports


Closed Thread
  Search this Thread
138,648 views
Old 27th September 2013, 20:25   #181
Senior - BHPian
 
adi_petrolhead's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Ahmedabad
Posts: 1,423
Thanked: 2,404 Times

Its official. Only four colors to be offered at launch for the Octavia. No confirmation about the others. Pls see the pic attached its self explanatory.
Attached Thumbnails
The 2013 Skoda Octavia | Views of an Unofficial Expert-image1584181572.jpg  

adi_petrolhead is offline  
Old 28th September 2013, 07:50   #182
Senior - BHPian
 
Warwithwheels's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: India
Posts: 1,348
Thanked: 1,739 Times
Re: The 2013 Skoda Octavia | Views of an Unofficial Expert

Mod Note: Post deleted. Team-BHP strongly discourages unsafe driving practices that put yourself and other road users at risk. Please do NOT post about illegally high speeds on public roads.

We advise you to read the Forum Rules before proceeding any further.

Last edited by Rudra Sen : 28th September 2013 at 08:45.
Warwithwheels is offline  
Old 28th September 2013, 14:49   #183
BHPian
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 225
Thanked: 333 Times
Re: The 2013 Skoda Octavia | Views of an Unofficial Expert

Jeremy Clarkson's review of octavia. He likes skoda cars in general. Interesting that he says that the octavia is the same as golf or an A3 but at a letter price.

http://www.reddit.com/r/clarkson/com...er_2012_skoda/
etrast75 is offline  
Old 28th September 2013, 16:19   #184
Distinguished - BHPian
 
Santoshbhat's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 2,345
Thanked: 6,848 Times
Re: The 2013 Skoda Octavia | Views of an Unofficial Expert

Quote:
Originally Posted by etrast75 View Post
Jeremy Clarkson's review of octavia. He likes skoda cars in general. Interesting that he says that the octavia is the same as golf or an A3 but at a letter price.

http://www.reddit.com/r/clarkson/com...er_2012_skoda/
I think this review is of the old vRS as the review is dated September 2012. The new Octavia VRS was launched in June 2013 accross Europe.
Santoshbhat is online now  
Old 29th September 2013, 12:38   #185
BHPian
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 776
Thanked: 468 Times
Re: The 2013 Skoda Octavia | Views of an Unofficial Expert

One of the dealers here in Bangalore arranged for a private viewing for us of their training vehicle here. It was in elegance trim and here are my observations on the car

1) The doors are extremely light, not flimsy per se but no where close to the Laura heft.


2) The Laura has an elastomeric pad on the door lock which gave it an upmarket feel, this has been removed from the Octavia.

3) The Sun roof only has a screen to block the sunlight, this will cause heating problems in the car and is not ideal for Indian conditions

4) The Elegance at least should have had a larger touch screen. The current size is a major let down

5) Lack of KESS and paddle shifters on the Elegance is a glaring omission. They should have launched L&K if these are options on it. At the expected prices this is just not on Skoda.

6) There is a lack of thigh support every where when compared to the outgoing model

7) The rear center armrest is not ideal due to the location of the cup holders. The ought to have been recessed into a separate compartment or sting loaded.

8) The quality of the leather used leaves a lot to be desired and the car is begging for an upgrade to Stanley leathers. I suspect the fabric seats will be far more comfortable.


9) The side panel quality is also not that great

10) The dashboard is made of great soft touch materials

11) Music system is terrible, it hasn't got a patch on our Laura TSI system.

Over all the car offers better value than its current competitors. If the smaller details are important to you, then the 2015 MQB Jetta ought to offer better value and would be worth waiting for.

We are probably going to accept these minor inconveniences and buy the car since our Innova is on its last legs. If it weren't, we'd want to wait for the MQB Jetta or Octavia L&K as these are minor details which add exponentially to the over all ownership experience. We would ideally want an SUV to replace it, but due to the lack of acceptable options this makes the most sense.
imp! is offline   (7) Thanks
Old 29th September 2013, 13:28   #186
BHPian
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 225
Thanked: 333 Times
Re: The 2013 Skoda Octavia | Views of an Unofficial Expert

If the new octavia is nothing but a rebadged golf/jetta, I see tremendous VFM especially for the 1.4 TSI ambition trim if the rumoured price of 13.62 ex-showroom turns out be true. If the 1.4 TSI is good enough for UK, I am sure it is good enough for India. In fact , in UK, I did not even see the 1.8 TSI offered in regular trims.
etrast75 is offline  
Old 29th September 2013, 16:13   #187
Senior - BHPian
 
Warwithwheels's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: India
Posts: 1,348
Thanked: 1,739 Times

How does the Octavia 2013 compare to the Neo fluidic Hyundai Elentra?
Warwithwheels is offline  
Old 29th September 2013, 16:23   #188
Distinguished - BHPian
 
Santoshbhat's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 2,345
Thanked: 6,848 Times
Re: The 2013 Skoda Octavia | Views of an Unofficial Expert

Quote:
Originally Posted by imp! View Post
One of the dealers here in Bangalore arranged for a private viewing for us of their training vehicle here. It was in elegance trim and here are my observations on the car
Interesting observations. All the media are going gaga over this new Octavia and talking about setting segment benchmarks. From your post it doesn't seem to score over the Laura in many areas. Or am I missing something?

Terrible music system? I can't understand how car companies can screw up the good things that's already there in the present car with their newer versions. I mean surely they have a benchmark and all they've got to do is ensure that the same quality is maintained. The swing system in the Laura base versions has terrific sound quality for an OE system, with four speakers and four tweeters. All it lacked was connectivity options. They've given that but messed up the sound quality huh?

Any idea about OTR Bangalore prices?
Santoshbhat is online now  
Old 29th September 2013, 17:08   #189
Distinguished - BHPian
 
drmohitg's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Liverpool/Delhi
Posts: 5,439
Thanked: 7,539 Times
Re: The 2013 Skoda Octavia | Views of an Unofficial Expert

When are the prices expected to be announced for the Octavia?
drmohitg is offline  
Old 29th September 2013, 17:10   #190
Senior - BHPian
 
Warwithwheels's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: India
Posts: 1,348
Thanked: 1,739 Times
Re: The 2013 Skoda Octavia | Views of an Unofficial Expert

Quote:
Originally Posted by drmohitg View Post
When are the prices expected to be announced for the Octavia?
On the 3rd of October.
Warwithwheels is offline  
Old 29th September 2013, 17:53   #191
BHPian
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 776
Thanked: 468 Times
Re: The 2013 Skoda Octavia | Views of an Unofficial Expert

Quote:
Originally Posted by etrast75 View Post
If the new octavia is nothing but a rebadged golf/jetta, I see tremendous VFM especially for the 1.4 TSI ambition trim if the rumoured price of 13.62 ex-showroom turns out be true. If the 1.4 TSI is good enough for UK, I am sure it is good enough for India. In fact , in UK, I did not even see the 1.8 TSI offered in regular trims.
For the exclusively chauffeur driven crowd, this car would be the one to pick. You can save a pile of cash, invest in good Stanley interiors. On paper, the car has a strong mid-range and in the UK is likely expected to be bought by the budget conscious who crunch a decent amount of cruising miles but don't want or can't justify the maintenance costs of the diesels on offer. Our hoghways are anything but cruising motorways. In India, it will have poor resale value and if one is going to drive even some of the time, they'd be better off in the base Diesel.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Warwithwheels View Post
How does the Octavia 2013 compare to the Neo fluidic Hyundai Elentra?
I haven't driven the Elantra but, it will have similar levels of equipment at a cheaper price, quality of interior materials are a notch below the Octavia, and frankly I have driven every other car from the Hyundai Garage and they are uninspired. If you can afford (and on a regular basis, the standard maintenance is not that much higher, our Laura TSI has cost us about Rs. 1 per KM over the last 4 years of ownership) the higher acquisition and running costs, I'd go with the Octavia with eyes closed.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Santoshbhat View Post
Interesting observations. All the media are going gaga over this new Octavia and talking about setting segment benchmarks. From your post it doesn't seem to score over the Laura in many areas. Or am I missing something?
Hi Santosh,

These are observations of a current Laura owner. For people upgrading from B segment, I think they'll be overwhelmed with the level of kit and quality of dash that Skoda are offering. As a current owner, I am sure you'll agree with me that the 1.8 TSI is a near perfect car and may have ruined most relatively affordable cars for the Indian Mango Man. Now, as far as setting bench marks for the segment itself is concerned, it depends on whom you speak to.

1) Legroom is truly extraordinary for this segment, it's in 5 series, E class territory. This however, comes at the cost of thigh support. If looked at ergonomically, better thigh support at the cost of a few mm of leg room does more for long term comfort than being able to stretch ones legs till kingdom come.

2) The quality of the soft touch plastics is incredible, but not any different from the previous generation. This is good, if it ain't broke...

3) India may be one of the very few countries in the world where the rear seat is as important, if not more than the front, however the lack of a charging port, the design of the armrest is puzzling as they really could have made all the difference.

The car is good, no doubt about that, but to a discerning buyer, it becomes easily apparent that there is a level of cost cutting involved in the car. When seen up close and in person, your average TBHP member will quickly come to the conclusion that inside space aside, this car may not be as evolutionary to the Laura as it was to the MK1 Octavia. Revolutionary it won't be. To your average Indian consumer used to the Koreans and Japanese, it will probably be setting all kinds of bench marks.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Santoshbhat View Post
Terrible music system? I can't understand how car companies can screw up the good things that's already there in the present car with their newer versions. I mean surely they have a benchmark and all they've got to do is ensure that the same quality is maintained. The swing system in the Laura base versions has terrific sound quality for an OE system, with four speakers and four tweeters. All it lacked was connectivity options. They've given that but messed up the sound quality huh?

Any idea about OTR Bangalore prices?
As a disclaimer my family are audiophiles so I'm very demanding of music systems. Having said that, none of us ever felt the need to upgrade the Laura system. We feel that is money better spent getting a re-map and suspension upgrade (which we haven't done yet);
I am going to tweak with the audio settings and play high quality WAVs and lossless formats through all 3 possible mediums (CDs, SD card and Media reader) but frankly the initial viewing session left one feeling that a system upgrade ought to be on the agenda at one point. Unfortunately the car is expensive enough as it is. Expect it to come between 21.5/22.5-23.5/24.5 lacs OTR for the Elegance models which will leave room for the L&K and VRS in the future (insane pricing IMO) and the cheaper trims and engines will come in at 18-20 in all probability.
imp! is offline   (2) Thanks
Old 29th September 2013, 18:17   #192
BHPian
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 225
Thanked: 333 Times
Re: The 2013 Skoda Octavia | Views of an Unofficial Expert

Quote:
Originally Posted by imp! View Post
In India, it will have poor resale value and if one is going to drive even some of the time, they'd be better off in the base Diesel.
Wondering what makes you say that the diesel is better for self driving. If one looks at the specs of the engine both the 1.4 TSI and the 2.0 TDI put out their peak torque at around the same RPM (TSI @ 1500 RPM and TDI @ 1750 RPM). This should translate into the same characteristics as far as driveability is concerned.

For someone with low/medium running requirements who is looking to upgrade from a C/C+ segment to something slightly bigger and luxurious, I think the petrol makes sense.

I currently drive a diesel . While I have nothing to complain about the car as such, the upgrade options in the 15-20L range are not very exciting. Octy may just change that.
etrast75 is offline  
Old 30th September 2013, 10:02   #193
BHPian
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 776
Thanked: 468 Times
Re: The 2013 Skoda Octavia | Views of an Unofficial Expert

Quote:
Originally Posted by etrast75 View Post
Wondering what makes you say that the diesel is better for self driving. If one looks at the specs of the engine both the 1.4 TSI and the 2.0 TDI put out their peak torque at around the same RPM (TSI @ 1500 RPM and TDI @ 1750 RPM). This should translate into the same characteristics as far as driveability is concerned.
On paper you are absolutely correct, however the 2.0 TDI has an extra 600 cc of displacement as well as 70 extra NM torque. This makes all the difference in real world driving conditions. Try to work that 1.4 TSI up some twisties and you'll find it needs to do some serious over time. Not so with the 2.0 TDI.

Quote:
Originally Posted by etrast75 View Post
For someone with low/medium running requirements who is looking to upgrade from a C/C+ segment to something slightly bigger and luxurious, I think the petrol makes sense.

I currently drive a diesel . While I have nothing to complain about the car as such, the upgrade options in the 15-20L range are not very exciting. Octy may just change that.
Well it really depends on what you mean by low/medium running or how much of an enthusiast you are. One of my uncles for example wouldn't know what to do with an M3 if it was given to him for free. He has routinely bought the lowest engine size of any car because "it is sufficient for Bombay traffic"(and in doing so got lucky with the petrol Optra) I remember how excited I was when he bought the josh machine, then I found it was the smaller displacement engine. I still had great fun in it when I visited though. For someone like him who wouldn't know an over worked engine if he were driving it, sure the 1.4 TSI would be great. If someone is even marginally inclined to extract fun filled driving out of the car, I'd highly recommend the 1.8TSI/2.0 TDI.

What car do you currently drive? I'm fairly certain that the Octavia will be the only worthwhile upgrade in the near future. Do test drive the different engines. If your budget is flexible enough, and you are okay with automatic, I'd recommend the 1.8TSI. With a long enough wait, you'll start getting it in lower trims with a manual gearbox.
imp! is offline  
Old 30th September 2013, 12:12   #194
BHPian
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Kochi
Posts: 557
Thanked: 581 Times
Re: The 2013 Skoda Octavia | Views of an Unofficial Expert

I had a chance to see the car yesterday. It looks lithe and very compact even though it is 100mm longer in wheelbase than the laura.

Interiors are nice but not that big a step up from the Laura.

The touchscreen looks ok but I wish it was the bigger columbus system. Interestingly the system didn't have bolero mentioned on it. It was plain, no branding

I saw cruise control and if i am not mistaken there is an option to change the speed

Couldn't take a TD as they were not offering it before the 3rd
Attached Thumbnails
The 2013 Skoda Octavia | Views of an Unofficial Expert-20130929_180609.jpg  

Mohan Mathew A is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 30th September 2013, 13:13   #195
Senior - BHPian
 
Warwithwheels's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: India
Posts: 1,348
Thanked: 1,739 Times
Re: The 2013 Skoda Octavia | Views of an Unofficial Expert

Any guess if the existing Laura will be sold along with the new Octavia line up? The Laura with its bold looks and excellent GC looks like a better preposition.

The 2013 Skoda Octavia | Views of an Unofficial Expert-7003.jpg

The 2013 Skoda Octavia | Views of an Unofficial Expert-7006.jpg

The 2013 Skoda Octavia | Views of an Unofficial Expert-7007.jpg

Image Courtesy: Car wale

Last edited by Warwithwheels : 30th September 2013 at 13:26.
Warwithwheels is offline  
Closed Thread

Most Viewed
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Team-BHP.com
Proudly powered by E2E Networks