A New Variation of the Tried and True Arrives for Skoda in NZ
With the introduction of the new Octavia, Skoda Auto has continued the previous generation of Octavia alongside the new generation.

The popularity of the previous model made a strong case for continued production is guaranteed. The sales of this model of Octavia have strengthened since the release of the new model, and due to this international success and a NZ market looking for low cost alternatives for business and private use, Skoda NZ is also offering this model now known as the Octavia Tour.

Douglas Blair, General Manager of Skoda NZ said “with fuel prices reaching all time highs and people looking for value for money, the entire Skoda range becomes an even more attractive proposition as value for money is a key driver in the brand. We have a diesel engine offer in each of our model ranges and all are economical and powerful. Octavia Tour with its 1.9 diesel at around just $30,000, low fuel consumption, and 15,000km service intervals is a car that certainly delivers to both businesses and private users.”

The Octavia is generally regarded as the car that began the difficult task of turning the tide of Skoda’s fortunes in the UK. When it was first launched in 1998, it was the model that began to convince a sceptical UK public that Skoda was a marque they could trust. However, were it not for the Octavia’s deep-seated competence, its wide-ranging abilities in both liftback and combi (wagon), and its finely balanced levels of practicality and luxury, the Skoda success story could have been very different.

With a 1.9TDI auto liftback or combi (wagon) available in NZ, each Octavia Tour is built with the needs of a modern family car driver or business driver in mind.

Voted the "Best Family Car"’ by consumers in the 2003 J.D. Power Customer Satisfaction Index, the Octavia Tour was rated seventh overall in the same survey. Additional awards include "Best Used Medium Car" from Used Car Buyer magazine in August 2002 and Best Diesel Estate by Diesel Car magazine in 1999.

“The car and indeed the brand and all the models have proved themselves time and time again winning awards all over Europe. The Octavia Tour must now represent one of the highest quality and best value for money alternatives in NZ for business or personal use with its low purchase price and low running costs” said Blair.

The addition of the Octavia Tour to the range opened the door to the company car market and has allowed Skoda to offer fleet managers and small businesses, vehicles that combine practicality, class-leading specification and excellent whole-life costs.

Skoda Auto UK has also had considerable success in gaining access to the emergency services, with Octavias currently in use with fire, police and ambulance authorities throughout the country. The Octavia vRS was awarded Class One status in the Metropolitan Police brake test. This, combined with excellent results in both performance and handling tests, allows the car to be used for all levels of police duties, including rapid response and surveillance.

All the NZ Octavia Tour’s are fitted with the 1.9TDI diesel engine. This 1.9 litre direct injection turbo-charged engine, which is mated to an automatic transmission, is used in all the diesel-powered Octavia Tour’s in NZ. It delivers more low-end torque than similarly rated petrol engines and has a peak of 210 Nm @ 1,900 rpm.

The 1.9 TDI diesel engine is a high tech turbo-charged 1.9 litre direct injection unit, featuring an advanced fuel-injection system called Pümpe-Düse (PD). Pumpe-Düse is the most advanced injection system of its type for TDI engines. The key to the PD technology is the pump-nozzle injection unit. The unit consists of a high-pressure injection pump, an injection nozzle and a control valve to control the fuel injection process very precisely. With one unit in each cylinder, no injection pump or high-pressure piping is necessary. The PD system allows extremely high pressures to be generated (in excess of 2000 bar is possible), ensuring a finer atomisation of fuel and therefore, better combustion. This results in better overall performance, greater efficiency, higher torque and increased output. In turn, these result in benefits of greater fuel economy and lower emission levels. Fuel economy, naturally, is a strong point with the TDI averaging just 5.7 litres per 100km (city/highway – combined).

All NZ Octavia Tour models have a four-speed automatic gearbox. This electronically controlled system works with fuzzy logic – all the data from the road and driving conditions is collected and used by the transmission to adapt to each individual driver’s particular style.