For many years the Skoda Octavia RS has been a favorite for sensible automobile patrons who need one thing a bit sporty.
It stays probably the most convincing choices for a purchaser who needs to be pragmatic but in addition responsibly indulgent, with comparatively attainable pricing and a wealth of intelligent options and good packaging combining with an thrilling drive expertise.
The 2024 mannequin 12 months modifications for the Octavia RS see a couple of changes in spec, and costs have as soon as once more been elevated. But it surely now additionally comes with a seven-year guarantee, which definitely provides to the worth quotient.
How does the Skoda Octavia fare vs its rivals?
View an in depth breakdown of the Skoda Octavia towards equally sized automobiles.
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Octavia
How a lot does the Skoda Octavia RS price?
The Octavia RS wagon is the most costly Skoda midsize mannequin you will get – priced from $58,490 plus on-road prices.
For those who aren’t all in favour of driving rapidly or having a faster-looking Octavia, that Model grade provides great worth, and it makes quite a lot of sense for individuals who aren’t prone to discover excuses simply to go for a drive.
The Octavia RS is on the market with a $6600 Premium Pack, which provides stuff you may like, akin to leather-accented seat trim, heated entrance seats with electrical seat adjustment, these entrance seats even have a therapeutic massage operate and reminiscence settings, heated second-row outboard seats, Canton 12-speaker sound system, a head-up show for the motive force, three-zone local weather management, and the elective package deal additionally contains adaptive suspension dampers.
However if you need different alternate options to contemplate, there are a couple of. First, the Subaru WRX Sportswagon ($50,990 to $58,990), which could not have the identical partaking drive expertise as WRXs of years passed by, however it’s a quicker-than-average, sporty driving wagon with heaps of practicality on supply.
Up till lately one other good possibility would have been the Peugeot 508 Sportswagon, however that mannequin is just not a PHEV-only alternative and has copped an enormous value hike in consequence (now $82,915 plus on-roads).
You possibly can additionally take a look at the Mazda 6, which is on the market with a turbo-petrol engine and with the selection of sedan or wagon ($36,140 to $55,535).
Or, in the event you can cope with a sedan physique model and the Skoda Liftback isn’t doing it for you, perhaps take a look on the vastly improved Hyundai Sonata N Line (from $55,500).
For those who’re curious, the paint seen on this RS mannequin is a variant-specific hue known as Mamba Inexperienced, and it’s the one no-cost alternative, too.
Different choices embody Magic Black Pearl, Race Blue metallic, Graphite Gray metallic, Good silver metallic and Moon White metallic, all of which price $770. Select Velvet Pink metallic and it’s a $1100 possibility.
2024 Skoda Octavia pricing:
- 2024 Skoda Octavia Model liftback: $42,490 (+$1500)
- 2024 Skoda Octavia Model wagon: $43,990 (+$1500)
- 2024 Skoda Octavia RS liftback: $56,990 (+$1000)
- 2024 Skoda Octavia RS wagon: $58,490 (+$1000)
Costs excluding on-road prices
What’s the Skoda Octavia RS like on the within?
It was good to spend a while in an Octavia RS with none choices containers ticked for this assessment, as a result of it provides you a fantastic sense of what you get as commonplace, and the way a lot worth that elective pack actually does add.
Purists will love the actual fact there’s guide seat adjustment for the cloth-trimmed, diamond-stitched sports activities seats, however having spent months in a earlier RS wagon with the elective pack, I did miss the reminiscence setting for the seats – my accomplice and I’ve a giant seat disparity.
The sporty buckets are very comfortable, although, with quantity of bolstering and the fabric trim is sweet and grippy.
You get ambient lighting on the sprint and a pleasant mixture of supplies by means of the cabin, and there’s LED inside lighting too, whereas the motive force will get a totally digital 10.25-inch instrumentation panel and there’s a ten.0-inch infotainment system with sat nav, DAB radio, wired/wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a heap of different options out there, too.
In earlier occasions with this-generation Octavia I’ve had quite a few technical points with cellphone mirroring, however this time round, it was a grimace-free expertise, which is a pleasant enchancment.
Although I nonetheless don’t love that there’s no dials for the infotainment system, and that you need to alter some components of the air-conditioning system by means of the display, somewhat than utilizing bodily buttons.
For example, there’s a house ‘bar’ on the backside of the display for local weather controls together with temperature adjustment, however there is no such thing as a fan management button/slider there, so you need to alter the pace of the air utilizing the principle display – until you’re a type of cretins that leaves it on “Auto” – I’m joking!
There are some oddly sized cupholders between the entrance seats, and some free merchandise storage spots, too, plus you get flocked door pockets with bottle holsters, and within the driver’s door there’s a hidden umbrella for these surprising and more and more widespread storms.
And whereas I didn’t suppose I’d miss having a panoramic sunroof (a $1900 possibility), it does loosen up the cabin rather a lot, given the expanse of the black headlining which may make issues really feel a bit gloomy inside.
The rear seat has a heap of good options that occupants (and fogeys) will love, akin to retractable sun-blinds, a pair of USB-C ports, directional air-vents, map pockets with system nooks on the seat backs, lined bottle holders within the doorways, a flip-down armrest with cup holders and storage, and there’s additionally a ski port.
Occupants will discover there’s sufficient house to suit behind larger front-seaters – at 182cm/6’0” I may simply slot in behind my very own driving place, with sufficient knee, foot and head room to be comfy. There’s additionally sufficient width that, if pushed, you could possibly match three adults throughout, being conscious of the transmission tunnel intrusion.
For the mums and dads studying this, you’ve bought ISOFIX factors within the window seats and three top-tether factors, too, and – from expertise – you possibly can match a rearward-facing capsule with room to spare for a guardian in entrance.
Oh, and fogeys may also LOVE the actual fact there are proximity unlocking sensors on the rear doorways in addition to the entrance, which means you possibly can unlock the again door and cargo your little one into their seat with out having to make that annoying further few-step journey to set off the entrance doorways to unlock. There’s additionally an electrical tailgate, too.
Now, the boot house on supply within the Octavia RS is convincing, too. There’s both 600 litres (VDA) in the event you select the liftback, or 640 litres (VDA) in the event you get the wagon. That’s simply sufficient to suit a bigger pram and a few further luggage.
Underneath the boot ground there’s a space-saver spare wheel, and the boot house contains a reversible mat (rubber on one aspect, carpet on the opposite), which is handier than you’d anticipate. There’s additionally a set of nets to safe gadgets in place, and distant rear-seat releases if you wish to fold the seats down.
Simply word, although, that there’s a little bit of an intrusion between the boot and the backseats, so it received’t be a fully-flat house – however there’s 1700L VDA of house to play with.
What’s below the bonnet?
There have been no modifications below the bonnet for the 2024 Skoda Octavia RS, and truthfully, that’s no huge deal – as a result of it is a nice powertrain.
The EA888 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine employed right here has 180kW of energy and 370Nm of torque, and meaning this sporty wagon will do 0-100km/h in 6.7 seconds.
There’s a seven-speed dual-clutch computerized transmission with paddle-shifters, and the RS is front-wheel drive. In different markets, there’s an AWD mannequin, which we sadly miss out on.
Gasoline financial system is rated at 6.8 litres per 100km on the mixed cycle, and also you’ll have to fill it up with 95 RON premium unleaded, and it has a 50-litre gas tank capability. In my real-world testing throughout per week of blended driving, I noticed a return of 8.3 litres per 100km.
How does the Skoda Octavia RS drive?
It drives fantastically, and it doesn’t want the adaptive dampers to do it.
That’s the factor that stood out most to me, having lived with a new-gen Octy RS for months on finish. In that long-term mortgage, I used to be typically fidgeting with the adaptive suspension settings, looking for the best stability for no matter surfaces I used to be encountering.
On this extra primary instance, the inherent qualities of the platform for this automobile shine by means of, because it possesses and reveals a cushty experience, which – admittedly – is a bit firmer than a typical Octavia, and it sits a bit decrease to the bottom resulting from its sports activities chassis setup.
Besides, it provides a cushty and composed experience in most conditions, whereas additionally providing the motive force sufficient enjoyable think about corners, with a properly stuck-down drive expertise in most conditions. The Octavia RS has a stunning driving character to it, and relying on the drive mode you’re in, it may be sedate and cruisy or extra centered and sporty.
The minor gripe I’ve is that, at occasions, the engine can overpower the entrance tyres, particularly in the event you dose it, which is just a byproduct of getting a lot torque to get to the floor – however there’s a typical digital differential lock that will help you energy out of corners.
The steering is beautiful, too, with a fast ratio and nice response in corners, whereas additionally providing a easy and really usable for boring driving, too, with a brilliant predictable response for parking strikes – in the event you don’t need to use the now-standard auto parking tech.
The powertrain additionally provides that sensible duality, with a manageable city driving expertise (sure, regardless that the dual-clutch computerized transmission and engine start-stop system can interrupt proceedings in site visitors), and but with ample energy delivered in a linear means, ample mid-range pulling energy for zippy strikes in site visitors and overtaking, and sufficient zest to place hairs in your chest, if you need that.
The DSG doesn’t muck about on the subject of shifting gears at pace, both, with a immediate and predictable logic that just about by no means will get it mistaken, particularly in the event you’re giving it some hustle.
There are some issues that may very well be improved by way of the drive, although.
As with most MQB-based choices from the VW Group, there’s quite a lot of street noise intrusion into the cabin. Some further sound deadening – particularly for coarse-chip roads – wouldn’t go astray.
And additional, whereas a reversing digicam and all-around parking sensors is helpful, household patrons would little question admire a surround-view digicam system.
What do you get?
Octavia Model highlights:
- 18-inch alloy wheels
- Area-saver spare wheel
- Matrix LED headlights
- LED fog lights with cornering operate
- LED tail lights
- LED puddle lights
- Rain-sensing window wipers
- Privateness glass
- Chrome window body surrounds
- Silver roof rails (wagon solely)
- Energy tailgate with hands-free opening
- Electrical, heated and power-folding aspect mirrors
- 10.25-inch Digital Cockpit digital instrument cluster
- 10.0-inch ‘Columbus’ infotainment system
- Satellite tv for pc navigation
- Two USB-C ports
- Wi-fi Apple CarPlay, Android Auto
- 8-speaker sound system
- Wi-fi cellphone charger
- Keyless entry and push-button begin
- Twin-zone local weather management
- LED ambient inside lighting
- Leather-based-wrapped steering wheel
- Paddle shifters
- Rear door window sunshades
- Shift-by-wire gear selector
- Electrical park brake
- Auto-dimming rear-view mirror
- Cloth upholstery
Octavia RS provides:
- 19-inch alloy wheels
- Electronically locking limited-slip entrance differential
- Sports activities suspension
- Progressive steering
- Black window surrounds
- Twin exhaust ideas
- Gloss black exterior highlights
- Auto-dimming driver’s aspect mirror
- 10 airbags
- Blind-spot help
- Rear cross-traffic alert
- Adaptive cruise management with cease & go
- Lane Help with Adaptive Lane Steering
- DAB+ digital radio
- 5 x USB-C ports
- Drive mode selector
- Aluminium pedals
- Cloth upholstery with purple distinction stitching
Is the RS value $14,500 extra to get that stuff? Inform us your ideas within the feedback!
Is the Skoda Octavia RS protected?
The Octavia was awarded the utmost five-star ANCAP security score in 2019.
It scored 92 per cent for grownup occupant safety, 87 per cent for little one occupant safety, 73 per cent for weak street person safety, and 79 per cent for security help.
Customary security options embody:
- Autonomous emergency braking (AEB)
- Pedestrian detection
- Bicycle owner detection
- Lane-keep help
- Adaptive cruise management
- Driver fatigue monitoring
- Entrance and rear parking sensors
- Reversing digicam
- Tyre strain monitoring
- Blind-spot help
- Rear-cross site visitors alert with braking
- Manoeuvre braking
- Can brake the automobile if obstacles are detected at low speeds)
- Emergency Help
- Park help
Octavia RS provides:
- Adaptive cruise management with cease/go
- Crew Defend Help
- Pre-collision pre-tensioning and crash preparation
- Lane Help with Adaptive Lane Steering
- *A part of possibility pack on base grade
- Emergency Help
- Will cease automobile and put hazards on if driver unresponsive
- *A part of possibility pack on base grade
For those who select the Octavia Model, the automobile is fitted with eight airbags – twin entrance, front-side, entrance centre, driver’s knee, and full size curtains.
However choosing the RS mannequin means you get 10 airbags, with all the above plus rear aspect thorax airbags, too.
How a lot does the Skoda Octavia RS price to run?
Skoda has made a seven-year, limitless kilometre guarantee commonplace on its mannequin vary, matching the likes of MG, GWM, Ssangyong and Kia, amongst others.
The model additionally has respectable service choices on paper. Upkeep is scheduled at 12 months/15,000km, and there are a few methods you possibly can go about servicing your automobile if you wish to accomplish that with Skoda.
Firstly, you possibly can pay as you go. There’s a capped-price servicing plan out there for the mannequin vary.
However the smarter alternative is to prepay your servicing, and you are able to do so by both selecting a five-year/75,000km service plan ($2600) or a seven-year/105,000km plan ($3400) – both of these represents a saving of a whole lot of {dollars} over paying as you go.
And, get this – in the event you service with Skoda, you possibly can stand up to 9 years of roadside help included.
CarExpert’s Tackle the Skoda Octavia RS
If there’s one factor that the Skoda Octavia does properly, it’s just about all the pieces.
It’s nonetheless the go-to sporty wagon for individuals who desire a family-sized automobile that’s enjoyable and quick.
It’s pretty to drive, and with seven years of guarantee cowl it makes an excellent stronger case now than in years passed by.
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BUY: Skoda Octavia
MORE: Everything Skoda Octavia