Skoda Octavia RS

Remember last month when we wrote about the MY19 Volkswagen Golf GTI losing the manual option? The three-pedal casualties have continued elsewhere in the Volkswagen Group, with the Skoda Octavia RS also losing its stick-shift variants for 2019. It's not the first, and it won't be the last European line-up to be reshuffled because of the new WLTP – that's Worldwide harmonised Light vehicle Testing Protocol – rules coming into force this September in Europe.

The facelifted 2018 Skoda Octavia RS range has touched down in Australia, starting at $38,890 before on-road costs, or $41,990 drive-away. Six variants, two engines and two body styles will be offered, for now, including the uprated 169kW/350Nm 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine from the Golf 7.5 GTI, along with the familiar 135kW/380Nm 2.0-litre turbo-diesel. Drive is sent to the front wheels either by a six-speed manual (169TSI) or six-speed DSG (169TSI, 135TDI).

Production of the Skoda Octavia RS has been doubled to meet unexpectedly high demand for the performance model and to help ease local lead times that have blown out to nine months. Skoda Australia director Michael Irmer confirmed Octavia RS production at the car’s Mlada Boleslav plant in the Czech Republic has been boosted from 350 to 700 vehicles per week to attempt to satisfy global hunger for the sporty mid-sized sedan and wagon models.