[adi_petrolhead]

Originally Posted by Mohan Mathew A

Are they saying anything about the extended warranty. Is it being offered or not?

Haven't asked about the extended warranty yet, but will do so today, i hope they are offering, i had lots of problems in the Laura in the post warranty period and thankfully had the extended warranty in place, i had to replace the AC unit twice in two years in the Laura.

[virtualdanger]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Adding to the fun is the high pitched turbo whoosh at high revs. Performance is easily the best in class, and beats all cars from a segment up too.

A couple of questions related to the performance, based on the above statement. Hoping that the experts will have relative/comparative experience to help answer:

- Aren't there any cars in the segment above, that have a comparable or higher power to weight ratio?
- How does the Octavia compare to D2 segment cars that have V6 offerings?
- If the Octavia is no.1 in terms of performance, which cars are 2 and 3 respectively?
- How does the 2.0 Diesel Cruze stack up against the 1.8 Petrol Octavia?

[samyakmodi]

since it's an MQB platform can't the multi link suspension which is available only in the 1.8tsi variant be retrofitted in the 2.0 tdi variant?

considering most of the sales would be of the diesel variants and the owners would be occupying the rear seat (more?) - if it can be retrofitted - skoda should give it as an option

[AUTO_ZING]

Here are my first few feedbacks after taking a Test Drive of Skoda Octavia.
I went to Jai Auto, asking for a test Drive of the Automatic and sadly they said you have to go to Bikaji Kama for the Test Drive of Automatic. None the less, I took the manual one for a Spin. I am focussing on the Negatives only here.

1. Poor attention to Customers walking into the Jai Auto Showroom on Mathura Road. The arrogance of Skoda is Back !
2. The Audio is really Pathetic. Leaves me sad, For this price of a car, it ought to be excellent. Somehow I found it to be quite terrible. Just a personal feeling
3. The omission of a Multiaxle rear suspension setup for a 21 Lacs INR car seems a disaster, or am I overexpecting ? Where is the premiumness to this product ? Even Laura had it !
4. The drumming noise from the rear suspension is a bit annoying on the Diesel. The is reported in the test drive as well.
5. The doors feel lighter than the Laura, but the thud is solid.
6. Steering being electric is definitely lacking the feel of a Laura. A sure let down !
7. Thigh support is lacking overall and not sure about comfort on long drives

As I walked away after the test drive, no one bothered to even collect my phone number. Wondering is this how to plan to close the sales with potential customers.
I tend to feel that this product may Not be a runaway success for Skoda. Not to mention about thier terrible after sales report card that numerous people have talked about on this forum. No hard feelings though, just a gut feel.

[ABbaby]

Originally Posted by nik_kapur

You must understand that Skoda makes premium cars with premium quality materials. Its impossible for VW to reposition it lower than VW cars in India. There is talk about how Skoda will be positioned below VW but i think thats absolute nonsense. The Octavia feels and looks more premium than the Jetta and how can we expect it to come cheaper than the Jetta? If for example VW had a cheap car brand like Dacia, maybe then they could have positioned Skoda as a lower end brand using cheaper to construct cars. Who can stand up and tell me that the Superb feels less premium than a Passat or that the Superb is cheaper to make for the VW Group. The Point is that Skoda does not have budget cars (or lets call them budget constructed cars) in their stable.

No doubt about Skoda's build quality and trim. However I have always understood VAG to position the brands of Skoda, VW and Audi in that pecking order. Maybe something has changed?

[nik_kapur]

Originally Posted by dkaile

The cars pricing is treading into premium category. But Skoda mostly sells its cars in India on discount. I got a deal of approximately 2 lacs on my Superb last year. I would suggest prospective buyers not to jump in the fray immediately but wait for the initial fad to die down. I foresee this car selling with discounts ranging from 1 to 3 lacs within 6 months. And under no circumstances buy a Skoda or any other VAG/Audi product without extended warranty.

Wait for things to settle down...

Thanks for the advice mate. I guess you are right, one must wait for extended warranty. I know of too many owners personally who regret buying a Laura owing to its expensive replacement of parts. Parts that would never go bust on Japanese cars for decades.

[Sanjubose]

Originally Posted by dkaile

The cars pricing is treading into premium category. But Skoda mostly sells its cars in India on discount. I got a deal of approximately 2 lacs on my Superb last year. I would suggest prospective buyers not to jump in the fray immediately but wait for the initial fad to die down. I foresee this car selling with discounts ranging from 1 to 3 lacs within 6 months. And under no circumstances buy a Skoda or any other VAG/Audi product without extended warranty.

Wait for things to settle down...

I would second you. We need to see sales figure for the Oct-Nov and if it is anything less than 700-800, we have meaty discounts coming up in Jan-Feb. Well...they say hope is the last thing which dies in a person

[himanshu_j]

Originally Posted by Sanjubose

I would second you. We need to see sales figure for the Oct-Nov and if it is anything less than 700-800, we have meaty discounts coming up in Jan-Feb. Well...they say hope is the last thing which dies in a person

Isn't 700 to 800 units a little far fetched for a car of this segment and price? I wouldn't expect more than half that number!

I hope Skoda is planning to offer extended warranty on the Octavia. Been waiting for this car since long and the Elegance 1.8 TSI seems perfect on paper barring small things like automatic rear curtain, door curtains, rear HVAC controls and the 5.8" infotainment screen etc

[adi_petrolhead]

Check out the skoda india website's accessories page. New accessories for the new Octavia. Interesting bits of kit, black alloys, mirrors, etc. Also the MDI cables, smartphone holder are essential accessories.

[Mohan Mathew A]

Originally Posted by adi_petrolhead

Haven't asked about the extended warranty yet, but will do so today, i hope they are offering, i had lots of problems in the Laura in the post warranty period and thankfully had the extended warranty in place, i had to replace the AC unit twice in two years in the Laura.

Any update on the extended warranty Adi?

[adi_petrolhead]

Originally Posted by Mohan Mathew A

Any update on the extended warranty Adi?

No updates yet, as soon as I have something from the dealer, I will let you know. How many of you here have booked the Octavia?

[the mole]

The Octavia looks like a nifty little package however is it temptation enough to trade in my 3 yrs old 30K Kms Laura? At this price point, I think not. I think a lot of people with the previous generation Laura may think like me. In the pre release Skoda had sent out all indicators that the new Octavia is likely to be priced competitively But sadly I think this is not pricing competitively and as someone has said its too much of a jump from the C to D segment.

Lets see how this economy treats it. If I have to spend so much on an Octavia, I'd rather take chances with a BMW, Merc or Audi which increasingly seem keen to give good deals.

[Tats07]

Originally Posted by the mole

But sadly I think this is not pricing competitively and as someone has said its too much of a jump from the C to D segment.

That was me who mentioned about the huge jump from C2 to D1 segment.

Let us look at this great thread by GTO on diminishing value of D1 segment sedans (http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ura-et-al.html). In the real world, D1 sedans offer very little additional compared to C2 segment sedans now-a-days. And in this backdrop, Skoda comes up with a 1.4 TSI Active (base bare bone trim) at 13.95 Lakhs ex-showroom Delhi (14.20 ex-showroom Bangalore - translates to 18 Lakhs OTR). Why would I choose a 138 BHP petrol machine over 112 BHP (T-Jet) or 116 BHP (City) unless it offers me something great? Can anyone vouch that 1.4 TSI is better to drive than 1.4 T-Jet? Interestingly, that is a comparison in which I'd be interested!

Some I know were waiting to TD the 1.4 TSI MT and then compare it with T-Jet before making a buying decision. Given the 7 lakh OTR difference (maybe more with discounts on Linea), that is out of question. Now, they (and also I) would rather wait for the face-lifted T-Jet and Vento 1.2 TSI.

The following are likely to happen in the next 6 months:

1. Skoda to introduce Ambition trim of 1.8 TSI with manual transmission. Another couple of months, even that will sell at huge discounts. Expect the ex-showroom to come down to 15 or so with discounts.

2. 1.4 TSI will obviously have huge discounts as well, and may as well be taken off the road. Given point#1 above, it will hardly have any takers (IMO, of course) given that there's a quantum gap between the driveability of the two vehicles (1.4 and 1.8, i.e.) within the city.

3. vRS may never be launched!

I will not comment too much on the diesels since I am not a great fan of diesels myself, though it would have big discounts going as well. One thing that Skoda has got right is to have a diesel with 143 horses with MT unlike the earlier 110 BHP Laura. The pricing for Active TDI is off the mark as well.

If we get the iDTEC Civic next year, and if it's really good, then Octavia will R.I.P.

[puchoo]

My 2 cents

I dont think Skoda has , unfortunately for them , managed to create the storm they wished they had with the launch , there was probably more excitement prior to the car officially being announced than there has been.

I dont think they have managed to get the pricing sorted out as well as they could and even the trims. The 1.8 TSI is a gem of an engine and should have been available lower down in the price range and trim as well , tempting people to step put of their budgets in order to get it and i am sure enough would have.

On the pricing i am not thrilled. As a Skoda owner i appreciate the quality which goes into these cars and am willing to pay a premium as well for it , but at the bottom end they have not priced it at a point where i think it would have taken a fair chunk of the pie from other competitors. At the top end of the prices we can start seeing the Likes of BMW's not standing very far which would make enough people stop and think twice. And then there is the entire confusion with VW.

On the features , yes a nicely packed car but i dont agree with the way they have been delegated across the trim levels entirely

LED DRL's could have been provided across the trims.
Rear parking sensors across all models
Baggage hooks could have been standard across

[adi_petrolhead]

Just talked to a SA at Skoda, the 1.8 TSI will arrive after one-one and a half months I can't understand why! they say that TSI is not being produced at all as there are few bookings. Any one else here with TSI waiting woes?