Reviews
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The third generation Skoda Octavia line-up is now complete with the arrival of the RS.
The lowdown? It’s cheaper, quicker and, despite styling tweaks, still as plain looking as an Excel spreadsheet.
The new RS comes in a petrol and diesel variant. Both are direct-injected 2.0-litre turbocharged fours with the 162TSI petrol making 162kW and 350Nm, while the 135TDI diesel produces, you guessed it, 135kW and 380Nm.
You can choose between a six-speed manual and six-speed DSG but the diesel only comes matched to the automatic. Sedan prices start at $36,490 for the manual 162TSI and $38,790 for the DSG. The 135TDI is $39,790. The wagons cost an extra $1350.
That shared technology is the RS’s strongest selling point. To the uninformed it’s a pricey medium-sized Euro car for Holden SV6 money, but to those in the know, it’s a hot hatch in a Euro trench coat at a discount rate. The MQB platform the RS shares with the GTI is brilliantly balanced, while under the bonnet both cars use the same engines. Yes, the RS is almost 100kg heavier and, at 4685mm, it’s 336mm longer than the GTI.
Even more impressive than the straight-line shove is the RS’s dynamics. We sampled the pure shifting fun of the manual petrol – with a dollop of torque steer; the diesel wagon, which seemed heavy over the front; and the pick of the bunch, the petrol sedan with DSG.
All very Golf GTI-like, as expected. Even the DSG performed beautifully, although there was no ‘blarp’ on the upshift like you get in the GTI.
3.5/5
Specs Engine: 1984cc inline-4, DOHC, 16v, turbo Power: 162kW @ 6200rpm Torque: 350Nm @ 1500-4400rpm 0-100 km/h: 6.8sec (claimed) Weight: 1417kg Price: $38,790 (sedan, DSG)
