The Skoda Octavia is a car that stood the test of time and it has entertained both the enthusiasts along with the mainstream market. Octavia has a cult following as it brought European style, luxury, and performance at a relatively affordable price point. Apart from the brand logo and car name, the 2021 Skoda Octavia shares next to nothing with its previous three versions. Here is a look at what Skoda is bringing on the plate for Indian market.
When you see the fourth-gen Skoda Octavia, you can tell that it now looks much sharper, though it is still recognisable as an Octavia. The new Octavia is 4689mm long, 1829mm wide, and 1470mm tall, making it 19mm longer, 15mm wider, but 26mm lower than the outgoing model. And this iteration of Skoda Octavia is going to be coming to India as a notchback. This enables Skoda to keep the practicality of a hatchback with the beautiful ‘three-box’ styling. The bi-LED headlamps of the new Octavia are slimmer than the third-gen car and do away with the split design. The chiseled all-LED tail lamps make the rear-end of the Octavia look sharper too. Talking about the back of the car, the 2021 Octavia will come not come with the Skoda badge on the boot, instead it follows the new design philosophy with ‘Skoda’ written boldly across the centre of the boot.
Under the hood, the 2021 Skoda Octavia will have only one petrol engine choice when it comes to India. It is expected to be powered by a 2-litre TSI petrol engine with 187 bhp, so the power figure is up by 4bhp compared to the outgoing Octavia. This is the same 2-litre turbo-petrol engine seen in the facelifted Superb, paired with a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. There will be no diesel engine option, since the VW Group has transitioned away from diesels in India.
The all-new Octavia is the first ever Skoda to offer a DSG controlled by a shift-by-wire system. In the previous generation of the Octavia there was a mechanical linkage between the lever in the cabin and the actual gearbox. Now, that will be replaced by sensors and wires which will relay information to the gearbox. This is primarily done to allow more compact packaging of the gear knob.
The interior of the new Octavia comes packed with new features. The first thing that will get your attention is the two-spoke steering wheel, but that’s not all that’s new. The inside of the fourth-generation Skoda Octavia will feature a dual-tone beige and black colour scheme and there’s an all-new 10-inch infotainment system which is placed slightly higher now, closer to the driver’s line of sight. And you now also get wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and wireless charging. A few inches below the screen is a redesigned center console with physical buttons to make it easier to use while driving. The new Skoda Octavia will also get a 10.25-inch fully-digital instrument cluster. The instrument cluster can be customised to show information relevant to the driver. One can choose the traditional speedometer and tachometer setup, or even have a full-screen map among other layouts. It also carries 'Simply Clever' touches like an umbrella holder and a little pocket to stow smartphone for rear passengers.
Another big highlight for the 2021 Skoda Octavia is it gets a massive 600-liters of boot space, and wait, there is more. You can increase that boot space to a whopping 1555-liters by flipping the rear bench down. The rear bench also gets a 60-40 split so you can play around with the space as per your need.
In terms of rivals, in the past the segment was filled with competition but with SUVs dominating the entire market now, the 2021 Skoda Octavia will have just one main rival, the Hyundai Elantra. As to how these two will compare, stay tuned to our social media handles and subscribe to our YouTube channel for our review.
Watch our YouTube video covering 5 key aspects of the 2021 Skoda Octavia prior to the launch.