The Skoda Octavia vRS has long represented one of the best value for money performance cars, taking the basic recipe of the VW Golf GTI and putting it all in a package that’s more practical, more understated and often, quite a bit cheaper.
Most of that’s still true of the facelifted car, but some things are a little different. For a start, the diesel and plug-in hybrid versions of the vRS are no more, and so is its manual gearbox. Like the GTI, the vRS is now pure petrol and automatic only.
Skoda Octavia vRS Estate – rear
It shares its 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder with the Golf, mirroring its German cousin with 261bhp and 272lb ft of torque. That means 0-62mph in 6.5 seconds for the liftback Hatch, with the Estate actually shaving a tenth off this figure (as if you needed any more reason to choose it). Mind you, that’s still half a second down on the Golf GTI.
It’s closer than ever to the Golf in terms of price, too. The Hatch starts at £38,670 – just £230 less than the entry point for a new GTI. The Estate, meanwhile, kicks off at £39,775.
Visual changes are, perhaps unsurprisingly, pretty minimal. However, there are refreshed Matrix LED headlights (optional on all but the top models) which include a thing called Crystallinium that gives the housings a blue tinge. There’s a tweaked grille up front too, and on the rear, new Skoda lettering that “reflects the brand’s revised corporate identity.” Phwoar. As usual with these midlife updates, there are a few new wheels and colour designs, and the Octavia continues to be offered as an estate or a sort of half-hatch, half-saloon liftback thing.
Skoda Octavia vRS – interior
The big news in the interior is the arrival of a ChatGPT-powered AI assistant, integrated into Skoda’s ‘Laura’ voice assistant. A 10-inch digital display is standard, with the option to upgrade to a 13-inch unit.
There are more sustainable materials on the inside, including leather tanned with old coffee husks. Buyers can now choose between nine different trim-dependent interior ‘Design Selections’ (read: combinations of colour and upholstery) which have names like Loft, Lounge and Suite Cognac. Nice. Joyously, there’s also a line of actual, physical buttons for key functions, and that alone probably makes this a better car than the Golf.
Skoda Octavia SportLine Estate – front
Below the vRS, the new Octavia comes in three trim levels: SE Technology, SE L and SportLine. Currently, these come with a range of 1.5-litre four-cylinder TFSI petrols and a pair of 2.0-litre TDI diesels. One of these oil burners is a new 2.0-litre 148bhp setup, mated exclusively to a seven-speed DSG auto. Arriving next year is a 201bhp 2.0-litre petrol mated exclusively to a four-wheel drive system.
UK order books open for the new vRS as well as the vRS-lite SportLine trim on 14 August.
