Skoda finally took the wraps off the new Octavia sedan for 2013. It makes you wonder what took them so long, because the car looks, well, very normal – like every other Skoda. Only a die hard Skoda fan – if such a thing exists – can tell the difference between this, the previous model, and other Skoda Superb.

Having said that, we think the Octavia looks very cool. In some ways it’s like Mila Kunis; it isn’t particularity beautiful, but it has some very attractive Eastern bloc genes in it.

The new model is physically bigger than the old one, with 90mm added to its length. That translates into more interior space. You get more knee room (73 mm) and more headroom at the back (980 mm). There is also 590 liters of boot space, which is pretty good for a car of this size.

Being a family car, safety is an absolute highlight of the new Octavia. It gets front Assistant/emergency braking function, Lane Assistant, multicollision-braking, Crew Protect Assistan, Driver Activity Assistant (fatigue detection) and an active front hatch for pedestrian protection.

Engine-wise, the car comes with four TSI petrol engines and four TDI diesels. There is also a GreenLine version with an 81 kW 1.6 TDI engine that manages CO2 emissions of 89 g/km.

With the new Octavia you also get a range of first-ever features, including Adaptive Cruise Assistant, Intelligent Light Assistant, Automatic Parking Assistant,traffic-sign recognition as part of the ‘Traveller Assistant’ package, Driving Mode Selection, panoramic sliding/tilting sunroof, and KESSY (Keyless-Entry-Start-and-Exit-System).