Skoda Octavia vRS review (19/07/2014)
Of course, in this particular game, it is something that can come with the territory and there have been many times in the past 30 years or so of doing this job that tests have not always gone to plan.
But — be it maturity, or the fact I just getting old and slow — in recent years there have been very few incidents where I had to make a dreaded call to any company PR person to tell him or her that their brand new wonder car was not now quite what it had once been. Sadly, that run of luck, or good fortune, came to an end recently when I nerfed the new Skoda Octavia vRS.
A momentary lapse of concentration saw me take a substantial rasher from the side of the car as I pulled it into my driveway. And, although I didn’t pierce metal, I nearly got sick.
The Skoda people were very good about my misdemeanour and the car is now, apparently starring in a new car chase movie being made in the west of Ireland which stars some of our best known and loved actors, having been fully refettled and restored to original glory.
Among friends, however, the telling of my misdemeanour led to much mirth — ‘that thing is going to get a good review, for sure’ — was one of the many backslappers thrown my direction, but the truth of the matter is that the Škoda is — really — a damn fine machine.
This version of the vRS — which stands for ‘victory racing sport’, the ‘V’ only being added in Ireland and the UK in deference to Ford’s long standing use of the ‘RS’ handle for its performance models — is the third generation of the car and, like its predecessors, its main selling point is (and always has been) that it is effectively a Golf GTi in family car clothing.
That means you have a performance package — in this instance utilising the same 220 bhp engine as the iconic Golf and some of the suspension bits — but one which also allows you to let your family use it too. In fact, it is probably the single most practical performance car available anywhere right now.
Being based on the increasingly ubiquitous MQB platform from the VW parts bin has allowed the Škoda designers and engineers produce a car which is 20 mm longer than its predecessor, but this has had a very positive effect not only on interior space — particularly in the legroom department for those in the rear seats — but in its ability to carry substantial amounts of luggage too.
Å koda has also made a car which in terms of its normal performance parameters it feels like it could be any family saloon/hatch. However, when you prod it with the big stick, a different, snarly, character emerges.
This sensation is added to by the treated exhaust sound (which you can switch off, if you feel the need) which adds a very raucous — and agreeable — soundtrack to proceedings. But, when you consider the car’s relatively understated looks — although the fancy-dan alloys and bodykit do tend to set it apart from anything you’d see coming out of a farmer’s yard — it really is something of a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
As we know from the Golf GTi, this two litre turbocharged engine outputs some 220 bhp, has a top speed of 248 kph and will do the 0-100 kph dash in just 6.8 seconds. Indeed the performance figures closely match those of its German cousin, which is something of a surprise given the added size of the Czech machine.
Allied to a six speed ‘box, this engine really likes a bit of a lash. Lay it on thick with this unit and you will be hard pressed to wipe the smile off your face; it is keen to impress.
That said, when you’re involved in such day-to-day mundanities as the school run or the trip to the supermarket, it is as passive as a baby lamb on tranquilizers. When you do give it a whip of the nine tails though, it adopts a much less docile demeanour. The handling in such circumstances is bang on the money, and while the ride might be a tad on the stiff side, that is something you will forgive readily.
Throw in an excellent interior — the front sports seats are particularly meritorious — and the rear legroom has to be experienced to believed. The overall roominess is hard to beat and when you have the rear seats folded down you could hold a barn dance back there.
Further practicality includes boot hooks to prevent your shopping getting pasted around the place.
The vRS really is a fine car — and cheap — and one which does not need the embarrassment of
having rumpled the coachwork to secure a full endorsement from me.
 34,695 fully loaded.
 the same unit as the Golf GTi, which tells its own story.
 absolutely loads of standard gear which will not disappoint even the most demanding punter.
 a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde sort of a car — immensely useable as a day-to-day car, but a bit of a monster when you want it to be.
