Most powerful Octavia vRS ever goes on sale

News that the latest Octavia vRS would immediately achieve output parity with the updated Golf GTI was predictably well-received (or it was predictably well-received on PH, at least) when we spoke about it back in February. It was predictable because a) the Octavia vRS is considered a no-nonsense performance car that majors in practicality and we like those; b) it’s got more kit than ever so it could probably do with an additional 20hp; and c) there’s still the perception that the car offers quite a lot of overall bang for your buck. 

We didn’t know how many bucks we were talking about earlier in the year – but we do now. The new Octavia vRS will start from £38,670 as a hatchback, and £39,775 for the wagon. This means that the difference between it and the Mk8.5 Golf GTI is about as chunky as a gnat’s wing: the lowest price you can possibly pay for the latter is £38,900. Needless to say, much that is important about the cars is the same, although VW insists that the GTI is still half a second quicker (at 5.9 seconds) to 62mph than the vRS (Skoda quotes 6.4 seconds for the hatch, 6.5 for the estate). 

As before, you can’t have an vRS with all-wheel drive, or with an output that might threaten the Golf R or Cupra’s lineup. But you do get the 2.0-litre EA888 unit, the seven-speed DSG, the front-mounted VAQ electrohydraulic diff lock, and a chassis that is 15mm lower than standard with the 19-inch Elias anthracite alloy wheels which nicely set it off. There’s also some styling confetti in the shape of a new radiator grille surround, diffuser and exhaust – all in black. 

This theme continues inside where the vRS interior includes a three-spoke sports steering wheel, standard sports seats and aluminium pedal covers. The updated model gets a larger 13-inch infotainment screen. There is no diesel vRS per se, but Skoda has attempted to patch the hole by introducing a 150hp 2.0-litre unit to the SportLine trim level that sits just below the range-topper. At 8.5 seconds to 62mph, it is unlikely to blow your hair back, but it’ll look sporty enough and a WLTP combined score of 60.6mpg sounds very old school to us. Which, of course, is exactly what the Octavia is all about. If that sounds like your kind of jam, order books open tomorrow.