By Stewart Smith on 2017-01-12 - Stewart was the former motoring editor of the Coventry Telegraph and is now a freelance contributor to Eurekar. He is based in Scotland and specialises in First Drive reviews.
Latest Skoda Octavia
set for UK
SKODA has revealed its third generation Octavia which features new body design, engine line-up and the latest infotainment kit and safety features.
The Octavia is Skoda's top seller and since its launch in 1996 the Czech car maker, part of the VW group, has produced more than five million models.
The large compact car made up more than 40 per cent of Skoda's total sales worldwide with 436,000 vehicles sold. In the UK the Octavia enjoyed its best ever year with 23,068 registrations, up two per cent on 2015.
As far as outward design goes the latest Octavia comes with a new front end with wider radiator grille, which has been expanded by introducing additional headlights plus even wider air inlets with honeycomb structure in the redesigned bumper.
As an option, the headlights are available in full-LED technology with adaptive front headlights.
The new Octavia is also wider and longer than before offering more interior space and the interior now features a multifunction display. while the air-conditioning controls have been retouched slightly.
Subtle optional lighting units in the doors provide an ambient glow which can be adjusted to one of ten different colours.
When it comes to interior space, the Octavia hatchback and estate continue to set benchmarks. Their boot capacities measure 590 and 610 litres respectively, and with the back seats folded down it's 1,580 and 1,740 litres. For the estate, an electric tailgate is available as an option.
Infotainment systems in the new Octavia are part of a new generation with the option of eight or nine-inch navigation systems plus Wi-Fi hotspot.
Other online services, including remote access to the car, operate using the Skoda Connect app on your smartphone.
To assist the driver the Octavia comes with a range of standard and optional gear including trailer assist, blind spot detect, rear traffic alert, city emergency braking function and park assist.
The range of engines consists of two TSI engines and three TDI engines with power ranges from 115bhp to 184bhp.
Besides manual gearboxes, DSG transmissions with six speeds are available for almost all of the engines.
At the top end of the upgraded Octavia range are two vRS engine variants - the 2.0 TSI petrol and the 2.0 TDI diesel.
For the Octavia RS 2.0 TSI, the power output has been increased to 230bhp, the top speed is 155mph.
The 184bhp 2.0 TDI has a claimed fuel consumption of 62.8 mpg on the combined cycle with 115 grams of CO2/km. The performance-oriented vRS is available with a six-speed manual gearbox or a six-speed DSG transmission.
Prices and on-sale date have yet to be announced but may be around the end of March, and the entry level price is likely to be around £17,000.
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