Skoda Octavia RS-P 2010 Review

Skoda Octavia RS-P

What we liked
>> Massive stopping power
>> Tarmac-tuned chassis
>> Improved power output

Not so much
>> Bone-jarring ride quality
>> Dodgy decals with iffy font
>> Tendency to spin front wheels

Overall rating: 4.0/5.0
Engine/Drivetrain/Chassis: 4.0/5.0
Price, Packaging and Practicality: N/A
Safety: 3.5/5.0
Behind the wheel: 4.5/5.0
X-factor: 5.0/5.0

As Skoda continues to grow the brand in Australia, it has put together a special high performance turbo 'calling card', the Octavia RS-P.

Fitted with a fully adjustable suspension rig (tuned up to 'painfully rigid'), a bulky strut brace in the rear, a large matching bar under the hood, carbon-fibre cold air intake system and showing off a clean pair of heels with hot-spec Yokohama tyres and horse-shoe vented brake rotors, this turbocharged Skoda has been built with more than a nod to tarmac rallying. Oh, and it's a wagon.

When we first saw the Skoda Octavia RS-P in August 2009, we weren't allowed to drive it. But more recently the Carsales Network team was lucky enough to nab the keys for an extended period with the car... To put the pedal to the metal -- or carpet, as the case may be.

One of the first things you notice about the Octavia RS-P when turning over the engine for the first time is the sound -- it's much louder than standard thanks to a free-flowing exhaust three-inch end can. Pulling away it's the ride -- or lack there of that grabs your attention. Though featuring adjustable K&W suspension, it's set-up racecar hard.

Point it at a decent piece of winding tarmac though and any practical impediments are forgotten -- at least for a while. Though this wagon has a harsh ride and a barely usable boot, it goes, stops and corners with a degree of control that will make Golf GTI drivers jealous.

On a smooth ribbon of winding black-top, the RS-P is in fact surprisingly quick, with excellent grip from the 225/50 R18 Yokohama AO48 tyres (once warm) and gob-smacking deceleration from the four-pot AP racing calipers matched to 345mm front rotors.

There's virtually no rolling or pitching of the car's body as it navigates corners and shifts weight to the front of the vehicle under heavy brakes. The tyres also go a long way to making this wagon a serious tarmac attacker. Say that three times...

Power output has risen from the standard 147kW thanks to the adoption of a carbon fibre airbox and three-inch exhaust delivering around 155kW. Frankly the output feels substantially more. We hear suggestions that Skoda's workshop boys may have accidentally dropped an alternative engine map into the turbo 2.0-litre's ECU. If that's the case, the figure's probably closer to 200kW.

Whatever the real number, it's velocity off the line is hampered by the standard front differential and the normally calibrated stability control. Once moving it's easier to get more oomph to the road and the in-gear performance will shame many so-called 'faster' cars.

The standard twin-clutch DSG makes it easy to flick through the gears and we love the fruity 'woomph' that echoes through the car at each change.

Beyond performance, with its lowered ride height, blacked out glass and dark grey alloys, the Czech wagon has the kind of looks that gets people talking. While at the local supermarket picking up some supplies, one bloke stated "Haven't seen one of those for a while..." Another comment was simply: "What's a Skoda?"

To that end, this vehicle is doing exactly what it was designed for: to get attention and promote the Skoda badge. If you can look past its white and green livery, the Octavia RS-P has the potential to be a very serious road car with a bite to match its bark.

Don't be surprised, then, if Skoda takes the decision to move the RS-P project up to the next level.

Yep... That's a hint...

For the time being though, the RS-P not yet been given the green light for production. Matthew Wiesner, the Head of Skoda Australia, told the Carsales Network that many of the components and upgrades developed for this go-fast Euro wagon could be made available as options. We're sure there are Octavia RS drivers out there keen to capitalise on the standard car's unique combination of hot hatch chassis (it's a Golf GTI under the skin) and practical wagon dimensions.

So is the RS-P evidence of Skoda's very own local skunk works in the making? Stranger things have happened...

There's room for another HSV surely? That's "Hotter Skoda Vehicles".

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