Punchy engine, creamy suspension, our
2.0 TDI Octavia is a big boon
Our Octavia was off for two weeks this
month, to feature in another magazine’s comparison test, and as a replacement I
got to use a 1.8 TSI Octavia with the DSG gearbox. Turns out, in the real
world, the 1.8 TSI is barely any quicker than our 2.0-litre diesel. In fact,
with the strong turbo push on the diesel, it actually feels quicker – now
that’s something I didn’t expect to say! The petrol also gets an independent
rear suspension and it was only when we went to the back roads near Panshet on
the outskirts of Pune, where we do our tarmac rally testing, that we noticed
the independent rear made for a more planted back-end when pushing hard on
those bumpy roads. Otherwise, in most other situations, there isn’t much
perceptible difference in handling.
The
exterior styling of the new Skoda Octavia might not strike you in pictures but
when you see one on the road, you are bound to admire the clean lines
Our diesel Octavia came back in time to
head to Nashik for the Rally of Maharashtra – the cavernous boot loaded with
our rally kit, four of us lounging in comfort in the spacious cabin. With a
meeting scheduled in Mumbai, we had the pleasure of avoiding the horrendous
Pune-Nashik road on the way there, but were not so lucky on the way back.
The
interiors are well laid out and the simplicity of the exterior continues on the
inside to
That’s where the punchy engine shines,
shooting into gaps, making quick passes and the suspension allowing one to put
two wheels in the dirt to cut past lumbering trucks. It took four hours to do
those 200-odd kilometres, most of it agonising, but in any other car it would
have taken longer and we’d have been worse for wear by the time we got home.
Seat
cushions are flat but the driving position is comfortable
One thing that’s not so good on our Octavia
are the headlamps that just aren’t powerful enough. The 1.8 TSI’s xenons are
way better, but that said, if the Tata Ace can get blindingly bright headlamps
why can’t these cars? Also, in some places the build quality leaves a bit to be
desired – on the 1.8 TSI, the steering wheel audio control was so loose, it’s
only a matter of time before it falls off.
The
rear seat offers generous amounts of legroom and the increase in wheelbase is
immediately apparent
In Nashik, I used the Octavia for
reconnaissance of the stages and it was a good thing to have a manual gearbox.
With notes from last year we breezed through recce, just making small
corrections to the notes, about where corners could and couldn’t be cut, and
taking particular care to mark out the crests. And with the frugality of the
diesel engine, we did the recce, ran around in Nashik, drove back to Pune with
a quarter tank of fuel remaining. What a fabulous car.
