[joethomasv]

What I like:

• Torquey and super efficient Diesel engine combined with the smooth 6 speed DSG
• Spacious interiors and a huge boot
• Handles well even when fully loaded
• Well insulated cabin with excellent build quality
• Excellent audio system
• ASR, MSR, EDL etc. works. Floor the throttle and there will hardly be any wheel spin even on non paved roads. I'm yet to test this in slushy conditions though.
• Delivers incredible mileage if you go easy on the right pedal.

What I didn't like:

• Noisy torsion beam rear suspension
• Limited storage space in the glove box
• The AC in auto mode cools the front windshields too for some strange reason. Not a good thing during and after rains
• The auto lights comes on way too early even at the late setting
• The auto wipers have a mind of their own
• The front seat back pockets are made of a very thin material. The insides feel as if it can be torn easily
• The Goodyear NCT 5 tires
• Black brake dust

The 7 year itch:




Our trusty '06 civic was getting old and I was running out of patience with the soft rear suspension. Also, the lack of bottom end grunt meant frequent gear changes and my lower back started complaining, more often than I would've liked. Replacing the hard clutch didn't help much. We decided it was time to get a new car.

The requirements:

• It has to be an automatic.

No compromise there. 2-3 years back I couldn't even think of driving an automatic let alone owning one. But the clutch and my lower back are arch-enemies. Also priorities change.

• A big boot. The bigger the better.
• Interior space and quality should at least match the Civic's.
• Suspension that can handle 5 passengers and their luggage without switching over to 'boat mode'.

• Budget of around 20-23 lakhs.
• Cars with a service schedule every 5000 kms a BIG NO.
• A fairly recent model so that it won't be replaced in at least two years.
• The car will travel around 14K kms annually, 90% of that will be on the highways.

Other cars considered:

My brother-in-law bought the Laura around the same time we bought the Civic. I couldn't help compare the two, especially the ride, handling and drivability. While the Civic won hands down on the ride and rear seat comfort department it was no match for the Laura's handling, drivability, solid build quality and that huge boot. So when the new Octavia was announced, I had pretty much made up my mind. The others didn't stand a chance. Except for the Jetta for a brief period when the dealer had no clue of the delivery date.

Booking and Delivery:

On 19th November I called up Marikar Skoda in Cochin, made sure a test drive vehicle was available and drove down in the afternoon. An Elegance TDI was available for test drive. It was a fairly short drive but my father who was sitting in the back immediately noticed the noisy rear suspension. It wasn't disturbingly loud but it was there. Except for that one thing we were happy with the car and paid up the booking amount for the white Ambition TDI A/T. The manager and the sales staff was extremely courteous and promised delivery in 9 weeks.

I read through almost all of the Skoda related threads on team-bhp and after a month, I was having second thoughts about getting a Skoda. I even called up the manager to cancel the booking but he convinced me to wait a month more. I also called up all the Skoda owners I know in my family/friends circle. All of them were more than happy with the car but it was the service that they all had issues with. With 2+2 years warranty ( the +2 part of it is still a mystery) and only a service a year, I decided to get the car anyways.

9 weeks had come and gone and there was no sign of my car. The manager said there's a good chance I'll get mine in February as the dealership had asked for 10 vehicles and they'll be getting atleast 9. He promised to let me know on February 7th. On 7th he informed me that my chances of getting a car that month is slim and we'll try for March. Apparently they were getting only a single car that month. I was running out of patience and made it clear that I won't be waiting a month more and I'm going ahead and getting a Jetta. Luckily for me, there was a two day bank strike in Kerala the following week and someone had issues getting the funds transferred. I transferred the balance amount all thanks to our super efficient SBI manager and the car was dispatched and I got the VIN from the dealer.

After a week, I got a call from the dealer and some good news: my car is at the dealership and should be ready for delivery in two days. Unfortunately for me the excise duty was cut and Skoda asked it's dealers not to bill the cars until new prices were announced. There was no price cut and the delivery got delayed by 3 days thanks to a weekend. Finally on February 26th took delivery of the car.



All smiles:


I didn't want to risk the extended warranty so took the insurance from the dealer itself. With a 50% NCB, the premium came to around Rs. 26,324/- for Rs. 16,96,890 IDV. I didn't go for any add-ons. I never had a claim on the Civic and decided to take my chances.

[joethomasv]

The Octavia looks smaller than the dimensions suggest. The Laura looked much bigger. When the car width increased by 45mm, the track width only increased by a mere 8 mm. The car is begging for a wheel with a bit more negative offset.

The rear legroom has gone up considerably but I do miss the flat floor of the civic. Also as stated by Vid6639 in the official review, the rear seats should've been a little more reclined. But the rest of the family is pretty happy with it. I guess that's one of the compromises you have to make for that huge boot space.


Image source: Caricos.com

The interior fit and finish is top notch. A sun glass holder is missing though. Seats are very comfortable. I do miss the adjustable lumbar support (present in the Elegance trim) but since there is no clutch, my back isn't complaining. ergonomics are spot on except for the handbrake location.


Storage space is limited in the car. The glove box is useless thanks to the protruding CD player on top.


Thanks to the DSG, it's impossible to stall the Skoda. It was the one thing I hated most about the Laura. Driving the manual Laura in second gear in peak traffic was a humbling experience, to say the least. No such worries with the DSG. But in D mode it is too eager to shift into second gear. That can't be good for the clutch especially when crawling up really bad roads. I always shift to S or manual mode when the car starts sounding like a CVT.

I almost always drive in D mode. Having never driven an auto transmission before, I find the absence of clutch a little confusing when driving in manual mode. Maybe a dummy clutch will help.

When you go easy on the throttle the engine returns incredible fuel efficiency. With the amount of torque on tap, it is hard to do that though.



When compared to the Civic's 170mm, the Octavia's 155mm GC feels inadequate but in real life it's just the opposite. The underbody protection combined with a stiff suspension meant the car cleared all obstacles with ease. Even where the Civic's front tow hook scrapped. Skoda has reduced the front overhang too when compared to the Laura.


Option to switch units is in the infotainment system itself:


The media connector looks out of place here. The ideal location was in the glove box.


The oil temperature display keeps disappearing. It appears after a reset of the infotainment system but disappears soon after. It doesn't show any temperature either. I read on Briskoda that the oil temperature is disabled when a fixed service schedule is enabled. I wonder what the oil temperature has got to do with that.


Even on the 'late' settings the lights turn on way too early. I've stopped using auto lights after being signaled by oncoming traffic couple of times.


The Octavia is supposed to have AQS which monitors the quality of air and switches to recirculating mode if air quality drops. I'm pretty sure an odour filter is not part of AQS.


It was the peak of summer when I got the car but the AC did a good job keeping us cool. It takes a bit more time to cool the cabin when compared to the civic though. The option to roll down all the windows with the remote is a nifty feature especially when the car is parked in the sun.

When Ac is in auto mode all the outlets are open including the one for the front windshield. A hint of rain and this fogs up the windshield. The only way around it is to either raise the temperature or switch to manual mode.


Our old ambassador had this problem in the rains. Water from the front fender used to leak through the front lights.


Hatchback with huge boot perfect for those airport runs.


The boot mat can be attached to the hook so that it's easier to take the spare out. Nice touch.


I remember seeing a flap for the boot latch on the Laura.


There's a bit of diesel clatter if you try to rev the engine on a cold start but it soon disappears and the 2.0 TDI and the DSG combo works beautifully. Whatever turbo lag the engine has is well masked by the 6 speed DSG. But I do experience a slight lag while driving uphill. I'm not sure if it's the turbo lag or the DSG holding on to a higher gear in D mode. Apart from that, it's a gem of an engine.
Remove the engine cover and you'll be surprised to see the number of Audi logos you find in there. That makes you happy and scared at the same time. Happy because you paid only half the money, scared because all those parts are going to cost the same as the Audi's.

[joethomasv]

It's been two months and 4080 kms now and except for the noise from the rear suspension ( especially when the car is not loaded) and the NCT 5s I'm happy with my choice. The noise seems to reduce/disappear when there is atleast three persons in the car. Same applies to the ride. It gets smoother with speed/load, exactly opposite to the Civic. I also feel that the car handles quite well despite the inferior rear suspension. Maybe not as well as the multilink one but I believe the torsion beam is better for highway runs with a fully laden car.

I should've changed the Goodyear NCT 5 tires when I had the chance. They do provide adequate grip and braking, Noise levels are fine too but they wear really really fast. Here's the front tires after 4000 kms:



The torque is really addictive and that might have contributed to the wear. But considering the fact that I was extra careful with the accelerator pedal for the first 1500 kms, this is a bit too much wear.

Other minor issues:

• The rear mud flaps are fixed to the wheel arch liner. The mud flaps are flexible but if they get stuck in something it'll definitely rip the liner off.
• The contact pictures won't sync to the infotainment system if you are using an iPhone.
• The black dust from the brake liner is a major eyesore.

What I miss from the Elegance trim:

• The adjustable lumbar support.
• Additional airbags.
• Height adjustable passenger seat. Shorter passengers can't see the road ahead.

Accessories bought:

1. The USB media connector.
2. Mobile holder.
3. Reversible boot mat.

Planned:

The OE interior mats are grossly inadequate for our conditions. I need to get the Kagu mats as soon as they are available for the new Octavia. If they are not going to be available before the monsoons I'll have to look for some other options.
I've decided not to fix the front mudflaps for now. Maybe after the coming monsoons I'll decide if it's really needed.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!

[Reinhard]

Hey, congratulations on your classy new car. Just love the looks of the Octavia. And love the name too! And you've written an amazing review. Covered the little points that one expects from an owner's perspective. Thanks for that.

Wishing you unlimited safe & happy miles with the new Octavia.

@the tire wear!!! Thats a lot really for 4k kms. Well No way out I guess. But hopefully you'll wear them out sooner and can get a better set then

[nitinbose]

Congrats on the new purchase! My suggestion is to use the stock tires till they wear out as exchanging for new ones may not fetch much. Any upgrades planned?

[iliketurtles]

Congrats on the car Joe, it looks very elegant and fetching in that shade of white.

I wish you had changed the tyres when you had the chance to do so, I'll second nitin and ask you to hold on to them until they're done for. That's unless you get so fed up with them that you don't find paying the moolah for a new set of rubber!

Here's hoping you enjoy the ride for many miles to come, enjoy!

[Chethan B G]

Congrats Joe!

I love the Hatchback boot. Excellent!

I agree on the tyre replacement. It is either off the showroom or after 25k Kms - Not worth in between. But I have driven about 15+k Kms on my Jetta and the tyres have not worn much. Please get the alignment checked, to be on the safer side.

By the way, white is difficult to maintain.. All the best. Drive safe!

[Amarendranath]

Congratulation Joe!! The Octavia is definitely one among the best out there in D segment. I wish Skoda had fitted the car with a multilink suspension considering the cars price. The only reason we chose the Jetta over the Octavia is the after sales.

Wishing you miles of safe, happy and trouble free driving!! Good set of pictures mate, specially the second picture is really elegant elevating the presence of the car.

[graaja]

Congratulations Joe on the new ride.

The car in white is a looker. One thing I greatly like in the Octavia (and sorely miss in the Jetta) is how the system status (like FE, temperature etc) and settings are integrated into the HU. This makes it really cool and useful too.

The combination of the torquey engine and the smooth DSG is sheer bliss. The FE that this combo returns is also phenomenal.

Wishing you thousands and thousands of safe, trouble free and fun filled miles.

[nakul0888]

Congrats Joe! That is one sweet looking ride.

The Octavia is the car that has brought back the excitement in the 15-20 lakh sedan class again. I wish you many many miles of happy motoring.

I have had issues with my Skoda before but I will never deny one thing, Skoda makes the best all rounder cars in our country and that is a fact. And I am sure the Octavia is a gem of a car. It makes the Audi A4 looks silly and over priced!

As for the dealer Marikar Engineers? Well words cannot even begin to describe how bad of an A.S.S they are. The treatment I had received was atrocious. I won't be going into the details but after a full year of suffering their incompetence I finally switched to Vision Skoda, Thrissur.

From my personal experience Vision is much better than Marikar all the way down to the security guard at the gates. Also Marikar's shabby treatment is only expected to get worse since their only competition St Antony's has been closed down.

So please be cautious while dealing with them.

Apart from that, good luck Joe!

[abhinav.gupta88]

Congrats Mate. Lovely car. Wish you many amazing and joyful miles.

Great to see more ownership threads of the Octavia coming in?

How much did the GSM phone holder cost you. Also, can you post some pics of the Reversible Boot Mat?

[nda992]

Nicely written.

The Skoda Octavia is a head turner thanks to its neat cuts. No wonder Skoda cars are selling like hot cakes.

One question though, what is your take on the ASS vis -a-vis Honda since I am vacillating between the City and the Rapid.

[joethomasv]

Originally Posted by Reinhard

Hey, congratulations on your classy new car.

Wishing you unlimited safe & happy miles with the new Octavia.

@the tire wear!!! Thats a lot really for 4k kms. Well No way out I guess. But hopefully you'll wear them out sooner and can get a better set then

Thanks Reinhard. Yes if I try really hard, I'm sure I can upgrade before the first service is due.

Originally Posted by nitinbose

Congrats on the new purchase! My suggestion is to use the stock tires till they wear out as exchanging for new ones may not fetch much. Any upgrades planned?

Thanks nitin. Except for the wear, I'm ok with the tires. I hope the grip is good in the wet too. At this rate of wear, I won't have to wait much longer for the tire upgrade.

Upgades? I think I'll wait atleast an year before thinking about voiding the warranty. The OE steering with the paddle shifters and bigger wheels are tempting options.

Originally Posted by iliketurtles

Congrats on the car Joe, it looks very elegant and fetching in that shade of white.

I wish you had changed the tyres when you had the chance to do so, I'll second nitin and ask you to hold on to them until they're done for. That's unless you get so fed up with them that you don't find paying the moolah for a new set of rubber!

Here's hoping you enjoy the ride for many miles to come, enjoy!

Thanks iliketurtles! I've read bad reviews about the Goodyears but never thought it was this bad. If the grip levels are adequate in the wet, I'll stick with the Goodyears.

Originally Posted by Chethan B G

Congrats Joe!

I love the Hatchback boot. Excellent!

I agree on the tyre replacement. It is either off the showroom or after 25k Kms - Not worth in between. But I have driven about 15+k Kms on my Jetta and the tyres have not worn much. Please get the alignment checked, to be on the safer side.
By the way, white is difficult to maintain.. All the best. Drive safe!

Thanks Chethan! If I try a little harder, I think I can wear them out in another 10k kms. My left front tire wear is slightly more than the right. It is not uneven though. I'll get it checked anyways just to be sure. Regarding the colour, white is the only colour my father likes. White does a good job of hiding small scratches and swirl marks though.

Originally Posted by Amarendranath

Congratulation Joe!! The Octavia is definitely one among the best out there in D segment. I wish Skoda had fitted the car with a multilink suspension considering the cars price. The only reason we chose the Jetta over the Octavia is the after sales.

Wishing you miles of safe, happy and trouble free driving!! Good set of pictures mate, specially the second picture is really elegant elevating the presence of the car.

Thanks Amarendranath! I was really tempted to go for the Jetta after reading Chethan's and iliketurtles's excellent reviews but I had a bad experience with our local dealer ( EVM Kochi) a year back. The sales guy refused to give us a test drive when we went to check out the Jetta last year. He just gave us a test ride! I swore not to go there again.
Also congrats on the first tempest blue Jetta. That's a beautiful colour.

Originally Posted by graaja

Congratulations Joe on the new ride.

The car in white is a looker. One thing I greatly like in the Octavia (and sorely miss in the Jetta) is how the system status (like FE, temperature etc) and settings are integrated into the HU. This makes it really cool and useful too.

The combination of the torquey engine and the smooth DSG is sheer bliss. The FE that this combo returns is also phenomenal.

Wishing you thousands and thousands of safe, trouble free and fun filled miles.

Thanks Graaja! The fuel efficiency is indeed phenomenal. The maximum mileage I could manage was 21.7 kmpl. You were able to squeeze out 23.8kmpl from a litre of diesel!

Originally Posted by nakul0888

Congrats Joe! That is one sweet looking ride.



As for the dealer Marikar Engineers? Well words cannot even begin to describe how bad of an A.S.S they are. The treatment I had received was atrocious. I won't be going into the details but after a full year of suffering their incompetence I finally switched to Vision Skoda, Thrissur.

So please be cautious while dealing with them.

Thanks Nakul. Yes I've also heard a lot of 'nice things' about Marikar. I'm hoping Skoda will do something about it. The GM at Marikar Cochin told me they are the only dealers in Kerala getting Octavia allotments from Skoda. Are Vision Skoda delivered any Octavias?

Originally Posted by abhinav.gupta88

Congrats Mate. Lovely car. Wish you many amazing and joyful miles.

Great to see more ownership threads of the Octavia coming in?

How much did the GSM phone holder cost you. Also, can you post some pics of the Reversible Boot Mat?

Thanks Abhinav. Your review provided the much needed inspiration. The GSM phone holder costs Rs.1145. It's a perfect for an iPhone but the bigger androids are a tight fit. I'll get some pictures of the mat tomorrow.

[deetjohn]

Nice review with good details and some great photographs.

This is deja vu. I recall the very nice review thread of that white Figo of yours. Is the little Ford with you still? Guess it was the first Figo ownership thread in here.

Please get us some more photographs of the Octavia. Your snaps are stunning as always. Its a very nice looking car and sadly not many on road around here. The only thing I don't like is the overload of beige inside.

Why didn't you get the benefits of excise duty cut?