Skoda Octavia RS 230 scorches in

Priced from $41,490, the most dynamic Skoda ever built by the Czech company has arrived in Australia.

Currently limited to just 70 units, all of them manual, the Skoda Octavia RS 230 comes in liftback ($41,490) and wagon ($43,190) body styles and brings an uptick in performance and looks for the affordable performance car.

Skoda will offer the RS 230 for $44,590 drive-away for the liftback and $46,290 drive-away for the wagon.

Commanding a price premium of $3600 over standard Octavia RS models, the Octavia RS 230 rolls on unique 19-inch alloy wheels and features leather-appointed, power operated sports seats, metal pedals, RS badged scuff plates and an upgraded powertrain.

That means the car's 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine pumps out 169kW (up 7kW) and an unchanged 350Nm, which enough mumbo to propel the front-drive vehicle to 100km/h from rest in 6.7 seconds.

Top speed is 250km/h and the fitment of an electronically-controlled front differential is designed to improve the car's power delivery mid-corner.

Despite SUVs dominating the new-vehicle launch scene, sporty cars like the Octavia RS are flourishing. Underpinned by a similar powertrain to the Golf GTI, the Octavia RS has resonated with buyers and is today the Czech company's best-selling vehicle in Australia.

It accounts for close to 40 per cent of all Octavia sales, which is the brand's best-seller.

Skoda Australia's General Manager of Corporate Communications, Paul Pottinger, said the 230 will only add to the RS-badged Octavia's appeal.

"This is a rare thing, a fun family car. And we can demonstrate that more people are looking at cars like this," he said, noting that another 30 vehicles on top of the initial 70 were being sought from the factory.

"This car is for those people looking for something a bit different."

Currently about 50 of the RS 230 vehicles will be wagons and the other 20 will be sedans.

The RS 230 has an engine idle-stop function which helps reduce fuel consumption to 6.3L/100km with CO2 emissions claimed at 145g/km.

External upgrades include the larger 19-inch alloy wheels shod with low-profile 225/35 R19 tyres, dark-coloured mufflers, a unique rear spoiler, wing mirrors and front grille.

Standard equipment on the Octavia RS 230 is significant, including electric windows and mirrors, intelligent (swivelling) xenon headlights with LED running lights, an eight-inch touch-screen infotainment system with sat-nav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

There's also adaptive radar-based cruise control, dual-zone automatic climate-control, front and rear parking sensors, a rear-facing parking camera, colour multi-function trip computer, USB ports, cup-holders and bottle holders.

Safety features include two ISOFIX child seat anchorage points, a fatigue detection system, stability control, tyre pressure monitoring, and seven airbags, including curtain airbags for front and rear occupants. It has a five-star ANCAP safety rating.

RS 230 options start with a tech pack ($1700) that adds push-button engine start, a Canton premium sound system, automated parking and lane assist steering. Heated front and rear seats ($500), a powered tailgate for the wagon ($490), metallic/pearl effect paint ($500) and a sunroof ($1700 wagon, $1500 sedan) are also available.

Skoda Australia director Michael Irmer admitted that sales of the RS 230 would be much higher if Europe's seven-speed DSG automatic version was available in Australia, but said he expects all 70 vehicles to be snapped up relatively quickly.

The Skoda boss revealed that Aussies won't have access to automatic versions of the RS 230 because it's built only for European climates. Australia is considered a "hot weather country" which would require (costly) engineering changes to the car.

Nevertheless, he said Aussies were in love with the Octavia RS, and he expected the trend to continue.

"It's safe to say we're definitely in the top [global sales] group with a mix which is close to 40 per cent in RS. It's also for the high package mix too, so we're basically selling these vehicles equipped with every option the factory makes."

In the first 10 months of 2016, the Octavia has found 1550 buyers, or 3.9 per cent of the medium car segment, which is down 13 per cent on last year's figure of 1784 sales.

Of course, that's also well down on the top-seller in the medium car segment -- Toyota's locally-made, fleet-friendly Camry, which has notched up 18,678 sales and a near 50 per cent market segment share.