The new Skoda Octavia has been recently introduced in October 2013. Due to this launch, Skoda Auto India would be phasing out the current Laura over a period of time. What this also means that prices of the older Octavia in the used car market may just go down further. At present, a 2007 model of the old Octavia, available from 2001-2010, with 55,000 kms on the odo, can be purchased at about Rs. 4.50 lakhs.
As a comparison, the build quality of the older Octavia appears stronger than the current one. Space inside this vehicle is good enough for 5 adults to sit comfortably. Upholstery is mostly made of leather. A special edition of this vehicle, called Lauren& Klement (L&K) also comes with panoramic sunroof. Though the car is not great looking, Skoda has managed to keep the design simple and functional.
For a car that was priced close to Rs. 12 lakhs, it also has many other features such as Power Steering, Power windows, ABS and airbags. The steering column can be adjusted as per the convenience of the driver. Both front and co-passenger seats can be adjusted electrically. From 2001-2010, it was one of the most luxurious sedans at this price, apart from Honda Civic.
The L&K edition of this car also came with automatic climate control, sound system with 6 speakers and alloy wheels. Mileage of the TDI diesel version was quite high, at about 18 kmpl. Most of the bhpengines that were available for this car were 1.9 litre TDI diesel and 1.8 turbo petrol. You would be lucky if you could get your hands on a Skoda Octavia (RS), which produced 150 bhp of power. This allowed the RS to have better acceleration and top speed than all other Octavia variants. It is likely to become a more affordable car now, with the arrival of the 2013 Octavia.