Skoda Octavia RS Review & Road Test

Pros: Great engine; big boot; price

Cons: second row leg room

By Nadine Armstrong | January 15th, 2010

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Price: $16,380 to $27,720

Our Rating:

Performance, Ride & Handling	3.5
Comfort and Interior	3.5
Quality & Design	4
Value & Features	4
Safety	5
Green	3.5

Skoda’s new performance hero won’t disappoint.

Model Tested:

Skoda Octavia TSI RS; 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-petrol; six-speed DSG; five-door hatch – $39,790*

Options:

CarAdvice Rating:

The RS is the performance hero of the Skoda Octavia line-up and puts up a fairly simple offering. It looks good, feels good ad it’s a whole lot of fun to drive.

Available in two body styles, a lift back and a wagon, the RS joins the Octavia’s expansive line up which sees 1.6-, 1.8- and 2.0-litre engines in both petrol and diesel variants on offer. There are two engines available in the Skoda RS, the 2.0-litre TFSI which we are testing, and the 2.0-litre TDI.

The 2.0-litre TFSI engine pumps out 147 kW from 5100rpm and 280Nm from 1,800rpm to create a vibrant and responsive drive experience. Torque is strong and plentiful. The RS musters a top speed of 240km/h and moves from 0-100km/h in 7.3 seconds.

The engine rumble is quite loud, almost agricultural sounding upon start up. Beyond idle, this noise turns into a lovely engine note that compliments the cars performance. The engine hums with an eagerness to perform and zips through the gears beautifully.

The DSG transmission is smooth and gear changes are nicely timed. Manual selection of the gears can be done via the gear selector or paddle shifts. Using the paddle shifts delivers a slightly slower response than the gear shift, particularly shifting up, but the fun factor is high.

Rev the Octavia to peak power and you’ll enjoy the best this car has to offer; a spritely and obedient drive. The cabin is rigid and the ride is firm, but it’s comfortable enough to be enjoyable for every day driving duties.

The RS with DSG transmission has a three-spoke, multi-function leather sports steering wheel as standard. It has a nice textured feel in hand and provides great steering feedback. The RS handles with great confidence. Cruising at highway speeds the Octavia RS is solid and composed, although the engine noise is a little loud and intrusive.

On more demanding roads, the Octavia’s sports set up works a charm, sitting glued to the road and hugging corners with sporty prowess. The Octavia RS satisfies the senses and is a pleasure to steer. The Octavia RS is however no stranger to a bit of wheel spin upon take off, but it’s quick to gather composure and right itself.

The Skoda’s cabin is snug, but in a comforting way where its firm sporty seats hold your body tight and everything is close to hand. The interior is sporty, comfortable and well equipped. The RS styling adds a racey edge to the interior, including shiny alloy sport pedals. So as to not be mistaken for a stock standard Octavia, the RS logo can be found embroidered on the seats and badged through the cabin – a not so gentle reminder of the premium spec and sporty credentials at hand.

The two-tone leather and cloth trim interior is very well done and is in keeping with the sporty personality. Full leather would be better. Nice stitching detail gives a premium edge to the trim. The dash and audio interface is simple and uncluttered. It’s easy to navigate and simple to use. The gear selector is chunky and feels nice in hand.

A six CD tuner with eight speakers is standard and knocks out a good sound. A touch screen control and SD card slot up the audio spec to a respectable modern standard.

The second row is comfortable for two passengers, but any middle passenger will be cramped for space, particularly leg room.

Tyre pressure monitors and rear parking sensors are also included.

The Octavia RS cuts a lovely, strong shape from every angle. From the deep grille and integrated fog lights, through to the boxy rear end and boot spoiler, the RS is well proportioned and lines are clean. Its good looks are a hint of the substance that lies beneath the metal.

If you’re not convinced, there are another few RS badges to set the performance tone. The RS features a nice array of sporty styling cues, including 19-inch alloy wheels, sports suspension, showy red callipers, tinted windows and chrome twin exhaust pipes.

The Octavia RS has the good looks of a sedan but with large hatch back functionality. The hatch has a load capacity of 560 litres (seats up) and 1420 litres (seats down) and it’s easily access thanks to the large hatch opening. Add to this split fold seats and you’ve got an incredibly usable load space.

On our test route we achieved a fuel consumption reading of around 10 litres per 100km – a little higher than the manufacturer’s claim of 8.1 for the DSG transmission.

Safety features are well covered in the RS with six airbags (dual front, front side and curtain), active head rests, electronic stability program, anti-lock brake system and anti-slip regulation and electronic brake-pressure distribution.

Priced at $37,990*, and another $2,300 for the six-speed DSG gearbox, the Octavia RS presents good value for money. It’s larger and cheaper than many of the hot hatches currently on the market – think Civic Type R and its Golf GTI relative – and comes in cheaper than a sporty competitor like the Ford Mondeo XR5.

The Skoda Octavia RS is a performance car that you can live with very easily, there is no compromise on comfort or practicality – quite the opposite, actually, Skoda has been thoughtful and practical in creating this car. The RS adds a dash of character to your every day Octavia. Given the opportunity, the Octavia RS will make you very happy, with spare change, too.

*Pricing is a guide as recommended to us by the manufacturer.

Ratings:

CarAdvice Overall Rating:
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Reader reviews of the SKODA OCTAVIA

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The competition

FORD MONDEO

Rating:

Bent 8 Brigade

Looks like a 2003 Kia Spectra.

pass

Bent 8 Brigade

No resemblance to a VE.
VE’s styling still looks muscular and contemporary even today, unlike this VW parts bin castoff

McBain

The VE is muscular in the same way an ageing body builder might be. There’s a hint that there used to be something interesting once upon a time, but now there’s just saggy man boobs instead of powerful pecs, and now all the girls are paying attention to the new Czech guy who just arrived. And really, wouldn’t you rather be dipping into VW’s parts bin than GM’s? Yes. Yes you would.

spellbound

Mc Bain thats hilarious , couldn’t have put it better myself , good one , hahaaha
Bent 8 Brigade

If this ‘new Czech guy’ is the result of dipping into VW’s parts bin, i’d rather be dipping into GM’s.
Yes. Yes I would.

Tomas79

Funny how the skodas totally smash GM holden’s offering in aLL AUSTRALIAN comperoes!!
Hung Low

Funny how the Australian public vote the opposite with their cash! That is the bottom line unfortunately!
Does it come with beer goggles?…………it should!
observer

Funny how such a small selling brand (Skoda) in Oz gets so much print time and roadtests on this site.
Able

Doesn’t matter how a car sells, the car is on sale in Australia and therefore gets a review. Look at the Kia Sportage review – sh!thouse car, but it’s still reviewed. What else is left in your little mindbank of negativity? Probs some negativity for me, but me no care, me proving point that you are a pessesmitic pr!ck
observer

And a good day to you as well Able….You’ve missed my point. I agree that brand sales volumes shouldnt dictate if a car gets a review.

But it should be relative to the sales volume brand vs model line up. For example if you tally up some random brands reviewed here during 2009/10 you get the distorted picture wherby some really large selling brands with a large model line-up get passed over and other brands get too much attention with such tiny model selections/volumes.

Skoda=11 reviws
Toyota=10 reviews
Mazda=9 reviews
Fiat=Nil
Peugeot=3
Kia=10
Mercedes=4

So it’s not about saying the first mindless thing that pops into your head but looking at the facts and being objective. Perhaps you should have a read of the “Code of Conduct”
Nima

How much longer GM and its’ parts bin manages to survive will be interesting. Must be all those top quality, great looking cars they produced that sent them to the brink. hahahaha. One thing is for sure, the VW groups survival is guaranteed.

Michael

I was thinking just that about the VW parts bin castoff. it looks like a 03 Passat (I own and drive one)

ABMPSV

I do not know why people do not like Skoda looks. It is a nice looking car. Even in Italy – where they make the most bueatiful cars – Octavia was voted the Most Beautiful Mid-sized Car, by Automobilia in 2005. In UK Skoda got since 2005 every year some award. Go for test drive and you will see. I did!!

Jimmy

I completely agree – I think they are very handsome cars. I think the previous models were a little boring to look at, but I think this model’s styling is right on the money. It’s an understated style, form follows function.

big

well i think the vw and skoda are very good cars,pity the jap cars look like clown cars they should take note ,as for gm, m i have always been a gm man and still drive my ss,but am going to get a vw for the wife and keep the ss for a bit of fun,not giveing it away as its not worth much for a trade

o

Great car. I still cant get over how huge the boot is.

observer

Welcome to 1994-95 car styling…Skoda Octavia!!!.

Tomas79

Please show me a car that looked as good as the Octavia in 94-95??

Kazuo

Lambo or Ferrari lol

Simon

That steering wheel is plain ugly. Shame when you’d be looking at it everyday. I think it would be very distracting.

Martin

I was thinking the same thing… It’s too busy, should be simpler.

Callous Aussie

Haha yeah, I was thinking just that. The overall impression of the interior is that it is a little dated to me. But that’s probably more to do with the color of the plastics than the actual design.

I quite like the styling of the car and Skoda deserve to be a success here in Australia.
Simon

Actually, I drive a B6 Passat.
When you assume……..
Really

Funny though, you are the type of person that would see this EXACT same steering wheel in either the new A3 or A4 Audi and say it looks elegant. Four rings can make all the difference

Deco

Ironic that it has no leg room…

You’d think that they could extract decent leg room out of it as they were able to get alot out of the superb.

Safety First

Kinda agree, whats the sense in having enough boot space to fit the luggage for a five person family to go away on holidays, if you actually can’s comfortably sit five in the car for the long haul??? would be beter redesigning the rear for more legroom and say “Only” 530l of boot space.

As to the vehicle itself, very innofensive, very staid and unnoticable on the road. Sorry but plenty of others out there that may not be as fast (however ask the assistant commissioner in Vic how important that is ;-p) but they have more style, interior room and bits and bobs. Oh and service and warranty agents..
Jake02

Can I just suggest that putting down no legroom is irrelevant because it depends on whoever is looking at the car – meaning it’s different for everyone. If a driver is 5ft 7 and the passenger behind them is 6 ft, there isn’t a problem (I know from my family) and even if there’s a 6ft 3 driver and 6ft passenger behind them the legroom is still fine. But a taller than 6ft 6 driver and anyone over 6ft behind them would have trouble as with any normal car…

mdt

How does the Octavia only manage a 4-star ANCAP rating? It’s based on the Golf V platform (Golf and Jetta both 5 star rated), and also has 6 airbags and stability control. That’s a turn off when considering the RS against its closest VAG equivalent, the Jetta 2.0 TFSI. Anyone have any insight?

http://caradvice.com.au Arbarth 130tc

Checked euro ncap, The four star rating is for the 2004 model. The 2009 model is not yet tested but my guess is that it will be 5 star when they do.
nick

Might not have a passenger seatbelt warning. That’s what originally prevented the Commodore from the 5-star ANCAP rating.

skoda man

The car tested in 2004 had four airbags only and no audible seatbelt warning indicator for driver passeneger. If re-tested (and for the life of me i can’t figure out why they havent)it would pass easily
David T1

Nick, don’t be so naieve.
Commodore has had a lot more re-engineering than just adding a warning light, like the Holden fanboys like to suggest.

Mitch

The lift back is a great idea.
Baddass

The only styling details I don’t like on this car are the very upright tail lights, and the body-coloured B-pillar (and to a lesser extent the A-pillar). Other than that, it is a very good looking machine.
Will

A very practical hot hatch.
Save it for the track

Maybe it’s missing something REAL important like a warning chime for the apssenegr or something else similar that has absolutely no bearing on how ‘safe’ a car might be, but NCAP use to give lower scores and hence lower star ratings.

spellbound

I believe rating was done prior to fitting of full curtain airbags to lesser models in europe a few years back .

freddo

Yep, still ugly, lincon grill, way to busy inside, and no leg room, front wheel drive, and 10L/100k.
Put it back on the ship.
Mad Max

The problem with Skoda is lack of dealerships in key areas. Here in the South East of Melbourne you have to drive 50kms accross the city to buy one or have it serviced. The dealership close by in Ferntree Gully stopped selling and servicing them months ago. Tough luck if you bought one in Melbournes fastest growing area. Even the local VW dealer won’t service them. Its things like this that will stop Skoda reaching their sales potential.

spellbound

No VW dealer is going to knock back service dollars , basically all VW running gear so its no big deal.

Pooky

No UltraTune will knock you back for servicing either for probably 1/3 of the cost a dealer charges and they do a much better job unless you go to a dud.

Gazza

Spot on! After reading this review I checked there website and found they had a wagon version which is what I am really interested in.
In SE Qld there’s one dealer at Albion on the northside of Brisbane and another 100km away at Southport on the Gold Coast.
I’m about halfway between the two of them and doing a 100km round trip just to get a service is not real attractive.

http://unsure italian

this car is hot, glad i bought a skoda… should have got the vrs though instead of the octavia.. darn
AAA

Look at the chrome grille and the headlamps ~
Mal

I think they want us to leave comments in this Skoda thread instead. I’ll go first… You could get similar build, performance, efficiency, interior leg room, a better gearbox in a diesel Superb. The Superb may not ride as well but it is HALF the cost of the Merc. Just my 2 cents.
Kim

I love how every negative comment about this car has negative votes to hide the unflattering comments.

Either way i don’t care. I think this car is ugly and boring would be a compliment. Its ugliness goes from the low waist line and boring exterior lines to the incredibly ugly (and again, boring would be a compliment) interior not to mention the hideous body coloured b-pillar that make the windows look like ones from an APC. In fact, the only good looking thing about this car is the lower half of the front bumper.

spellbound

Able its just the usaul mob who hate any imports .

I might not drive a liberty any more but i respect their engineering , good cars , they lost me with this latest look.

There is less of them now as they keep making less din’os in oz each year , extinction looms .

Kim

And who says i hate imports? Heck, i even worked for a German subcontractor for half a year in Germany that did the Aud R8 Electric Concept, Bugatti Bordeaux concept and a few others. We did work on other cars such as Bentley, Porsch and BMW suspensions and chassis. So whos to say i hate imports?

Actually, its funny how people here love Skoda but in Germany there wasn’t as much love for Skoda. I love VW, i think they make some great cars with excellent suspension setups for what it is and i also like cars on the other side of the world too – Honda, Subaru and Toyota i, and even the Germans, have great respect for.

But all this fanboyism about how the Skoda looks stunning is rubbish. Everyone knows they’re two gens behind in the looks department, and interior design. Look at it, and look at any other 2010 car and tell me that it isnt outdated. The lines are boring – no sweeping lines or lines with any thought. Looks like they were designing a boat because of the straight waist line and curves. The interior is generic as hell and looks outdated especially with the extra low centre console.

To call anyone who hates this particular Skoda an import hater is just ridiculous and no more than ‘fanboyism’. One could say you just love any imports from Germany irrespective of their qualities (or lack thereof).

spellbound

Interseting how many skodas sold in germany , very successfull , really its all VAG interior if you look closely .

Body style just VAG from ealy ninty’s actually looks better than a new liberty or a camry , man the liberty is average cobbled together by a commitee which included 15% imput from toyota , wow you call taht modern , very box car will to me.

Also its not made in germany , try czech republic

HyundaiSmoke

The Interior looks sweet, but the exterior-except grille, Bumper, and door handles looks like a 2002 KIA Spectra GSX sold here in the States.
greencoopers

At the moment, XR5 is 36,000 drive away-at least 2k cheaper than the vrs!
HyundaiSmoke

You know VAG, they like Hyundai/KIA, and BMW, go for that Black on Chrome/Silver sport interior look. I like it. Most 2 non-black and silver/chrome tones look like Japanese and Korean Econo cars FROM THE 90s.
Projet -L

Hilarious listening to the haters.
I think the standard TSI Octavia is a better car than the RS.
0-100 in 7.8 and 6.7l/100.
Plain wrapper, outstanding fit and finish.
Respectable real world performance.
It doesn’t attract attention from those narrow
minded “supposed” car lovers, who can only manage
an appreciation for one make/style of car.
Most are NQR.

Nice one Skoda.

BTW Skoda Superb made final 4 of Wheels car of the year.

F1MotoGP

I agree. I think people afraid of change or if is there a new and better car coming to the market. Lots of people are following one or other brand they protecting that brand and criticizing a new one. I am very open minded I think Skoda is a good car. Just look overseas. In England at the begininning was the same as here now exactly the opposite!

ASLSW

I have one of these on order. I know all of this is subjective (I will never stand up and claim it is better than such-and-such) but here’s what I liked about it…

- interior is classy but not over the top, feels solid and well put together. Mazda 6: great expanses of plastic, fussy steering wheel, Mondeo: european commodore feel, Accord Euro: comfortable but low seating position, fussy steering wheel, Liberty: gave up trying to find a salesman, Golf: pretty much identical, as you would expect.

- rear space. I’m 5’9, but as a test we took some friends of ours who are both 6′+ for a drive in the back. Both were impressed with the space, and it took two full size suitcases in the rear with more room to spare. Perfect for us: no more family holidays with 3 kids, but good for the occasional weekend away with friends.

- styling. Not cutting edge, but I definitely didn’t want the ‘boy racer’ look like a Falcon XR6 or Commodore SS. Also, wanted something euro with a few more edges than the curves that seem to dominate so much at the moment.

- value for money for the overall package. I was always going to option up, so the total price for what I will get was hard to ignore (plus some handy discounts from a family connection).

Sure, you will find something to dislike about the car. But I could do the same with any other car you find. Flame me if you like, but I’m happy with what is on order.
Save it for the track

Maybe something to do with profile of said media (or in this case internet) outlet?? Some manufacturers are probably willing to give a car to test to just about anybody, whereas others may not bother. I’m sure if Holden, Ford, Toyota, or just about any manufacturer have Wheels, Motor, or other more mainstream and widely read or seen media outlets lined up for drives, less high profile outlets such as CA will be relegated, or miss out. I do note however the lack of a Great Wall review, not that I’m desperately wanting one though…
Fusion.m8

Why are Aussies crazy enough to waste hard earned $$$ buying Australian made cars? They are crap, even compared to the Koreans…
Jack

Does anyone have any comments regarding the DSG v manual
Octavia RS ?
I have always had manual cars but was impressed with a test drive in a DSG RS wagon.
Ezzagun

Jack I have owned a DSG-equipped RS (wagon) for almost a year now, I didn’t sample the manual coz my wife won’t drive stick, but my mate just bought a manual Octavia 118 liftback and he’s full of praise for the manual shift, he’s always driven stick and gives the thumbs up to the manual transmission offered in the Octavia range (which I guess is also the same manual transmission offered in the VW Golf/Jetta range)… as for the DSG, lightening fast shifts mean it’s a joy to drive, also easy on the fuel (depending on how easy you are with the right foot) but it does hesitate a little off the line, fraction of a second while the clutch engages, you get used to it and can easily adapt your driving style to it, overall I think the DSG’s benefits outweigh that little niggle.
ShockJock

Jack,

I too have owned an rs dsg wagon for fast approaching a year. I previously owned a manual in the uk.

I originally missed the involvement of the manual but the dsg is hard to fault and always seems to predict what gear you need next. So easy in any traffic. I must say I have never noticed the hesitation issues the previous poster referred to.

In my view the car is the best sports wagon this side of 70,000 dollars.
The build is fantastic and luggage space phenomenal. I came from a golf gti and the rs wagon has 95% of the performance of a gti and 85% of the handling capabilities with a far more compliant ride despite running 18s as standard.

The kids stuff is just swallowed by the huge boot.

Buy one you will not regret it.
pablo

I have owned a RS TDI DSG wagon for 18 months and find it excellent. It does have a slight hesitation when initially moving but it is very brief and you quickly get used to it. Overall DSG is terrific as is the car to drive. It accelerates very well, particularly overtaking vehicles which is important for me living in the country with lots of road trains around, it handles well around corners, cruises well, is comfortable and has good suspension compliance on our rough roads for a sporty model. I average around 5.4l/100km with mostly country driving without trying to be particularly economical – frequently running above 100km/hr and don’t hang around when needing to pass road trains and other cars. And my car has only done 16000km so still some running in to do. Only minor irritation is more road noise on course bitumen than I would like but maybe that’s because I am getting older. I have also found Skoda service (Brisbane) and support to be excellent. As for travelling to for a service – I drive 900km there and then 900km back. No problem – its enjoyable, less than a tank of diesel each way, and only once a year.
Melody Haskins

I am tempted by the Octavia RS as it seems to have \”Get up and go\” and lots of options, for lesser price than most. I am a bit of a show-off and would like a YELLOW one. Has anyone seen the car in Yellow? The salesman where I live was a bit horrified by my colour choice, and I am wondering if he can be right?
Thanks.

Andrew

Got a blue one, love it. Only seen yellow in the brochures. I saw a white one at the dealer when I picked mine up; surprised how good it looked in white.

Jason Stock

I have owned my Skoda RS Wagon for 6 months now
Great space,build quality and the little things that make driving a pleasure, auto lights auto wipers, heated seats
Im no Hoon but i had my skoda re-mapped
I have on tap over 200 Kw and 400 tourques and still achieve 600 – 700 km on a tank much further on country drives
Its great keep calm but know you have a Big STICK !

F1MotoGP

You would like this.
Skoda has announced plans to race a specially-modified Octavia vRS at the Bonneville Salt Flats.

Created with the assistance of REVO Technik, the car features a 2.0-liter TSI petrol engine that has been equipped with a new Garret turbocharger. Thanks to high-octane race fuel and 26 to 28 PSI of boost, the engine will produce 550-600 PS (405-441 kW / 542-592 hp) and 450 Nm (332 lb-ft) of torque. Skoda estimates this will enable the car to hit a top speed in excess of 200 mph (322 km/h).
Source: Worldcarfans

F1MotoGP

Skoda Octavia vRS hits the salt flats at Bonneville and cracks 200 mph

Highly modified 2.0 liter TSI engine was boosted to produce over 500 bhp (373 kW / 507 PS)

A highly-modified Skoda Octavia vRS has gone to the Bonneville Salt Flats and proved its mettle by hitting a top speed of 202.15 mph (325.33 km/h) during the Bonneville Speed Week.

Source: Worldcarfans