Skoda Octavia vRS Range Car Review

Facts At A Glance
Car: Skoda Octavia vRS range
Prices: £18,345-£21,200 – on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 14-15
Emissions: 155-188g/km
Performance: [2.0T] Max Speed 149mph / 0-60mph 7s
Fuel Consumption: [2.0T] (urban) 25.9mpg / (extra urban) 45.6mpg / (combined) 35.8mpg
Safety: Front and side airbags, ABS, ASR, MBA, MSR, ESP, TPM.
Dimensions: [5dr] Length/Width/Height, 4572/1769/1462mm

CRAZY GOLF

Our Rating: 7.0 / 10

If you like the idea of a Volkswagen Golf GTI but don’t fancy the asking price, Skoda have an alternative you probably haven’t considered. Andy Enright reports on the improved Octavia vRS

Pound for pound, Skoda’s Octavia vRS is the best all-round fast hatch it’s possible to buy. The fact that it’s larger than a usual five-door hot hatch – and available as an estate - makes it a family alternative too. If you don’t care about badge equity, then this is a car that can’t be ignored in its sector.

Brand equity may not be strictly tangible but it’s something that you can pin a firm price tag onto. Take Skoda’s Octavia vRS for example. Strip away the window dressing and it’s the same car underneath as a Volkswagen Golf GTI or an Audi A4 2.0T FSI. The difference is that the Skoda retails at around £17,500, the five-door Golf for around £21,000 and the Audi for around £25,000.

Whilst we wouldn’t pretend that this was solely down to badge engineering, the lion’s share of those price discrepancies can’t really be attributed to softer touch fascia materials, more sophisticated electronics functions or pricier pot plants in the respective dealerships. If you want to escape the inescapable conclusion that you’re paying over the odds to bolster your ego, the Skoda is the logical choice.

With the same 197bhp 2.0-litre turbocharged FSI engine as the Golf GTI, the Octavia vRS remains a real entertainer. The bigger bodyshell shaves a fraction off the car’s sprint to 60mph but slippery aerodynamics restore balance by giving the Octavia a higher top end than its lauded Volkswagen relative. The figures for the Octavia hatch are 60mph in 7 seconds flat and a maximum speed of 149mph. The estate version adds another string to the Skoda’s bow and this is only a smidgeon slower to 60mph but adds the practicality for which Octavia estates have long been renowned, filling an interesting niche amongst budget performance estates. Skoda also offer a 2.0-litre TDI diesel vRS derivative packing 170bhp.

This current Octavia vRS benefits from Volkswagen’s quest to endow the Golf chassis with Ford Focus-style driving manners. Even with the wick turned down a good few notches, it can’t help but feel extremely capable when stitching a series of bends together. The suspension has been dropped by 12mm and the rear end has been braced to offer increased torsional stiffness. Ventilated brake discs are fitted, as is ESP stability control and TPM tyre pressure monitoring.

Beefed up shock absorbers and springs give better road feel and flatter cornering. The steering feels like a good hydraulically assisted set-up but is in fact electro-mechanically assisted. Many of the early versions of this steering set-up felt unacceptably artificial but the Octavia’s helm feels meaty and rewarding at speed, reverting to fingertip light at parking speeds. Impressive stuff. The gearchange is light and positive and the multi-liink rear suspension keeps the sort of bump and thump that often afflicts cars wiith more rudimentary torsion beam setups at bay.

With deep bumpers and a pert boot spoiler, this Octavia looks purposeful without appearing as if it’s returning from Max Power Live with a teenage driver who’s just maxed his dad’s credit card. Other details include red brake calipers, Cat’s Eyes reflectors in the rear bumper and vRS badging on the tailgate. The interior also benefits from some subtle upgrades with deeply bolstered sports seats, a three spoke steering wheel and aluminium-effect trim to lift the somewhat sombre Octavia fascia. Black rooflining and a leather-trimmed gearknob complete the interior package.

Compared to its predecessor, the rear overhang has been extended a little further to give the Octavia more of a ‘three box’ profile. Like all models in the range, the latest car boasts a practical hatchback rather than the boot its stub-tailed lines may suggest. Over 560 litres of space is on offer with the rear seats in place. Bear in mind that this dwarfs what’s available from a BMW 5 Series, a Mercedes E Class or a Volvo S80 and you’ll get some idea how huge it is back there. The Golf doesn’t even compare. Fold the rear seats flat and you’ll then get a yawning 1,350 litres of available room. Not a car for the agoraphobic in other words and if you opt for the estate, that seats folded capacity increases to 1,620 litres.

Passenger room is similarly generous – and that’s important since the prodigious luggage space of the first gen