New Octavia Is Skoda’s Fastest Ever vRS

If you were on the verge of ordering a new Golf GTI or GTD you may just want to stop and reconsider for a moment. The new Skoda Octavia vRS is both the fastest ever Octavia and also the fastest production car to bear the Czech brand’s vRS badge. And it’s got quite a lot in common with the sporty Golfs.

The Octavia vRS has always been the savvy choice for drivers looking for decent performance wrapped up in a practical shell that doesn’t cost a huge amount. Now they’ll get even more smiles to the pound as the Octavia vRS gets more power than before.

Skoda Octavia vRS Estate (2013)

The choice of engines are lifted straight from the fastest Golfs. The 2.0 litre petrol from the GTI boosts the vRS’s power by 20bhp to 217bhp. On the diesel side, the GTD donates its 181bhp 2.0 lump for an increase of 13bhp. Top speed on the petrol vRS is now 154mph, beating the last model by 4mph. Not a lot but enough to make the claim of fastest Skoda ever.

As before there’s a choice of hatchback or estate but this time the estate really wins hands down in the looks department. The curved rear looks so much better than the hatch with its tacked-on bootlid spoiler, and the extra space is going to give the Focus ST estate a run for its money.

The front of the Octavia makes the most of the sharp looks of the new model. Bi-xenon headlights with integrated LED DRLs are standard, framing the black grille with its vRS badge, while underneath are honeycomb grilles.

This is one of the boldest vRS models yet. The redesigned bumpers are unique to the vRS, as are the bright red callipers and new wheel designs. The vRS rides on 17-inch ‘Dorado’ wheels as standard but there are four upgrades available – 18-inch Gemini in silver or black, 18-inch Pictoris, or the new all-black 19-inch Xtrem.

Equipment is up too, although some of the best stuff is on the options list. Highlights include a city emergency braking system, adaptive cruise, intelligent lighting, automatic parking, keyless entry and a new multimedia and sat-nav system. It’s largely the same equipment that’s been introduced into the new Golf range but likely to cost significantly less when prices are confirmed.

We’ll see and hear more of the new vRS at the Goodwood Festival Of Speed in July. Until then, you might want to hang on to the deposit you were about to put on that Golf.