The platform on which it is based, the MQB-Evo, has been updated, and so has the new Skoda Octavia. This car, which I have always considered one of the most successful, both in the history of a model whose roots go back to the 1950s, and among the group’s sister cars.
And this is due to the sobriety of its design, its overall build quality that rivals the more prestigious brands (if not surpasses them!), practicality, and fuel efficiency.
To test the facelift, I chose the engine that I think is most suitable for those who use the car a lot, both for work and family travel: the 2.0 TDI with 150 HP. Updated and more efficient, it remains a champion of fuel consumption, while the car better absorbs noise and has finally been updated in software.
But we’ve also been at the global reveal of brand new Skoda Superb, from which Octavia takes much inspiration!
New Skoda Octavia: our tops and flops
Skoda Octavia is perhaps the best project derived from Volkswagen Group’s MQB-Evo platform. Don’t get me wrong, there are other cars on the same architecture that are very convincing, but the Octavia represents its most intelligent expression. With its sharp and elegant shape, it is here to show how much more enjoyable low cars are to drive, being lighter, smoother, and more maneuverable. The new design changes little, with new headlight designs at the front and a new pattern for the rear lights, while the interiors are divided between finally updated technology, a new 13” display with significantly improved infotainment, and countless practical solutions, from the trash bin attached to the door panel, to the tablet support for rear passengers, to the endless configuration possibilities of the trunk. We tested the 2.0 diesel with 140 HP and 7-speed DSG, but the new Octavia also introduces, for the first time, mild hybrid options: a 1.5 petrol engine with 115 or 150 HP and 7-speed DSG, and, starting in 2025, the 2.0 TSI with 204 HP. It’s a pity that there is no plug-in hybrid, which would have made sense, especially in Scandinavia, since the group’s system now supports fast charging, and some finishes are perhaps not yet up to the mark for a price that, while interesting, has nonetheless increased.
What we like:
- Endless practical solutions;
- Smooth and pleasant driving experience;
- Smooth and stress-free transmission.
What we don’t like:
- The presence of the sequential gearbox is almost useless;
- It would have been nice to have mild hybrid options for the diesel as well;
- Some materials could still improve.
Prices in Scandinavia
- 1.5 eTSI 115 HP DSG from 359.995 DKK
- 1.5 eTSI 150 HP DSG from 379.995 DKK
- 2.0 TDI 150 HP DSG from 419.995 DKK
The 2.0 TDI 150 HP of our test costs 494.994 DKK
- 1.5 TSI 115 HP manual gear from 324.600 SEK
- 1.5 eTSI 115 HP DSG from 345.500 SEK
- 1.5 eTSI 150 HP DSG from 369.600 SEK
- 2.0 TDI 150 HP DSG from 392.300 SEK
The 2.0 TDI 150 HP of our test costs 428.600 SEK
New Octavia is not available yet in Norway.
36 Elements for a single headlight
The car changes little in reality, with the most notable new features being at the front, which now offers full LED headlights as standard, while the optional adaptive matrix LEDs have reached their second generation. Apart from the new texture that now “blurs” the previously regular design and embraces the grille, in glossy black on our Sportline trim.
But it is also a technical change, as the innermost module of the headlight has 36 elements (12 more than before) allowing for better adaptive management and anti-glare for other drivers.
The bi-LED modules on the outside of the headlight, which house the low and high beams, remain unchanged. Another new detail: the blue reflections of the Crystallium applied to the headlights. At the rear, the lights change only in the richer trims, like ours: they have an intricate internal pattern inspired by the Superb, and they break in the innermost part.
Between Laura and ChatGPT
Much more noticeable changes are inside, where it is now possible to have different Design selections and sustainable materials, including eco-friendly treated leather. However, the Sportline of my test is sportier, with more rigid and supportive seats and dual upholstery, in denim-like fabric and leather.
The novelties revolve around the technological component. The standard equipment includes a customizable 10-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10.1-inch infotainment system.
Optionally, there is a 13-inch infotainment display (the one in the test, see photo) with new, more intuitive software, faster and smoother functioning, and an updated navigator. Laura, the voice assistant, remains, but it seems that by the end of the year ChatGPT will also be available on the Skoda Octavia.
The car still wins in practicality: some versions have an integrated umbrella holder in the door panels, a tablet support to attach to the back of the front seats to entertain rear passengers, a convenient bin useful for snacks, non-slip smartphone bases, storage compartments, sunshades, and storage pockets of all sizes. Connectivity-wise, there are 4 USB-C ports, two in the front and two in the rear, and wireless compatibility with CarPlay and Android Auto.
Specific details of the Sportline include a three-spoke steering wheel instead of two, metal pedals, and the aforementioned seats.
Find me such fuel consumption!
In terms of drivability, it hasn’t changed from before. However, at first glance, I found it quieter, perhaps due to some intervention on the chassis or simply better materials.
When you drive a low and sleek car like this, without batteries, you immediately appreciate the lightness, ergonomics, and sense of pleasure it conveys even when it is not a sporty car. After all, the diesel engine does not lie, and the 360 N/m of torque ensures perfect acceleration, slightly reduced in Eco mode, very smooth in Sport. The other two driving modes are Normal, the most used, and Individual.
In terms of comfort, there is an updated ADAS suite, with a better-defined and color head-up display directly on the windshield, a blind-spot sensor, and adaptive cruise control with Stop & Go, which is very convenient: it not only recognizes other vehicles, projecting them onto the head-up display and distinguishing them by size, but also recognizes intersections, traffic lights, and roundabouts, slowing down to a stop. It also adapts the speed perfectly when speed limits change. Furthermore, the various ADAS do not make the car beep crazily, which is a significant detail these days.
Skoda also improves the drowsiness and attention detector. No longer Driver Alert but Attention and Drowsiness Alert. Among the parameters examined to alert the driver, besides the inputs detected by the power steering, is also the intervention of Lane Assist, indicating a car dangerously and frequently approaching the lane limits. Additionally, Remote Park Assist is available, allowing parking maneuvers to be performed from outside the vehicle via an app and Bluetooth connection to the car.
Noteworthy are the fuel consumption figures. In my long first contact, I drove through Vienna’s ring road with traffic, on straight roads, and in the beautiful hills between Lower Austria and South Moravia in the Czech Republic, with excellent values: I achieved less than 4 liters per 100 km, with minimum peaks of 3.5 liters per 100 km and maximums of 5.2, mostly uphill and in sport mode. This reconfirms the 2.0 TDI as an excellence of the group, also thanks to a range that never dropped below 700 km.
THE OTHER ENGINES
Besides the 2.0 TDI with 115 or 150 HP (115 HP is not available in Denmark), the Octavia has an entire range of updated engines. The 1.5 TSI petrol engine with 115 or 150 HP is only internal combustion with a 6-speed manual gearbox or mild hybrid combined with the 7-speed DSG. Danish market offers only the DSG versions.
In 2025, the new 2.0 TSI with 204 HP (20 more) and four-wheel drive, always with DSG7, and the new Octavia RS with 265 HP and 360 N/m of torque will also arrive.
