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Old 1st November 2017, 20:29   #1
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Skoda Octavia vRS : Official Review

The Skoda Octavia vRS is on sale in India at a price of Rs. 25.49 lakhs (ex-Delhi).

What you'll like:

• Explosive performance from the 2.0L turbo-petrol. Fast DSG too
• Sharp handling, solid stability & strong brakes. As good as a FWD can get
• Top quality interior with enough space, sporty seats & a cavernous 590-liter boot
• Loaded with features & tech (XDS+ differential, adaptive LED headlamps…)
• 5 star NCAP rating. Safety kit includes 8 airbags, ESP and more
• Well-priced. Totally worth the premium over the regular Octavia
• Sportiness & practicality in one package. Work on weekdays, play on weekends

What you won't:

• Ride quality is noticeably firmer than the regular Octavia's
• Powerful engine guzzles fuel in the city. Also, runs best on pricey high-octane petrol
• Steering feel from the EPS is missing (it's precise though)
• No manual gearbox like the 1st & 2nd-gen vRS
• Unusually tall floor hump makes things uncomfortable for the 5th occupant
• Global car's dynamic chassis control would've been great to have on our roads
• Concerns about long-term reliability & Skoda’s ill-famed service network

This review has been jointly compiled with blackwasp. Thanks to him for the expert observations & photography!

Last edited by GTO : 2nd November 2017 at 12:59.
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Old 1st November 2017, 20:29   #2
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Since the Skoda Octavia has already been reviewed by Team-BHP, this report will only focus on changes made to the vRS variant. For ready reference, here are links to the full official review & the facelift report.

Skoda Octavia vRS : Official Review-octavia.jpg

Last edited by GTO : 2nd November 2017 at 13:01.
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Old 1st November 2017, 20:29   #3
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With cars like these on sale in India, it's a good time to be a petrol-head:


It was in 2004 that Skoda first introduced a vRS version of the Octavia, powered by a 1.8L turbocharged petrol engine. That car was legendary; it had no real competition, and the performance & dynamics were exemplary. It was that car that started the vRS fan following in India. Skoda later introduced a vRS version of the Laura (2nd-gen Octavia) too, but it simply didn't have the kind of following that the 1st-gen enjoyed. The Laura vRS was too 'soft' compared to the original.



Well, the 'vRS' is back and we feel this driving machine will garner a similar reputation to the iconic 1st-gen vRS. The 3rd-gen car was first spotted in India by Team-BHP fans Dr. Shree Harsha and Mohan Kumar (related thread).



The number of cars on offer for the Indian enthusiast is slowly on the rise. And they're available in all budgets - the Figo Sports edition, Mahindra Thar, (erstwhile) S-Cross 1.6L, Abarth Punto, Polo GT Twins & more. VW had introduced the Polo GTI too, although it was grossly overpriced (eventually got a price cut). Skoda has priced the vRS reasonably, unlike the VW GTI. We feel that the Rs. 3.86 lakh premium over the top-end Octavia 1.8 TSI is worth it. Also, instead of just using the regular 1.8L TSI engine in a higher state of tune, Skoda has brought in the proper vRS with the 2.0L engine. That alone is worth at least 2 lakhs IMHO.

Skoda Octavia vRS : Official Review-specs-new.jpg

So, what's new on the outside?

This gorgeous red shade is a vRS-exclusive:


At the front, you'll see a reworked bumper with larger air dams. The grille features a vRS badge, while the air dam has been split into three parts. The chrome strip running across the air dam is gone:


The tight rear gets a spoiler, vRS logo on the lower right, redesigned bumper and meaty dual exhausts:


Subtle changes on the side. The car loses the chrome lining on the windows. Keen observers will spot the reduced gap in the wheel well due to the larger 17" wheels & lowered suspension:


The ultimate sleeper. Most people will think it's a regular Octavia, until you floor the accelerator . The VRS can play with (and beat) far more expensive German machinery:


The radiator grille has a matte-black texture broken by vertical slats of glossy black:


LED foglamps are powerful & double up as cornering lamps. Foglamp housings get a honeycomb mesh design pattern. Notice the piano black insert along the upper + outer borders:


Funky 17" "Hawk Anthracite" rims shod with 225/45 section rubber. The wider tyres are absolutely necessary to put down all the 227 horses down (even then, the tyres chirp). While our test car was equipped with Michelin Pilot Sport 4 rubber, customer cars have been fitted with Hankook Ventus S1 Evo 2 tyres. Do note that these Pilot Sports are among the best performance tyres on the market and our handling observations are based on these:


Zooming in on the red brake caliper. See how sweet they look on the roll at this link:


In this pic, notice how the rear bumper gets a crease that wraps around to the side. Full black roof would have looked HOT (and it just might become a popular aftermarket add-on):


Parking sensors are positioned higher on the bumper compared to the regular Octavia. Thin reflector strip runs horizontally across the length of the bumper. Black insert at the bottom is larger:


A real twin exhaust, no dummies being used here (unlike the E-Class, as an example):


While the stainless steel exhaust tips are meaty, the actual pipes are puny:

Last edited by GTO : 2nd November 2017 at 13:02.
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Old 1st November 2017, 20:29   #4
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So, what's new on the inside?

The vRS gets all-black interiors with diamond-pattern Alcantara and leather, instead of the beige and black theme seen in the regular Octavia. This new theme complements the car's exteriors and performance well. Straightforward design, yet superb quality!


Sexy flat-bottom steering wheel replaces the round one from the regular Octavia (reference image). It gets a leather wrap which is perforated and has thumb contours. The steering is just amazing to hold:


Zooming in on the vRS logo, and the perforated leather with red stitching:


The dials get a red ring just below the numbers and a solid white line for the incremental markings. The MID gets a red theme as well. Speedo marked till 280 km/h (regular Octavia = 260):


Needles do a full sweep on starting the car and the Skoda logo is displayed on the MID. Check out all the warning lamps as well:


Octavia vRS gets small plastic paddle shifters behind the steering wheel. These will be used generously & the gearbox does allow aggressive downshifts:


All-black theme continues on the doorpads:


A close look at the cube pattern on the door trim. The ambient light strip is placed here; owners can choose from 10 colours:


I felt the door plastics are hard at this price point; should have gotten soft touch plastics. The elbow rest area is nicely padded though:


vRS door sills (non-illuminated) only at the front:


Black & red front seats offer excellent support and hold you in place on twisty roads. Their design is very similar to the Audi RS cars. Looks very sporty. However, drivers on the heavier side might feel them to be a size too small. Despite having black interiors, the sunroof helps make the cabin feel airy:


Ingress & egress from the front seats require a bit more effort than the regular Octavia, due to the extra side bolstering and lowered ride height:


Healthy fore-aft adjustment...


...as well as height adjustment. Finding and remembering (thanks to the 3 memory presets) the perfect driving position is easy:


Integrated headrests are sufficiently big and will be comfortable for all, but they block the front view of rear passengers:


The gap between the seatback and B-pillar is noticeably larger. It felt comfortable to keep my hands outside the seat as well:


A closer look at the seat material - leather on the outside edge & Alcantara beside it, while the seat base has perforated Alcantara. Contrast red stitching looks wicked:


One pedal missing ? Pedals now get aluminium covers. The erstwhile Laura vRS got an organ-type accelerator pedal (reference image) which we prefer (related poll). The Laura vRS also got 3 pedals which manual-gearbox fans will miss:


Carpet mats get soiled easily. The regular version gets these rubber mats:


The spoiler is visible in the rear view mirror - I LOVE this:


Chrome line along the bottom of the A/C vents is highlighted due to the black surroundings. Sound quality from the ICE is 'good', but not 'excellent'. We wish Skoda had given the Superb's awesome 12-speaker system in this special car:


Gear lever gets vRS branding:


The cube pattern - same as the door panel - surrounds the gear lever:


The vRS gets extra buttons for the idling start/stop system (highly annoying!!!) and traction control settings. You have to manually switch off the idling start/stop system every time you drive the car - it's 'ON' by default. Who would want this feature in a high-performance car? The blanks look awfully out of place at this price point:


Air Care on the A/C panel - more information:


The rear seats get vRS badging as well as the contrast red stitching. Things at the rear appear more cosy than the regular Octavia due to the all-black cabin:

Last edited by GTO : 27th December 2017 at 23:42. Reason: Fixing url
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Old 1st November 2017, 20:29   #5
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Driving the 2.0L Turbo-Petrol



The vRS has gotten an all-new engine under its hood this time around (earlier vRS' shared their 1.8L turbo-petrol with lesser siblings). And it’s the real deal – The same 2.0-litre turbocharged TSI is seen in the vRS in Europe and other markets worldwide. We get it in the RS230 tune which makes 227 BHP @ 5,500 - 6,200 rpm and 350 Nm @ 1,500 - 4,500 rpm. This EA888 motor is available in a number of high-end VAG cars in India like the Audi TT, Q3 and Q7. It is also sold in higher states of tune abroad like in the Skoda Superb with 276 BHP and the Audi TTS with 306 BHP. On the Indian vRS, the 2.0 is up a good 50 BHP and 100 Nm from the regular Octavia 1.8...which is massive! The power-to-weight ratio is 160 BHP / ton while the torque-to-weight is 247 Nm / ton. To put things in perspective, the vRS' power-to-weight ratio is in 530d territory (although the torque-to-weight is far off). The car is fast and can easily match far more expensive rides in performance.

The gearbox being used here is the 6-speed DQ250. It can handle far more torque than the 250 Nm limit of the DQ200 7-speed; we hope its long-term reliability is better than that notorious DQ200. Another upside of this box is that, since the torque limit is 400 Nm, even a remap can be done on the vRS without concerns about putting excessive strain on the gearbox.

The pre-facelift Octavia vRS 230 available abroad had a mechanical Limited Slip Differential in the front axle to help put the power down. The facelift version no longer comes with that, and instead uses VWs VAQ which to explain simply, consists of a hydraulic pump which pumps fluid into the differential to lock it whenever required. It's all electronically controlled, and it certainly works well!

Plonk yourself into the awesome, supportive seats of the vRS, and a look around the Alcantara-filled interiors will be sure to let you know what this car is all about. Press the weirdly positioned start button (where regular cars have their key slot), and the 2.0 TSI settles into a cold start at ~1,200 rpm. While it's not loud by any means, you can hear the thrum of the exhaust and any enthusiast will realize this isn't a normal Octavia. Once the engine has warmed up, it is silent. Feels like a normal Skoda TSI, where sometimes the driver cannot tell if the engine is on or not.

At low revs (up to 2,500 rpm), the beast feels just like a normal car. There is a good amount of low-end torque and turbo lag is not perceptible; the vRS moves with little accelerator input. Power delivery is linear in nature, especially when compared to the 1st-gen vRS. Even the gear upshifts at low rpms are not perceptible unless you keep an eye on the tachometer. Engine sound is well contained, and so is the ambient noise. At city speeds or when cruising calmly, the vRS feels & drives just like any other Octavia (although you will notice the suspension to be stiffer). In that sense, the vRS is a performance car that's also practical enough in traffic or your daily commute to work.

Now, I have continually mentioned the words ‘normal’ and ‘low revs’ in the above paragraphs.

But that’s where they end – Stepping on the gas, the engine gets a throaty growl and you get pushed slightly into the seat. Once the revs cross 3,000, all hell progressively breaks loose. There is a sudden shove into the back of the seat & passengers will wonder what suddenly happened! From a vehicle which felt completely normal before, the vRS now feels like a plane taking off. The speedometer climbs rapidly, and you are at unmentionable speeds before you realise what is happening. This is accompanied by a very Audi S and RS–esque exhaust sound at high rpm upshifts, which I like to call the DSG fart. I cannot thank Skoda enough for giving us the proper vRS this time around (note: I am a Laura vRS owner). Any speed, any gear - bury the accelerator pedal into the floor and the vRS simply flies!

Over and above 1st gear, you'll still see the traction control light come on a fair amount in 2nd, and sometimes even in 3rd gear. Yet, the car feels very well managed even under full throttle, and once the vRS gets traction in 2nd (after struggling for it in 1st), it literally feels like someone has whacked you back into the seat. The turbo kick is so sweet that you'll get addicted to it. In fact, when I drove my CLS AMG for the first time after the vRS, in spite of it being significantly faster than the Skoda – I was literally waiting for the turbo to kick in .

Pushing the gear knob into "S" makes the car even wilder. The gearbox holds on to gears till 5,000 rpm & up, and the shifts become a lot more aggressive - you can feel the quickness of the shift! The throttle gets more responsive, and the gearbox even downshifts aggressively when you slow down a little bit with a nice sound when it is rev matching. To get past other traffic, S mode is perfect, and always keeps you right in the power band. It's fast on the highway too, but on long journeys, S mode can get a bit tiring with the box refusing to upshift till it reaches higher rpms. Also worth mentioning is that you don’t really miss a 7th gear unless you are cruising at Autobahn-speeds. For most drivers, the vRS will feel relaxed enough in D mode when you want it to cruise.

In manual mode, the shifts are almost instant (still not as good as the ZF 8-speed), and if you are on the gas & at a higher rpm while upshifting, you'll get that DSG fart. Despite being called the "M" mode, the gearbox will still upshift to the next gear at the rev limit. The plastic paddle shifters feel cheap & flimsy, and I didn't like the clicky feel they give when used. The gearbox is tuned well and is happy to downshift in regular D mode too, unlike in the regular Skodas where the DSG doesn’t downshift until you press the accelerator a good amount. It's safe to say that the DQ250 is superbly paired with this engine, is never confused and never leaves you wanting for more.

This engine & gearbox combination absolutely rock. That said, the exhaust is way too silent for such a special car - the vRS begs for an after-market exhaust (and aluminium paddle shifters). If a mod-friendly BHPian gets a stage one remap, he'll end up with a car that's completely bonkers!

Ride & Handling

The body of the vRS has been lowered by 15 mm as compared to the regular Octavia. It too gets a multi-link suspension which is present on the TSI, unlike the cheap torsion beam of the Octavia diesel. The suspension is noticeably stiffer than the regular Octavia, but still well damped. The car also rides on larger 17" rims and wider 225/45 tyres. If I had to find one thing to complain about, it would be that we don't get 'dynamic chassis control' which, with its electronically adjustable dampers, would have made this car even better than it is. Choosing between 'comfort' and 'sport' suspension modes is especially useful in India where road quality can greatly vary (unlike Europe).

Giving it the pedal in 1st gear is going to be useless unless you are on a road with very good traction. If you are on an uneven road, or even a concrete road, expect the traction control to go crazy with some wheel hop & noise from the front suspension trying to cope with everything. Torque steer is present, but isn’t scary at all due to the electronics and that electronic differential. The way the car builds up speed is something to be experienced. It masks silly speeds so well that you realize it only when you glance at the speedometer. It's a mad car.

Now to come to the bone of contention for some – the suspension. When a vRS is bought, it is bought for driving pleasure above all else. That means some sacrifices must be made in other departments. For what this vRS is supposed to be, the suspension is absolutely fine. Expecting a plush ride is a mistake. Yes, it is on the stiffer side, but I wouldn't call it overly stiff. You do constantly feel the car moving out, but it is liveable / well damped, and doesn’t have much of suspension noise either (unlike the Laura vRS which had badly matched stock dampers and springs). Still, if a wheel falls into a pothole, or there is a rather large bump, a loud noise will be heard from the hardware. Considering the tyre profile & sporty suspension setup, the ride is liveable and definitely not uncomfortable (not plush either ). Just don't compare the ride quality to that of a Superb and yes, you will always be aware of the road conditions underneath you. Are bumps felt in the cabin? You bet. Dealbreaker? Nope. I mention again, dynamic chassis control would have been awesome since it would have softened up the suspension in comfort (making the ride better), and got even stiffer in sport (making the handling even sharper). Right now, it's kind of biased more towards the stiffer side keeping the sporty intentions of the vehicle in mind. Skoda has clearly taken note when all the Laura vRS owners complained about their car being 'too soft'.

Highway behaviour is splendid and the car rides flat. In terms of handling, the vRS is about as good as a front-wheel-drive car can get. Enough said! Grip levels are simply fantastic! The vRS feels very agile while cornering. High-speed lane changes and pretty much anything else done doesn’t upset the stability of this Skoda. When you turn in, you do feel the electronics (XDS+) braking the inner wheel and that feels like the car is pulling you into the turn. When really pushed, the vRS will understeer, yet it's controlled. Compared to a RWD like a BMW, you will only feel the lack of RWD when you really start pushing the car. For other situations, the vRS is more than capable enough. Compared to my Laura vRS with a stage one map, this one feels quicker (which it should) and is a far better handler because of the chassis and advanced electronics. Also, while my Laura's manual gearbox was a lot of fun, I really didn’t miss it in the Octavia vRS. The DSG is very competent. I guess all of us enthusiasts have sort of accepted that slushboxes are here to stay (you can't even buy an MT Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Jaguar or Lexus in India).

Steering feel isn't satisfactory. In fact, you don’t really feel the road at all. Most of us would have gotten used to this by now with electronic steerings everywhere, but there are some EPS that are better tuned. That being said, the steering is precise and the car points exactly where you intend on making it go. In terms of weight, it's light enough at low speeds. The EPS weighs up well on the highway and you do feel confident pushing it into turns. The steering system uses a variable rack ratio which helps matters. While the regular Octavia has a 3-turn lock-to-lock steering, the vRS gets a slightly more than a 2-turn lock-to-lock steering.

The vRS has a laden ground clearance rating of 103 mm. Skoda was quick to mention that the unladen ground clearance is 141 mm. We never encountered situations where the car scraped. The stiffer springs prevent the car from bottoming out on regular Indian speed breakers. You might have to attack the large ones sideways though (read this thread) and be cautious when you have a full load of passengers onboard.

The braking is simply fantastic, and easily on par with BMWs which I consider to generally have very good brakes. This is of course due to the fact that there are now 340 mm / 272 mm discs at the front / rear - a welcome increase. Braking feel is progressive, and it doesn’t get spongy in case the pedal is pressed a lot in hard-braking situations (unlike my Laura vRS). Considering the performance capability of this car, the strong brakes are perfect and may not need an upgrade unless the owner gets serious mods like a turbo swap etc.

The sport mode of the ESP system is another great feature. When accelerating hard, sometimes you feel the traction control kicking in too much (due to our bad roads + all that power going to the front wheels). ESP sport is nice to use since it allows some more slip. While driving hard and fast, ESP sport might give a few surprises to the novice driver though because of the higher levels of slip it allows. Nevertheless, I was driving in this mode most of the time & loved it.

The launch control - no drama. You are pleasantly surprised with the way speeds build up from a standstill. To activate, put traction control in Sport mode or turn it off, the gear in S mode and with your left foot on the brake, build up the revs with your right. Let go of the brake to blast ahead. 0 - 100 kmph in 6.7 seconds, rated top speed is 249 kmph:


The bonnet of our media car got a healthy amount of insulation. However, customer cars don't! This insulation sheet isn't there in BHPian Nikhilb2008's vRS:


A peek at the intercooler:

Last edited by GTO : 2nd November 2017 at 13:04.
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Old 1st November 2017, 20:30   #6
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Other Points


• Check out BHPian Nikhilb2008's detailed ownership report at this link. 0 - 8,000 km in 45 days made it the fastest vRS in the country .

• With the 97 octane fuel we filled and those grippy Pilot Sport 4 tyres, Skoda's claim of 6.8 seconds to the ton can easily be beaten.

• The car comes with a standard warranty of 4 years / 100,000 km. This post has details of the 4-year maintenance package too.

• Don't buy this car if you care about fuel efficiency. Remember, it's built for speed. Expect merely 6 - 7 kmpl in the city (Nikhilb2008 has even seen 4 - 5 kmpl in heavy traffic). Highway should be more acceptable - think 11 - 12 kmpl if you drive normally; redline it (which you will) and you'll see FE in the high single digits. Official FE rating is 14.45 kmpl.

• About time that Skoda gets its sales & service under control - seriously! Dealers failed to remove the suspension blocks used when the car is being transported. Related thread. If your vRS is riding backbreaking stiff, odds are that these suspension blocks haven't been removed by the dealer.

• Available in four colour options = White, Blue, Red & Steel Grey, the latter 2 being RS exclusive. Though fans of the black colour will miss it here, especially since it is available on the regular Octavia.

• At the launch, Skoda underestimated the demand for the Race Blue colour and there is now a strong demand for it.

• Available in limited numbers - current lot is said to be already sold out, while the next batch is expected by February 2018.

• Huge mod potential available off the shelf internationally - from engine maps, DSG maps, exhausts, downpipes and even turbo upgrades. Safe to say that the vRS can be made into a 300+ BHP car fairly easily. Just don't do anything in the warranty period.

• Made in Korea battery, made in UK air filter box, made in France connectors. Lots of VW & Audi branded parts in the engine bay too.

• For night driving, the LED adaptive headlamps are awesome and provide very good illumination. Far better than the sad xenons on the pre-facelift car. You really need this extra illumination when you are driving such a quick car at night.

• Sadly, there's no prominent turbo whoosh or whistle heard under hard acceleration.

• Install the official app and you'll see some very cool telemetry data (including G-forces). More details in this post & this.

• There is a digital oil temperature gauge, which is a very nice addon! I consider it as important as the coolant temperature gauge. Oil temperature readings are usually available only on serious performance cars (which the vRS certainly is):


• The car will automatically brake in case of any sudden obstruction (like a kid walking behind, biker coming in the way etc.) while parking. To get the car moving again, press the brake pedal and continue after the warning goes off:


• Traction control can be turned off completely or kept in the 'sport mode' from here. Short press the TC button for sport (recommended), or long press to turn off entirely (not recommended):


• 95 RON diet. She runs just fine on regular Indian petrol (as owners have attested), although 97 octane will bring out her true potential (Bangalore BHPians have access to even 99 octane petrol!). Tyre pressure of 35 / 36 at the front / rear with a normal load. You may drop it to 32 PSI to improve ride comfort in the city only (not highway):


• Assortment of tools is neatly packed. Nifty hook to hold up the floor when removing the tyre:


• Puny 125/70 R18 spare wheel - looks like a bike tyre:


• Conditions for the annoying start/stop system to work. It's too aggressive in cutting off the engine. Example : it once switched off the motor while we were navigating a roundabout, and stopped just for a moment to let another car pass. Thankfully, this silly feature can be turned off. If you care so much about FE, the vRS is not the car for you:


• A special launch event for a special car:

Last edited by GTO : 2nd November 2017 at 13:52.
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Old 2nd November 2017, 13:14   #7
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Re: Skoda Octavia vRS : Official Review

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to Official Reviews. Thanks for sharing!

Terrific review of a terrific car, guys! This one is straight from the heart. Rating thread 5 stars.
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Old 2nd November 2017, 13:32   #8
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Re: Skoda Octavia vRS : Official Review

Excellent review

I believe this is the first time I read on official review about the mods potential. Thanks to the engine, transmission and chassis of this car.

Revo Technik has introduced 470 HP Stage 4 upgrade for this car which includes IS38 Hybrid turbo.

https://www.facebook.com/story.php?s...d=244475475117

This is 470 HP Revo stage 4 Octavia RS in UK!!
Attached Thumbnails
Skoda Octavia vRS : Official Review-fb_img_1509609933124.jpg  


Last edited by Dr.Naren : 2nd November 2017 at 13:38.
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Old 2nd November 2017, 13:44   #9
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Re: Skoda Octavia vRS : Official Review

regarding the comments on the stiffness, I hope the suspension blocks were not present for the test car
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Old 2nd November 2017, 13:46   #10
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Re: Skoda Octavia vRS : Official Review

Very nice review.

Two points:

The colour of the MID/Audio system depends on the Backlight colour chosen in the settings.

So, if you've chosen Red or green as the ambient lighting, it would look like this:
Skoda Octavia vRS : Official Review-img_9122.jpg
Skoda Octavia vRS : Official Review-img_9123.jpg
Skoda Octavia vRS : Official Review-img_9125.jpg

When you choose White as the ambient lighting:
Skoda Octavia vRS : Official Review-img_9119.jpg

Also, Blue isnt an vRS Exclusive. Only Steel Grey and Red are vRS exclusive.

The Blue is available with normal 2.0 TDI and 1.8 TSI models as well.
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Old 2nd November 2017, 14:13   #11
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Re: Skoda Octavia vRS : Official Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by Akshay1234 View Post
• Available in four colour options = White, Blue, Red & Steel Grey, the latter 2 being RS exclusive. Though fans of the black colour will miss it here, especially since it is available on the regular Octavia.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008 View Post
Only Steel Grey and Red are vRS exclusive.
Is Steel Gray the official name of the colour or is it called Nardo Grey. I read this in one of the Skoda Forums.
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Old 2nd November 2017, 14:17   #12
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Re: Skoda Octavia vRS : Official Review

Excellent review of an excellent car!

This particular engine has really good potential for quick & stress free re-maps, given that more or less the same engine is capable of 300hp in other VAG cars.

The only limiting factor though is the Transmission with a 400NM limit.
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Old 2nd November 2017, 14:42   #13
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Re: Skoda Octavia vRS : Official Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dr.Naren View Post
I believe this is the first time I read on official review about the mods potential.
Quote:
Originally Posted by abhishek46 View Post
This particular engine has really good potential for quick & stress free re-maps, given that more or less the same engine is capable of 300hp in other VAG cars.
All of us are enthusiasts and we'll always be craving for more power. That said, some cars are simply superb in stock form too (like the vRS). Reasons I wouldn't mod my vRS for at least a couple of years:

1. Warranty for the first 4 years.

2. Reliability is anyway a question mark with these Europeans. Serious mods will put even more stress on the components.

3. Possible compromise on low-end power delivery.

4. Modifications in the midlife serve as a good 'inhouse facelift', make the car more exciting again & might make you retain the car for longer. That's why, I usually modify my cars only after owning them for a couple of years.

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Originally Posted by greenhorn View Post
regarding the comments on the stiffness, I hope the suspension blocks were not present for the test car
I don't believe they were there on our test car.
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Old 2nd November 2017, 14:56   #14
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Re: Skoda Octavia vRS : Official Review

Brilliant review! This is one car that I am really looking forward to get into my garage, and what brilliant pricing to boot!! With a nice exhaust, intake, and a remap - it will be quite a beast!

It's closest competitor - the 330i (I am discounting the Polo GTi) is almost 50% more expensive, though slightly quicker and RWD.

I sincerely hope they don't discontinue the steel gray colour in the next batch!

Quote:
Originally Posted by pedrolourenco View Post
Is Steel Gray the official name of the colour or is it called Nardo Grey. I read this in one of the Skoda Forums.
In India it is called Steel Gray. I think Nardo Gray is a very similar shade, but from what I saw in Europe right now - there is a slight difference in the finish. Or maybe I haven't seen enough Steel Gray cars in India.

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Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008 View Post

So, if you've chosen Red or green as the ambient lighting, it would look like this
The Red looks wicked!
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Old 2nd November 2017, 15:29   #15
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Re: Skoda Octavia vRS : Official Review

Super review! I still haven't got around to closing out my initial ownership experience thread considering the demands of a good review

I think one of the most important things that the potential buyers need to experience is the suspension. There was too much of noise (partly due to the the spacers) around how stiff it is and your review looks to bring out the part that it can be used as a daily car. For people like me and my spouse, the ride felt better coming from a crashy Micra (more of it in my WIP thread).

I felt the stance of lowering yourself (or getting out) from the car is another significant change from the usual cars due to the lower suspension. It is significantly more effort than most hatches and sedans Not that one would complain about it considering the experience in question.

I can only say that it is a looker! The sly glances and outright stares are super fun to observe.
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