We’re a big fan of the Skoda Octavia vRS here at Driving Spirit. It offers a great combination of performance and practicality at a decent price, and in diesel form it can also be surprisingly cheap to run. So our ears pricked up when heard of the Skoda Octavia vRS Blackline limited edition.
Skoda Octavia vRS Blackline
The Octavia vRS Blackline is available in both hatch or estate body styles and adds more than £1,900 worth of optional extras to the vRS’s standard specification. The extra goodies include black 18-inch alloy wheels, rear parking sensors, an Amundsen satellite navigation system, DAB radio and leather upholstery.
There are three colours to choose from: Candy White, Black Magic pearl or Race Blue metallic. Sadly the incredibly bright Rallye Green metallic paint isn’t an option.
One big surprise is that, unlike the standard vRS model, the Blackline doesn’t give you a choice of petrol or diesel. It is only available with the 168bhp 2.0-litre TDI, with the 198bhp 2.0-litre TSI being noticeably absent from the price list. However, there is a choice of either six-speed manual or six-speed DSG automatic transmissions.
Prices range from £21,260 up to £23,495 and in addition Skoda’s ‘pay no VAT’ scheme still applies. If you’re thinking of borrowing the cash to pay for your Blackline then Skoda will throw in three years of free servicing, just so long as you sign up to their finance deal at 7.9% APR. They’ll even chuck in another £500 towards your deposit.
There are only 500 Octavia vRS Blacklines going on sale in the UK and don’t expect them to hang around for long. The Octavia is currently enjoying the title of “most successful Skoda model ever”, with over 3.6 million having been sold since 1996.