Skoda Octavia tech specs revealed

The nitty gritty on the new 2020 Skoda Octavia sedan and wagon has been announced, including engine types, infotainment screen sizes and up to five USB-C ports.

The new Skoda Octavia will be revealed in Prague on November 11 – although you can see it here now thanks to leaked images – and will be offered with matrix LED headlights and Audi-style strobing 'progressive' LED indicators for the first time.

Scheduled to arrive in Australia in the first quarter of 2021, the new Octavia is expected to come with turbo-petrol engines at the outset: a 1.4-litre (110kW) unit followed by a potent 2.0-litre turbo for go-fast models, such as the circa-200kW Octavia RS.

While there are several other engine types offered, including a new 1.5-litre G-TEC gas-powered model with a trio of CNG tanks and various diesel engines, these are unlikely to be offered in Australia.

There will also be plug-in hybrid powertrains, but again, it's not clear if these will be offered Down Under. We'll know more later next year when pricing and specification firm up.

The Octavia is crucial to Skoda's success as the brand's top-selling global vehicle, although sales of the Kodiaq have just overtaken the Octavia in Australia, the lure of SUVs becoming ever stronger.

Nevertheless it will be an important model in Australia and some of the new technology equipment coming includes a 10-inch digital instrument panel, or Virtual Cockpit, with various customisable elements and four modes: Basic, classic, navigation and driver assistance systems.

The Octavia will also get a HUD or head-up display, which beams info onto the windscreen so the driver's eyes can stay fixed on the road to follow navigation directions and check road speeds.

There's an updated infotainment system that can be optioned with streaming video services, which broadcast through a 10-inch touchscreen. There's a touch slider along the bottom of the infotainment screen to control volume and climate.

Three-zone climate control is offered too, giving back seat passengers their own temperature settings.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are givens and the new SmartLink+ system allows for cable-free smartphone connection – so we'll assume it's wireless CarPlay and Android hookups.

There are two USB-C ports up front, two in the rear, and a fifth socket is optional for dash cams, located above the rear-view mirror.

There's plenty of storage solutions for all sorts of objects, from smart phones to umbrellas and even hand brushes. Yes, there's an official Skoda hand-brush accessory that slots into a tube in the driver's door.

Wagon models have a secret storage cubby under the boot floor, as well as an improved net package and a new cargo cover. Both sedan and wagon models also get a sleep pack, which adds larger headrests in the back seats and an official Skoda blanket.

The new Skoda Octavia is based on the same MQB Evo platform as the new Volkswagen Golf Mk8 and is expected to shed weight, possibly up to 50kg, while increasing in size.

Measuring 4689mm long and 1829mm wide, the new Octavia is now 19mm longer and 15mm wider, while the wagon (combi in Skoda speak) grows by 22mm to the same 4689mm length. No images of the cabin have been released but rear-seat passengers can expect to get more legroom - up 78mm - while boot space has increased slightly to 600 litres in the sedan and, significantly, to 640 litres in the wagon.

In terms of dynamics, the new Octavia will be offered with adaptive dampers as part of the dynamic chassis control system, which lowers ride height by 100mm.

There are also three passive chassis options, with the standard setup, sports suspension with a 15mm lowered ride height and a rough road package that increases ride height by 15mm.

While the medium passenger car segment has been in decline for years now, the Octavia is the third-most popular model in the segment thus far in 2019, with a total of 1408 sales. The Toyota Camry (12,014 sales) is the king of the hill, followed by the Mazda6 (2138 sales).

In a market that is showing signs of slowing down, Skoda has recorded double-digit growth thus far in 2019, with sales up 15.5 per cent.