Skoda has launched the facelifted Octavia with prices starting at Rs 15.50 lakh for the base 1.4 petrol Ambition variant. The Octavia diesel range starts at Rs 16.9 lakh.  

With this facelift, Skoda has given the Octavia a new front-end with a striking quad headlamp design treatment, with higher trims getting adaptive, full-LED lighting with an auto high-beam function. There are some other styling tweaks too, including a reworked bonnet, revised bumpers and tail-lamps.

The new facelift features equipment such as a hands-free parking function, panoramic sunroof with remote operation, 12-way electric-adjust driver seat with memory, navigation and a driver fatigue monitoring system as per trim levels. The highlight, however, is the new 8.0-inch high-resolution touchscreen infotainment system that now features Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and MirrorLink compatibility.

Skoda continues to offer the choice of three engines and three gearboxes, as before. These include a 2.0 litre diesel mated to a six-speed manual or a six-speed DSG, and two petrols – a 1.4 and 1.8 TSI. The smaller engine option is mated to a six-speed manual only, while the larger 1.8 unit gets a seven-speed DSG gearbox.

The facelifted Octavia rivals the likes of the Corolla Altis, Hyundai Elantra and the Volkswagen Jetta.