Skoda’s medium passenger car has a mild but obvious styling change, as well.

SUBTLE styling change has come to the Skoda Octavia, which though a quiet performer in New Zealand is a core car for the VW Group brand, achieving seven million global sales.

More angular headlights that lean in a bit more towards the altered grille are an obvious revision; every version has LED headlights, and the Sportline and RS versions go to high-tech Matrix LED with active beam-dipping. The front fog lights are also no longer present.

The front and rear bumpers are also new and there are fresh alloy wheel designs and some new exterior colours, including Velvet Red, Royal Green and Black Magic. Phoenix Orange is reserved for the RS wagon.

The interior has also been updated, gaining a new 13-inch central infotainment screen, and there are new, more powerful 45-watt USB-C sockets (including one on the rearview mirror) as well as 15-watt wireless charging pads which are also, helpfully, cooled. 

Other upgraded tech includes a voice control system that can now use ChatGPT artificial intelligence, a connected app that allows you to pay for fuel from within the car (only for certain European markets at the moment) and more functions for the MySkoda phone app.

The 10.25-inch digital instrument panel is available on all but the most basic models.

Trims make more use of recycled fabrics isustainably treated leather, tanned using sustainable materials, including coffee husks, from from coffee cherry, otherwise a waste product.

Dark chrome trim elements are used in the interior and on the steering wheel, which now features the new, two-dimensional Skoda logo.

The wagon’s luggage cover now automatically retracts when you open the boot. Skoda has also developed a rear storage box for back seat passengers, a tablet holder that now works with the optional sports front seats. It retains the usual ice scraper built into the fuel flap and an umbrella stashed in the door.

For the most part the powertrains are carried over. The engine line-up in Europe kicks off with a 1.5-litre turbo four-cylinder petrol, both coming with mild-hybrid assistance with the seven-speed DSG automatic gearbox. Both 1.5 engines get active cylinder cutoff.

The RS models achieve more oomph, drawing 198kW from the updated 2.0-litre TSI petrol engine; a 16kW increase over what’s presently offered Kiwis.

At some point, there will also be a plug-in hybrid option based around that 1.5 TSI petrol engine and boasting a bigger battery. This model has a potential EV range of more than 100km on one charge. Skoda has yet to release the final details.

Safety systems have also been upgraded, with beefed-up driver attention monitoring, intelligent parking assistant (with remote parking with some manoeuvres controlled from your phone), and pedestrian detection and emergency braking while reversing.

It’s the 65th anniversary of the original Octavia this year, with the first-ever model to wear that badge having been launched in 1959.

Skoda NZ has yet to say when the freshened car will land here.