2017 Skoda Octavia facelift production gets rolling

Skoda's core model has entered series production in the facelifted guise at the company's main plant in Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic. The heavily modified Octavia will also be produced as usual at the factories in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Russia, and India, as well as at VW Group's new factory in Algeria from later this year.

More than just a simple facelift, the 2017 Octavia brings an assortment of styling tweaks and hardware modifications. The most obvious change is noticeable at the front where Skoda's designers have installed split headlights, which are now optionally available with full-LED technology. The hood has also been remodeled and it now has different creases, while both front and rear bumpers have gone through a nip and tuck as well. Rounding off the modifications are the lightly updated graphics of the taillights.

Rather unusual for a mid-cycle refresh, the Octavia's rear track has been widened by 20 to 30 mm, depending on version. In the case of the hotter RS 230 and the RS 245 (pictured above), the rear track has been stretched by 30 mm. The most potent Octavia of all time has 273 pound-feet (370 Newton-meters) to offer and is available with an optional seven-speed, dual-clutch gearbox available alongside the standard six-speed manual. A 7-speed DSG has also been added to the rugged Scout sold exclusively with an all-wheel-drive layout.

Stepping inside the cabin, all versions are getting new infotainment systems with 8- and 9.2-inch displays and capacitive-only buttons, along with LED ambient lighting, two rear USB ports, heated steering wheel, and other niceties. Go for the more practical wagon version and Skoda will throw in a detachable LED flashlight as seen in the Superb Combi and more recently in the Kodiaq.

The revised Octavia is now safer than ever thanks to the addition of optional Blind Spot and Rear Traffic Alert, while Trailer Assist and Predictive Pedestrian Protection are also novelties.

Since the modern Octavia was launched in 1996, Skoda has sold more than five million units, thus making it by far the company's best-selling model. The third generation has already racked up more than 1.4 million sales since its market launch in late 2012.

Ever wonder about the origins of the "Octavia" moniker? It means "the eighth" in Latin. Skoda decided to go with this nameplate back in 1959 when the original "Octavia" was introduced as the brand's eighth production model, which was basically an upgraded and renamed variant of the Skoda 440.