After a long delay the the mk4 sedan and wagon (estate) has had a limited release here in Australia with more tech and substantial price increases

New Skoda Octavia: Full Australian details - carsales.com.au

 

The RS 245 version has the expected 2.0tsi and 7 speed wet DSG option.  No hybrid version and no manual (sob).

The 'base' version has the old 1.4tsi engine with an 8 speed Aisin torque converter transmission. No 1.0tsi Octavia ever released here, no hybrid, and no manual (double sob).

 

The Australian 1.4tsi/TC combination is or will be available on Karoq, the mk8 Golf and now the Octavia, and is probably an experiment to overcome resistance to the dry DSG which is blighted by a horror run a few years from incorrect lubricant spec and ongoing issues where local drivers wear out clutch packs driving them like torque converter boxes in slow traffic.

Interestingly the 1.5tsi and dry dsg is available in the recently released (here) Scala and the Kamiq. Only the Kamiq 1.0tsi has a manual version.

 

Note that Australian politics is about 10 to 15 years behind the rest of the world regarding recognition and reaction to global warming so no incentives for reduced emission. Our vehicles still only need to comply with Euro 5 standards.

 

 

Edited 18 February, 20215 yr by Gerrycan

I drove a Canada spec. Passat with the 8-speed TQ box in 2019, quite liked it although I've always preferred a manual for normal driving. I think the gap has closed a bit now with reduced engine-braking from the micro-hybrids.