The Skoda Octavia now comes with an astonishingly economical 1.0-litre turbo engine

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SINGAPORE

With petrol prices shooting to all sorts of highs, fuel efficiency plays a very big part in how local drivers shop for new cars these days. It’s a tall order to expect a petrol-engined car to be both economical and also decently quick, and the Japanese have been pretty much holding station with cars like the Toyota Sienta and Honda Civic, where the brief always seems to be to build the cars of all shapes and sizes just ‘fast enough’ for mainstream commuters.

While Singapore is too small of a market segment for major carmakers to specially build cars with engines that fit into the archaic Category A and B COE system, there are exceptions to the rule as some of the smaller European countries have similar power restricted road tax structures. This explains the appearance of cars like the BMW 116i and 216i, both with small engines originally built for selected countries in  Europe and can conveniently slot in under Singapore’s Category A COE power limit, so are also allocated for sale here.  

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The new Skoda Octavia with its 1.0-litre, three-cylinder turbo engine featuring 48-volt mild-hybrid assistance is another example of this. The launch edition of the car that arrived in 2021 had a 1.5-litre turbo engine with 150 horsepower, putting it into the more expensive Category B COE bracket. It was brisk and reasonably efficient, but few people buy a Skoda Octavia for outright speed, because there’s the Skoda Octavia RS for that. 

So, here’s the base model Skoda Octavia, made even more economical and cheaper off the showroom floor. While 109 horsepower does not sound like much at all for an executive liftback sedan of this size, it gets a helping hand from a 48-volt mild hybrid drive, a system also found doing petrol-saving duty in the Volkswagen Golf. 

It’s not a complete hybrid drivetrain like you find in cars such as the Honda Jazz Crosstar e:HEV in that the car can’t accelerate under electric power alone. The mild hybrid system is a power booster that helps the petrol engine accelerate quicker, and also allow the car to coast with the engine deactivated while electrical systems continue to operate. 

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The result is that the Skoda Octavia now has a potential driving range of around 800km per tank of fuel. Queuing up at petrol stations isn’t anyone’s idea of fun, so the less you have to do it, the better. With plenty of highway driving you can expect a fuel economy of around 5.0l/100km, but in start-stop urban conditions this drops to around 7.5l/100km. The sprint from a standing start to 100km/h in done in 10.5 seconds, which isn’t quick even by previous Skoda Octavia standards, but feels quick enough for Singaporean roads.

External updates over the launch model from two years ago include LED matrix headlights fitted as standard, which gradually active side lighting elements as the steering wheel is turned.

The car’s impressive engine management ability on the highway allows it to cruise without the engine running for really long distances. The excellent aerodynamic efficiency and drivetrain’s high gear ratio in seventh gear means that in clear traffic and some advance planning looking for gaps in traffic, you could almost get the engine to shut off for half the distance driven. 

One downside of this is that the air conditioning compressor shuts off too when the engine powers off, which is so subtle that you may not even feel it. It’s not really an inconvenience as the fans are still running, and it takes about three minutes before the lack of air conditioning is noticed. Touching the accelerator again will switch the engine back on and it’s all back in business. 

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Initial acceleration from a standstill is probably more laid back than you expect, as is the car’s habit of holding onto as high a gear as possible all in the name of economy, but there are quick workarounds with the sequential paddle shifters, or by tapping the gear selector into Sport mode for quicker overtaking.

Skoda cabins are the most refined ones you can find in a car not overtly classed as a luxury vehicle. There’s a genuinely posh feel to the drive, and the cabin is one of the most spacious in this size category. There’s a wireless phone charging dock, and the entertainment interface features voice controlled operations. The boot too, with its liftback hatch, swallows items that other sedans will have trouble with.

It now sits at a price point between many Toyotas, and in this uncertain climate of high COE prices new car sales will continue to remain at a cautious pace, but it’s a fact that the Skoda Octavia is one of the best value-for-money mid-sized family cars you can buy right now. 

2023 Skoda Octavia 1.0 TSI e-Tec

Drivetrain type	Petrol-electric mild hybrid
Engine	999cc, inline 3, turbocharged
Power	109hp at 5500rpm
Torque	200Nm at 2000-3000rpm
Gearbox	7-speed dual-clutch
Electric Motor	Not stated
Battery	Lithium Ion, Unknown kWh
System Power	Not stated
System Torque	Not stated
0-100km/h	10.5 seconds
Top Speed	202km/h
Fuel Efficiency	4.3 L/100km
VES Band	A2 / -S$15,000
Agent	Skoda Singapore
Price	S$165,900 with COE and VES
Availability	Now
Verdict	Excellent fuel economy without compromising all-round driveability and passenger comfort

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