Welcome to Autodrivel

In 2009 the Skoda Octavia II was transformed from the official car “I am 40 years old, 2 children, a decent job and I gave up my dreams” into the official car of the aspirational sales agent. In 2009 the Skoda Octavia II Facelift appears and brings news to the Czech-German model. A very, very German facelift.

We have already discussed the Skoda Octavia II, with a fairly unbiased opinion. To me, that car is like a potato soup: good, cheap, does its job properly, a nice meal, but a bit boring.

Has the Skoda Octavia II Facelift changed the narrative?

Yes and no. On one hand, the Skoda image was pushed into the premium area, stealing from the sales pie and reaching a quality of materials similar to VW cars. Unlike the first generation of the Octavia, which was a Golf IV taken to the extreme of cheapness, the Skoda Octavia II Facelift came as a genuine alternative to the Golf and even the Passat.

On the outside we have some new body panels and toys, especially on headlights and taillights. A new front, a new back, this facelift brings some spices and some meat in the potato soup of the previous model. Now it’s time to dump the PS3 because the PS4 has come. Now you’ve switched from Nokia 3310 to BlackBerry. Gone are the cassettes, hello iPod.

Moreover, the cassettes will now sound HD, because at the interior level the facelift brings a new sound system and a new steering wheel. A facelift big enough that the Skoda Octavia II Facelift transforms from Tom Jones into Ricky Wilson.

Skoda Octavia II Facelift – The Ricky Wilson of the car world. Reasonably successful young woman, with whom you are not ashamed to go out, who always dresses safely. It is not the most interesting car possible, but it handles any situation. No one will smile too much when driving a Skoda Octavia II Facelift, but you will be satisfied with the proper performance of the car. If this car were a clothing accessory, then it would be a mall polo shirt. If it were a dance, it would be the Blue Danube waltzed by the bride and groom – something elegant, with which I go safe, but which does not enter the exclusive area of wedding dances.

Skoda Octavia II Facelift Engines

Petrol

• We have the old 1.4 MPI 80 horsepower and the classic 1.6 MPI 102 horsepower units which are still spinning. Day, night, light, storm, protests, natural disasters, these engines launched at the same time as Blue Cantrell are here to do the job and show us that the naturally aspirated petrol engine is still relevant in this cruel, turbocharged world.


• 1.2 TSI of 105 horsepower – As with intimate activities, it’s not so much fun the first time. The first generation came with a timing chain and a habit of breaking the chain on the go. The second generation has tightened the belt (literally) and is a really decent engine. The transition happened somewhere in 2013-2014, but VW didn’t have an consistent term of transition so you’ll have to old-fashioned check.


• 1.4 TSI of 122 horsepower – Already in the second generation, this engine also has the timing belt and chain issue and is ready to shoot down the naysayers. If you don’t often carry trailers, caravans, Ceresit CM 33 bags, then this is all the engine you’ll ever need.


• 1.8 TSI of 160 horsepower – Not very popular with company car fleets, this muscular turbocharged petrol has always created waves. A notorious fan of oil, this engine turns the Skoda Octavia II Facelift from a sales office on wheels into a real sports car.


• 2.0 TFSI vRS of 200 horsepower – A 200-horsepower Skoda Octavia. Legend has it that the engine can be easily tuned up to 270 horsepower. Mmhmmmmm…

Diesel

• 1.6 TDI of 105 horsepower – We discussed about this engine in the article on the VW Passat B6 and Golf VI. A smaller 1.9 TDI, quieter and lighter with your wallet, or that’s what VW used to bribe us into buying one. Now comes the part where I had to talk about the particle filter, but everyone deletes it anyway. At any rate, this disaster of an engine is adequate far from the city, and a disaster on the urban driving. Also the EGR clogs up every 10 minutes and can’t be cleaned, it needs to be replaced altogether.


• 2.0 TDI of 140 and 170 horsepower – The classic village bicycle engine from VW, now in the Common-Rail version. Like the 1.6 TDI, the EGR clogs and can’t be cleaned, and it should be kept out of cities in general.

Skoda Octavia II Facelift General Issues

• The rust continues to be just as bad as the old model and there’s not much you can do about it.


• The facelift model also sees the transition from DSG6 to DSG7 which isn’t much better off in terms of reliability. Change the oil and filter every 60.000 kms and pray that the Mechatronic unit won’t fail anytime soon.


• All the other issues from the pre-facelift model. VW didn’t do much in respect to reliability on this facelift.

Skoda Octavia II Facelift Verdict

A facelift that changes the identity of Skoda and marks the transition of the brand to the medium-premium area. Coming along with the Superb II, these 2 cars are a turning point for Skoda. Like the car itself, the facelift is more cosmetic, but it gives it that much-needed premium image. It’s as if you can’t feel like listening to old man radio such as BBC Radio 2 behind the wheel of a Facelift.