One of the most prominent vehicles in Israel, also this year, is the Skoda Octavia. A family model that dominated the car sales charts in Israel, put Skoda as a brand on the map in the Israeli market, and was marketed in a variety of engine versions, for the benefit of families, taxi drivers and even young people, with small and agile 1.0 liter engines. Until the corona virus arrived, and the production and supply problems, a fire at a production plant and a few other minor “blows” in the wing, played the cards and slightly disrupted Skoda’s plans to continue dominating the automotive world.
The Octavia is still a sold and very popular model in Israel, as evidenced by the 2,888 new cars that hit the roads in the last nine months. Recently, a plug-in hybrid version was added to the Skoda Octavia, that is, a combined drive unit with a 1.4-liter gasoline engine and an electric motor with a total combined power of 204 hp, and the well-known DSG gearbox of the Volkswagen concern, the father of Skoda, if you will.
The performance figures are good and promising: the gasoline engine has a torque of 25.49 kgm achieved at 1,550-3,500 rpm, with a maximum power of 150 hp, and the electric motor has a torque of 33.65 kgm. The acceleration from 0 to 100 takes about 7.6 seconds, and the maximum speed is 220 km/h. As a hybrid vehicle that is charged with electricity, there is also a battery in the car, which has a capacity of 13 kWh and a maximum electric driving range of about 60 kilometers (WLTP) , according to the manufacturer, a figure that is not far from the realistic range – 50 kilometers. Home charging, AC, of the vehicle will result in a full charge within 3.5 hours. So that within a short time you can fill up the electric battery and go on errands around the city and its surroundings, without using a drop of fuel.
From the outside, there are no special surprises, the Octavia is familiar from every angle. The plug-in version is marketed with 17-inch alloy wheels, dark Sunset rear windows and an Ambient Light package for interior design that includes ambient lighting with a variety of colors to choose from, front and rear leg lighting and sun visor lighting. On the Style trim level (the top), you get 18-inch alloy wheels and a chrome package with a front grill and side window frames.
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What’s inside? The same interior space advantages are significant for those who are undecided and looking for a spacious family car for four to five people. The front seats are wide and supportive with the possibility of height adjustment and support for the lower back, and in the back they will not complain about the space for the knees or shoulders. The trunk, with a volume of 450 liters, is smaller than those of Octavia’s gasoline models which reach up to 560 or even 600 liters, but it is still large with enough space for family needs as well.
In the center of the driver’s cabin is Skoda’s fairly new multimedia system, relatively simple to operate and navigate and includes a 10-inch color touch screen with full operation in Hebrew, an audio system with eight speakers, digital climate control split into two zones, drive, locking and unlocking without a key, five USB sockets Type C and electric handbrake. The Style trim level (the highest) will add a digital dashboard, a wireless charging pad for supporting devices and extended climate control with three climate zones.
The car ride is fun and smooth, the drive unit is strong, and comfort is maintained during the ride, although it is not completely free from road noise. This is the Skoda Octavia at its best, or at least a powertrain version worth considering.
What is special about this car is the fuel consumption, which is the reason why those who ordered the vehicle wait quite a long time for its arrival in Israel. We have not seen such fuel consumption in other plug-in cars. Somehow, with the plug-in Octavia, as much as I tried – and tried – to improve the fuel consumption, I didn’t really succeed. I set off with a full battery, which allows you to travel fully on electricity for about 50 kilometers or less, if you choose full electric mode and drive without a bill. When I chose combined hybrid mode, where the vehicle uses the gasoline or electric engine as needed, I reached a figure of 28 kilometers per liter in the city, and there is no doubt that the figure could be even better. Outside the city, on a fast interstate drive, I lost the electric range after 100 kilometers of combined gasoline and electric driving, and I “managed” to degrade the fuel consumption figure to about 18 kilometers per liter, a figure I remember from excellent hybrid cars, but one that I had to strive for and try drive more calmly to reach it, which did not happen in this test.
Besides the driving modes “full electric”, “full gasoline” and combined driving of the two engines, there are also dynamic options, such as sport, NORMAL and eco, which saves fuel. Driving in sport mode is fun, with sharper responses and a sporty feel, but it’s unnecessary to use it. The vehicle is sufficiently grippy even in its comfortable and normal condition. Eco mode will save even more on fuel consumption, but will slightly impair performance. Therefore, he is also unnecessary in my eyes.
In the safety specifications of the new Octavia, you will find advanced safety systems as standard, such as the Front Assist system for monitoring the distance in front, which brakes the vehicle when a danger of collision is detected, which includes the detection of pedestrians, the Lane Assist system for steering corrections to prevent deviation from the lane, the Maneuver Assist adaptive cruise control for detecting obstacles behind the vehicle and for braking when detecting a danger of collision, front and rear lights with LED technology, seven airbags, a rear camera and rear parking sensors. The Style trim level adds a system to warn of vehicles in a blind spot, an active system to warn of cross traffic from behind and emergency braking, Full Led headlights with Matrix technology to mask vehicles in high light conditions, for maximum illumination for the driver without dazzling road users, front parking sensors and a detection system Obstacles in the back and front of the vehicle with emergency braking.
So the car is good, and you will pay less for fuel with it every day, but the delivery dates of the Octavia model in its plug-in hybrid version will force you to wait at least until May-June 2023. Is this a deal breaker? Not necessarily. The Skoda Octavia iV plug-in hybrid is sold in two trim levels: the price of the Ambition trim level is NIS 178,990, and the price of the Style trim level is NIS 188,990, plus a license fee of NIS 2,452.
News and events
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Just before it moves to produce only electric models (a move that will start in 2025), Jaguar presents to the world the latest version of the Jaguar F-Type sports car. The last sports car manufactured by Jaguar with an internal combustion engine, the F-Type 75 with two seats, will arrive in Israel during 2023 in two models: F-Type 75 and F-Type 75R, with 450 hp for the regular model and 575 hp For the R model, in coupe and cabriolet versions.