Those of you buying/ordering new Octavias?

[flynntech]

As the title says. We are entering 2011 and the mk2 Octavia has been around since 2004. Do you feel its starting to get a bit long in the tooth at this stage?

I can't bring myself to ordering a new one for that reason when there is so much fresher metal out there?

[vRS Carl]

I'm sure i read somewhere it is due for replacement in 2012/13.

But yeah i agree it does need a revamp.

But that's what most manufacturers do. Look at VW the MK5 Golf. Thas been around for about the same period and they made the MK6 which was a FL really by most accounts. The MK7 is due in 2012/13 iirc aswell

[Steve vRS]

I think the facelift estate looks good and still looks fresh but the hatch has always had an awkward rear 3/4 and C pillar.

Steve

Edited 22 September, 2010 by Steve vRS

[flynntech]

With the mk6 Golf VW changed most of the body panels except the roof. They even gave it a new dash and interior.

Skoda just changed the front panels on the Octavia.

The combi carries off the facelift a bit better I think.

[psycholist]

All that updating and the new Golf looks even more bland than the old one. The facelift Octy looks good, again apart from the rear quarter on the hatchback, which has never really looked good. Unless significant changes are in order (Better chassis, crash safety, stop start capability etc) bringing out a new Octy would be more change for the sake of change than a necessary improvement to the car's looks or function.

[bucksoctavia]

My pre-facelift is the best shape in my opinion!. Nice & unfussy looking car, without the muppetry that afflicts some other brands. I chose Skoda over the other brands because it was not too fresh looking. They seem to be losing their way IMHO.

I've had the latest BMWs etc in the past and always ended up disappointed. Too many pointless gadgets that invaribly go wrong & are out of date after a year or two. For example a £1200 satnav that is far inferior to an £80 TomTom you can pick up with the cornflakes at Sainsburys.

The latest Octavia's have DRL's, & ugly headlights & I understand a nanny state starting sequence like the VW Passat. These are the things that will put me off a new Skoda.

Low tech is the way to go!

[nick74]

My pre-facelift is the best shape in my opinion!. Nice & unfussy looking car, without the muppetry that afflicts some other brands. I chose Skoda over the other brands because it was not too fresh looking. They seem to be losing their way IMHO.

I've had the latest BMWs etc in the past and always ended up disappointed. Too many pointless gadgets that invaribly go wrong & are out of date after a year or two. For example a £1200 satnav that is far inferior to an £80 TomTom you can pick up with the cornflakes at Sainsburys.

The latest Octavia's have DRL's, & ugly headlights & I understand a nanny state starting sequence like the VW Passat. These are the things that will put me off a new Skoda.

Low tech is the way to go!

Completely agree. I bought my Octavia based on the equipment and features it didn't have!

I tend to buy my cars at 2-3 years old and keep them for years, doing the servicing myself after the warranty runs out. After having a common rail diesel previously that was a real pain in the rear, and my father having problems with a DPF on his (both PSA HDis) I wanted a diesel that was neither common rail or DPF. The Octavia TDi PD was the last large diesel hatchback I could find that was neither CR or DPF, and had a reasonable reputation for reliability.

[ednmra]

My pre-facelift is the best shape in my opinion!. Nice & unfussy looking car, without the muppetry that afflicts some other brands. I chose Skoda over the other brands because it was not too fresh looking. They seem to be losing their way IMHO.

I've had the latest BMWs etc in the past and always ended up disappointed. Too many pointless gadgets that invaribly go wrong & are out of date after a year or two. For example a £1200 satnav that is far inferior to an £80 TomTom you can pick up with the cornflakes at Sainsburys.

The latest Octavia's have DRL's, & ugly headlights & I understand a nanny state starting sequence like the VW Passat. These are the things that will put me off a new Skoda.

Low tech is the way to go!

Right! This applies to a lot of things - "newer" isn't necessarily better (e.g. buildings). It also applies to music, art etc. - good stuff is around generations later - the fashionable rubbish is gone within weeks.

In cars I think a good example is the Mondeo - the previous shape (Mk 2 ?) was clean, well balanced. The latest one has a somewhat noveau flashiness with odd bumps and shapes. I think that fashion runs out of (GOOD) ideas.

Headlights are coming out in odd shapes, some of the grills look like a sea monster with a wide open mouth! Macho? No, just daft - and ugly.

The thing to do is look at cars from years ago - which of them still look good? E.g. some classic sports cars still look great.

The Mk 2 Octy is well balanced and "clean". With decent wheels etc it looks classic and will hold those looks for quite some time.

But, as in most things, each to their own!!

[gregoir]

What's not to like about the "hatch"? It does not look like the usual truncated hatchback but is more akin to a saloon with the added bonus of a large load aperture.

My Hyundai SIII coupe had much the same rear design and was lauded for its Ferrari like beauty.

Edited 22 September, 2010 by gregoir

[WaveyDaveyGravy]

Don't be confused by the Mk 6 Golf, all they did was make it cheaper to build with the revision. That's why all the other cars on the platform got the facelifts instead.

[ednmra]

What's not to like about the "hatch"? It does not look like the usual truncated hatchback but is more akin to a saloon with the added bonus of a large load aperture.

My Hyundai SIII coupe had much the same rear design and was lauded for its Ferrari like beauty.

Exactly. And a lot of (the smaller) Ferraris will still look great in 50 years time or more. Some of the Dinos, and the present 360M coupe are just works of art (even if some of the earlier Dinos were reckoned to be made out of rusty drain pipes!)

But in-between they tried the 308........, not so good!!

Beauty in the eye of the beholder I guess.

[k.young]

Exactly. And a lot of (the smaller) Ferraris will still look great in 50 years time or more. Some of the Dinos, and the present 360M coupe are just works of art (even if some of the earlier Dinos were reckoned to be made out of rusty drain pipes!)

But in-between they tried the 308........, not so good!!

Beauty in the eye of the beholder I guess.

Off topic I know..........but the 308GTB/GTS will go down in history as one of the most iconic and recognisable Ferrari's. It was also what the MEGA 288 GTO was based on.

[EddGee]

I still think the MKII looks lovely.

I love the look of mine.

Look at the Audi TT been around for ages. A little cosmetic surgery here and there and still looks good.

Granted the Octavia is no sports coupe but it highlights the point that a good looking car always looks good.

I would'nt have ordered a FL if I did'nt love the shape.

[flynntech]

I think the facelift has kind of ruined the lines of the mk2. The front looks so much fussier and the rest is bland. I like my 06 because teh front matches the rest of the car.

As I said earlier the combi carries off the facelift better than the hatch.

[ednmra]

Off topic I know..........but the 308GTB/GTS will go down in history as one of the most iconic and recognisable Ferrari's. It was also what the MEGA 288 GTO was based on.

Well, like I said earlier, each to his own! A mate of mine prefers the Mk 1 Octy to either the Mk 2 or the face lift. I think the Mk 1 does look a bit dated but the Mk 2 doesn't.

(Re: Ferraris, I think the 328, 348 and 360 all look miles better than the 308 but everyone's opinion is valid!!)

[Anand.V]

The Golf M6 is essentially the same M5 but different body panels, thus a better facelift and not a model change. However, there is a new Jetta now in U.S which has a different (read cheaper) rear suspension and a different skin, in and out. I would much prefer the more functional old Jetta to the newer skinned less functional one. Hope, the Octavia II doesn't take this route. I too agree that pre-facelift looked better than the post but here in India, FL Octavia II (referred to as Laura here) came out with better engines, the 1.8 TSI and 2.0 CRDI in lieu of 1.9 PD of the original.

[Rhoobarb]

I don't think the design for the Mk2 is dated, Looking at the new cars that I see they all look the same, bland and boring, All copying each other and coming out with the same look.

The Mk2 has some the aggressive look of the Mk1, but with the elegance of some of the more luxury barges. The FL has spoiled it a bit with that front end.

[JonvRS]

I don't think the design for the Mk2 is dated, Looking at the new cars that I see they all look the same, bland and boring, All copying each other and coming out with the same look.

The Mk2 has some the aggressive look of the Mk1, but with the elegance of some of the more luxury barges. The FL has spoiled it a bit with that front end.

Still lots of models that are running from mid-2000s. The Audi A3, BMW 1 and 3 series, Volvo S40, Volkswagen Passat & Jetta. Some are due to get facelifts in the next few years, but others have not had theirs released yet.

Not sure what the new golf offers in terms of new technologies, my brief research showed not a lot. The FL model looks a far 'fresher' than the boxy model before. Its a reliable car with proven technology, not a Renault Megane!

[Rhoobarb]

Still lots of models that are running from mid-2000s. The Audi A3, BMW 1 and 3 series, Volvo S40, Volkswagen Passat & Jetta. Some are due to get facelifts in the next few years, but others have not had theirs released yet.

Not sure what the new golf offers in terms of new technologies, my brief research showed not a lot. The FL model looks a far 'fresher' than the boxy model before. Its a reliable car with proven technology, not a Renault Megane!

I guess the FL is a marmite deal, and totally irrelevant to the OP anyway as you wouldn't be able to get a pre-FL new (unless theres an odd one here or there hiding unsold)

The Octavia 1 looked very similar to the Bora/Jetta, but the Mk2 looks different enough not to really be confused with any other car IMO, if you saw one at range you couldnt really mistake it for something else. The next one might just look like the next Jetta with different light clusters.

My point being that manufacturers seem to be creating cars that look incredibly similar to maybe boost the image of their own. Look at the new Astra and Megane, they look the spitting image of the Scirocco, the last model megane was so original in its design, but now its just a carbon copy. The new peugeot looks like the TT, the new Lexus cars are copying BMW. Although Skoda seem to have taken a back step with the Fabia 2 looking like a non-descript Korean cheapo.

Even within their own model ranges they've lost creativity, i.e. the BMW X range, The Audi Q range. People have said that cars are starting to look the same for a good few years, but its only recently to me where the only difference seems to be the badge.

Maybe just my eyes are getting worse

Edited 27 September, 2010 by Rhoobarb

[ednmra]

Part of it is down to wind tunnel results and computerised design. Part of our views are probably rooted in our generation too.

I just saw one of the original Audi A4s go by and I prefer it to most of the current Audi shapes - it looked smart, neat, fuss-free and practical - to MY eyes.

A lot of today's cars look like something a kid would scribble up with a set of crayons, in order for it to take part in some futuristic TV programme!! (To MY eyes!!)