Skoda has announced prices for the new 1.0 TSI, 115bhp petrol engine it will introduce to the Octavia range this July.
With prices starting from €22,880, it is being offered with zero per cent finance available on orders taken up to the end of July.
Reducing engine capacity in favour of turbo charging has become a popular trend in petrol technology in recent times with Skoda leading the charge when it introduced its 1.2 TSI in 2010.
Skoda will be the first brand within the Volkswagen group to utilise the 1.0 TSI unit in the MQB platform. The new engine will replace the 1.2 TSI 110bhp power unit that has been used up to this point.
Skoda claims despite a reduction in engine capacity, the new engine delivers superior performance in every area including: power output (+5 per cent ) acceleration time (-3 per cent from 0-100km/h ), fuel consumption (-7 per cent ) and top speed (+1.5 per cent ).
It also says the new 1.0 TSI engine is so efficient it gives the comparable Octavia 1.6 TDI 110bhp diesel engine run for its money in terms of overall running costs.
Speaking to the Advertiser, Cathal Kealey, PR manager at Skoda Ireland, commented: “The primary reason for purchasing a diesel vehicle is to acquire annual taxation and fuel savings over a petrol vehicle. The basic premise is that you pay a premium for the diesel car, but over time you will recoup the savings by reducing your operating costs. The question is how long will it take to achieve these savings?
"Take the new Octavia 1.0 TSI, 115bhp engine which consumes just 1.1 litres more per 100km than the 1.6 TDI 110bhp engine. Using today’s fuel prices it would take six years for the diesel version to justify and recoup the savings on fuel alone. This really brings petrol back into the equation.”
However, speaking from personal experience, car owners must consider the current better residual values of diesel cars, the kind of average journeys with regard to fuel economy - mostly long journeys, stop-start city driving, or short twice a day to work runs. These also greatly determine the overall costs, as do other factors.
Skoda recently celebrated 20 years of Octavia production. To further illustrate the advances in technology, Kealey added: “The original Octavia was launched with a 2.0 MPI litre petrol eight valve unit. The new 1.0 TSI produces the same power output, superior torque, better acceleration and 44 per cent less fuel consumption with an engine half the size. It is essential Irish customers focus on performance rather than engine size when selecting their vehicle. ”
