Practical and polished performer

Otago Daily Times

a day ago

Richard Bosselman takes the Skoda Octavia vRS Plus through its paces. ROAD TEST
There are exceptions, but the words "practical" and "performance" don't always play well together.
For anyone having a prior association with the Skoda Octavia vRS, learning the latest generation of this sports-themed station wagon is still a polished performer will come as absolutely no surprise. It's long been an excellent Czech mate.
What feeds its "X" factor is Skoda's in-house experts' ability to fine-tune this product into a hot-shoe hero. By the same token, that team would also acknowledge they have an excellent set of base ingredients to work with.
The fourth generation edition tested here stands out from predecessors in terms of its updated exterior looks and a better interior, and infotainment interface. But what keeps it sweet are core components from Germany.
Platform and drivetrain sharing is a given for the VW Group. In this instance, the vRS (in local brand parlance the "v" is silent, so it's the "RS" here) presents as the family-friendly version of the classic hot hatch, the Golf GTi.
Same EA888 powertrain in the same tune, same seven-speed direct shift transmission atop the same MQB platform. Both models even run the same 235/35 R19 Bridgestone Potenza tyres.
The wagon being a little longer and 100kg heavier makes it a little slower to reach 100kmh from a standing start than the GT — a factory claimed 6.5 seconds puts it 0.6s behind — but it is just as fast overall.
But if you want sizzle with everyday family usage smarts, the RS stands out as a clever choice. A boot that's 50% bigger, a more spacious interior overall and, on top of that, there's also a Q-ship appeal of being a more softly-softly sighting than the Golf.
In the past, they've also enjoyed enough price separation to be considered peas from different pods. But now?
The Octavia RS arrives in two guises — the Plus, as tested, holding a $6500 premium over the entry car, thanks to such extras as suede and leather trim in place of cloth, electric adjustment for the front seats and a premium Canton sound system. The Golf GTi does the same thing with the Touring option. When fully-kitted equivalents are compared there's a mere $490 between them.
If both are on a common shortlist, it would be a matter of weighing up pros against cons. The car that works better for general driving and taking the dog to the park, but is more low-key and potentially less celebrated than the one with obvious icon status that could use its lighter kilo count and shorter wheelbase to advantage on track days or even just Sunday flings.
It becomes a tough choice unless a hatch simply won't do; station wagons are a rare breed now, performance types even less so. The newest from Europe just now are this Octavia ... and the BMW M3 Touring, also a stunning achievement, but triple the price.
Skoda's history of playing around with power plants for this variant has been interesting; it has had a diesel and iV plug-in petrol hybrid as alternates to the EA888. Those have had more torque and been thriftier, but don't sweat it. The petrol isn't too hard on the drink and a 15kW improvement to peak power makes it the most potent Skoda RS yet.
Stow your stopwatch and it feels as punchy as the Golf. Initial acceleration is decent and the mid-range so enlivened that overtaking just isn't an issue.
The dynamic edge is also sharp. With its advanced electronically controlled front differential, the 15mm-lower sports-tuned suspension and some glorious steering, the Octavia RS is very engaging. Dial up Sport mode and it rips through its seven forward gears.
It's a pity the engine isn't a bit more vocal; when gunned it can come across as a bit gruff, but it never seems to bark. If this were a Golf, you'd be looking up an Akrapovic sports exhaust.
The Octavia RS is not lacking for grip either, but being front drive you need to watch your throttle inputs, when kicking out of an intersection and accelerating hard out of bends. A bumpy uphill section on a favourite road got the front axle tramping momentarily, too.
The single best element of the dynamic repertoire has to be the adjustable suspension dampers, and how they are used is the trick.
The Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC) settings span comfort, normal and sport. All have their own feel, but before simply firming up the car for fun drives, consider what the "individual" mode might offer.
With this, you can fine-tune up the throttle and steering but also keep more suspension compliance; which can be handy for ambitious driving on rugged secondary roads. While the car will lean a little more, the trade-off is that it feels more supple and forgiving, while still maintaining a keen and accurate line of attack.
Apart from being lower than a regular Octavia, the RS signals "phwoar" footing by having black exterior detailing, chunkier bumpers and a set of large alloy wheels and fat rubber. The rims take plastic inserts to deliver improved aerodynamic efficiency; if you can stand the slight loss of that, remove them. The wheel styling is much nicer. But you will have to buy new wheel centres.
A general update for Octavia is the provision of LED light clusters front and rear. On the RS, the daylight running lights are downward angled to echo the shape of the radiator grille; a small but effective design improvement.
Major RS-related touches overlaying the cabin are those wonderfully form-fitting, seemingly fits-all-sizes sculpted front bucket seats, a gorgeous three-spoke sports steering wheel, some new trim finishes in the dash, that kind of mimic carbon fibre, and the obligatory contrast red stitching.
Specifications include heating for all outboard seats and and the perforated sports steering wheel has paddle shifters. It has a head-up display, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, satellite navigation, digital radio, tri-zone climate control, a 15W wireless charger, walk-up unlocking and walk-away locking, a 360-degree parking camera and clever cargo netting. Four USB-C outlets, dual-zone rear air vents and clever touches like rear phone holders are found in the back.
The interior update differs from that for the Kodiaq and Superb, being more closely aligned to VW cars than the family mates and so less forward-thinking.
Whereas the Kodiaq and Superb have gone to a twist-style wand behind the steering wheel for gear selection, the Octavia keeps on with a mid-console-mounted glorified switch. It's just as VW does with the Golf but this, and the absence of the excellent Smart Dials that you get in the larger Skodas, makes the Octavia feel less future-now.
The graphics on the 26cm digital instrument cluster have been sharpened up, but the big change is adoption of a 33cm infotainment touchscreen, which is beautifully rendered.
The main screen is easy to navigate and most of the menus branching off it also seem logical, which is just as well, because you'll be interacting with it frequently.
Keeping on some key shortcut physical buttons just above the central air vents is praiseworthy, but having all its climate functions on the touchscreen seems a less useful pathway. As much as the speed of its responses and its graphical clarity seem more than good enough, there will be moments of infuriation.
Infotainment-wise, if the proprietary software isn't to taste, you can bypass with either Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, both now wireless. Skoda provisions a Qi smartphone charging pad with a cooling feature to prevent your device from overheating while its battery is replenished.
Rear passenger room is almost lounge-worthy and while it wouldn't swallow my dog carrying cage as easily as the Superb did, the Octavia with 640 litres' capacity with the rear seats in place, rising to 1700 with them dropped, still has a very decently-sized boot among its competitor set.
With comfortably more than seven million examples sold since it appeared in its modern incarnation, Octavia is clearly striking a winning chord. New Zealand is one of few markets where it hasn't been the make's best selling model.
While the car here will likely be in circulation for some years yet, Skoda has signalled intent to soon show off a concept pointing to its replacement. Set to star at a motor show in Germany in September, that car will showcase a next-generation architecture to be rolled out across the Volkswagen Group and also a new design language for Octavia.
It will also be electric. AT A GLANCE SKODA OCTAVIA vRS PLUS
Rating: ★★★★★
Design and styling: ★★★★
Interior: ★★★★
Performance: ★★★★★
Ride and handling: ★★★★★
Safety: ★★★★★
Environmental: ★★★★
SPECIFICATIONS
Price: $78,000.
Engine: 1984cc four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine; 195kW/370Nm, seven-speed direct shift automatic; front-wheel-drive.
Safety rating: Current model yet to be ANCAP assessed.
Wheels and tyres: Alloy wheels, 225/40 R18 tyres.
Fuel and economy: 7.1L/100km, tank capacity 50 litres.
Emissions: 160 grams per kilometre on combined cycle.
Dimensions: Length, 4709mm; width, 2003mm; height, 1468mm.