2014 Skoda Octavia vRS: This is it

While Goodwood's still a month away, images and details of the 2014 Skoda Octavia vRS have emerged onto the interweb. Volkswagen group owned Czech car maker Skoda has released information about the 2014 Octavia vRS, the first MQB car from the Skoda range to hop on to the vRS brigade. The 2014 Skoda Octavia vRS is a car that improves on the looks(subjective of course), dynamics and performance of the regular variants of the car, full credit to the vRS treatment. At the heart of the matter are two engines, a 2 liter TSI turbo petrol motor and a 2 liter TDI turbo diesel motor, both engines borrowed from the Volkswagen Golf GTI/GTD.

The 2 liter turbo petrol engine outputs 217 Bhp-350 Nm while the 2 liter turbo diesel engine outputs 184 Bhp-380 Nm. Both engines are mated to a 6 speed manual gearbox as standard. A 6 speed dual clutch DSG gearbox will be offered as an option for those who prefer to let their left foots relax. The petrol powered Octavia vRS blaze to 100 Kph from standstill in 6.8 seconds while top speed is a heady 248 Kph. Despite its torque advantage, the Octavia vRS in diesel guise accelerates slower, taking 8.1 seconds to hit 100 Kph, while the top speed is also lower, at 232 Kph. On the whole, the 2014 Octavia vRS is a faster machine than the second generation model. 

To cope with the extra power and torque of the 2014 Octavia vRS, the men in white coats at Skoda have engineered more feel in the steering while the stock suspension of the regular Octavia gets replaced with sports units for the RS. An electronic differential lock acts in conjunction with the ESP to reduce understeer on tighter corners. Visually, the 2014 Octavia vRS comes with a slew of changes. The front end gets a new RS badge displayed prominently on the grille, the front bumper sees a tweak, the fog lamps take the LED route and the headlamps get the bi-xenon treatment.

The car sits 12mm lower than the regular variants of the Octavia. The alloy wheels come with a new design while the rear end gets a sporty spoiler, new exhaust tips and a diffuser to complete the RS treatment. The Octavia vRS is also available in Combi form for the European car market. On the inside, the sporty theme of the Octavia vRS' exteriors are carried a step forward with an all black interior that comes with leather wrapped controls for the steering, hand brake and gear shifter. The pedals and sill plates get a stainless steel finish and the RS logo is emblazoned on various part of the car's insides. 

While the 2014 Skoda Octavia vRS will be launched in the United Kingdom in July 2013, an Indian launch of this car could happen sometime in 2014 as the regular version of the Octavia is expected to bow in, in the last quarter of this year. Skoda India has launched the first two generations of the Octavia vRS in the country and the car does have a following amongst car nuts in India. So, the 2014 Octavia vRS promises to be the maddest of the vRS cars launched in India. Enthusiasts will be hoping that Skoda doesn't substitute the powerful Euro-spec motors with tamer versions.