Skoda Octavia

20.89 lakh (ex-showroom, India) We say: The new Octavia gets a new face and some new trick bits. there are some mechanical changes too

- Ashok George

Costa Rica is a tiny country in Central America. There are roughly five million people who live in Costa Rica. What’s the relevance? Well, if Skoda had sold only Octavias in Costa Rica, by now, every single person in that country would have been driving one. I’m just trying to make a point – the Octavia is Skoda’s most popular model ever. It’s also one of the best-selling cars in the world! And that’s been true for India as well. Ever since it was first introduced here, the Octavia has had immense amounts of success. It’s always been a great driver’s car (remember the vRS?) with all the creature comforts you could ask for. But now, there’s a new Octavia on the block. Does it have what it takes to replicate the same kind of success?

To start with, the front end is all new. New air-dams, new headlights, new foglamps, new hood. The overall idea was to add some muscle to the design and this has worked. The sculpted bumper and other minute design changes give the car more character. The most glaring change is the headlight. The new unit gets a split design that separates the high and low beams. The DRLs are still present and so are the fog lamps that double up as cornering lamps. The design itself is rather polarising and will take some getting used to. That said, it isn’t bad to look at and will stand out in a crowd.