Skoda Octavia 2009 Pictures

Skoda Octavia 2009 Pictures High Res

     

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Hitting the next Octave

Solid, stylish and very sensible. Skoda’s latest Octavia moves all the offerings of the original to a new level.

By JD Van Zyl

The Octavia is no stranger to UK roads. First launched in the UK in 1998, the original version of this bread-and-butter model sold over a million units and has cast a rock solid foundation for the Czech company’s modern success.

But the Octavia didn’t only sell well, it’s owners also rank among the happiest. In the annual JD Power Owner Satisfaction Poll Skoda has consistently ranked among the Top 10 manufacturers for the most satisfied owners in the UK.

In the model-specific JD Power polls, the Octavia came in at an impressive number 13, outranking stalwarts like the BMW 5-Series and 3-Series, Mercedes C-Class and Audi TT. So how do you improve on a model that has been such a resounding success for the company? In the case of the Octavia by staying true to everything that makes it great and just changing enough to keep the model fresh and appealing.

What does it look like then?

There is no denying that the new Octavia takes strongly after the flagship Superb, most noticeable with its larger and sleekly curved headlight clusters. The Octavia also gets a chunky new grille to further bring it in line with other new-look Skoda’s and gains larger side mirrors, a new body-coloured rear bumper and redesigned tail lights.
These aren’t enormous changes, that is true, but Skoda is taking the route of efficient evolution to make sure the Octavia, first launched in 2004, looks fresh for the second half of its lifecycle, rather than changing for the sake of change.
Is this also the case on the inside?
Mostly, yes. The interior still looks very similar to that of the outgoing model, but now sports some key improvements to add to its wow attraction. There is the new steering wheel that has been nicked from the Superb (on DSG models it comes with paddles), modernised instrumentation lit by LED and an excellent new Bolero entertainment system with 6.5-inch touch screen display (on all models except the entry-level S-range).
The Octavia’s cabin has never been the most exciting in the market and the latest model is no different, but it appeals in much the same way as VW interiors and the overall feel is one of solidity and high quality finishing.

And under its metal skin?

The models that benefit from the biggest amount of technical changes is the 4x4 Octavia and Octavia Scout which gets a new 4th Generation Haldex clutch system. Especially handy for winter driving and if you live where paved roads turn to muddy tracks, this always-on system doesn’t require you to engage any tricky differentials and functions completely automatically.

On a good dry road 96 percent of the available power is sent to the front wheels. If the system detects the front wheels are struggling for grip it quickly shifts the power to the rear wheels or to any one of the four wheels that has the best traction.

What about the rest of the range?

All engines, both petrol and diesel, are now available with DSG. Previously only diesel-powered Octavia’s benefited from this system which can function as a fully automated transmission or a manual tiptronic. Skoda and Octavia have managed to greatly improve the efficiency of this system and on some models (1.4 TSI and 1.8TSI) its fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are actually lower than that of the manual gearbox version.

The really big changes, however, are in the engine compartment with new 122bhp 1.4 TSI and 160bhp 1.8 TSI petrol engines available for the first time, replacing the dated 1.6-litre petrol engine. Unfortunately our test Octavia SE 2.0 TDI (along with the rest of the diesel range except for the racy vRS) is still powered by the old-generation Pumpe Duese VW derv engines which can be noisy at times, instead of the newer and cleaner common rail powersources.
Even so, this engine remains versatile with plenty of grunt (max torque is 320Nm at 1,750rpm) and decent maximum power of 140bhp. It accelerates from 0 to 62mph in 9.6 second and manages a combined fuel consumption of 51.4mpg and CO2 emissions of 145g/km, which is pretty much the average for this class. The only area where it really falls short when compared to the 2.0 TDI Common Rail VW Golf, is on the CO2 front with the Volkswagen emitting only 129g/km which slots it into VED Tax band D, compared to the Skoda’s band F.

So taking all that into account, how does it drive?

The Octavia feels well-planted and solid on twisty roads, and it’s easy to manage its slight inclination to oversteer. Overall ride is also comfortable and although not as quiet on the motorway as its VW Passat cousin, the Octavia impresses with its overall driveability. Standard specification on our (second after entry-level) SE trimmed test car was also high with 15-inch alloys, Bolero touch-screen entertainment system, halogen headlights, front and side airbags for driver and passenger and ABS with anti-slip regulation and brake assist.

You don’t buy an Octavia because you are after the most exhilarating model on the marlet, but because it makes sense, because it ticks all the practical boxes and because it comes with a very attractive price tag. With that in mind the new Octavia excels, and with prices starting from £11,540 it remains a value option that is very hard to trump.

Tech Specs
Engine: 2.0 TDI PD
Power: 140bhp @ 4,000rpm
Torque: 320Nm @ 1,750rpm
Max speed: 129mph
0-62mph: 9.6 seconds
Urban consumption: 40.4mpg
Extra urban: 60.1mpg
Combined: 51.4mpg
CO2 Emissions: 145g/km