After a lot of anticipation and delays, Skoda finally launched the 2021 Octavia in India last week. What was a shocker and a let down for many was its price. Starting from INR 25.99 lakh for the Style variant and going up to INR 28.99 lakh (ex-showroom) for the top-spec Laurent&Klement variant, the new Skoda Octavia is pretty expensive for its class. To give you a perspective, the Octavia's only rival, the similarly-sized Hyundai Elantra, is priced between INR 17.85 - 21.12 lakh (ex-showroom).
Although the new Octavia is clearly priced out of its comfort zone, Skoda does justify that price tag with top-notch features and a very premium cabin. Step inside the new Octy and you will know where your money has gone. If you cover the badge on the steering wheel, it feels almost as premium as some entry-level German luxury cars. It's not just the quality and premium feeling interior, but Skoda has also generously equipped the new Octavia with lots of features.
However, it must be pointed out that the new Octavia misses out on a few important features which are very much expected at this price point. And the biggest miss in this regard has been a sunroof, something which Indians really love, even though it is not the most suited for our climate conditions. To make matter worse, even the Hyundai Elantra comes with a single-pane sunroof. In fact, you will find full panoramic sunroofs in some similarly priced SUVs or even in much more affordable SUVs, and that highlights the lack even more.
In terms of design, the interior of the new Octavia is dominated by the floating touchscreen and most buttons have been replaced with touch-based controls. The dashboard has a beautiful layered design and Skoda’s new two-spoke steering wheel with knurled scroll wheels is also a great highlight of the new Octavia. The 2021 Skoda Octavia is powered by VW Group's 2.0L TSI engine. This engine already does duty on the Skoda Superb and it produces 190 hp and 320 Nm of torque. It solely comes mated to a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox.
