Skoda Octavia VRS

RS is to Skoda what M is to BMW, AMG is to Mercedes, SVR is to Range Rover and Polestar is to Volvo. To put it simply- the performance inducing, steroid injecting wing of the brand whose only job is to make your everyday machine behave like a sports car. Suspension tweaks, engine power output bumps, louder exhausts are amongst the very basic mods that these ‘performance’ variants go through.

- Konark Tyagi

WHAT’S INTERESTING ABOUT THE OCTI RS?

Well, Skodas, as we all know, are known to be priced very aggressively when compared its German siblings or counterparts. Take the example of the Skoda Superb- it offers more legroom and comfort at the back then even the Audi A6 which is a proper segment (approx 30lakhs) above the Superb.

The RS badge is not new to the Indian market. It was first introduced with the Octavia MK 1 in India which debuted way back in early 2000’s. The car was an instant hit amongst enthusiasts and gave the brand a ‘performance car’ image and edge over its rivals. Then the MK 2 Octavia which was christened as the “Laura” in India ( I bet you there was no local market research done before the christening) got an RS variant which was more of a cosmetic job with a similar powertrain as the normal Laura i.e 1.8-litre unit churning out 160 PS of power.

Now, in 2017, the Czech carmaker has come out all guns blazing and introduced the same Euro-specced RS variant of the MK 3 Octavia in India. It comes with a 2.0-litre turbocharged oil burner paired with a 6-speed DSG and even the suspension is full Euro Spec! Finally, someone heard the enthusiast’s cringe!