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Old 6th October 2014, 11:26   #16
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re: Our Skoda Octavia 1.8 TSI - Were we 'Simply Clever'?

Enjoyed reading your views on your new ride. I don't remember when I last read about a new turbo petrol purchase on this forum. Getting increasingly rare.

The Skoda is the only exciting car I can think off in the segment and as an upgrade from a Civic. It was only recently I was pushing a colleague to pick up a used Civic automatic as an upgrade from a Ford Fusion Duratec. Unfortunately the owner would not budge on the price and he ended up with a new Hyundai Elantra diesel. Nice car but not what I would call exciting to drive in any sense of it.

It is sad that turbo's meeting petrol engine's have not resulted in the same success as diesel+turbo and by success I mean strictly on fuel economy. Turbo petrol's are very sensitive to throttle input. I have given up driving in economy mode. Its not worth it and might put you to sleep. I tried this once just to know how far I can go and it was the most boring drive ever. I stopped looking at the fuel gauge too cause it is most depressing. If there is opportunity to mash the throttle, I do it all the time. No looking back and no regrets that I burnt a litre or two more. Fun behind the wheel is what its all about with what I would like to call a car fitted with a turboprop.

Last edited by sandeepmohan : 6th October 2014 at 11:28.
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Old 6th October 2014, 11:43   #17
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re: Our Skoda Octavia 1.8 TSI - Were we 'Simply Clever'?

Hearty congratulations, my friend, on owning one of the most Fun-To-Drive cars in the country right now. The TSI + DSG combination is simply THE best. Every drive you complete will be with a smile, FE figures notwithstanding!

The Cappuccino Beige shade looks fantastic, and it's a looker in sun and shade, equally. It comes with plenty of gizmos to keep you busy when not driving, but when the wheels are in motion with you behind the wheel, everything else simply disappears - from the roads, and from the mind!

Wish you plenty of happy miles ahead, and a trouble-free ownership experience.
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Old 6th October 2014, 11:50   #18
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re: Our Skoda Octavia 1.8 TSI - Were we 'Simply Clever'?

Congrats Suhaas on what would have been my first choice of car in this segment had it not been for availability issues. It's only Achilles heel is its drinking problem, but then we all have our vices, don't we?

Your words about the car masking its speed rings very true. There's this one turn near my house that I wouldn't dare to take at more than 60 in my Hyundai, and even that with a sense of trepidation. With the Jetta, I take it with aplomb and I was actually scared to see that I was doing 70 through it when the car was new, only to realize that it felt nowhere on the limit. Truly, these cars love to be taken by the scruff of the neck and driven hard.

The mileage will improve after 10000 kms, I'm sure. Until then, just grin and bear it. Enjoy the beauty, the Octy 1.8 TSI is one heck of a car.
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Old 6th October 2014, 11:54   #19
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re: Our Skoda Octavia 1.8 TSI - Were we 'Simply Clever'?

First of all congrats for your new purchase. I have driven a diesel octavia recently. It also has excellent ride and handling abilities. But what I found was that it lacked the built to last feeling associated with earlier skodas. The doors are much lighter , and the entire body seems to be thinner than it used to be.

And about fuel efficiency , please go through some articles regarding proper running in. It can make a lot of difference to fuel efficiency, there are different theories though.

Last edited by GTO : 6th October 2014 at 18:31. Reason: Typos
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Old 6th October 2014, 15:30   #20
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Re: Our Skoda Octavia 1.8 TSI - Were we 'Simply Clever'?

Great review, Suhaas! Congrats on your beige bullet. There isn't a car that flies like the Octavia 1.8 in its segment, or even one above. A car like this makes the C-Class, 3-Series & A4 appear pointless. It matches them in nearly every area at a significantly lower price.

Hope she turns out as reliable as your Civic did, though that might be asking for too much. Just hope the DSG on your car behaves itself.

Thanks for the report and wish you many safe kms with her.
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Old 6th October 2014, 16:11   #21
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Re: Our Skoda Octavia 1.8 TSI - Were we 'Simply Clever'?

Loved reading the review, Suhaas. And the car deserved the effort in putting the review together. I have driven the 1.8 TSI and but for the doubts on 'fuss free ownership', I would taken the plunge in matter of seconds. Great car, great engine, great package overall.

What is also interesting is that you chose Octavia, and then booked Corolla because of waiting period on Skoda, and then went back to Skoda. Did you, in any way, consider Corolla a compromise (other than engine) ? Thanks.
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Old 6th October 2014, 16:18   #22
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Re: Our Skoda Octavia 1.8 TSI - Were we 'Simply Clever'?

Congrats on the car Suhaas!

A lovely and crisp review. Wish you a long relationship with the car and a niggle free experience (specially with the DSG!) with Skoda.

I am almost certain i would have bought this as the third car in the house but it didnt make dad feel as special as the Mercedes did. He didnt really find this an upgrade from the Laura. That aside, this is a mini nuke!

Sticking to the NCT5s or changing to better tyres? I didnt have any issues with the NCTs on my car but as is my policy, changed them at 40,000km to Yokohama AVS DBs.

As mentioned by others, do keep monitoring the engine oil consumption!

Wishing you plenty of fuss free miles.

Rohan
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Old 6th October 2014, 16:46   #23
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Re: Our Skoda Octavia 1.8 TSI - Were we 'Simply Clever'?

Congratulations on your 1.8 TSI, the car with the best fun to rupee ratio. As mentioned, this car makes the C, 3 and A4 pointless except for their 3.0 TDI and 328i versions.

So now that you’ve got a german along with the accompanying heebie jeebies that come with owning one, it might help to read up on some of the threads detailing precautions that would result in increasing reliability of a german.

And although it may be a bit difficult thing to do, it would be a good idea to hit the rev limiter after completing 1500 kms to prevent damage to the engine.

Happy Motoring!
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Old 6th October 2014, 17:17   #24
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Re: Our Skoda Octavia 1.8 TSI - Were we 'Simply Clever'?

A gem of a car you've got there. This 1.8 TSI engine is truly wonderful. The engine is punchy, and enthralling, and yet it is so versatile.

You shouldn't worry about the fuel economy, wait for the first service and the rise would be substantial.

However this engine certainly has a drinking problem, it drinks fuel and engine oil. I've had to refill it within 5000 km at times.

Apart from that, I personally haven't faced many problems with Skoda, having owned one since the past 8 years, not once have we been let down.

Hope your experience remains equally pleasant.
Happy miles ahead!
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Old 6th October 2014, 17:20   #25
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Re: Our Skoda Octavia 1.8 TSI - Were we 'Simply Clever'?

Quote:
Originally Posted by cooldude1988765 View Post
Very well written review. Cant wait for the pictures.
Quote:
Originally Posted by harsh.m06 View Post
Waiting for more pics!
Quote:
Originally Posted by embee View Post

It would be great if you could post a few detailed pictures of your car.
Quote:
Originally Posted by shashank.nk View Post
Congrats on the Octavia! Will be waiting for more pics, especially the interiors and a detailed write-up on highway performance. Wish you a trouble-free ownership experience with your Skoda.

Edit: Completely agree with you on how a Jetta 1.8tsi+DSG would've made things simpler. Or would it ?
Thanks guys!

I should be able to post a set of pictures in a couple of weeks.

My father was always leaning towards the Jetta and it's a pity that they didn't have a petrol-AT variant. We would have snapped it without thinking twice.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Santoshbhat View Post

Wish you a happy and more importantly trouble free ownership experience.
Thank you Santoshbhat! Your thread is quite insightful I must say. I've been following it for quite a while now.

Quote:
Originally Posted by miharbe View Post

I am sure the week mustn't be going fast enough ever since this one arrived since you only get it over the weekend!

Wish you a fuss free ownership experience with this beauty
Thank you!

Thankfully, we've had quite a few long weekends this month so I've been getting to drive the car a lot more than I thought I would.

Quote:
Originally Posted by sidparekh View Post
As for the 3.5 mm jack, isn't it there in the compartment below the driver's armrest, covered by a flap? At least, that's where it is in our Yeti.

Cheers, Happy Revving
Thanks!

I haven't found a 3.5 mm port anywhere in the car. I use this quite often and I'm going to miss it in this car. Sad.

Quote:
Originally Posted by joethomasv View Post
Congrats Suhaas!!

I too upgraded from a Civic to the Octavia except to a diesel Ambition. So far, the only thing I miss is the low speed ride quality and of course the after sales service.
Thanks!

That's funny. I found the low-speed-ride in the Civic a tad harsh on stock tires. It's only after swapping them for Michelin XM2s, I found improvements. The Octy's low-speed-ride is as good if not better, I'd say.

Quote:
Originally Posted by dkaile View Post
Wishing you years off happiness with this Skoda and drive safe. Cheers...
Thanks!

Quote:
Originally Posted by iliketurtles View Post
Your words about the car masking its speed rings very true. There's this one turn near my house that I wouldn't dare to take at more than 60 in my Hyundai, and even that with a sense of trepidation. With the Jetta, I take it with aplomb and I was actually scared to see that I was doing 70 through it when the car was new, only to realize that it felt nowhere on the limit. Truly, these cars love to be taken by the scruff of the neck and driven hard.

The mileage will improve after 10000 kms, I'm sure. Until then, just grin and bear it. Enjoy the beauty, the Octy 1.8 TSI is one heck of a car.
Thanks! And yeah, there was this instance where my dad was sitting in the passenger seat and I was negotiating a long curve. My father was looking out of the window and fiddling with the AC vents without realizing that I was actually doing nearly 80 around the bend. In any other car, the Civic included, he would have given me an earful!

Regarding the mileage, I sincerely hope it improves.

Quote:
Originally Posted by swathyd View Post
First of all congrats for your new purchase. I have dirven a diesel octavia recently. It also has excellent ride and handling abilities. But what I found was that it lacked the bulit to last feeling associated with earlier skodas. The doors are much lighter , and the entire body seems to be thinner than it used to be.

And about fuel efficiency , please go through some articles regarding proper running in. It can make a lot of diffrerence to fuel efficiency , there are diiferent theories though.
I agree with your premise. It is solid, but not as solid or as well-screwed together as I'd expected.

What is the procedure for proper running-in? I'm not sure if I've been following it. I have gone up to 6k RPM on several occasions. Is this a bad thing? I was under the impression that it's alright. That said, 80% of the time, we've kept it under 4k RPM.

Quote:
Originally Posted by GTO View Post
Great review, Suhaas! Congrats on your beige bullet. There isn't a car that flies like the Octavia 1.8 in its segment, or even one above. A car like this makes the C-Class, 3-Series & A4 appear pointless. It matches them in nearly every area at a significantly lower price.

Hope she turns out as reliable as your Civic did, though that might be asking for too much. Just hope the DSG on your car behaves itself.

Thanks for the report and wish you many safe kms with her.
Thank you Rush!

After living with the car, I can safely say that it gives the entry-level German sedans a run for their money. Similar power / performance figures, similar build-quality / fit-finish, great styling and a whole lot more cabin-room at HALF the price makes it quite the bargain.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Vitalstatistiks View Post
What is also interesting is that you chose Octavia, and then booked Corolla because of waiting period on Skoda, and then went back to Skoda. Did you, in any way, consider Corolla a compromise (other than engine) ? Thanks.
Thanks.

Great question.

We really liked the Altis. It ticked all the boxes as per our priorities and we were impressed by it as a package. The problem is, it just didn't feel like a big upgrade from the Civic. Apart from the AT and a few gadgets, it wasn't really a big step up from the Honda. And at 21 lakhs, it seemed a tad overpriced especially when the out-going Altis had a few more features and was priced even lower.

We would have settled for the Altis had Skoda not phoned us with the good news.

Quote:
Originally Posted by RohanDheman View Post

Sticking to the NCT5s or changing to better tyres? I didnt have any issues with the NCTs on my car but as is my policy, changed them at 40,000km to Yokohama AVS DBs.

As mentioned by others, do keep monitoring the engine oil consumption!

Wishing you plenty of fuss free miles.

Rohan
Thanks! We'll be sticking to the NCTs for now. It does the job well, considering that the car will spend 80% of the time as a A-B car.

Quote:
Originally Posted by VeyronSuperSprt View Post

And although it may be a bit difficult thing to do, it would be a good idea to hit the rev limiter after completing 1500 kms to prevent damage to the engine.

Happy Motoring!
Thanks.

It's a little late for that now. *grins* I will keep it under the power-band from now on. If I remember correctly, I'd read somewhere that these cars don't require running-in as such. I haven't gone through the manual yet. Ain't nobody got time fo' that! *wink wink*
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Old 6th October 2014, 19:48   #26
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Re: Our Skoda Octavia 1.8 TSI - Were we 'Simply Clever'?

Quote:
Originally Posted by suhaas307 View Post

That's funny. I found the low-speed-ride in the Civic a tad harsh on stock tires. It's only after swapping them for Michelin XM2s, I found improvements. The Octy's low-speed-ride is as good if not better, I'd say.
That's probably because you have the multilink rear suspension and I have the torsion beam. I don't remember how the Civic rode on stock Bridgestones. I had switched to Michelins after 20k kms.
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Old 6th October 2014, 20:20   #27
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Re: Our Skoda Octavia 1.8 TSI - Were we 'Simply Clever'?

Congratulations Suhaas! Excellent review, thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

The Octavia 1.8 DSG is a rocket, that leaves all other European cars way behind (in this and one above segment). I sincerely hope that you have a fuss free ownership, for many many years to come.

Regards,
Narayan
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Old 7th October 2014, 08:37   #28
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Re: Our Skoda Octavia 1.8 TSI - Were we 'Simply Clever'?

Some tips:

1. Running-in is suggested in the manual for the first 1500 kms. Redlining during this period would do more harm to the DSG than the engine so it would be a case of better late than never.

2. DSG and Chauffer driven are a lethal and often fatal combination – put your chauffeur on continuous training on the do’s and don’ts of a DSG to avoid issues.

3. Germans give you a lot more fun behind the wheel but in return demand extra care from you. If this extra care is not given, one can expect issues that keep increasing according to the level of neglect – something you will never experience with a Japanese.

4. A study of the Skoda’s on the forum will indicate a pattern - (1) those who have the time and the inclination to look after their Skoda's well resulting in lower issues and (2) those who unfortunately cannot dedicate time or have chauffer driven cars or abuse their cars resulting in continual problems - this will not usually happen with a Japanese.

5. Going over the manual will certainly help reduce issues in future – again something you can overlook with a Japanese and get away with lightly.

6. Drive the car as if you bought it out of hard earned money – even if it is your dad’s car. You will feel the difference in the long term.

Last edited by VeyronSuperSprt : 7th October 2014 at 08:45.
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Old 7th October 2014, 08:47   #29
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Re: Our Skoda Octavia 1.8 TSI - Were we 'Simply Clever'?

Congratulations. Nice review Suhaas.

Honest, straight from the heart review. But for me, the below line takes the cake.

Quote:
Originally Posted by suhaas307 View Post
How do you upgrade from a fuss-free, reliable and sharp motor like the Honda Civic? That's easy.. Buy a car that's touted to be unreliable, from an unscrupulous car company with a notorious reputation. Simply clever
I somehow don't like that lip spoiler on the boot. Guess a traditional spoiler like the one present on the Skoda Rapid (considering the similarity in looks) might look better?
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Old 7th October 2014, 10:33   #30
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Re: Our Skoda Octavia 1.8 TSI - Were we 'Simply Clever'?

Quote:
Originally Posted by suhaas307 View Post
How do you upgrade from a fuss-free, reliable and sharp motor like the Honda Civic? That's easy.. Buy a car that's touted to be unreliable, from an unscrupulous car company with a notorious reputation. Simply clever
Wow! Call it coincidence but I am in the exact same boat.

- Upgrading from a Civic
- Something that matches the comfort of the Civic
- Looking for an AT
- Big boot
- Lot of gizmos
and a sunroof

I went through the same dilemma with the available AT's in the market and finally zeroed in on the Octavia albeit a TDI, after hearing about the 'drinking problem' of the TSI.

I was offered a Cap. Beige TSI by Vinayak Cars but wanted a TDI (probably the same car(?) even the timeline matches - last week of Sept.)

Waiting for a confirmation on the delivery date before I book the car. Till then my good ol' Civic will have to do the duties. Looking forward to joining the Octavia club soon.
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