The new 2021 Skoda Octavia in its standard form will make its India debut in May this year
Skoda recently took the covers off the new Octavia Pro which is essentially a long wheelbase version of the upcoming fourth generation Octavia. The executive sedan made its debut in China a few days ago and has been developed exclusively for the Chinese market keeping in mind the high demand for chauffeur-driven vehicles in the country.
Compared to the standard fourth-gen Octavia that made its debut in Europe late last year, Octavia Pro comes with a longer wheelbase and more creature comforts to make it a luxury offering. Speaking of its dimensions, it is 64mm longer than the standard Octavia and adds 44mm to its wheelbase.
Exterior Design
Overall, its length and wheelbase stand at 4,753mm and 2,730mm respectively. It is only 116mm shorter than the 4,869mm long Super sedan which is a segment above. Width, however, remains unchanged at 1,829 mm.
They also feature a few exterior visual enhancements such as a front grille embellished in chrome and an RS-style front bumper with honeycomb mesh air intakes in order to differentiate from the regular model. Other exterior enhancements include blacked-out wing mirrors, a black roof and 18-inch alloy wheels.
Interior & Features on offer
Sporty highlights are carried inside on the car’s interiors as well with red accents in contrast stitching. The cabin is finished in an all-black treatment with brushed-chrome highlights. The lengthened wheelbase frees up more legroom for the rear seat occupants.
Instead of a two-spoke steering wheel as in the standard sedan, Octavia Pro is offered with a three-spoke unit. It also comes with a larger 12-inch touchscreen infotainment unit as opposed to a 10.1-inch unit in the regular model.
Apart from this, all other features from the new standard Octavia have been carried forward to Octavia Pro. These include a freestanding centre display, three-zone climate control, virtual cockpit instrument cluster, head-up display, connected-car tech, a panoramic sunroof, etc. Along with this it also receives a host of ADAS features such as adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist, lane change assist and rear cross-traffic alert to name a few.
Powertrain Specs
Octavia Pro is powered by a 1.4 TSI turbo petrol engine that pumps out 148 bhp and 250 Nm of peak torque. This unit is mated to a 7-speed DSG automatic gearbox as standard and comes with Volkswagen Group’s shift by wire technology that allows manual gear selection with a small rocker switch on the centre console. Further, Octavia Pro is equipped with a more sophisticated multi-link rear suspension.
This iteration of Skoda Octavia is unlikely to make it to Indian shores anytime soon. Although India will get the standard new-gen Octavia which is slated to launch by May this year. It is likely to be offered with two powertrain options- a 1.5-litre TSI petrol mill and a 2.0-litre TSI petrol unit. The former is good enough for 148 bhp and 250 Nm of torque while the latter will cranks out 187 bhp and 350 Nm of peak torque. Both units will be mated to a 7-speed DSG as standard.