2017 Skoda Octavia Facelift To Be Launched: 10 Things You Need To Know

The 2017 Skoda Octavia facelift has been launched in India at Rs. 15.49 lakh (ex-showroom). Currently in its third generation, this is the model's first mid-life cycle facelift and Skoda has indeed done an impressive job. It's launched in three variants and we've given you all the information regarding this. So, the 2017 Skoda Octavia facelift still remains a good value proposition in its segment, which already has some interesting players like the Hyundai Elantra, Volkswagen Jetta and the Toyota Corolla Altis. We recently drove the car in India and were truly impressed by its performance and feature offerings. While our review will tell you everything there is to know about the updated Skoda Octavia, to summarise it, here are 10 key things that you should know about the car.

1. Globally the Octavia brand has been present since 1996, but it only came to India in early 2002 that too in its first generation avatar. The first generation model had a successful run till 2010, which is when the Czech carmaker introduced the second-gen Octavia sedan.
2. In 2005, Skoda introduced the Laura sedan in India, which was globally launched as the second-generation model of the Octavia. Considering the premium nature of the car, Skoda India positioned the car above the first-gen Octavia and christened it Skoda Laura. Eventually, the car was discontinued in 2013 and the third-gen Skoda Octavia took its place in the full-size sedan space.
   

   The 2017 Skoda Octavia facelift is currently in its third generation
3. The Skoda Octavia is the Czech carmaker's best-selling car ever and it was just a couple of months back that the company rolled out the 1.5 millionth unit of the third generation Octavia from its main plant in the Czech Republic.
4. The new 2017 Skoda Octavia is the facelift of the third-gen model and comes with new styling upgrades and a host of new features to suit the modern trend. The 2017 model is built on the Volkswagen's versatile MQB platform.
   

   Skoda Octavia facelift comes with new styling and features
5. Visually, the updated Skoda Octavia's face is completely re-done with a new split-headlamp cluster that Skoda likes to call QuadraLED headlights because it's split into four compartments. There is that signature butterfly grille at the centre along with the LED daytime running lights and fog lamps on the bumper, which is all-new as well.
6. The cues borrowed from the new Skoda Superb gives the Octavia facelift sharper features, which are accentuated by the bold character lines, sculpted wheel arches, and some chrome highlights. The facelifted model also comes with a new set of alloy wheels. At the rear, the taillamps are LED units as well and the rear bumper is also revised.
7. The overall design of the cabin remains unchanged and the car still gets the dual tone light beige and black treatment. Having said that, the updated Octavia now comes with a new three-spoke multi-functional steering wheel as opposed to the four-spoke unit on the outgoing model.
   

   The 2017 Skoda Octavia's cabin is largely similar to the previous model
8. There's a 9-inch infotainment touchscreen, with capacitive touch which is better than the one on the previous model. There's Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and MirrorLink to pair your smartphone with and a new 'Boss Connect' app helps to control the infotainment system from the rear seat.
9. As far as safety is concerned, the top trim of the Octavia gets 8 airbags while the base trim gets 4 airbags, which are the dual airbags up front and at the sides. ABS, EBD and traction control are standard.
10. Under the hood, 2017 Skoda Octavia will continue to feature 1.8 TSI petrol engine that churns out 178 bhp and comes mated to a 7-speed DSG transmission, while a smaller 1.4 TSI motor which makes 147 bhp and is paired to a 6-speed manual gearbox. There is also the tried and tested 2.0 TDI diesel engine that produces 147 bhp and is mated to a 6-speed DSG transmission.

The outgoing Skoda Octavia was priced in the range of Rs. 15.64 lakh to Rs. 22.79 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). But, now with the Goods and Service Tax a.k.a. GST being implemented in India, we'll have a standard ex-showroom price for the facelifted model across India. Also, considering the taxes on cars like the Octavia have gone down by 12 per cent we expect to see some attractive pricing.