Skoda Octavia RS TDi 2008 Review

Skoda Octavia RS TDi

What we liked
>> Octavia's packaging
>> Combination of diesel with DSG
>> Excellent (and fun) dynamics

Not so much
>> Diesel does not a sportscar make
>> Lack of gears... where's that seven-speed DSG?
>> Some will miss the paddles

Overall rating: 3.0/5.0
Engine/Drivetrain/Chassis: 3.0/5.0
Price, Packaging and Practicality: 3.0/5.0
Safety: 2.5/5.0
Behind the wheel: 3.0/5.0
X-factor: 3.5/5.0

About our ratings

OVERVIEW
Just a couple of months on from the local launch of Renault's Megane dCi 175, Skoda has brought out a car that mirrors the French car's diesel-powered sporting aspirations.

Unlike the Megane, the Skoda Octavia RS TDi is available with a DSG transmission to make up some of the difference in performance through faster gear shifts. There's a premium to be paid for the extra facility of the DSG -- which will be offered from next year with paddle-shifting.

Pricing is not the only way in which the two cars are very closely aligned. Whereas the Megane develops 127kW of power and 360Nm of torque, the Octavia produces 125kW of power and 350Nm of torque. The diesel Octavia RS joins the turbocharged direct-injection petrol Octavia RS at the head of the Octavia range.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT
It's plain that the Skoda is aimed fair and square at the Renault. The differences in power and torque are minimal and the difference in price is even harder to see.

Skoda is selling the Octavia RS TDi liftback in manual form for $39,490, undercutting the Megane by $500. Unfortunately, for the convenience and snappy shifting of the DSG box, you'll pay another $2300. That makes $41,790 for the liftback and $43,790 for the wagon (with the manual wagon priced at $41,490).

Standard features for the Octavia RS TDi (not counting safety features) are as follows: remote central locking, 18-inch alloy wheels, three-spoke leather-bound steering wheel, leather-bound gear lever, sports pedals, sports seats, dual-zone climate control, MP3-compatible six-disc CD audio system, cruise control, electric windows/mirrors, trip computer, heated front seats, heated mirrors, electro-chromatic mirror, reverse-parking sensors with acoustic guidance, rain-sensing wipers and auto-on-off headlights with follow-me-home function.

Options include xenon headlights, electric/glass sunroof, front park distance control, satellite navigation and premium paint finishes (pearl effect/metallic).

MECHANICAL
Skoda's new 2.0-litre common-rail diesel, which is introduced to the Australian market with this Octavia variant, is Euro IV-compliant and features a diesel particulate filter.

As already mentioned above, the engine develops 125kW of power and 350Nm of torque, with the torque peaking between 1750-2500rpm. Fuel consumption for the Octavia with the TDi engine is 5.9L/100km for the manual liftback and wagon or 6.0L/100km for the DSG variants.

Both the manual and DSG transmissions are six-speeders, driving through to the front wheels, which are suspended by MacPherson struts and braked by ventilated front discs. Steering is an electrically-assisted rack-and-pinion system.

At the rear, the wheels (7Jx18 with 225/40 R18 tyres, as per the front) are braked by solid discs and the suspension is an independent set-up with one trailing link and three transverse links on either side.

The difference in weight between the Octavia RS TFSI (petrol) and the RS TDI is around 30kg, according to the tare mass figures quoted for the cars by the federal government's Department of Transport and Regional Services. Add to that a further 15kg for the wagon versus the hatch and you'll see dry weights ranging from 1495kg for the TDI liftback with manual transmission to around 1530kg for the TDI wagon with DSG (the self-shifting box adds a further 20kg).

PACKAGING
The Octavia's reputation precedes it (more here). For a car based on the VW Golf (with which it shares wheelbase, etc), it packs a lot of volume.

Comments pertaining to other Octavia variants apply also to the Octavia RS TDi. In other words, luggage capacity is 580 litres for the wagon with the rear seat in the upright position or 560 litres for the liftback. Both those figures improve on the luggage capacities of locally-built large cars (Falcon and Commodore, specifically) and are a side benefit of the Octavia's front-wheel drive layout.

As we've found in the past with other Octavia variants, the Skoda provides front-seat accommodation which is more than adequate for even the very tallest occupants -- and it's only in the case of such tall people that the front seats will need to be set back so far as to encroach on legroom for the adult-sized occupants of the rear row seating. In the vast majority of cases, the Octavia will provide effective legroom in both front and rear.

The Octavia's driving position is at least comparable to the Renault Megane's and the readability of instruments is an example to follow for others building cars under $50,000.

Both on the racetrack at Wakefield Park and on the road down from the launch headquarters in Canberra, the seats were both comfortable and secure, holding the occupants in place properly. Some larger-framed passengers might find them a bit tight around the posterior.

Until the 2009 update, the Octavia RS TDi lacks paddle shifters for the DSG and, debatably, this is a shortcoming in the first cars to reach Australia.

SAFETY
Our safety rating of 2.5 stars reflects the fact that the Octavia, while very safe in itself, is up against the RS Megane dCi 175. The Renault, is a five-star car as far as EuroNCAP is concerned and -- through an accident of history, if you like -- the Octavia is 'only' a four-star car.

In point of fact, the Octavia is actually a very safe car, but was tested at a time when its passive safety wasn't far enough ahead of the pack to warrant a five-star rating. Skoda believes that if the Octavia were tested today, it would achieve a five-star rating.

Passive safety features fitted as standard include dual front airbags, side-impact airbags for front-seat occupants and side-curtain airbags. In addition, the Octavia boasts active headrests for the front seats and a five-star-EuroNCAP-approved seatbelt reminder for the driver.

For the purpose of active safety, the Octavia RS TDI gets by with ABS/EBD, traction control, electronic stability control and tyre pressure monitoring.

COMPETITORS
In case you've missed it, we reckon that the Octavia RS TDi has one direct competitor in its sights: the Renault Sport Megane dCi 175.

But don't forget the Alfa Romeo 147 JTD, a car with less output than either the Renault or the Skoda, but also carrying less weight. It too, adding to our suspicions, is priced just below $40,000 and offers a six-speed manual transmission. Is $40,000 the most people will pay for a sporty Euro hatch with diesel power, irrespective of the brand?

Maybe not, because Audi packs the same engine as the Skoda into its A3 Sportback and sells that for $48,500. It's not as overtly sporting as the Skoda, but if you want a tidy handling car with blustering diesel power, the Audi's a good solution too. It's a similar story with the BMW 120d, but with the rear-wheel drive car offering a unique selling proposition (if a lot less space) for about the same money.

Parent company Volkswagen offers both the Golf GT with a 125kW turbodiesel but until Golf VI the cooking model Golfs remain powered by the 'Pump-Jet' engine that develops 103kW of power.

Of the vehicles listed, only the Renault (and possibly the Alfa) are 'in your face' cars like the Skoda, but the others are all in the same ballpark for straightline performance.

ON THE ROAD
Rather like the Renault Megane dCi 175, the diesel-engined Octavia RS is a consummate tourer. Also like its Renault counterpart, it's shaded around a racetrack by its forced-induction petrol stablemate.

The diesel just wasn't as responsive on the Wakefield Park track as the petrol TSI model, which not only provided power and torque in the right place, but had the gearing to match.

Even with the DSG box, the diesel variant -- irresistible torque or not -- couldn't pull the higher ratios necessary to approach the petrol variant's straight-line speed. Along the main straight and the short back straight were the only points on the track where the petrol TSI model needed to go as high as fourth gear, but the DSG box was using fourth more frequently and that hindered the TDI's performance, even with its low-down torque. Acceleration for the Octavia was flatter in higher gears than we recall for the Megane.

Driving the petrol and diesel Octavia models back-to-back proved enlightening in ways other than just straightline performance. Considering the weight difference between the two, there was negligible difference in handling on the Wakefield Park track.

The Octavia RS TDI felt a little less alive in the steering than we recall for the Megane, leading the reviewer to surmise that the Skoda's steering and suspension geometry have been tuned for less nervousness at higher speeds than is the case for either the Mondeo or the Renault.

Nonetheless, the Octavia is no dead fish of a car -- far from it. It provided an enjoyable drive and maintained a high level of roadholding, even when the showers arrived.

Although the stability control was enabled, the Octavia understeered off the track on one particular corner when the hamfisted driver chose a tighter line -- one on a wetter part of the corner. It must be said though, that the stability control generally kept things -- including the reviewer's exuberance -- in check. This one particular corner was at the end of a straight which allowed the car to build up a deceptively fast turn of speed ahead of the corner.

In the main however, the Skoda was more likely to oversteer if anything, particularly once the track surface became quite damp. Even pushing the Octavia beyond what was entirely prudent, it remained controllable and composed.

On the road, the suspension offered a compliant ride over secondary-level bumps, but was firm at a primary level -- in the same sort of way as cars such as the Ford Mondeo XR5 and the Renault Sport Megane dCi 175. Overall, however, it delivered a respectable degree of comfort.

Which would we prefer, the Octavia or the Megane? Well, that's a hard one to pick.

We believe the Octavia's DSG box provides the Skoda with an incremental advantage over the Renault. On the other hand, the Renault's gearing seemed better overall. We were impressed by the Skoda's roadholding in the wet, but didn't get to sample the Renault in the same conditions. Both cars were fun to drive and handled nicely.

So what's the verdict? Probably the Skoda -- because it's not like you're going to be driving the car on a racetrack every day of the week anyway. But if you are more track-oriented, go for the Megane.

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