Skoda Octavia RS sedan 2017 Review

Reluctant farewell
Of the five vehicles tested here, the Skoda Octavia RS is the one I am going to miss most.
Living with the compact five-door hatch is a matter of eager anticipation. You look forward to hunkering down in those grippy, cosy seats, admiring the minimalist instrument panel and awaiting the sound of that guttural two-litre turbo firing up.

Unlike the other cars here, apart from the Kia Optima GT, the Skoda is all about brash revelations of an innate character. The 169kW/350Nm 2.0-litre turbo engine, already familiar in the likes of Volkswagen’s Golf GTI, isn’t the group’s most powerful - in fact it’s ahead of only the naturally aspirated Mazda6 – but the Skoda is the lightest of the quintet and thus has the best power-weight ratio. Acceleration is not devastating, but seems a lot faster than the claimed zero to 100km/h time of 6.8sec.

Sound bites
The Octavia RS always feels and sounds quick, and it’s easy to dip into its 350Nm of torque as it kicks in fully between 1500rpm and 4600rpm. Underneath, the updated Skoda’s new exhaust system, which sounds even throatier when ‘Sport’ mode is selected, insinuates its way into the cabin to involve driver and passengers in the full audio experience. In this group, only the Kia comes close in terms of tonal appeal.

Couple that with zapzap upchanges of the six-speed DSG gearbox and the wonderfully communicative variable-ratio steering, voted best in the group by most of our testers, combined with a ride which is clearly the firmest of the group - although one of the best-controlled – and you have a compellingly sporting package.

And don’t forget, the Skoda’s tighter dimensions and light weight play nicely into the driver’s hands. The Octavia feels one of a piece, in a way none of the others are able to quite manage.

Power is fed to the front wheels by an electronic limited-slip system which manages to effectively contain torque steer while limiting wheelspin when accelerating out of a tight corner. The driver rarely has the feeling the Octavia RS is limited by its front-drive configuration.

Fuel consumption? The Skoda was not just the quickest car over the ground here: It was also the second-best in term s of fuel consumption. On the hard workout of our test route, it averaged a commendable 10.8L/100km, only 0.2L/100km behind the surprisingly efficient Subaru Liberty 3.6R and way ahead of the Kia Optima GT [13.1L/100km].

Driver’s choice
In short, if we’re voting purely on its credentials as a driver’s car, the results would be profoundly in favour of the Skoda Octavia RS. Only the bigger, heavier, Kia Optima GT approaches it as a vividly exciting driver’s car.

About the ride quality. Yes, the Octavia RS is firm, very firm, but the dampers and springs work so well together it’s only rarely this shows a deficiency – which comes in the form of a swift spike when hitting a particularly sharp-edged bump. Over some of the poorly-surfaced, single-lane tarmac we encountered on our group drive, the Skoda felt confident and controlled. It even dealt proficiently with mid-corner bumps which upset some of the others, such as the Subaru 3.6R.

The test car came with some enhancement too: It was optioned with the adaptive chassis control system, included in the $2300 ‘Tech Pack’, which enables the driver to decide whether to go for optimum, tied-down handling, or a slightly softer ride. We can say the Octavia RS remains firm whatever you do, but the choice is there if a bit more compliance is your thing.

Also included in the ‘Tech Pack’ are Columbus satellite navigation, full LED headlights with separate cornering lights, self-parking, keyless entry and a premium German 10-speaker Canton sound system.

Our Octavia RS also featured the optional ‘Luxury Pack’ which adds an extra $2800 but brings red-stitched leather/Alcantara seats, power driver and passenger seats (with memory on the driver’s side), lane-keep assist, blind spot detection, heated front and rear seats.

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Massive appeal
All those extras lift the Skoda’s pre on-roads price but don’t disproportionately enhance its underlying, well-rounded nature. The Octavia RS is a sizable hot hatch with massive appeal for enthusiastic drivers who have needs beyond pure dynamic ability.

Inside, the Octavia’s space is remarkable given it’s closer to a small car than a medium one. In fact, the rear seat challenges the much longer Mazda6 for stretching room, and the 568-litre hatchback boot - complete with 60-40 split-fold - is actually the biggest in the group. Even if there’s a small deficit in body width – 26mm less than the Mazda and Subaru – and you might not want to suggest a threesome on the back seat (with most cars, who would anyway) - this is a truly practical car. And it’s not bad to see out of either, with enough glassware to give the driver good vison around the peripherals and towards the rear.

Opt for the standard Octavia RS and you’ll get high and low-speed AEB, active cruise control, sat-nav, LED headlights, two-zone climate-control, part-leather trim, manual-adjust sports front seats and heaps of handy, thoughtful items such as an umbrella holder and a cargo net with tie-down hooks in the boot.

The five-star ANCAP Octavia RS comes with nine airbags (including driver knee bag and side bags for both front and rear passengers), driver attention detection and driver fatigue warning. And the brand-building, newly-introduced five year/unlimited-kilometre warranty puts it ahead of most of the pack.

Equipped with Volkswagen Group’s acclaimed DCT-transmission, the Skoda Octavia stands up pretty well in terms of residual value at 61.49% after three years and 60,000km. It holds value better than the Ford Mondeo (54.81% for petrol versions) and is comparable to the Optima GT (61.81%), but can’t match either the Subaru Liberty (64.46%) or the petrol Mazda6 (65.47%).

The Skoda Octavia RS is more than a (largish) hot hatch. And it would be nowhere near as appealing if all its competencies in terms of space and functionality were not matched by its indisputable charm as a driver’s car which keeps enticing you to come back for more.

It’s for sure my favourite here, even if I recognise it’s not – for good reasons – the winner.

Footnote: Making something of a lie of normal sales expectations for sport versions within the overall model portfolio, Skoda says RS hatches and wagons will account for around half of all Octavia sales.

2017 Skoda Octavia RS pricing and specifications:
Price: $41,390 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 169kW/350Nm
Transmission: Six-speed dual-clutch
Fuel: N/A (10.8L/100km on test)
CO2: N/A
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCA