Skoda Octavia: carsales Car of the Year 2021 finalist

The Skoda Octavia has long been the critics’ choice when it has been pitted against rivals in the same market segment.

Now an all-new, fourth generation of Octavia has reached the local market, and it’s once again earning rave reviews – especially the high-performance Octavia RS flagship.

It’s the Octavia RS that is flying the flag for the Skoda brand in 2021 Car of the Year judging.

Sharing its turbocharged four-cylinder engine with the Volkswagen Golf GTI, the Octavia RS drives the front wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.

It’s a powertrain that will arouse the driving demon in all of us, although the synthesised engine/exhaust note isn’t universally welcomed.

Where the Octavia really succeeds is its ability to straddle the line between driving enjoyment and family-friendly practicality.

This balance is a longstanding hallmark of Skoda design, brought to a new pinnacle in this A8 series of Octavia RS.

The question begging is whether the Skoda Octavia RS ranks head and shoulders above its rivals in the 2021 carsales Car of the Year, proudly presented by Bingle.

While the Skoda Octavia RS is a fine touring machine, its natural habitat looks to be the dormitory suburbs in the middle and outer rings of major urban centres.

There, the Octavia flagship’s prime audience will include young professionals with a growing family.

They will be quite savvy where cars are concerned, and looking for good value, combined with European style and dynamic traits.

The Octavia RS has a ‘cool’ factor associated with it that its mid-size sedan and wagon rivals can’t match. That’s partly a consequence of its Golf GTI mechanicals and its handsome looks.

Alternatively, and despite its generous accommodation in the rear, the Octavia will also appeal to older couples – empty nesters – who are still in love with driving, but possibly have grandchildren to transport safely.

On that point, buyers will appreciate the Octavia’s functional packaging, comfort and strong safety credentials.

What’s more, the Octavia RS is also a reasonably affordable car to own.

There were some questions raised at the release of the new-generation Skoda Octavia, due to a hefty price increase at entry level.

Back in February, when pricing was announced, Skoda claimed that the $5500 increase for the base Octavia was more than offset by $6350 worth of extra equipment.

At that time, the Octavia RS liftback sedan was priced at $47,790 plus on-road costs. The drive-away price was $51,490, but that price has since risen by another $2500 to $53,990 drive-away, which is starting to look steep, no matter how good the car.

Unfortunately, this is not uniquely a Skoda problem; it’s common to many mainstream brands below the luxury car tax threshold.

From entry level, the Octavia is fitted standard with welcome features such as LED headlights, privacy glass, ambient interior lighting and a flat-bottom steering wheel with transmission shift paddles.

Lighting performance goes up notch with the mid-range Octavia 110TSI Style, which has full Matrix headlights, while items specific to the Octavia RS sedan and wagon include 19-inch alloy wheels – in lieu of 18-inch alloys – red disc brake callipers, leather and fabric upholstery combination, sports front seats, carbon-fibre dash trim and Alcantara door card upholstery.

Exterior details are finished in black, the ride height is lowered by 15mm and, let’s not forget, there’s a stirring 180kW/370Nm 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine under the bonnet.

Skoda offers the Octavia with a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty and service intervals of 12 months or 15,000km.

In both an international review by UK-based writer Matt Robinson and Sam Charlwood’s local launch review, the Skoda Octavia RS scored high points.

The Octavia RS has also been on long-term test with carsales, driven by Ken Gratton and Terry Martin, among others. All writers thus far have praised the Octavia to the hilt.

“Accepting that the 2021 Skoda Octavia RS maybe isn’t as outright engaging as something like a Honda Civic Type R, a Ford Focus ST or a Hyundai i30 N, we’re also happy to go on record as saying it’s still a deeply enjoyable circa-$50K performance car in the twisty stuff,” Robinson noted.

“This is a blindingly-talented all-rounder from the Czechs and one that has basically done the seemingly impossible. It’s out-Golf-GTI-ed the Golf GTI.”

Charlwood was a little more measured in tone.

“The improvements brought with the new-generation 2021 Skoda Octavia RS are both tangible and worthwhile,” he observed.

“While the everyday performance hero has not changed much dynamically, Skoda has integrated a much more sophisticated interior and clever technology along the way.

“It’s hard to think of another family chariot that ticks this many boxes at this price point.”

That all bodes well for a strong showing by the Skoda Octavia as we get to the pointy end of carsales Car of the Year 2021, proudly presented by Bingle.

Skoda Octavia RS at a glance:
Price: From $53,990 (drive-away)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 180kW/370Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 6.8L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 155g/km (ADR Combined)