Skoda Octavia (2005)

The luggage compartment is one of the main advantages of the Škoda Octavia model range. In the hatch it can swallow a huge 560 l of luggage and 580 l in the estate. High-quality upholstery materials have been used in the regularly shaped luggage compartment which has no protrusions, thus extending the useable area. It is deep and easy to get at because of the large tailgate. It can be made even larger by folding the rear seats (split rear seats 1/3 to 2/3 with the Ambiente and higher specifications of the Škoda Octavia range). The basic size of the luggage compartment can be increased up to 1,420 l (1,350 l in the Classic specification with the folding, non-split armrest) and up to 1,620 l in the estate version when the rear seats are folded. There are many useful details such as foldable hooks for shopping bags, fastening nets and a useful roller cover in the estate version that can be easily unlocked simply by pressing on it.

Upholstery

The stylish design of the upholstery reflects the level of the model's equipment. The complete range includes three interior colour concepts with a total of twelve versions of seat upholstery and door panels. The interior of the Škoda Octavia has decorative trims that differ for individual equipment specifications. As standard, the Ambiente and Elegance have fabric upholstery; the combined or leather options are available at an extra charge. The table below shows a summary of the available interior design specifications.

Standard equipment

The three basic equipment specifications have been preserved for the Škoda Octavia range: The Classic, the Ambiente and the Elegance. In addition to the wide range of equipment the individual equipment specifications can be distinguished by the type and design of the wheels, interior design elements and the upholstery and lining.

Standard equipment for all Škoda Octavia models starting from the basic Classic includes:

• Four airbags (a front and side airbag each for the driver and the front passenger);
• The ABS system, disc brakes on all wheels;
• Central locking;
• Three-point seat belt in the rear;
• Height-adjustable driver's seat;
• Tilt- and height-adjustable steering wheel;
• Front passenger airbag deactivation (when a child seat is fitted on the front passenger seat);
• Two Isofix child seat fixtures on the rear seats;
• A warning on the instrument panel when the driver's seat belt is not fastened.

In addition to the Classic equipment the Ambiente also has:

• Electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors;
• Onboard computer on the instrument panel;
• Tinted glass;
• Door mirrors and handles in body colour;
• Protection strips on the sides of the car;
• Interior illumination in the front and rear (available on the Classic and higher specifications in the estate version), two reading lamps in the front.

The Elegance equipment specification includes:

• Climatic automatic air conditioning - maintains the preset temperature of the distributed air;
• Front and rear electric windows with a bounce-back feature and child safety latches;
• Jumbo Box storage box between the front seats with an adjustable armrest, cooled inner space and outlets for distributing air to the rear seats at the back of the box;
• Fog lamps;
• Orion 15" alloy wheels;
• Remote-control central locking with a folding key;
• Door mirrors with built-in illumination making it easier to get into the car;
• Armrest on the rear seats with the possibility of using the through-hole from the luggage compartment.

Optional equipment

The range of optional equipment available with the Škoda Octavia cars is incredibly wide. It includes items from higher equipment specifications and they can be ordered individually for a lower equipment specification car. The other group includes equipment that is only supplied as an option.

The range of radios available with the Škoda Octavia includes Melody, Stream and Audience models. All radios have been especially designed for the Škoda Octavia both in functions and design. Their specific shape blends perfectly with the car's interior and reduces the risk of theft because they can only be used in Škoda Octavia cars. Other safety elements include an electronic encoding system so that the radio can only be used in one particular car. The Stream radio can also have a six-CD changer installed in the luggage compartment. A six-CD changer fitted with the Audience radio is integrated directly in the sound system and, among other things, it can also play MP3 recordings. The top Audience model (available also with the Stream radio starting from the 2006 model year) comes with the powerful Sound System with twelve speakers, amplifier and digital equalizer adjusted exclusively for sound reproduction in the Škoda Octavia. Starting from the 2006 model year, the optional equipment includes the Nexus and the Cruise navigation systems with the TMC dynamic module and voice navigation. In addition, the Nexus device has a large colour display.

The optional equipment of the Škoda Octavia cars includes:

• Climatronic two-zone air-conditioning which maintains the set temperature separately for the left and the right side of the interior;
• ESP system;
• TPM system (Tyre Pressure Monitoring) - used to monitor the pressure of the tyres by comparing the revolutions of individual wheels using ABS revolution sensors;
• HHC (Hill Hold Control) assistant for starting on a hill - from 2006 model year;
• Light Assistant which includes such functions as Coming Home (once activated, it keeps the dipped headlights on for a short time), Leaving Home (dipped headlights are activated for a short time using the central locking), Tunnel Light (automatic activation of the car's lights in the dark) and Day Light which monitors the functions of the car's external lighting;
• Active headrests;
• Curtain airbags;
• Xenon headlights;
• Multifunction steering wheel with radio and telephone control;
• Rain sensor windscreen wipers;
• Electrically adjustable electro-chromatic door mirrors with automatic darkening (in combination with the interior rear view mirror with automatic darkening);
• Parking sensors in the front and rear (as appropriate) with an option of distance display on the Stream and Audience radio panels;
• SunSafeGlass that reduces the permeability of heat radiation - this helps to keep the interior temperature comfortable and reduces overheating on sunny days and heat loss on cold days. At the same time the structure of the glass (known as "compound glass", similar to the glass used in the windscreen and the tailgate) makes it difficult to break it into pieces and get into the car quickly when trying to steal it.

Safety

The safety of passengers was one of the most crucial aspects in the development of the Škoda Octavia. The car has been designed paying great attention to the legislative requirements and the requirements of consumer tests carried out by independent testing organisations. The high safety level has been achieved, among other things, by using the latest design methods, progressive technological solutions and state-of-the-art knowledge of vehicle construction.

An essential element of any car is the carefully designed body with a rigid central passenger compartment and progressive front and rear crumple zones. The high body rigidity, which is an important safety element and helps to keep the best driving characteristics, has been achieved by using high-strength materials in its design.

All Škoda Octavia cars are fitted with large-capacity driver and front passenger airbags and side airbags for the front seats. Head airbags which, when deployed, create a "curtain" covering the door window from the A pillar to the rear C pillar prevent passengers' heads coming into contact with the side windows and reduce the risk of head injuries. As an option, the Škoda Octavia can have active headrests on the front seats; these provide extremely effective protection if the car is involved in a rear impact. The system has been adjusted to deploy in collisions at relatively low speeds, i.e. a crash during which the car is not extensively damaged but an injury may occur to the passenger's spine.

An abundance of details that significantly reduce the risk of injury in a crash have been included in the car to increase the safety of occupants:

• A special engine mounting so that the engine is pushed into the space under the occupants in large deformations;
• The pedal unit has been designed to prevent injury to the driver's leg and feet as it collapses during major collisions;
• Interior areas that are extremely likely to come into contact with passengers' bodies during a collision, such as the instrument panel, the lower part of the instrument panel under the steering wheel and the "B" pillar are covered with soft and flexible materials;
• Eyelets in the luggage compartment are used to fasten luggage with nets and prevent small items moving about;
• If the airbags are deployed during a crash, an automatic sequence of strictly defined operations will be activated via the CAN-Bus on-board network; the fuel pump and fuel supply pipe will be immediately switched off, warning lights and the interior illumination will be automatically turned on and the central locking system will be unlocked (if locked).

Maximum attention has been given to theft protection. As standard, all Škoda Octavia come with an immobiliser using a "floating code" which is different each time it is transmitted. Škoda radios are protected against theft by an electronic code which only allows the radio to be used in one particular car. As an option, each Škoda Octavia can be equipped with an alarm system that monitors all the critical parts of the car including the interior which can be supplemented by a "slope sensor".

Engines

Škoda Octavia cars are available with six engines; four petrol and two diesel. Their displacements and outputs cover a wide range of needs and every customer can find one to suit them. All engines are transversely mounted in the front and drive the front wheels.

In addition to engines with standard fuel injection to the intake manifold (the 1.4 MPI/55kW and 1.6 MPI/75 kW), the Škoda Octavia can be fitted with the latest engines with direct injection where the fuel is injected directly into the combustion chamber (the 1.6 FSI/85 kW and 2.0 FSI/110 kW). All petrol engines comply with the most stringent EU 4 standard. They are fitted with one or two three-way catalytic converters with lambda probes. The 2.0 FSI/110 kW engine is even equipped with three catalytic converters (one main and two front-end converters) and three diagnostic and two control lambda probes.

Both the Škoda Octavia diesel engines are equipped with a direct fuel injection system using injector units (Pumpe-Düse System, pump-nozzle system). The diesel engines are fitted with an exhaust gas turbocharger and a turbine with variable blade geometry. Before entering the engine, pressurised air is distributed to an "intercooler". The TDI engines are an ideal combination of high performance and minimum fuel consumption. All diesel engines comply with EU 4.

The advanced concept of the Škoda Octavia's engines allowed WIV flexible service intervals up to 30,000 km or the maximum of two years to be applied.

As standard, all power units come with five or six-gear manual transmissions. Engines producing 75 kW and higher can be supplied with a six-gear automatic transmission as an option. This can include either the standard transmission with hydraulic torque converter for petrol engines or the inventive DSG transmission with two clutches for diesel engines. This new and unique transmission with two clutches combines the comfort of an automatic with the efficiency of a manual transmission.

Chassis

All chassis units in the Škoda Octavia have been newly designed. The chassis has been designed to give the optimum combination of maximum comfort and the best possible driving characteristics. This has been achieved by using steering with a new electromechanical booster in addition to new axles.

The front axle consists of the proven McPherson suspension with lower triangular links and transverse stabiliser. The new mounting of the axle results in higher transverse rigidity and improves the driving characteristics of the car when turning. The multi-element rear axle has been designed using one longitudinal and three transverse stabilisers. This sophisticated design significantly contributes to getting the best driving characteristics and, simultaneously, a high level of comfort. The design of both axles includes a torsion stabiliser that reduces the tendency of the car to bank in curves and contributes to securer driving.

The rear axle of the Škoda Octavia has been designed with a slight directional effect that helps the understeer, increasing the directional stability of the car. The steering effect has been produced by the sophisticated kinematic and elasto-kinematic design of the axle, and it also depends on the load of the car - the steering effect of the axle increases when the car is carrying a heavier load. This results in excellent direction stability irrespective of whether there is only the driver or the car is fully loaded with passengers and luggage.

The Škoda Octavia is fitted with rack-and-pinion steering with a hydraulic steering booster. The booster is programmed so that its effect decreases with increasing speed; therefore, it is always easy to turn the steering wheel when parking and safe contact with the road is maintained at high speed. The more direct gear ratios in the steering box provide not only a feeling of safety but also make driving the car more enjoyable. The advantages of the hydraulic steering booster include reduced fuel consumption because it is used only when needed.

The braking system of the Škoda Octavia excels with its quick response time and easy distribution of the braking effect. This is mainly due to the new Dual Rate vacuum brake booster with "progressive characteristics". All wheels have disc brakes.