[androdev]

Hey congrats, wish you many years of happy driving! There is always some kind of trade off when it comes to buying a car and I feel you took the right decision. Every segment has it's leader of the pack when it comes to cars but Octavia TSI DSG is simply unrivalled. Like you mentioned, it is impossible not to be beholden after a test drive.

Just one tip: be aware that DSG is not a torque converter but just a pack of dry clutch plates like in a manual transmission. During bumper-to-bumper crawling, tight parking manoeuvres, hill-hold on a steep ramp, etc. the clutch is likely to slip and heat up if you are not paying attention. Holding the car on a steep ramp by A pedal input can be bad for the clutch just like in an MT car. As much as possible, the clutch should be fully engaged or not at all just like in MT.

[imidnightmare]

Originally Posted by androdev

Hey congrats, wish you many years of happy driving! There is always some kind of trade off when it comes to buying a car and I feel you took the right decision. Every segment has it's leader of the pack when it comes to cars but Octavia TSI DSG is simply unrivalled. Like you mentioned, it is impossible not to be beholden after a test drive.

Just one tip: be aware that DSG is not a torque converter but just a pack of dry clutch plates like in a manual transmission. During bumper-to-bumper crawling, tight parking manoeuvres, hill-hold on a steep ramp, etc. the clutch is likely to slip and heat up if you are not paying attention. Holding the car on a steep ramp by A pedal input can be bad for the clutch just like in an MT car. As much as possible, the clutch should be fully engaged or not at all just like in MT.

Thanks mate. For the help while evaluating and now too. I’ve read up enough about the box. Knew a fair bit about these from having interviewed the R&D head for a global leader in AMT boxes and this study gave me all the rest. My normal driving style was moulded while driving MTs so I’m light on the clutch anyway. Now though, am ultra-focused. Comes naturally which helps, but the knowledge of the design helps immensely.

E.g. I don’t mind a 3 ft space developing ahead of me when a guy creeps. Helps FE and peace of mind apart from saving the clutch. Similarly, I dislike balancing accelerator and clutch on slopes generally (in MTs) and prefer using HB massively in such situations. So yeah, this one doesn’t seem like much of an adjustment which just adds to the pluses.

PS: Yes, I’m one of “those guys” that actually uses the N a massive amount in ATs because that’s just the way I’m wired now... in traffic? You’re either moving or in N!

[itwasntme]

I religiously and (unconsciously now) slot into manual 1 when I see a long line of B2B traffic. That way the DSG stays in 1, and nearly always fully engaged (very low ratio).

I can also enjoy peace of mind that the clutch plates are static with each other, and flick it back into D when the traffic opens up >5 km/hr.

BTW, this could be a useful video:

https://youtu.be/6zzEtxJkC7Y

[arvind71181]

Congratulations on the car. Your love for the vehicle shows up in the review. Wish you many more happy miles with the car, it looks regal

[swami69]

Congratulations ! Your process of evaluating the right car is fantastic and ended up with a great car. I seriously love the looks of this car, it is so crisp amidst all the blingy/fancy looking toys around. Enjoy good miles with it. Safe Driving.

Swami

[Amit_Kapoor4750]

Congratulations imidnightmare on the beautiful addition to your family. Your car selection process gave us some excellent reviews of the cars contested. Though not much popular with the masses, Skodas are very competitive or say vfm, and we BHP-ians know it.

[RajBajwa]

Congratulations imidgnightmare!

Nice Car and I must say that you write quite well! I personally feel that no other car in the segment in which it belongs comes close to the fun to drive quotient and the looks that the 1.8 Octavia has. The current generation has been there for some time, however the new headlamp design after the facelift has made it look a lot more contemporary and exciting. It still looks fresh. You have done your research well before taking the plunge.

Wishing you great miles with the car!

Best,

Raj

[sawnilrules]

Congratulations mate on the 1.8 Tsi and welcome to the club of Tsi's. It's a crazy crazy car and as you rightly pointed out, you can't wait for opportunities to get behind the wheels of this monster. 15 months into ownership now and there has been any single dull day with this car. One thing that I particularly admire about this car is, even before I know that I am in mood to have some fun on that empty stretch, the car prepares herself to catapult into a forward jumping monster. And then the way she just flies off as crazy...

Congrats once again, just thought of helping you out with few issues you are facing.

Originally Posted by imidnightmare

b. The proximity sensors; this can be annoying when you're in very dense traffic, but to be frank, I've found it very helpful in the initial period. Has helped me also stay more alert in the snarls that are common the in the Marol area where bikers, autos, cars and even buses and trucks are all trying to squeeze you. Most of them (specially the bikers and autos) know that a sedan driver will be cautious and they're extra-aggressive (unpleasant contrast compared to how they react when a Hexa threatens to flatten them) and get really close. The sensor may seem annoying, but keeps you aware of which sides to be most cautious about.

With time once you get used to the car, you can switch the proximity sensors off. In settings, you can keep them ON, only for reversing,

Originally Posted by imidnightmare

c. The music gets muted to being almost inaudible when the proximity sensor kicks in. This is a good touch, but I'd have preferred that the music were paused! This is annoying if you like a song. Getting to the music controls requires you to dismiss the proximity alarm, so there's a trade-off here that could easily have been avoided. The music is also dimmed when you reverse of course.

Press the scroller on your left thumb side of the steering, it pauses the music. May be you can try this as an addition. I do the same, when my favorite track is getting played instead of letting the software mute the audio.

Originally Posted by imidnightmare

5. The absence of voice for iOS (not sure about Android)
The Hexa works on Bluetooth with voice control - I can just press the button and speak and the call is made (no CarPlay, so this is restricted to calls and music, but how much more does one need?). On the Octavia though, there doesn't seem to be voice support for iOS at all - not even for making calls (or at least that's what the car tells me). So I need to press the phone's Home button to activate Siri for any task (or use Hey Siri). This is a major gripe for me, as I really thought that on a car like this, they could easily have added Voice Control too. It's exacerbated when I see the voice control image on a button (works with Android? No idea, as nobody in my family has an Android device). With CarPlay or with Bluetooth, the need to have a fully hands-free experience really demands that you have Voice Control! Hopefully this is just a software upgrade away, but given my experience with TML's 14-month long (and still continuing) "Apple support is coming soon for ConnectNext" story, I'm not going to hold my breath.

Voice command works when connected with CarPlay. Siri comes on command on screen, all you have to do is press and hold the voice control button on the left of the steering. I usually make calls, or even command Siri to play a particular track using carplay. Try once.

Originally Posted by imidnightmare

8. Infotainment - over Bluetooth
The music streamed over Bluetooth is seamless - but there's one issue I have. If I'm watching a video on some other app (Facebook, YouTube etc.), the Hexa's ConnectNext continues to play the audio over the system when I'm connected. Somehow, the Octavia doesn't. It only seems to connect to my iPhone's library - and doesn't connect to third-party apps. This is bizarre to my mind, since (as an engineer), I don't see how sound output would be any different. If the system can switch on calls and music, why not third-party media apps? Not a deal-breaker, but an annoyance nonetheless. This only came up this morning when I wanted to listen to a Bill Maher piece Dr. Jordan Peterson. Was a really funny bit I started as I left from home - and I thought I'd listen while in the car, but just couldn't! Tried FB and YouTube, but neither worked!

This is strange, this doesn't happen in my car. If you stay towards western suburbs, may be we can catch up and see how to get this resolved.

[GTO]

imidnightmare, congratulations on the car! Read your report from start to end with my lunch. You have an amazing, enjoyable & informative style of writing . Thanks for sharing such a neutral review.

The Jetta was my pick in this segment. With the VW gone, I have to admit that if I were looking for a self-driven new car in this space, it would be the Octavia - despite Skoda's rogue dealers, poor company support & patchy long-term reliability. The Corolla is too boring (as it always has been) and while the Elantra has really improved, it's still not a patch on the Octavia. But then, at least in this lifetime, I'm not going to buy a new Rs. 25 lakh sedan. I prefer to only buy pre-owned.

The lack of options in this segment is shocking - just 3 cars . Crossovers & competent C2 sedans have annihilated the D1 sedan segment - related thread. For one reason or the other, there have been more retirements in this segment than any other (Cruze, Civic, Jetta, Kizashi, Fluence).

Wish you many pleasurable road-trips with this car.

[daniel990]

Congratulations on the car, you've answered almost ALL my questions.

I drive a Vento TSI , 25k km on the clock , great engine. Period. Lousy crashing suspension, good handling over smooth tarmac, terrible over bumpy . My previous ride was the old Baleno (10 years!) phenomenal handling and sound insulation, no creaks or rattles.

The Vento has Terrible sound insulation, every word that a two wheeler or your un friendly auto driver is mumbling outside, is heard inside the car. Creaking doors, delicate bumpers, its just infuriating.

Smells from outside still enter the Vento momentarily , even in a/c re circulation mode, and dissipate quickly. Irritating. Is this the case in the Octy?

The Octy 1.8 TSI seems to be my dream come true. Looking forward to your 15K (post first service) report.

[yogesh.8984]

There is one car from Skoda stable which always brought smiles is Octavia.

While you compared it most of the times with Altis and found it to be tad expensive - I would rather compare it with its higher siblings in executive sedan segment and what I see is that it is actually a value for money car. You get same or more car with less money with change in badge (if badge is not really a concern).

And most of all, it ticks all the right boxes for you (and for most who would self drive the car in this segment), so its a perfect car. Wish you happy miles ahead.

[Karvel]

Congratulations on your new car.. Octy is definitely a good vfm car and you will enjoy every bit of it. All the best for a joyful ownership

Originally Posted by itwasntme

imidnightmare,


Can you also share what the all-inclusive service package covers? Is it a Skoda-level offer or a dealership-level one? As an example, my TSI has costed me INR 10k and INR 16k for scheduled services at 1yr/14k km & 2yr/28k km respectively. Service for the TSI is reasonably cheap especially considering the long interval!

Originally Posted by imidnightmare

On the service, it's at dealer-level. Major points covered are:
1. Scheduled Servicing
2. Non-scheduled maintenance including Mechanical, Electrical, Failure Repairs for the Vehicle.

...

Note: While this is at dealer-level, have a feeling that Skoda drafts all this. Both dealers had virtually identical wording! And the title as well as wording sounds like as if out of an official Skoda offering - "Authorized Skoda Dealer" instead of "Autobahn" or "JMD" and the package is called "Skoda Secure Service" and not "Autobahn Secure Service". No idea if this was originally a Skoda offering that dealers are offering themselves, but it's odd that all offer it and have very similar T&C and also wording!

I did purchase the 4 yrs service package last year when i took my car. The payment was done directly by me on the Skoda website through transfer to Citibank as NEFT. And the confirmation came from Customercare id of Skoda. Hence this should be offered directly from Skoda. Also the vehicle can be serviced from any of the authorised Skoda service centres across India.

Note: Hope i am discussing the same point .

[imidnightmare]

Originally Posted by Sheel

Nothing to do with car play as such. Car play will work, either with lightning cable or without, streaming music over bluetooth is different. Please try to select bluetooth in source and play the music from Apple music (song downloaded via iTunes). Once that is done, music with any third party app should play, but the first song has to be played from Apple music.

Quite strange, but now I'm somehow easily able to stream everything. No idea what I did and it's not like I first stream from Apple Music either. Not complaining of course! Started with another FB video and now it's all fine!

Originally Posted by Amit_Kapoor4750

Congratulations imidnightmare on the beautiful addition to your family. Your car selection process gave us some excellent reviews of the cars contested. Though not much popular with the masses, Skodas are very competitive or say vfm, and we BHP-ians know it.

Thanks. As or the comparison with others, I think it's the badge that makes a lot of people move upwards and the perception of the brand that makes them go towards a Toyota. If you remove the badge, there's no beating the Octy in this segment. GTO highlighted quite rightly the extreme paucity of any good vehicles in this space apart from the Octy. Makes it a very simple choice for those who know how to choose!

Originally Posted by sawnilrules

Congrats once again, just thought of helping you out with few issues you are facing.

With time once you get used to the car, you can switch the proximity sensors off. In settings, you can keep them ON, only for reversing,

Press the scroller on your left thumb side of the steering, it pauses the music. May be you can try this as an addition. I do the same, when my favorite track is getting played instead of letting the software mute the audio.

Voice command works when connected with CarPlay. Siri comes on command on screen, all you have to do is press and hold the voice control button on the left of the steering. I usually make calls, or even command Siri to play a particular track using carplay. Try once.

This is strange, this doesn't happen in my car. If you stay towards western suburbs, may be we can catch up and see how to get this resolved.

Must catch up then to assess how this works. I stay in Powai (Chandivali to be exact), so not quite Western suburbs (despite PIN Code) and not quite Eastern either!

Originally Posted by daniel990

Congratulations on the car, you've answered almost ALL my questions.

I drive a Vento TSI , 25k km on the clock , great engine. Period. Lousy crashing suspension, good handling over smooth tarmac, terrible over bumpy . My previous ride was the old Baleno (10 years!) phenomenal handling and sound insulation, no creaks or rattles.

The Vento has Terrible sound insulation, every word that a two wheeler or your un friendly auto driver is mumbling outside, is heard inside the car. Creaking doors, delicate bumpers, its just infuriating.

Smells from outside still enter the Vento momentarily , even in a/c re circulation mode, and dissipate quickly. Irritating. Is this the case in the Octy?

The Octy 1.8 TSI seems to be my dream come true. Looking forward to your 15K (post first service) report.

No, there is no issue I face with noise inside the cabin. One thing I can advise you on is to use Gummipflege. It's very good for the door frame rubber which is a known squeaking issue on the VAG cars (or so I am told!). I stocked up on some and use it even on my other cars. Makes a huge difference. As regards the other noises, no issues at all. The cabin is very comfortable and silent. As I mentioned, the engine too is silent (more so on the TSI than TDI obviously). Smells too are not an issue. I've driven by the Mahim creek in low tide and also crossed some horrible garbage dumps and never had a whiff inside the cabin. Of course, one hopes that this is not a case of "so far" and will continue, but normally, I've not seen this aspect deteriorate on cars.

I'll keep updating as I clock up the miles! As for your choices, all I can say is that in the ~25L range (I paid more as it was a company registration), this is by far the best option I can think of. If you can stretch a bit, the RS would be a killer deal too!

Originally Posted by Karvel

I did purchase the 4 yrs service package last year when i took my car. The payment was done directly by me on the Skoda website through transfer to Citibank as NEFT. And the confirmation came from Customercare id of Skoda. Hence this should be offered directly from Skoda. Also the vehicle can be serviced from any of the authorised Skoda service centres across India.

Note: Hope i am discussing the same point .

I've mentioned earlier on this. I reckon you purchased the 4-year package for 39,990 which is from Skoda itself. That however does not cover consumables and / or unscheduled maintenance visits. The package I purchased is the one for 1L which covers all consumables and all scheduled as well as unscheduled visits. To me, the main issue is that the standard packages (including the warranty) exclude the suspension (brake pads, discs, clutch etc. are smaller issues). The 1L package however does cover this, which is why I paid. Of course, one hopes it will not be an issue, but with Mumbai roads, I didn't want to take a chance. This package (they call it the B2B package) is clearly dealer-offered as per the terms they have shared. However, the language in the document shows that it was earlier a direct Skoda offer (confirmed earlier in the thread). The confirmation for this therefore does not come from Skoda, but comes from the dealer alone.

Hope I've cleared that up! Happy to share more - whether on the thread or over PM.

[daniel990]

Are there and critical fine prints in the 4 year package and warranty? Will taking insurance from outside nullify the same.

There is a huge difference. I was quoted around 48k for nil depreciation from National Insurance. Would reduce further if I used my NCB of my previous car, they said.

Is the DSG (The 1.8 comes with dry clutch - prone to failure) and other electronics be covered without questions asked? Lots of horror stories still doing the rounds.
What about spares, and change in the TIME taken for delivery and replacement?

The 1.8 Octavia is a gamble/nightmare , but pulls at your heart like no other. The head stops working!

[Zahir]

Can anyone confirm if the mirrors on the 1.8 TSI L&K autofold on locking the car? Similarly if they open up automatically on unlock?

Thanks