[dkaile]

Originally Posted by Mohan Mathew A

Probably they took a stock image from the European spec car.

They always do like this. The Superb's page used to show ventilated sun roof which was never available as an option in India.

[SS-Traveller]

Some photos from the drive, forwarded by Chetan:

Breakfast with Ardy

Ready to drive out of Wildflower Hall

Photoshoot at Chail Palace in the rain

On the way down from Chail to Parwanoo

[dr.surgeon1985]

Have anyone got any links to the price list of new octavia? ? I saw a website which listed an emi calculator for the new octavia with ex show room prices. Have been searching in vain for the website since morning.

http://www.oncars.in/skoda/rapid/emi-calculator

Kindly use the drop box to choose octavia. I think it is the new edition cause the old one sold a couple of lacs below the mentioned pricing ( if I remember correctly)

[vaibhav amlekar]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

The Wildflower Hall is an iconic hotel. This is where we stay for the night.

Attachment 1136557

Attachment 1136558

Attachment 1136559

Attachment 1136560

Attachment 1136561

Over dinner, we meet Mr. Sudhir Rao, the Managing Director of Skoda India.

Attachment 1136563
Attachment 1136562

Do you want to have a group discussion with him? Oh yes!

Attachment 1136564

And thus began an illuminating discussion with a very receptive person heading Skoda.

How did you find the car?
The new Octavia is definitely a brilliant little piece of engineering, whatever little quirks there might be. It is out-and-out a driver's car, and is a joy to be at the wheel of - much like most other Skoda products. This was the unanimous opinion of the group.

Would you recommend the car to your friends & associates?
The reservation against recommending a Skoda wholeheartedly, was evident in the faces of all present. What held us all back was the poor reputation of Skoda when it comes to service and maintenance of their cars.

Is Skoda service really that bad?
Skodas in India are painfully expensive to own, and service centres have a reputation, built up carefully over the years, of cheating customers. The initial reaction by Mr. Rao seemed to me, to be one of trying to dissociate the marketing and sales arms from the service and customer care aspects. But then, more discussions seemed to hint at the fact that there is large-scale soul-searching happening inside Skoda.

So how do you propose we handle the service aspects better?
There were Skoda owners there, close friends and relatives of Skoda owners, and non-owners who aspired to own one but were scared to take on the heavy burden of maintenance costs. One of the suggestions put up was that Skoda start something similar to BMW's Service Inclusive plan. Mr. Rao wouldn't commit, but I think his enigmatic smile and guarded response gave away some little secret. The need of the hour would be to wait and watch until Skoda comes out with an announcement.

Should I be easily approachable for unhappy customers or not?
Mr. Rao is scared that he would be swamped by nasty, irate, unhappy customers with broken down Skodas wanting him to redress their grievances personally within the next day. Obviously, that is not going to be a pleasant experience for him, and Mr. Rao wouldn't allow that to happen if he can help it! However, our suggestion was that he should at least have a mechanism in place for escalating major issues directly to him.

You people are suggesting that I take the bull by the horns?
Frankly speaking, Mr. Rao, a big YES! After speaking with you, all of us had nothing but positive vibes to take away. We understand how keen you are to improve Skoda's position in India, and we understand that you may have certain limitations in changing promises to reality.

The final verdict is that a great car marred by poor after-sales support doesn't get a big market share. Some Skodas are already cult cars - the Octavia vRS, the Superb V6 - yet their maintenance issues and spare parts sourcing is taken care of to a large extent by independent garages and importers. We love our cars, Mr. Rao, and we love the warmth that Skoda has shown to us (in fact, having been a part of the first Skoda Unofficial Experts Drive during the launch of the Rapid too, I can vouch for the fact that Skoda's approach this time has been much more warm and thoughtful). It would be wonderful if this warmth and care can be taken forward to each customer of the company. For now, we'll wait and watch how Skoda India evolves under your leadership.

The next morning, Ardy and I will drive the 1.8TSi DSG to Chandigarh via Chail. But in the next post, I shall talk about the next few hours at the hotel...

A leap from the last generation skoda octavia in terms of exterior looks and asthetics. Being a Superb owner i just wanted to ask is the drivetrain similar to the current Skoda superb?And also any idea on the Superb upgrade?

[adi_petrolhead]

Originally Posted by dr.surgeon1985

http://www.oncars.in/skoda/rapid/emi-calculator Kindly use the drop box to choose octavia. I think it is the new edition cause the old one sold a couple of lacs below the mentioned pricing ( if I remember correctly)

Sir if this is true, my choice the 1.8 TSI will be a killer!!!!

[Warwithwheels]

Originally Posted by adi_petrolhead

Sir if this is true, my choice the 1.8 TSI will be a killer!!!!

I highly doubt if it would be true for the base version of the Laura itself costs 15 big ones Ex-showroom! It is highly unlikely that SKODA will position the Octavia below the Laura.

[adi_petrolhead]

Originally Posted by Warwithwheels

I highly doubt if it would be true for the base version of the Laura itself costs 15 big ones Ex-showroom! It is highly unlikely that SKODA will position the Octavia below the Laura.

Laura will be discontinued shortly after the Octavia is launched. Already 1.8 TSi has been discontinued only the diesels MT and DSG and the VRS version are available.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by dr.surgeon1985

http://www.oncars.in/skoda/rapid/emi-calculator

Kindly use the drop box to choose octavia. I think it is the new edition cause the old one sold a couple of lacs below the mentioned pricing ( if I remember correctly)

I doubt if this is correct, since the drop-down menu gives choices of 1.8 TSi and 2.0 TDi in Elegance trim without DSG - whereas Skoda is not planning to introduce manual gearbox option for either engine in Elegance trim.

Originally Posted by vaibhav amlekar

Being a Superb owner i just wanted to ask is the drivetrain similar to the current Skoda superb?And also any idea on the Superb upgrade?

Drivetrain similarity between the Superb and the new Octavia - the layout is the same (transverse mounted engine with FWD), but I have no idea how many of the components are shared, apart from the engine and gearbox.

No discussions happened about the Superb upgrade either.

[dr.surgeon1985]

Originally Posted by adi_petrolhead

Laura will be discontinued shortly after the Octavia is launched. Already 1.8 TSi has been discontinued only the diesels MT and DSG and the VRS version are available.

Just called skoda chennai. Got the info that octavia would be priced in and around the laura category although the 1.4 might be a tad cheaper for obvious reasons. So heartbreak !!! I could've afforded the 1.4 :(

[adi_petrolhead]

Leaked trim levels

[Mohan Mathew A]

Originally Posted by adi_petrolhead

Attachment 1141900

Leaked trim levels

do you have pics of the other pages of the brochure. also any confirmation on the price

http://www.oncars.in/skoda/rapid/emi-calculator

the link has now been updated. it doesn't show 1.8 TSI in anything but Elegance and DSG 2.0 is being shown only in ambition and elegance. but 2.0 Manual is being shown in elegance and Ambition instead of Ambition and Active. it could be an error

The 1.4 TSI Active is starting from 12.4. and 1.8 TSI at 16.25. If true, it is pretty good pricing

[adi_petrolhead]

Originally Posted by Mohan Mathew A

do you have pics of the other pages of the brochure. also any confirmation on the price http://www.oncars.in/skoda/rapid/emi-calculator the link has now been updated. it doesn't show 1.8 TSI in anything but Elegance and DSG 2.0 is being shown only in ambition and elegance. but 2.0 Manual is being shown in elegance and Ambition instead of Ambition and Active. it could be an error The 1.4 TSI Active is starting from 12.4. and 1.8 TSI at 16.25. If true, it is pretty good pricing

Source: Rushlane.com

The prices seem too good to be true. Current Ambition TSI DSG is 16 lacs ex showroom. How can we imagine the top of the line TSI DSG Octavia to be just 25000 dearer?

Lets wait and watch what Skoda has planned, but surely it will be in this range.

[adi_petrolhead]

My guess is the TSI ELEGANCE would be 17.25 L ex showroom.

[kdeepakk]

Skoda will be introducing the all-new Octavia in India on October 3. With this new car, the carmaker looks to revive the name of its first landmark model in the country.

The all-new Skoda Octavia will be available in 1.8 and 1.4 petrol versions and 2.0 diesel version, with the 1.8 TSI good for 177bhp, the 1.4 TSI good for 138bhp and the 2.0 TDI making 141bhp.

The 1.8 TSI will be available only with the option of a seven-speed automatic transmission while the base petrol will be available only with the option of a manual gearbox. The 2.0-litre diesel will be available with the option of both a manual and a six-speed automatic transmission.

All variants of the all-new Skoda Octavia will come with features like 16-inch alloy wheels, powered mirror adjustment, power windows, ABS, dual front airbags, traction control, driver's seat height adjust, steering adjust, remote locking and rear air-con vents, among other things.

Price for the base petrol version is estimated to start at Rs 15 lakh.

[adi_petrolhead]

Originally Posted by kdeepakk

Skoda will be introducing the all-new Octavia in India on October 3. With this new car, the carmaker looks to revive the name of its first landmark model in the country. The all-new Skoda Octavia will be available in 1.8 and 1.4 petrol versions and 2.0 diesel version, with the 1.8 TSI good for 177bhp, the 1.4 TSI good for 138bhp and the 2.0 TDI making 141bhp. The 1.8 TSI will be available only with the option of a seven-speed automatic transmission while the base petrol will be available only with the option of a manual gearbox. The 2.0-litre diesel will be available with the option of both a manual and a six-speed automatic transmission. All variants of the all-new Skoda Octavia will come with features like 16-inch alloy wheels, powered mirror adjustment, power windows, ABS, dual front airbags, traction control, driver's seat height adjust, steering adjust, remote locking and rear air-con vents, among other things. Price for the base petrol version is estimated to start at Rs 15 lakh.

At least care to mention the source? P.s. Its Autocarindia.