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2010 Skoda Octavia: Octavia gets a facelift!
The Skoda Octavia hit the market in the year 1996 for the first time and is still under production till date. The Octavia falls under the category of small family cars, and the latest gen. models are designed based on the Octavia that was used during the period 1959 to 1971. The vehicle is produced by the Skoda Auto, which is a subsidiary company of Volkswagen group.
The present Octavia is available in 5-door estate and in hatchback body styles. The vehicle shares its platform and several components of the Volkswagen Golf and Jetta models. In the markets of China, the Octavia is marketed as a saloon (Due to the notchback liftback style, it appears to be a saloon.) Now, the Octavia will finally get a facelift and the images of 2010 Octavia that it will be better than ever before!
The vehicle comes in the layout of front engine provided with the front wheel and four wheel drive. It is designed based on the platform of Volkswagen Group A platform series.
The Octavia models were released in two generations. The first model released in the year 1996 was named as Octavia MK1, also called as Skoda Octavia Tour. The vehicle was available in both the 5-door estate and hatchback models. The vehicle was built based on the Volkswagen Group A4 platform.
The engines offered in the Octavia include 1.4 liter I4, 1.9 liter I4 TDI, 1.4 liter I4 with 16 valves, 1.9 liter I4 SDI, 1.6 liter I4, 1.8 liter I4 with 20 valves and the 1.8 liter I4 turbo charged engine. The vehicle was offered in 5-speed and 6-speed manual and the 4-speed automatic transmissions. The model was related to the Volkswagen Bora, Audi A3 MK1, VW Golf MK4, SEAT Leon MK1 and the SEAT Toledo MK2 vehicles.
Though the vehicle could not match the success of vehicles like Opel Vectra, Ford Mondeo and Peugeot 406, it was still a huge success in the United Kingdom, where the initial sales began in the year 1998.The buyers of the Octavia appreciated the refinement, solidity and found it worth their money. It was even used widely as a taxi in the United Kingdom, due to is large space, low price and high reliability.
The Octavia family car released in the year 1996 was revised and modified again in the year 2004 and launched as Octavia MK2, continuing its production up to 2008. The other variants of the Octavia include the Skoda Octavia II and Skoda Laura.
The Octavia MK2 vehicle in Indian market was launched under the label Laura, so as to distinguish the vehicle from the prior version.
Coming to the specifics of the upcoming launch, apart from the facelift, the salient features in the 2010 Octavia include:
• Haldex Traction Control System
• Computer controlled clutch
• DSG transmission
• Large Bumpers
The Octavia MK2 in the UK’s Auto Express stated as the “Most Satisfying vehicle” of the year 2007.
It was closely related to the likes of Audi A3 MK2, SEAT Altea, SEAT Leon MK2 and the SEAT Toledo MK3.