Skoda Octavia Facelift Revealed; India-Bound In 2017

Skoda has unveiled the facelift of the Octavia. This, the 2017 Skoda Octavia will be launched by the end of this year in international markets and deliveries will begin in early 2017. We are expected to get this facelift – which comes with minor updates on the exterior and some equipment change inside – later in 2017. As far as the cost is concerned, it will witness a minor bump and the competition will remain the same with the Toyota Corolla Altis, Hyundai Elantra and the Chevrolet Cruze.

The overall design of the 2017 sedan remains identical to the current models. The facelifted sedan gets a new front face with split LED headlamps. This feature largely distinguishes the new model from the current one, which has conventional units. The DRLs are the same underlying units, but are split with the headlamps. There are also minor tweaks to the grille, air dam, fog lamps and bumper to make the car look new and fresh.

The look of the rear remains almost identical to the current model, with minor tweaks in the bumper and the LED tail lamps. From the side, the two models remain identical, with the shoulder line shooting up near the C-pillar. The alloy wheels range from 16 to 18 inches and come in numerous new designs.

Inside, the cabin is much the same, with a new steering wheel and minor tweaks to the instrument cluster. It even gets the latest generation of infotainment systems from Skoda, which has a massive 9.2-inch glass design display. It features 'Skoda Connect', which provides connectivity with mobile and online services.

Additionally, the top system has a WLAN hotspot which can work with a SIM card with an LTE network to enable a fast Internet connection. The parking assistant has been further optimised. A rear radar has been added, which acts as a blind-spot detection and rear-traffic–alert tool to ensure safe lane changes.

Additional features in the new Octavia include a heated steering wheel, folding tables on the back of the front seats, bottle holders and a system that allows multiple users to save their own vehicle settings. The interiors remain as spacious as ever. For the number crunchers, the Octavia has 1782mm of interior space and 73mm of legroom in the rear. The luggage compartment holds 590 litres and, with the rear seats folded, it measures 1580 litres.

In terms of engines, the Octavia will have five TSI and four TDI engines in the international market. These units will have better performance and lower fuel consumption. Their displacements range from 1.0- to 2.0-litre and the output range begins at 85PS and ends at 186PS. Almost all engines will come mated to a six- or seven-speed DSG transmission, in addition to a manual transmission. The 1.8-litre TSI petrol and the 2.0-litre TDI diesel will come with a 4×4 configuration. The cars will further feature the 'Dynamic Chassis Control' (DCC), which lets the driver choose between Comfort, Normal and Sport modes.

The Octavia is, by far, the Skoda's best-selling model. In the last 20 years, since the reintroduction of the model in 1996, five million cars have been sold all over the world. We are waiting eagerly to get this update in India and to check out if Skoda has been able to further perfect an already amazing product.

Also Read: Facelifted Skoda Rapid Launching On November 3

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