MISSED THE RS?

Fret not, Skoda has a more comfortable backup plan for you

- Aditya Upadhyaula

The Skoda Octavia RS needs no introduction. It was one of the first ‘hot hatches’ to grace our shores, and in its current RS 245 form, it’s one of the rare performance cars available to us. The car you see here isn’t the Octavia RS, of course, but if you missed buying one of the 200 limited-edition Octavias, the new Skoda Superb is your ticket to the performance. It gets a mid-cycle update with updated looks, a new base Sportline trim, and, most significantly, a new power plant as well. The facelifted Superb comes with a larger grille, slimmer headlights and a reprofiled bumper.

In the more luxurious L&K trim, you get a lot of chrome detailing, but on our Sportline version, it’s all been replaced by gloss black. There’s not a hint of chrome anywhere on the outside of this car. Outback, the Skoda emblem has been replaced by wide-spaced Skoda lettering which is also blacked out. A subtle lip-spoiler finished in gloss black rounds out the appearance package. Even the wheels on this version are finished in gunmetal. There might have been a slight risk of all these changes looking tacky, but the car’s Race Blue exterior color complements these bits perfectly to give it an aggressive stance.