Skoda appears to be going from strength-to-strength in New Zealand. 

The brand recently had a run at New Zealand Car of the Year 2020 with their new Kamiq crossover, while Skoda Superb was selected by the New Zealand Police to replace the outgoing Holden Commodore for their patrol vehicles. 

With seemingly another vote of confidence for the New Zealand market, Skoda has announced the release of the 4th generation Octavia Wagon. 

The Octavia’s legacy dates back to 1996, being the close relative of the Volkswagen Golf.  Despite its economy car roots, the refreshed exterior and updated interior design of the 4th generation aims towards the ranks of the compact executive class. 

Upon arrival in New Zealand, the Octavia will initially be offered in two variants, the civilised Octavia Style and the hotted-up Octavia RS. The Octavia Scout will arrive later in the year.

On the outside, the new Octavia Wagon has increased 22mm in length and 15mm in width, giving the Octavia class leading boot capacity of 640L (up 30L). The front-end features new LED headlights, with Bi-LED matrix headlights available as an optional extra. 

The Style sits on 17’’ alloys, while the RS comes with 18’’ wheels with red brake callipers.  Other RS visual upgrades include unique fog lights, front and rear diffusers, an RS specific grille, plus blacked-out exterior trims.

Three new metallic paint colours (two blues, one black) have been added to the Octavia range bringing the total number of colour options to 13.

Inside, the Octavia Wagon offers a 10-inch infotainment system, which can be operated using gesture control or using voice via the Laura ŠKODA Digital Assistant. The 4th generation Octavia uses shift-by-wire technology to operate the transmission, electronically selecting the gears.  The conventional gear lever has been dropped in favour of rocker switch.   

Skoda’s keyless entry system (KESSY) can now operate on any of the Octavia’s four doors. An optional heads-up display is available, as is Skoda’s tri-zone climate control.

Two turbocharged petrol engines will be offered in the Octavia at launch. The Octavia Style will run a 1.4L 4-cylinder TSI engine producing 110kW of power and 250Nm of torque, paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission.  The feistier Octavia RS will run a 2.0L 4-cylinder TSI engine producing 180kW of power and 250Nm of torque, paired with a 7-speed DSG. This allows the Octavia RS to achieve 0-100kph in 6.7 seconds.

Claimed combined fuel economy of the Style is 5.7L/100km, while the RS achieves a respectable 6.6L/100km. CO₂ emissions are reduced to just 131 g/km and 151 g/km respectively.

Of course this wouldn’t be the 21st century without emphasis on safety.  Fortunately, the Octavia range appears to have that well covered with a range of safety tech available.

Adaptive Cruise Control, front and rear parking sensors, Crew Protect Assist with proactive crash protection, Lane Assist with Auto Light Assist, Front Assist with warning and braking reaction to vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists, along with up to 10 airbags depending on model variant. 

Other new safety features include Area View, Side Assist with exit warning and Adaptive Lane Assist and Emergency Assist.

The outcome of having this suite of safety tech means that the Octavia earns a 5-star Euro NCAP rating. 

The Octavia Style starts at $47,990, while the Octavia RS starts at $57,990.  Scout pricing is yet to be confirmed.  Each comes with Skoda’s 5-year/150,000km mechanical warranty. 

Both Octavia Wagon and RS wagon are due to arrive in New Zealand in March 2021, with the Octavia Scout due to arrive in the second quarter.

Full details on the new 4th generation Octavia can be found on Skoda New Zealand’s website

Drivelife looks forward to testing out the new Octavia Wagon. 

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