Skoda has revealed the facelifted Octavia.
Easiest of all the design changes to spot on the new car are its head lights. These now come as LED-only items as standard, however, customers will also get the option to specify them as second-generation LED Matrix beam items. These new LED Matrix lights not only get a new light signature, but also come with what Skoda terms is a new Crystallinium element that makes them look like coloured crystal glass.
Look closer still and you'll spot that the car's grille has been redesigned to match the height of these new lights, while the car's lower air intakes, Air Curtains and transitions to the front wheel arches on the front apron have been redesigned in a bid to give the Octavia a more dynamic look compared to its predecessor.
In the cabin, the changes to the Skoda Octavia are more apparent.
You'll notice that the car now gets a free-standing centrally-mounted infotainment screen, as we have seen in the interiors of the new Volkswagen Tiguan and soon-to-be-revealed Golf. In this Skoda, this screen takes the form of a 10-inch item, although a 13-inch screen can also be specified. This updated Skoda Octavia also now features the AI-based ChatGPT chatbot integrated into its Laura voice assistant system as standard.
Higher trim level cars will also now feature a 15W Phone Box in their cabins, which offers a cooling function as well as inductive fast-charging of smartphones.
Petrol-burning drivetrain options for the new Skoda Octavia include a 1.5-litre engine paired with 48V mild hybrid technology. This configuration can deliver either 113bhp or 148bhp and utilises both active cylinder deactivation technology as well as a variable geometry turbocharger. The Octavia will also continue to be offered with its 2.0-litre engine, however, this drivetrain now produces a total of 201bhp.
But for those looking for more power still, the Skoda Octavia RS has also been updated, now delivering a total of 261bhp. Skoda has additionally updated the software of this engine, allowing it to deliver a more powerful sound alongside increased revs on start-up.
This engine comes paired to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission as well as an electronically controlled limited-slip differential. As before, the front grille, window frames and the wing mirrors of the Octavia RS are finished in high-gloss black, while the car now gets black tailpipes as standard.
In the cabin, the Skoda Octavia RS also gets the larger 13-inch infotainment system, while its sports seats with integrated headrests (complete with a new RS logo) make use of quilted fabric and feature red decorative stitching on their bolsters.
