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Skoda Octavia Facelift Getting 1.5 TSI "Evo" Engine Later in 2017

Volkswagen doesn't yet offer the relatively famous 1.5-liter TSI engine on the Golf facelift, with the old 1.4 TSI still holding the fort. And it seems it's the same story over at Skoda, where the 1.5 TSI will fall behind the Octavia's ugly nose in late 2017.
Skoda Octavia Facelift Getting 1.5 TSI "Evo" Engine Later in 2017 1 photo
Photo: Skoda
We got the same message from SEAT, during the debut of the Ibiza in Barcelona. Skoda’s head of communications, Peik von Bestenbostel, has revealed to Auto Express that the same configuration of the engine with 150 PS and 250 Nm (184 lb-ft) of torque will be available during the second half of the year.

I don't think we fully understand what's going on here. For example, the variable geometry turbocharger is almost never mentioned these days. The Golf 1.5 TSI turbo's specs aren't all improved compared to the 1.4 TSI, which I think has to do with Volkswagen getting rid of overly optimistic numbers (the ones for the GTI grabbed my attention).

When powering the Golf, the 1.5-liter turbo needs 5 liters per 100 km instead of 5.2 before the facelift. However, the to 100 km/h (mph) sprint time has actually gone up from 8.2 seconds in the 1.4 to 8.3s. As for the 80 to 120 km/h elasticity test, it takes the same 7.5 seconds. Despite this, Volkswagen insists customers will notice more grunt because of the longer stroke.

The Golf equipped with this engine also has the familiar Active Cylinder Timing technology, which shuts down half the cylinders under light loads. This is hardly new technology, having been available since the launch of the Polo BlueGT. However, we believe that not all Octavia 1.5 TSI models will be fitted with ACT.

We're keeping an eye out to see if the 130 horsepower version is offered. For the past couple of years, Octavia models have been left without the 125 PS 1.4 TSI due to slow demand.

In the diesel department, a much clearer picture is beginning to form. The 1.5 TDI that was supposed to accompany the TSI Evo will never happen... or it won't be offered in Europe. Likewise, the 1.4 TDI  and 1.6 TDI will be discontinued, probably by around 2020.
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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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