Better Skoda Octavia coming mid-year

Skoda's facelifted Octavia range will arrive in Australia in July, sporting a new exterior look, tweaked interior designs, along with updated technology and convenience features.

And the good news is that Australian pricing is unlikely to change, which means the starting price of $22,990 for the 1.4-litre turbo-petrol 110TSI is likely to remain, as is the range-topping 2.0-litre turbo-diesel Octavia RS for $42,990.

The new-look exterior is described by Skoda's design team as "masculine and dynamic", particularly the new split-section headlight arrangement. In Europe LED headlights are optional, complete with adaptive cornering illumination.

The rear-end doesn't have a dramatically different look from the 2016 Octavia although LED tail-lights now come in "two variants". The design changes increase the vehicle's length by a couple of millimetres and some models get a 30mm wider rear track.

Inside, the Skoda stylists have maintained what they call a "high-quality and functional" theme, with changes to the multifunction display, optional ambient in-door lighting and reworked air-conditioning controls the main changes.

Skoda Australia's head of corporate communications, Paul Pottinger, told motoring.com.au entry-level models of the new Octavia would arrive locally in July 2017, followed by the special models – the upgraded Octavia Scout and Octavia RS – in August.

"We had a major realignment of Octavia last year and that's continuing in 2017. The other difference now is we have five years' warranty.

"No price rises [are] envisaged at the moment," he said, adding that "we're essentially looking at carry over drivetrains for most models."

That means the entry-level 110TSI model with a 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine (110kW/210Nm) will kick off proceedings, with some models offered with 110kW and 135kW 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engines.

The range will top out with the 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine in the Octavia RS models, whose power will be hiked to 169kW like the current RS 230 model (albeit without the clever diff), and all models should be available with manual or DSG automatic transmissions.

The facelifted 2017 Octavia range also benefits from top-shelf 'Columbus' 9.2-inch touch-screen infotainment systems, complete with wifi hotspot.

Extra safety features are added too, such as towing and trailer assist programs that control the steering while reversing.

Updates to the cars' autonomous emergency braking (AEB) now detects pedestrians and a blind-spot protection system is added, as is a removable torch in the boot, akin to the larger Superb.

All Octavias sold in Australia at present get a high level of standard kit, including active cruise control, reversing camera, parking sensors, eight-speaker stereo, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and 17-inch alloy wheels, all of which will carry through to the new model when it arrives mid-year.

As the top-selling Skoda in Australia, the Octavia is a vital model for the brand that expects to see increased growth in 2017 once the new new Kodiaq SUV arrives here.

"We had a record year in 2016 despite no new SUV," stated Pottinger.

"We're starting to build momentum and the new Octavia will certainly help."

The 250km/h high-performance Skoda Octavia RS is the top-selling variant within the range in Australia and this is expected to continue when the updated model arrives in August.

"Skoda is supposedly Volkswagen's budged brand – but no one goes entry-level. Everyone options their cars up. A huge amount of buyers are optioning their cars all the way up, including the RS models," said Pottinger.

Not unlike the limited-edition RS 230 model we saw in late 2016, Skoda is tipped to deploy another special-edition RS in due course, possibly the RS 250 with around 184kW. And it could happen late in 2017. Watch this space.