Skoda Octavia long term review first report

There’s a newcomer in our fleet — the Skoda Octavia. Here’s a car that’s as adept at transporting you in luxurious comfort in the back seat as it is at giving you a serious thrill from behind the wheel. 

 

Of course, it’s the latter we are more enthusiastic about, and with 178bhp under the right foot, every free-spirited drive on an open stretch of road is nothing short of an event. It’s the reason I quickly grabbed the keys as soon as the car made its first appearance at our office. Using a combination of stealth and downright cunning even a big cat would be proud of, I was in the car and out the gate before anyone was the wiser. 

 

 

Excited, I headed home, imagining a quick traffic-free run. What I got instead was kilometre upon kilometre of Mumbai’s finest bumper-to-bumper traffic.  

 

At least the environment I was in was very comfortable. The big driver’s seat is nothing short of exceptional. Large, with plenty of back and thigh support, it has that spacious, comfortable feel only a full-sized sedan like this can deliver. What also adds to the feel-good factor is the quality of this new cabin. The way the vents are built, the fit-and-finish of the dash, the high-grade plastics and the chrome highlights all work together to deliver something special.

 

 

The wide touchscreen on the central console, well-thought-out and detailed in the information it provides, is a joy to use when driving. The only annoying bit is that the Octavia, especially in Sport, can seem a bit over-eager in traffic, chomping at the bit and straining at the leash every time you caress the throttle.