On a Dutch forum I came across someone who claims that Skoda have changed the 2.0 engine sometime during 2002/'03, and says it now feels not a lot different to the Octy's 1.6 16v engine.

Still, I haven't heard of such a thing and am backed up by all the car sites and Skoda importer sites that still mention the good old 170 Nm @ 2400 rpm max torque we know from the old GTI engine, which makes it very "meaty" to drive.

But now he mentions that his instruction booklet claims a torque of 172 Nm @ 3500 rpm - if that's true that's very convincing information supporting an engine change or upgrade.

It would also fit with my own latest experience of a 2.0 engine that seemed noisier and less torquey than the one from 2001 I drove a while ago.

OTOH, a max torque at the same level as the old one but at much higher revs should mean that the max power should be higher too and can't still be 115 hp?

I'm puzzled...

It's probably just a subtle software improvement as apart from the fairly rare 16v version of the 2.0l used in the Golf and Ibiza it is the same engine underneath.

Allow me to interject.........

a 2.0 engine that seemed noisier and less torquey than the one from 2001 I drove a while ago.

First off, I didn't realise you;d taken my car for a spin. How did you manage that........

As the only 2.0 Octavia owner on the forum (though I will accept correction if I'm wrong!), I can confirm that the engine in question has NOT been fiddled with to alter it's characteristics.

From extensive conversations with the dealer at the time of purchase and even more extensive association with Golf GTI MkII and MkIII owners over the last 8 years, I can assure you that the torque has always been 170 @ 2400rpm. It has always been the 8 valve unit rather than the 16v. the 16v, while smoother in some respects, lost ground in performance.

The engine has essentially been around for over a decade without any changes in it's spec and operation, and with it's transplant into the Furby, it'll probably be around for another ten. Shame really.

As one of the filthiest, thirstiest non-turbo'd, non-performance motor's I know, i reckon it should have been laid to rest several years ago........

The 2.0 Fabia seems 'smoother' than my 1.8T Octavia though !!!

(Yes I know its older and slower but it seems very ecomical so far?!)

I now tend to believe that there are two versions of the 8v, as the official figures for the Superb 2.0 are indeed 115 hp/5400 rpm (instead of 5200 rpm) and 172 Nm/3500 rpm (instead of 170 Nm / 2400 rpm). The compression rate is also different, down to 10.3:1 from 10.5:1, and the new motor is significantly less thirsty too!

Skoda.nl doesn't quote engine specs, but skoda.de does, and while the old specs are still found with the Fabia, the new ones are quoted for the Superb...

And now this Dutch owner is quoting precisely these figures from his 2003 Octavia 2.0 booklet!

So I wasn't dreaming when I felt and heard a difference between the '04 Octy 2.0 and the quieter and torquier '01 2.0 I recently drove.

Not researched the recent Skoda 2.0 engine specs , I had one in a 1999 Octavia and found it fine. The 2.0 passat used the same 8v 115bhp engiine for a while but then they switched to a newer Audi unit, Skoda continued at the time to use the 115bhp 8v unit