The Octavia is the latest addition to our long-term fleet. It has already racked up quite a few kilometres and, in the process, brought a wide grin to our faces.
Frustrated by the drive home the previous day, I woke early the next morning to get some quality ‘foot-down’ time with our new Octy. I was appropriately rewarded. The searing pace of the car, throttle pinned to the rug, seemed to work better than a double shot of espresso.
What that short drive also did was help plan a slightly longer excursion on better roads. On the weekend, I pointed the car’s nicely chiselled nose in the direction of Nasik, India’s wine capital. The wide, open roads up to the plateau, however, provided a another kind of satisfaction. Using full throttle here for longer periods transformed the Octavia 1.8 TSI into a completely different animal — it absolutely gobbled up the almost-empty highway.
The seven-speed, twin-clutch gearbox felt right at home on the open twisting road to Nasik, delivering plenty of snappy shifts. Paddle shifters, however, are sorely missed here; come on, Skoda, this car costs over Rs 20 lakh.
It certainly has all the grip and poise of a thoroughbred sedan. It feels rock-solid through long sweeping corners on the Kasara ghat, and it’s even super stable over broken surfaces. Yes, the steering is a bit light, but the kind of poise and positive turn-in it manages even under hard braking speaks volumes.
Our Octavia has been pampering backseat passengers as well. My parents, who usually don’t even notice which car they are in, really found the Octavia to be comfortable. My six-foot-tall dad was pleasantly surprised with the amount of legroom at the rear and noted that even the ride was very forgiving for the most part.
This is a car for those of you who know your onions. The 1.8 turbo petrol motor can swill a fair amount of 91 octane when pulled really hard. The build, though still fantastic, is not quite as solid as the earlier car, but all that is soon forgotten as soon as you drive it or experience the levels
of luxury it offers in the back.
Our first month with our new Skoda has been nothing short of fantastic.
AMEYA DANDEKAR