On February 14, Skoda unveiled the new Octavia with a mid-term facelift, with a new front face and interior design, and further improved equipment. The car is still available as a hatchback, station wagon, and four configurations: Essence, Selection, Sportline, and RS.
In the front part, the middle grille has been changed from a single-spoke chrome waterfall to a double-spoke glossy black waterfall, and the second-generation LED adaptive headlights on both sides have also added a double 7-character daytime running light strip, and the inner structure is further integrated with the middle grille, and has 36 independent matrix units to achieve a more accurate high-beam anti-glare effect. The front envelope of the standard version adopts a through-type style + rhombic lattice grid, and the air ducts on both sides are redesigned to make it more three-dimensional. If you choose the RS version, not only the grille and headlamp cavities have been blackened, but the front bumper has also been replaced with a three-section opening.
The air ducts on both sides have been changed to a triangular shape, and the upper chamfered surface also shows a full sense of sharpness. There are no major changes to the side sections, with major minor tweaks, such as fine-tuning the exterior mirrors and a variety of new wheel styles (16-19 inches). At the rear, the tail light cavity and rear surround profile have been changed, and the RS not only blackens the logo and antenna, but also adds air ducts on both sides, and the bottom also retains a total of two blackened exhausts on both sides.
The biggest changes to the interior are the replacement of the two-spoke multifunction steering wheel, the addition of a sliding lid to the cup holders, the use of more sustainable fabrics, and the upgrade of the in-vehicle system. The low configuration is equipped with a 10.25-inch LCD instrument + 10.25-inch central control touch screen as standard, and the high configuration is upgraded to a 13-inch car machine. The built-in Laura voice assistant can also be connected to ChatGPT to provide more natural voice communication. In terms of equipment, the new car not only offers 15W wireless charging in the front and multiple 45W C-ports, but also has optional side sunshades, heated seats and zonal air conditioning in the rear.
In addition, the entry-level version comes standard with dual-zone air conditioning, and the high configuration is equipped with optional front seat ventilation/massage. The front seats of some Selection versions also feature AGR-certified ergonomic seats with certified embroidery. However, friends who like luxury style may be disappointed, because the luxury-oriented L&K version has been canceled, and the lowest configuration of the 1.0TSI three-cylinder version has also been canceled, which means that Skoda will focus on the mid-to-high-end +1.5T four-cylinder version, and the product lineup will be further reduced.
As for the power, the gasoline version is available with 1.5TSI low power (85kW/220Nm), 1.5TSI high power (110kW/250Nm), 2.0TSI (150kW/320Nm), and 2.0TSI RS (195kW/370Nm) options, of which the 1.5T version can also be equipped with an optional mild hybrid system, matched with a 6MT/7DSG gearbox, 2.0TSI standard four-wheel drive system, and the rest of the models are matched with a front-wheel drive +7DSG gearbox. The diesel version is available with 2.0TDI low power (85kW, 300N·m) + 6MT and 2.0TDI high power (110kW, 360N·m) + 7DSG. As for the plug-in hybrid version, it may take a little longer to be announced.