A New Chapter - Skoda Singapore

[tjyand]

3 minutes ago, RogerNg_185295 said:

You left out the reliability part.

I can’t attest to the reliability until I’ve had and driven the car a few years. I definitely hope to be able to come back in 5 years time to say how reliable the car is for sure 😊

[Carbon82]

8 hours ago, fungyee77 said:

https://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/motoring/four-door-war

ST Comparison between the Octavia and the Altis published yesterday. 

Good that they picked Octavia for the comparison but not a well written piece with a lazy conclusion, in my view.

Octavia is significantly more powerful (4.7s differential 0-100 is almost unheard of within the same segment), has better fuel economy, has meaningfully more space all around, has better everyday tech (Bolero system), is a better driver's car (no CVT) and yet it is a tie because the Corolla has electric drivers seats... 🤦‍♂️😂

I am seeing that it was a strategic move by ST to pit the latest Altis against an Octavia. To begin with, it is already an unfair advantage to Altis by comparing it with an 8 year old model, not to mention the article wrote that the current (outgoing) Octavia was launched here in 2018, potentially misleading uninformed readers that it is just a 2 year old model! If a brand new generation Altis cannot edge out against an outgoing model ("There is no clear winner" - cited from the article), there is simply so much to say about the Octavia, regardless of latest or outgoing model. 

Agree with you that it was a poorly written piece, with lot of details just taken off technical specifications, rather than real life comparison. It is pretty obvious that the 2 journalists were trying hard not to offend BM, by finding something to write about the new Altis... 

For those who cannot assess the "Premium" article, here's the details of the review.

 

War of the sedans: Toyota Corolla Altis versus the Skoda Octavia

Crossovers may be popular, but sedans are still the mainstay of the car population in Singapore.

The Straits Times pits two sedans, each priced at around $110,000, against each other.

The Toyota Corolla Altis and its predecessors have been a ubiquitous sight here for decades, while the Skoda Octavia is an upstart that returned to the Singapore market just two years ago.

THE CARS
The Toyota Corolla is the world's best-selling car.

Launched in 1966, the current 12th-generation model went on sale here in January after it was unveiled at the Singapore Motorshow.

The Altis sets the benchmark for mid-sized sedans.

Czech carmaker Skoda's Octavia sedan has been around since 1996, but is a rare sight here because of Skoda's on-off presence in Singapore.

The current third-generation model was launched here in 2018 with a 1-litre engine when the brand returned to Singapore, but the variant was not price-competitive because it attracted a $10,000 pollution penalty. It was soon withdrawn from the showroom.

The current variant with a 1.4-litre does not attract any pollution surcharge.

SIZE
The Octavia is fractionally bigger than the Altis in length (4,670mm versus 4,630mm), width (1,814mm versus 1,780mm) and height (1,461mm versus 1,435mm). These dimensions give the Octavia a slightly bigger presence on the road.

But the Octavia's 2,680mm wheelbase is slightly shorter than the Altis' 2,700mm. The 20mm difference may not seem much on paper, but translates into slightly more cabin space in the Altis.

In terms of boot space, the Octavia's 590 litres is significantly larger than the Altis' 490 litres. The Altis' stowage is already reasonably generous, but if you foresee major cargo-lugging duties, the Czech wins.

LOOKS
While the Octavia may have a bigger road presence, it is the Altis that catches the eye.

It is modern-looking with a completely new front bumper styling that resembles The Mandalorian in the Star Wars Web television spin-off.

From the rear and sides, the Altis looks like a Camry, its larger sedan sibling.

The Octavia, on the other hand, is more staid and understated, which may make it more evergreen than the Altis in the long run.

INTERIOR AND EQUIPMENT
The Altis' cabin is zen-like and clutter-free. Drivers will be struck by the absence of buttons at the centre console.

The infotainment system is a 7-inch touchcreen, and steering-mounted buttons allow drivers to control multiple functions.

The Octavia's cabin is equally fuss-free. Its infotainment system is intuitive and integrated with the climate control panel, giving the car a clean and upmarket feel.

In terms of features, the Octavia has two advantages over the Altis.

Its touchscreen display is not only bigger than the Altis' (8-inch versus 7-inch), but it also has a built-in tyre pressure monitoring system that detects loss in tyre pressures.

But its seats have to be adjusted manually, compared with the Altis' electrically adjustable driver seat.

It also does not have a kick-boot sensor where drivers can open the boot with a kicking motion below the rear bumper. This feature in the Altis is useful for drivers who need to open the boot when their hands are full.

PERFORMANCE
The Octavia has a clear edge over the Altis in performance. It has a smaller power plant (1.4 litres versus 1.6 litres), but it is turbocharged. Hence it puts out 148bhp and 250Nm versus the normally aspirated Toyota's 129bhp and 159Nm.

This translates into quicker acceleration - 8.2 seconds for the century sprint, compared with the Toyota's 12.9 seconds - and a higher top speed of 219kmh, versus the Altis' 190kmh.

On the move, the Altis has a more refined powertrain. Even on full throttle, the engine does not sound overly harsh.

However, enthusiastic drivers will take a while to warm up to the Altis' continuously variable transmission. Accelerating to expressway speeds with a heavy right foot raises an audible whine.

If you want to avoid that, you have to coax it gently up to a trot. And by then, many vehicles would often have overtaken it.

The Octavia behaves differently. While its Japanese counterpart is meant to be driven at a leisurely pace, the Skoda can be driven like a sporty car - thanks to its refined seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox.

But the Altis is the car to pick for a more comfortable and serene drive. There is less road roar from its Michelin Primacy tyres compared with the sporty Dunlop Sport Maxx worn by the Octavia.

The Altis also has the edge in ride quality - it is not too hard nor too soft, whereas the Octavia has a decidedly firmer ride.

In terms of fuel consumption, the Altis averaged about 9 litres/100km, which is higher than the official 6.4 litres/100km.

Surprisingly, the Octavia also averaged 9 litres/100km, against its official figure of 5.2 litres.

In real life, the Octavia is thus more impressive in this department since it dishes out better performance than the Altis. It also attracts a lower road tax than the Toyota.

CONCLUSION
There is no clear winner.

The appeal of each car will depend on which aspects the driver prefers.

The Altis is likely to remain the default choice for most drivers because of the sheer pull of the Toyota brand and its reputation for dependability. It is a well-equipped all-rounder, even though it is not a driver's car.

Keen drivers who do not want to sacrifice driving fun when performing family-ferrying duties ought to look at the Octavia. It is within the Altis' price range and offers the same spaciousness and practicality.

Be it the Altis or Octavia, both are sound choices in their own right.

[tjyand]

6 hours ago, Carbon82 said:

I am seeing that it was a strategic move by ST to pit the latest Altis against an Octavia. To begin with, it is already an unfair advantage to Altis by comparing it with an 8 year old model, not to mention the article wrote that the current (outgoing) Octavia was launched here in 2018, potentially misleading uninformed readers that it is just a 2 year old model! If a brand new generation Altis cannot edge out against an outgoing model ("There is no clear winner" - cited from the article), there is simply so much to say about the Octavia, regardless of latest or outgoing model. 

Agree with you that it was a poorly written piece, with lot of details just taken off technical specifications, rather than real life comparison. It is pretty obvious that the 2 journalists were trying hard not to offend BM, by finding something to write about the new Altis... 

Maybe I should have waited for the new model rather than such an old model 😬😬

oh well, budget and time constraints mean that can’t get the perfect dream car all the time so we make do. Is this what all you experienced car owners deal with as well? 

[fungyee77]

6 minutes ago, Carbon82 said:

I am seeing that it was a strategic move by ST to pit the latest Altis against an Octavia. To begin with, it is already an unfair advantage to Altis by comparing it with an 8 year old model, not to mention that the article wrote that the current (outgoing) Octavia was launched here in 2018, potentially misleading uninformed readers that it is just a 2 year old model! If a brand new generation Altis cannot edge out against an outgoing model ("There is no clear winner" - cited from the article), there is simply so much to say about the Octavia, regardless of latest or outgoing model. 

Agree with you that it is a poorly written piece, with lot of details just taken off technical specifications, rather than real life comparison. It is pretty obvious that the 2 journalists were trying hard not to offend BM, by finding something to write about the new Altis... 

Yep, my thoughts exactly.  

I find it hard to believe that the Altis has better space inside than Octavia, despite the longer wheelbase.  Makes me wonder if he actually sat in the cars or just read the tech sheet like you said. 

And if they were trying to appease BM,  why would they not mention the biggest positive the Altis has, which is its suite of active safety features ?  If anything, that is a more tangible advantage than electric driver's seat.  In any case, very sloppy job overall, which raises unnecessary questions of bias for ST. 

[TangoCharlie]

6 hours ago, Carbon82 said:

I am seeing that it was a strategic move by ST to pit the latest Altis against an Octavia. To begin with, it is already an unfair advantage to Altis by comparing it with an 8 year old model, not to mention the article wrote that the current (outgoing) Octavia was launched here in 2018, potentially misleading uninformed readers that it is just a 2 year old model! If a brand new generation Altis cannot edge out against an outgoing model ("There is no clear winner" - cited from the article), there is simply so much to say about the Octavia, regardless of latest or outgoing model. 

Agree with you that it was a poorly written piece, with lot of details just taken off technical specifications, rather than real life comparison. It is pretty obvious that the 2 journalists were trying hard not to offend BM, by finding something to write about the new Altis... 

 

Yup, it's advertising dollars talking....2 years back superb lost to Mazda 6 in the mid sized sedan category.

That year kodiaq won the car of the year, octy and superb were  finalists in their respective categories.

Haha

[minion]

On 10/2/2020 at 11:30 AM, tjyand said:

So I have been considering an Octavia since end August. At that time, also considered the Seat Toledo, Toyota Vios, Honda Jazz/City. Even though the Octavia was out of reach based on the budget set by my (still lovely) wife, told her I would not want to drive any other car and I would rather wait and hope COE falls and run the risk we might have to take public transport if COE went up instead. For background, we have all along been happy with public transport but after she conceived, we felt we needed a car to send infant to childcare in the morning before we went to work. Recently, my budget got raised (by my even lovelier wife). At the same time, @AriesGoathappened to follow up with me. Took this as a sign and booked an Octavia AP. Here are a few thoughts on the process

Engine- Objectively, more powerful than Toledo, Vios, Jazz/City, even the Civic which we also test drove. Objectively, good throttle response, fast upshifting via DSG gearbox, and I particularly enjoyed the part of the test drive when we were given a long incline to accelerate upwards (within the speed limit of course!), and the long highway towards Science Park from Queensway. the acceleration uphill was smooth, and the car went through the gears smoothly without any trouble at all. Really liked how there was no delay in moving up the gears (not sure if you guys know what I mean - sometimes when you drive uphill, there is a particular gear where the car seems stuck at. did not have that issue with the Octavia). Overall, plenty of power on tap, and felt that the gearbox did a great job in translating the power to the wheels. 

Cabin, ride, handling- The cabin just felt more classy than the other cars. Felt more.. luxurious (even though the Octavia is the lowest end Skoda in SG) compared to the other cars. For example, the infotainment unit was nicely integrated into the dash, unlike the aftermarket units fitted into the hondas and the toyotas. even on the civic, the display felt like a tablet planted onto the dashboard. didnt feel like it belonged there. nice steering wheel, and great driving dynamics and position. In fact, drive felt very similar to my mum's A3 which I have been driving for almost 4 years and in fact it felt better due to the Octavia's engine being tuned higher. Sound insulation was very good, and better than all the other cars we tested. However, I didn't like that there was no virtual cockpit, no nav available, no electric seats. Also, the handling around the corners felt..soft...the rear end of the car looked.. old... plus, felt weird to buy a car knowing that a new version is coming up soon.

SE- saved the best for last. We were not the easiest buyers, and we did try our best to bring the price down. there were many rounds of offers..counteroffers.. and even after we confirmed the purchase, a slight hiccup (the value of the open cat COE used was lower than was represented to us). Never felt paiseh to negotiate with @AriesGoat, ask for stuff, and never felt for one moment that he was judging us. also felt that he was as honest as he could be with us. a lot of times, the other SEs we met were willing to say anything to get us interested. Can sense other SEs losing interest or getting exasperated after we negotiated with them. lets not even go to the attitudes of the used car salesmen haha. With @AriesGoat, we felt that we could trust him, and that he was there to help us as a friend, rather than trying to push a sale onto us. he also specially made a trip back to Alexandria on his day off for us to do extra paperwork due to a complication on our end. in summary, we were extremely lucky being first time buyers to have him as an SE. As they say, we are glad our "first time" was him 🤣 Our first ever car, scary of the huge outlay and how to manage, but glad it is the Octavia. 

Next step, collection. I must say, having read about all the experiences of @minion@LYC @Ody_2004 @Fu11thr0tt1e @TangoCharlie(?) @Thaiyotakamli(?) with aftersales and with damaged cars upon collection, scared already. 

Thanks to everyone on this thread for sharing their views and experiences with the Skoda. Must admit, up to 4 months ago, never even heard of Skoda, or even considered it as a option for car purchase. In this case, the car sold itself, and Aries did the rest. 

My car is serving well, cheers!

[Shouyi]

2 hours ago, tjyand said:

I feel the lack of electric seats (especially in the AP model I booked) is quite a shortcoming. Imagine, if it had electric seats the Octavia would be unbeatable against other cars in its segment. I don’t think adding electric seats would affect the OMV significantly either. 

 

For eg it is already better than the A3 not to mention the civic, Altis, mazda3. Better engine power, better cabin space, better driving dynamics (at least to me), better price (almost 15k less). Only thing it loses out in is the cabin and features. An electric memory seat would really take the cake. 

 

If the door panels are covered in stitched leather instead of hard plastic, it would increase the cabin ambience by a notch. Quality of plastics in other parts of the cabin is great.

[badlammy]

23 minutes ago, Shouyi said:

If the door panels are covered in stitched leather instead of hard plastic, it would increase the cabin ambience by a notch. Quality of plastics in other parts of the cabin is great.

Over time, hard plastics win. Sometimes must appreciate it.

[berry64694]

5 hours ago, tjyand said:

Maybe I should have waited for the new model rather than such an old model 😬😬

oh well, budget and time constraints mean that can’t get the perfect dream car all the time so we make do. Is this what all you experienced car owners deal with as well? 

haha bro, i remember you mention somewhere you have a budget that barely make it for the current octavia ambition and you wanna wait and buy the new octavia?

want good, want new, want cheap, want fast. 😂 

singaporean drivers are difficult to please. 

[Fcw75]

36 minutes ago, berry64694 said:

haha bro, i remember you mention somewhere you have a budget that barely make it for the current octavia ambition and you wanna wait and buy the new octavia?

want good, want new, want cheap, want fast. 😂 

singaporean drivers are difficult to please. 

He has already bought the current Octavia. 

[tjyand]

1 hour ago, berry64694 said:

haha bro, i remember you mention somewhere you have a budget that barely make it for the current octavia ambition and you wanna wait and buy the new octavia?

want good, want new, want cheap, want fast. 😂 

singaporean drivers are difficult to please. 

Precisely I mentioned there was a trade off which I had to accept, so I went for the current model. Not a perfect solution but that was because my budget was limited. 

[Thunderboiz]

Hi everyone have recently bought a second hand skoda rapid spaceback and am really loving the ride so far. Excited to be part of this community, just wanted to check with other owners if our car comes with automatic folding mirrors? Because I distinctly remember seeing it during the test drive but not anymore now 

[Beanoyip]

New Skoda Superb Sportline coming to Australia. Let's see if the equivalent will arrive in SG as well..

https://www.caradvice.com.au/890905/2021-skoda-superb-sportline-and-superb-scout-confirmed-for-australia/

 

[badlammy]

5 hours ago, Thunderboiz said:

Hi everyone have recently bought a second hand skoda rapid spaceback and am really loving the ride so far. Excited to be part of this community, just wanted to check with other owners if our car comes with automatic folding mirrors? Because I distinctly remember seeing it during the test drive but not anymore now 

Did you try checking the menu under vehicle>mirror and wiper to see if it was disabled?

[Sdf4786k]

On 10/4/2020 at 6:38 PM, tjyand said:

Precisely I mentioned there was a trade off which I had to accept, so I went for the current model. Not a perfect solution but that was because my budget was limited. 

you got one of the 5 units of 99K special or less offer?

 

 

[VDub_Golf]

On 10/2/2020 at 11:30 AM, tjyand said:

So I have been considering an Octavia since end August. At that time, also considered the Seat Toledo, Toyota Vios, Honda Jazz/City. Even though the Octavia was out of reach based on the budget set by my (still lovely) wife, told her I would not want to drive any other car and I would rather wait and hope COE falls and run the risk we might have to take public transport if COE went up instead. For background, we have all along been happy with public transport but after she conceived, we felt we needed a car to send infant to childcare in the morning before we went to work. Recently, my budget got raised (by my even lovelier wife). At the same time, @AriesGoathappened to follow up with me. Took this as a sign and booked an Octavia AP. Here are a few thoughts on the process

Engine- Objectively, more powerful than Toledo, Vios, Jazz/City, even the Civic which we also test drove. Objectively, good throttle response, fast upshifting via DSG gearbox, and I particularly enjoyed the part of the test drive when we were given a long incline to accelerate upwards (within the speed limit of course!), and the long highway towards Science Park from Queensway. the acceleration uphill was smooth, and the car went through the gears smoothly without any trouble at all. Really liked how there was no delay in moving up the gears (not sure if you guys know what I mean - sometimes when you drive uphill, there is a particular gear where the car seems stuck at. did not have that issue with the Octavia). Overall, plenty of power on tap, and felt that the gearbox did a great job in translating the power to the wheels. 

Cabin, ride, handling- The cabin just felt more classy than the other cars. Felt more.. luxurious (even though the Octavia is the lowest end Skoda in SG) compared to the other cars. For example, the infotainment unit was nicely integrated into the dash, unlike the aftermarket units fitted into the hondas and the toyotas. even on the civic, the display felt like a tablet planted onto the dashboard. didnt feel like it belonged there. nice steering wheel, and great driving dynamics and position. In fact, drive felt very similar to my mum's A3 which I have been driving for almost 4 years and in fact it felt better due to the Octavia's engine being tuned higher. Sound insulation was very good, and better than all the other cars we tested. However, I didn't like that there was no virtual cockpit, no nav available, no electric seats. Also, the handling around the corners felt..soft...the rear end of the car looked.. old... plus, felt weird to buy a car knowing that a new version is coming up soon.

SE- saved the best for last. We were not the easiest buyers, and we did try our best to bring the price down. there were many rounds of offers..counteroffers.. and even after we confirmed the purchase, a slight hiccup (the value of the open cat COE used was lower than was represented to us). Never felt paiseh to negotiate with @AriesGoat, ask for stuff, and never felt for one moment that he was judging us. also felt that he was as honest as he could be with us. a lot of times, the other SEs we met were willing to say anything to get us interested. Can sense other SEs losing interest or getting exasperated after we negotiated with them. lets not even go to the attitudes of the used car salesmen haha. With @AriesGoat, we felt that we could trust him, and that he was there to help us as a friend, rather than trying to push a sale onto us. he also specially made a trip back to Alexandria on his day off for us to do extra paperwork due to a complication on our end. in summary, we were extremely lucky being first time buyers to have him as an SE. As they say, we are glad our "first time" was him 🤣 Our first ever car, scary of the huge outlay and how to manage, but glad it is the Octavia. 

Next step, collection. I must say, having read about all the experiences of @minion@LYC @Ody_2004 @Fu11thr0tt1e @TangoCharlie(?) @Thaiyotakamli(?) with aftersales and with damaged cars upon collection, scared already. 

Thanks to everyone on this thread for sharing their views and experiences with the Skoda. Must admit, up to 4 months ago, never even heard of Skoda, or even considered it as a option for car purchase. In this case, the car sold itself, and Aries did the rest. 

Congratulations to your new ride bro! Nice review of this Octavia too.😀

[VDub_Golf]

On 10/4/2020 at 10:49 AM, tjyand said:

Maybe I should have waited for the new model rather than such an old model 😬😬

oh well, budget and time constraints mean that can’t get the perfect dream car all the time so we make do. Is this what all you experienced car owners deal with as well? 

Enjoy the ride bro . 😉 U will know when to upgrade when u have the extra cash and the right car model that comes along the way again. Meanwhile, stay safe driving on the road as it is rainy season.

[tjyand]

1 hour ago, VDub_Golf said:

Congratulations to your new ride bro! Nice review of this Octavia too.😀

Thank you bro! Appreciate your sharing with me earlier on about the merits of this car!