CarWale comparison: Skoda Octavia vs Skoda Laura

It’s the timeless car battle of ‘in with the new and out with old’, well globally at least this is the case for the Skoda Octavia. We are getting the new Octavia on 3 October and unlike the rest of the world Skoda might actually sell both the cars alongside each other for a while. This has given us a reason to pit the Laura (globally known as the second generation Octavia) against the all-new Octavia and give you an idea of what you can expect.

First and foremost, we have already driven the car and know all the features, specifications and obviously what it’s like to handle on the road. You can find a link for the road test and other details about the car at the bottom of this story. It is based on the Skoda’s Vision D concept and we should be seeing this language on their other vehicles soon. 

Engines and variants

We start off with the variants and engines. The Skoda Laura retails with two petrol (One AT) and five diesel (Three AT) engined variants all with the standard Skoda variant nomenclature. The Octavia on the other hand get three petrol variants and four diesel engined variants of which there is petrol automatic and two diesel automatic options.

The Octavia and the Laura share the same engine line up (at least in terms of displacement), but with the next generation car has higher output. The Octavia gets a new 1.4-litre petrol which powers the Active and Ambition variants but for the top spec Elegance there is the 1.8-litre AT spec engine. The oil burners on the other hand are pretty straight forward. They will continue with the 2.0-litre diesel and same gearbox options but in a higher state of tune.      

Skoda has omitted the L&K variant from the India list of the new car, but the top-spec Elegance has all the necessary features. Also the vRS performance variant won’t be on sale for now and is expected to debut in 2014.

Size, safety and feature list

While the Laura is no mouse hole, the Octavia has grown in all directions and makes for much roomier seating experience inside. Since the wheelbase is also larger, the Octavia also scores over its predecessor in terms of rear-seat space.

The Laura in the Laurin and Klement edition gets eight airbags and is the most recent addition to the Laura’s lineup. The Octavia 2.0-litre diesel AT Elegance variant gets eight airbags as standard. Both cars get ABS, EBD and brake assist. The Laura has traction control and no ESP while the Octavia has ESP and no traction control.

Both cars are pretty much similar in terms of feature but obviously with the Octavia getting some more features like a six-CD changer, Bluetooth streaming for music and phones, LED daytime running lamps and obviously a new Skoda badge complete with Skoda’s new logo.

Verdict

The Skoda Octavia, when launched will compete in the D-Segment with the Laura, Chevrolet Cruze, Toyota Corolla Altis, Renault Fluence, Hyundai Elantra and the Volkswagen Jetta. We expect that Skoda will price the Octavia in the region of Rs 14.5 lakh to Rs 20 lakh for the top spec diesel engined variant. We will bring you all the details from the launch as they happen, so tune into CarWale on October 3 at 11.30AM for the new Skoda Octavia.

Skoda Octavia first drive

Variants, features and engine lineup for the Skoda Octavia