Skoda Octavia RS launched at Rs 24.62 lakh

Skoda has replaced 1.8 litre mill in the Octavia RS with a 2-liter TSI turbocharged petrol engine

Skoda on Friday launched its fastest car in India, the Octavia RS. RS is the performance version of the regular Octavia but clocks triple digit speeds in just 6.8 seconds which keeps its performance aligned with some of the previous cars like the Jaguar XF and Mercedes C-Class.

Skoda has replaced the 1.8 litre mill in the Octavia RS with a 2.0-liter TSI turbocharged petrol engine which produces 227 hp at 6200 rpm and 350 Nm of peak torque at 4,600 rpm. This power-unit comes mated to a six-Speed DSG transmission. The car can reach a restricted top-speed of 250 kmph and that makes it the fastest Skoda sold in India.

Since the car is based on the standard Octavia, in flesh it will appear the same with similar dimensions. That said, the suspension set-up of the Octavia RS has been remapped and with a sport chassis it makes the car sit 15 mm low than the standard iteration. Moreover, elements like sporty body kits, blacked 17-inch alloy wheels and RS bagging all around gives the car a far more aggressive stance.

On the inside, the layout of the interior will again seem familiar and that is a good thing as the ergonomics here work really well and the cabin still looks elegant and uncluttered. RS gets Alcantra sports seats in front, which keeps your body well bolstered even while cornering hard. On top, you get RS badging on the front seats and the door sills. When all these falls in amalgamation, they to a great extent complements the sporty characteristics of the car, thus justifying the RS badge.

Though a couple of laps on the Thane-based race track were not enough to test the credentials of the car, one thing that we can infer is that Skoda has hit the right spot with the steering geometry. The feedback from the variable ratio steering while cornering hard didn’t let our confidence break and the car gained some brawny points with its electronically regulated XDS which is coupled with limited slip differential. It's basically the same torque vectoring system that transmits more torque to the outer wheels while cornering. Being behind the wheels one could actually feel on hitting the throttle after a gentle tug on the brake pedal. And the last but not the least thing that excited us was the exhaust notes. They make sure to shake you up after a tiring day at work.