Skoda Octavia RS to be launched in India today

The Skoda Octavia RS is back! It is all set to go on sale tomorrow in a more menacing avatar than ever! On sale since the global first-gen model in the country, it was discontinued only for a brief period of time. And now, we are getting the third-gen facelift model (third-gen was not available) which could be the last of its kind as future generations are likely to feature electrified powertrains. 

Expected Pricing

The 2017 Skoda Octavia RS will only be available in a single variant with a turbocharged petrol engine as before. It is expected to be a CKD (completely knocked down, read: local assembly) model. The price of the RS is likely to hover around Rs 23 lakh, making it the only true blue performance-oriented sedan in the sub-30 lakh price bracket! 

Vitals 

Engine: 2.0-litre TSI turbocharged petrol 
Power: 230PS @ 5,500 - 6,200rpm 
Torque: 350Nm @ 1,500 - 4,500rpm 
Transmission: 6-speed DSG (dual-clutch automatic)
Tyres: 225/45 R17
Certified fuel-efficiency: 14.45kmpl (just in case you were wondering!)

The Skoda Octavia RS is the most powerful car in the sub-30 lakh price bracket beating the VW Polo GTI, Mini Cooper S, Abarth 500 Competizione among others. It is like the famous VW Golf GTI (check out the image below), which is not available here, since both the vehicles share the same MQB platform and the 2.0-litre TSI engine.  

For reference, the regular Octavia 1.8-litre TSI petrol puts out 180PS and 250Nm 

Colour Options 

-Candy White 
-Race Blue 
-Corrida Red 
-Steel Grey 

To set it apart from the regular model, the RS gets a different set of bumpers with a larger air dam on the front one, while the rear features dual trapezoidal exhaust tips! The flashy colour options accentuate the visual drama further. 

Pull the door and the first thing you’ll see are the sporty front seats with tonnes of extra bolstering and ‘vRS’ embroidered on the backrests. The all-black cabin is upholstered in a mix of Alcantara and leather with contrasting red stitching that not only looks sporty, but premium as well. There’s also a new flat-bottom steering wheel on offer. Apart from that, the RS borrows everything else in its equipment list from the top-spec Octavia facelift. Head over to our first drive review of the updated Octavia here to know what more it packs.

Source: CarDekho.com