Have you seen 17 plate Skoda Octavia recently and thought it was looking a bit dated? I though the car looked quite fresh but the good folks over at Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic have created a new look for their best selling model and added a few extra bits of technology.
This change makes the Octavia fit the family look of the most recent Skoda Superb, launched in 2015, and the ‘soon to be seen everywhere’ Skoda Kodiaq. I think the lines flowed slightly better in the old shape, but there’s no doubting that the new look is more modern.
The main changes at the front end include updated split headlight design, with LED on most models, revised bumper and slicker foglight design.
With the might of the VW group behind them, Skoda have also updated the infotainment system with a now optional 9.2″ Columbus touchscreen satnav system. As well as including DAB, Apple CarPlay, Andoid Auto, and Wifi, it now has a capactive touchscreen meaning you don’t need to stab at the screen, it works using electrical charge just like your iPhone.
We had the chance to try out three combinations of the new Octavia: 2.0 TDI 150 DSG L&K Estate, 2.0 TDI 150 DSG SE L Hatch and 1.4 TSI 150 SE Hatch, all of which had a wide variety of options on them.
Starting at £19,530, the 1.4 petrol will be massively popular with families. Ours had an updated ‘Amundsen’ sat nav with WiFi but as standard it still comes with everything you’d need for family life. What was most impressive was the combination of the small, light 1.4l engine with a manual gearbox. You could actually have a bit of fun on a country road and there was enough power to overtake more sedate traffic. Add to this a potential combined 54.3MPG and it’s enough to make you forget about diesels for good.
The 2.0 TDI 150 DSG SE L Hatch is the spec level that most buyers will plump for, although the 2.0 diesel engine is no longer where the fleet sales will go, that mantle has been taken by the frugal 1.6 diesel lump. At this level of spec you really do get everything you could need on your family car: Alcantara + leather seats, the 8″ sat nav unit, bluetooth, cruise, full LED lights, Intelligent light assist, WiFi and a built in umbrella under the passenger front seat. While dynamically this isn’t as rewarding as the small petrol unit, DSG + the 2.0l diesel engine makes for very good economy (62.8mpg combined) and a really easy way to deal with commuting and family duties. All it really needed adding to the spec was a heated steering wheel and a rear-view camera.
Every manufacturer car needs a top level model and Skoda does this with the Laurin & Klement versions. A quick look through the classifieds will tell you that they don’t sell very many of them and a quick look at the price tells you why. At £30,045 it’s 50% more than the first model we drove and that’s a lot to justify for any car. While the L&K does have pretty much every option ticked (still doesn’t include metallic paint or a rear-view camera) and it’s a lovely place inside, it’s just too much money for the Skoda badge to sustain on a medium sized estate car.
For those looking to order a new Octavia today I’d recommend very close to the petrol version I drove above. A 1.4 TSI 150 SE L Hatch manual with heated seats, steering wheel and rear-view camera. Unless you do big miles then forget the diesels.
If you are picking one of these up after they start hitting the second hand market then it’s worth hunting for an L&K model as the amount of kit you will get for the money will really make it worth the search.
Now, I know that everyone reading on here will be looking for more details on the vRS 245 but you’ll have to wait a little bit longer until we have a drive of it. For those wanting practicality and some motoring thrills then it might be worth holding of just a little but longer....
