Do you love sedans? The Honda City, 3 Series, 340i or Mercedes-Benz A-Class – which is your favorite? Skoda is competing in the Indian market for the last 20 years. The newest is the 4th generation Octavia! The new-generation tech, leading performance and a well-designed cabin make the Skoda Octavia the best D-Segment sedan! Read our review to get a complete idea of Skoda Octavia L&K 2.0!
Skoda Octavia Design and Style – Exterior
The new Octavia is bigger than its predecessors. The conventional and elegant design draws you towards it. The fascia has bi-LED headlamps and the sharp-looking LED fog lamps which work well. They auto-level or turn with the steering to facilitate a good cornering visibility. The large glasshouse gives excellent visibility of the outside world. The car drives on lower ground clearance but it will not affect you unless you have to drive off road. The other drawback is the 8 mm shorter wheelbase. But the new Octavia has grown longer, wider and taller than before.
The Octavia does have some features like the Audi A3 such as the platform and certain components. The perfect paint finishes, subtle chrome and sophisticated lines and classy wheel choices, all together give the Octavia a premium graceful look. There is a subtle C-motif at the taillights with the same bohemian crystal work theme as before. There is spilt taillight design and spaced Skoda lettering on the boot lid which give a wider and longer look to it.
2021 Skoda Octavia L&K 2.0 TSI Interiors, Features
The interior design is simple and minimalistic. The black and beige of Skoda has been replaced by black and grey theme which looks elegant and neat. There is a single line of switches below the infotainment and an electric-shaver-like gear selector gives a cleaner tunnel console appearance.
The easily usable virtual cockpit digital instrumentation and 10-inch infotainment screen are the plus points. VW’s new MIB3 based architecture has fast processing power. The complex graphics and animations for menus and infotainment functions are appreciable. Remarkably, the vehicle settings menu displays pictorial view of the car on which you can touch the different parts like the lights, windows, and boot with the help of which and you can fine-tune their settings.
There is one problem with the infotainment. The A/C controls, as a component of the infotainment needs you to perform multiple steps. For instance, if you would like to change the fan speed, you should look at the panel, taking your eyes off the road which is a dangerous act. We wish there would have been an automatic climate control system. The cooling efficiency of the air filtration system is good but the central A/C vents are placed at the low side and hence the cooling effect is only for the lower body and the arms but you would not get a bit of it to your face which is not a desirable aspect. Handy A/C presets are available for functions like defogging the widows and cooling your feet which is a good feature.
The car’s infotainment system has wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Mirror Link and a high-grade 12-speaker Canton audio unit in the L & K. There are multiple themes for the infotainment and instrumentation.
The seats are large and comfortable. The ventilation function is not satisfactory. Both front seats are powered and rear seats are also comfortable with bucket-seat like contouring which would make your long-distance travels easier. There is enough shoulder room and knee room for 2 adults and a kid. Low-set window line and retractable window blinds are available. The sunroof is missing.
There are dual seatback pockets and 2 roof lights at the rear. Two USB-C ports are available below the rear AC vents. Doors have large bottle holders and the front door can accommodate many other things other than the back doors. The boot space has a cargo capacity of 600-litres and cavernous 1555-litres with folded rear seats.
Engine Specifications, Performance And Driving Dynamics
2021 Skoda Octavia L&K has the familiar 2.0l TSI petrol from Superb/A4/Q2. This delivers 190 PS and 320 Nm from 10 PS and 70 Nm of the 1.8 TSI on the older Octavia. The transmission has also changed. The previous version had dry-clutch DQ200 7 speed DSG but the new one has a wet-clutch DQ381unit and shift-by-wire technology. The engine is refined and no vibrations can be felt. The engine has redlining at 6000 RPM. The TSI mill is fine for city and highway speeds.
The 7-speed gearbox is a good match to this engine. The new Octavia does not have various drive modes. There is only the S mode on the gearbox that holds revs at each gear. Nothing can be done for the suspension or steering.
Skoda Octavia Driving Experience
The car heads fast whey you step on the throttle. The sedan has a decent low-end response and there is a mild lag before the mid-range where you would really appreciate the TSI’s performance. The acceleration is good at the mid-range and top-end of the RPM band. The vehicle is soft with the suspension setup and so you get a comfortable ride even when you have to drive on potholes and undulations. It is planted at high speeds and there are no shakes. You can feel some body roll at the corners. The steering could have been more functional with respect to communication. The disc brakes and stopping power are good.
Safety And Service
Skoda’s after-sales service is not the best in the country but the complaints have become very less. The 2021 Skoda Octavia has safety features such as eight airbags, ESC, ABS, Multi Collision Brake, Hydraulic Brake Assist, Hill Hold Control, ASR, TPMS and Electronic Differential Lock. TPMS is only for L&K, but others are offered on both variants.
Verdict
The Skoda Octavia has become bigger, more comfortable and more technically upgraded now. The bigger engine has higher amount of torque. It has a high quality cabin with a lot of space. It has a punchy petrol engine but no diesel engine. Excellent ride quality and stability at high speeds. It has all the latest safety features. Hyundai Elantra, Mercedes A-Class and BMW 2-Series are the rivals. The Octavia is an alternative to compact luxury cars as a family sedan.
Skoda Octavia Specifications
*Engine: 1984cc, 4-Cyl, Petrol
*Fuel Type: Petrol
*Power: 190 PS @ 6000 RPM
*Torque: 320 Nm @ 3990 RPM
*Transmission: 7-Speed DSG
*Tyre Size: 205/55/17 (Front & Rear)
*Brakes: Disc (Front & Rear)
*Suspension: McPherson Strut (Front), Multilink (Rear)
*Safety: Multi Collision Brake, Hill Hold Control, 8 Airbags, ABS with EBD, ESC
*Hydraulic Brake Assist,Electronic Differential Lock, ASR, TPMS
*Mileage: 15.81 kmpl
Skoda Octavia Dimensions:
*Overall length x width x height: 4689 mm X 1829 mm X 1469 mm
*Wheelbase: 2680 mm
*Turning Radius: 5.2-metres
*Ground Clearance: 137 mm
*Fuel Tank Capacity: 50-litres
*Boot Space: 600-1555 litres
*Kerb Weight: 1430-1459 kgs
Variants
Skoda Octavia 2021 Style
Skoda Octavia 2021 L & K
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