8 observations on how my Octavia performed during a recent road trip

The 2.0L TSI and DQ381 combination is deadly and the wet clutch keeps those scary thoughts of failure at bay.

BHPian neoonwheels recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Finally, I am done with my much-awaited Rajasthan - Gujarat road trip of 3,500 km (Current Odo - 7560 km), and below are my inputs on how the Octavia performed:

1. This thing can gobble up luggage like anything. We are a family of 3 but my wife always ends up packing an entire house on road trips and the Octavia did not disappoint one bit. The notchback design helps you pack your bags pretty well into the boot. Almost at all hotels, the staff was surprised to see the entire hatch going up. This unique technic enables you to arrange luggage effectively.
2. The AC worked effectively in this October heat even at places like Longewala and Sam village. The usual temp at 11 AM was like 38C but yet Octavia kept us cocooned at a comfortable 22C. Only once, I had to manually increase the fan speed to accelerate the cooling process. We all were always comfortable throughout our journey. The rear AC vents did help my kid in the rear seat. Another positive is to have Suede leather seats. There was absolutely no issue of sweating during my entire road trip. The artificial leather seats on my Jetta sucked big time on this count
3. The ride quality is superb. On a couple of occasions, we did 550 km in 8 hrs and I was absolutely fresh even at the end of the journey. This thing can keep you going for hours without taking a break
4. The rear space and legroom are adequate for a family of 4. As it was only 3 of us, we travelled in supreme comfort as my kid could literally sleep on the rear seat. Front seats are very comfortable and have near-perfect bolstering. I am short (5'4") and the driver's seat accommodates me well
5. The handling of the car is good and it saved me a couple of times when a dog suddenly decided to cross roads. I feel, better tyres and a bit stiffer suspension can do wonders to this car. I could take long curves at 90-100 without a sweat but sudden and frequent direction changes are not its forte. Of course, this is a family sedan and I don't expect it to handle like a Bimmer but you always want more, don't you
6. The brakes are spot-on!! You can shed off speed quickly and this gives you much-needed confidence when doing triple-digit speeds on highways. Thanks to them, I saved my day when I was commuting to my office last month
7. The infotainment system does its job but I still miss the Canton system which I heard on a demo Octavia. Mine is a Style variant and so has the basic 8-speaker system. It keeps you engaged but that punch from the SW is sorely missed. Big real estate helps the navigation through AA. The tip that comes up on GMaps on AA about directions, is shown on the driver's display as well. Would have been great if Octavia had a virtual cockpit like Audis
8. Power on tap !! You can do insane speed, all thanks to this mad combo of 2.0 TSI + DSG. This car can frustrate you with those 120 km/h reminders and you often hit it on highways pretty quickly. I mostly kept it at around 110-115 as I could not take that constant chime. The S and manual modes (Paddle shifts) are really fun. I thoroughly enjoyed both modes on a few stretches where the visibility was pretty good and traffic was sparse. All this while the car returned a healthy 13.5 km/l over 3500 km – the calculation is based on the real tankful-to-tankful method, while the car shows 14.2 km/l. I was driving for optimal travel time than FE and I am sure if you are super careful, it can return 15-16 km/l easily

Overall, I am pretty happy with the way Octavia has performed. It is a PERFECT family sedan that not only keeps everyone comfortable but also has a sporty character when summoned. The 2.0L TSI and DQ381 combination is deadly and the wet clutch keeps those scary thoughts of failure at bay.

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