New 2020 Skoda Octavia revealed with hybrid engines
Skoda has revealed its new Octavia - with bigger dimensions, a premium interior and a range of engines, including mild and plug-in hybrids. Prices are expected to start in the region of £20,000 when it goes on sale early next year.
Unsurprisingly, the latest Octavia takes a similar approach to the new Volkswagen Golf - a car with which it shares its underpinnings. By moving upmarket and growing in size, the Octavia is distancing itself from Skoda's recent Ford Focus rival, the Scala.
>>New Volkswagen Golf: Germany's famous family hatch goes hybrid for 2020
The interior is noticeably classier than its predecessor, with an abundance of soft-touch materials, a touchscreen infotainment display in the centre of the dash (available in sizes from 8.25 to 10 inches) and LED ambient lighting. Massage seats are available as an option, as is a head-up display - a first for Skoda. Buyers can also select an updated 10.25-inch virtual cockpit digital display instead of conventional dials.
Available as both a hatchback or estate, the Octavia continues to be one of the most practical offerings on the market. The hatch has a 600-litre boot (up 10 litres compared to its predecessor), while the estate has 640 litres of luggage space (up 30 litres).
In terms of engines, buyers are offered the usual 1.0- and 1.5-litre petrols, now available with mild hybrid tech (provided you opt for the DSG automatic gearbox). This uses a 48-volt belt-driven starter motor and lithium-ion battery pack to recuperate energy normally lost under braking, allowing the car to coast with the engine off at certain revs.
There's also a 2.0-litre turbodiesel, available with a variety of power outputs from 116 to 200PS, while a plug-in hybrid combines a 1.4-litre petrol engine with an electric motor. Badged the Octavia iV, this produces a total of 204PS and uses a 13kWh battery to provide an official range of up to 34 miles when fully charged.
For the first time, the DSG automatic gearboxes uses shift-by-wire technology to electronically transmit the driver's gear selection to the transmission. This means there's a small rocker switch for selecting drive modes on the centre console in place of the conventional DSG lever.
Full LED matrix headlights are now offered as an option, while high spec models will get LED tail lights as standard. There's a host of safety systems including collision avoidance assist, turn assist and a local traffic warning function. Up to nine airbags are fitted as standard.
Being a Skoda, the new Octavia also comes packed with what the brand calls 'Simply Clever' features. These include smartphone storage pockets in the front seatbacks, an umbrella and hand brush in the front doors and a funnel integrated into the lid of the windscreen washer tank.
Prices for the new Skoda Octavia are yet to be confirmed but we'd expect it to start from around £20,000 - making it marginally more expensive than the outgoing car. We'll find out more ahead of orders opening early in 2020.
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