Škoda Octavia

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Škoda Octavia

Manufacturer	Škoda Auto
Parent company	Volkswagen Group
Production	1996–present
Class	Small family car
Layout	Front engine, front-wheel drive / four-wheel drive
Platform	Volkswagen Group A platform series

The Škoda Octavia is a small family car produced by Czech automaker Škoda Auto since 1996, its name revived from a model originally produced between 1959 and 1971. The current Octavia is available in five-door hatchback and station wagon

Škoda Octavia Mk1 (1U)

Also called	Škoda Octavia Tour/Drive (in markets where Mk. II was introduced in 2004)
Production	1996-present
Assembly	Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic
Body style(s)	5-door hatchback(Liftback or Hatchback Sedan) 5-door estate
Platform	Volkswagen Group A4 (PQ34) platform
Engine(s)	1.4 I4 44kW (AMD) 1.4 I4 16v 55kW (AXP/BCA) 1.6 I4 55kW (AEE) 1.6 I4 74kW (AEH/AKL) 1.6 I4 75kW (AVU/BFQ) 1.8 I4 20v 92kW (AGN) 1.8 I4 20v Turbo 110kW (AGU/ARZ/ARX/AUM) 1.8 I4 20v Turbo RS 132kW (AUQ) 2.0 I4 85kW (AEG/APK/AQY/AZJ/AZJ) 1.9 I4 SDI 50kW (AGP/AQM) 1.9 I4 TDI 66kW (AGR/ALH) 1.9 I4 TDI 74kW (ATD/AXR) 1.9 I4 TDI 81kW (AHF/ASV) 1.9 I4 TDI 96kW (ASZ)
Transmission(s)	4-speed automatic 5-speed manual 6-speed manual
Related	Audi A3 (8L) Mk1 Audi S3 Audi TT SEAT León Mk1 SEAT Toledo Mk2 VW Golf Mk4 Volkswagen Bora Volkswagen New Beetle

Skoda Octavia Tour Taxi in Israel

The first generation Octavia was released in 1996 and was built on the Volkswagen Group A4 (PQ34) platform.

United Kingdom sales began in 1998 and the large car was an instant success with buyers who appreciated its solidity, refinement and value for money, though it could not quite match the success of established large family car favourites.^{[citation needed]} The car was widely used in the U.K taxi trade, due the large number of private hire drivers who used the vehicle due to its low price, space and reliability.

The first generation Octavia had a facelift in 2000^[1] and is still manufactured and marketed in some markets, even though the second generation was introduced in 2004. In Germany, and other parts of West Europe, as well as Asia, the older model is marketed as the Octavia Tour, while the newer model is marketed as the Octavia. In some markets, the first-generation Octavia is still known as Octavia, and the newer model is referred to as the new Octavia, Octavia5 (Greece) or Laura (India). The major improvements in the new model are the independent rear suspension and improved interior (in space, design and quality of materials).

The original Octavia also featured a 4x4 wheel drive version both for liftback and estate models, the former being more popoular, and was using the Haldex Traction clutch just as every other Volkswagen Group A Platform based car (Golf IV, Audi A3 and Seat Leon Cupra R4). It had higher ground clearance and a bigger fuel tank - 63-litre (17 US gal; 14 imp gal) compared to the 55 L (15 US gal; 12 imp gal) standard front wheel drive versions. The 4x4 option was only available for 1.8T 150 bhp (112 kW; 152 PS) petrol engine, the 1.9TDI 90 bhp (67 kW; 91 PS) both coupled with 5-speed manual gearbox and the 1.9TDI-PD(Pumpe-duse) 100 bhp (75 kW; 101 PS) version which came with 6-speed manual gearbox.

The other 6-speed manual model was the 1.9 TDI-PD 131 bhp (98 kW; 133 PS) only available with front-wheel drive.

The vRS, being the top-level and quickest specification, is a 1.8-litre I4 turbocharged engine which produces 180 bhp (134 kW; 182 PS), similar to the Audi TT's first engine. Skoda made a limited number of 100 WRC Replica Cars worldwide in 2002, these differ from normal vRS Octavias, as they are produced in white, have rally decals and have additional accessories as standard (such as ESP, xenon lights, heated front seats). The vRS model was also popular with the UK police as both a traffic car and as an unmarked (Q-car), due to its low cost, reliability, performance, and understated styling.

Engines

The engines used are the same as for many other cars in the Volkswagen Group.

Octavia Mk2 (Typ 1Z) (2004-present)

Škoda Octavia Mk2 (1Z)

Also called	Škoda Octavia II, Škoda Octavia5, Škoda Laura
Production	March 2004–present
Assembly	Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic Kaluga, Russia Bratislava, Slovakia Shanghai, China Solomonovo, Ukraine Vrchlabi, Czech Republic
Body style(s)	5-door hatchback(Liftback or Hatchback Sedan) 5-door estate
Platform	Volkswagen Group A5 (PQ35)
Engine(s)	Petrol engines: 1.3 L I4 1.4 L I4 16v 1.4 L I4 TFSI 1.6 L I4 1.6 L I4 FSI 1.8 L I4 TFSI 2.0 L I4 FSI 2.0 L I4 TFSI Diesel engines: 1.6 L I4 TDI 1.9 L I4 TDI 2.0 L I4 TDI
Transmission(s)	5-speed manual 6-speed manual 6-speed automatic 6-speed DSG 7-speed DSG
Wheelbase	2,578 mm (101.5 in)
Length	4,569 mm (179.9 in)
Width	1,769 mm (69.6 in)
Height	hatchback: 1,468 mm (57.8 in) estate: 1,490 mm (58.7 in)
Related	Audi A3 (8P) Mk2 SEAT León Mk2 SEAT Toledo Mk3 SEAT Altea VW Golf Mk5 VW Jetta Mk5

2004-2008 Škoda Octavia II

The second generation was introduced in March 2004, based on the Volkswagen Group A5 (PQ35) platform also used by other Volkswagen Group cars, including the Audi A3 II, VW Golf Mk5, VW Jetta Mk5, SEAT León II, SEAT Altea, VW Golf Plus, VW Touran and VW Tiguan. Along with a new internal combustion engine range, also shared with other models of the Volkswagen Group, body changes included more legroom for rear seat passengers (a weak point in the original model) and increased ground clearance at front and rear to reduce the risk of grounding on steep ramps or facing kerbs.

In addition to the Czech factories in Mladá Boleslav and Vrchlabi, from 2008 the Octavia has also been produced at a factory in Bratislava, Slovakia,^[2] as well as Shanghai (under the joint venture of Shanghai Volkswagen).^[3]

In India, the second-generation Octavia is marketed as the Laura to distinguish it from the first generation.^[4] The car is marketed in a segment higher, and is sold alongside the pre-gen octavia.

There are two four-wheel drive versions of the Octavia - the 4x4 and the Scout, both featuring a Haldex Traction four-wheel drive system, based on a computer-controlled clutch centre coupling. The two models both have higher ground clearance than the standard Octavia - increased by 24 millimetres (0.9 in) for the 4x4 and 40 millimetres (1.6 in) for the Scout. The Scout (announced 2006^[5]) is only available with the estate body style, and has some SUV crossover style exterior modifications such as larger bumpers.

Engines

There are several internal combustion engine options available:^[6]

Notes:

1. Designed specially for Lithuania police department. From outside it appears like 2.0 FSI with minor differences
2. Badged 1.8 TSI in some countries
3. Diesel particulate filter available as option
4. Diesel particulate filter not available

Trim levels

In the UK the Octavia is available in these trim levels: Classic, Ambiente, 4x4 (Estate only), Elegance, Laurin & Klement, Scout 4x4 (Estate only), and vRS. All models come with four airbags, electric front windows, air conditioning, central locking and Anti-lock Braking System.

2009 facelift

Škoda Octavia 2009 facelift

A facelifted version was launched in 2009, after being formally unveiled at the 2008 Paris Motor Show.^[7]

The modifications to the facelift include aesthetic exterior changes, mechanical changes and interior features.^[8] Externally, the designs of the headlights and bumpers were revised. There were some changes to the range of available engines and manual / automatic gearboxes, with the 1.4 TSI and 1.8 TSI engines and seven-speed Direct-Shift Gearbox (DSG) transmission available for the first time. Inside the car, the stereo and steering wheels were revised, along with some of the interior trim.

Photos of the facelifted model can be viewed at the Skoda International website: http://new.skoda-auto.com/com/model/newoctavia/gallery/pictures/Pages/gallery.aspx?pageIndex=1

Comparisons

The German automobile TV show Auto, Motor und Sport compared the Škoda Octavia with its cousin, the Volkswagen Golf Mk5, and concluded that the Škoda Octavia was slightly better than the Volkswagen Golf owing to a little more interior space and other specific ergonomics, better build quality, better drivability, and a lower price.

In their 2006 survey, the British automobile magazine and TV/radio show Top Gear placed the first-generation Octavia into 3rd place, and described it as a "masterpiece of dependability". The second generation was too new to be included in the survey.

The British automobile magazine Auto Express awarded to the second-generation Octavia the gold medal in their prestigious Driver Power top 100, stating that it is "the UK’s most satisfying car to own in 2007" and that it "has bettered every other car on sale in the UK".

Along with other Škodas, the Czech-built Octavia has been a markedly reliable vehicle – more so than the Audi A3 and Volkswagen Golf, with which it shares platforms. In 2006, Warranty Direct, a UK-based provider of mechanical warranties for used cars, rated Škoda the top manufacturer (above Mazda and Honda), while Audi came seventh from bottom. The Octavia specifically had a reliability index of 32.74 (lower being more reliable), while the Golf produced over the same period was 87.28, and the Audi A3 99.43.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Škoda Octavia

• Škoda Auto official website
• Škoda Octavia website