Skoda Octavia VRS 245
FIRST DRIVE Most powerful VRS ever is an excellent blend of driving thrills and practicality
YOU are looking at the most potent Skoda ever to wear a VRS badge. You are also looking at one of the most complete cars Skoda has yet produced, full stop.
So while the new Octavia VRS 245 may appear somewhat expensive (the DSG auto is an extra £1,135 on top of our manual test car), it is nevertheless an impressive car. It benefits from a wide range of dynamic capabilities, plus the usual level of quality and practicality Skoda is so well known for.
The engine for the 245 is a development of the Volkswagen Group’s four-cylinder TSI turbo that powers everything from the VW Golf to a SEAT Leon. Here it develops 242bhp (245PS, hence the badging) plus a fulsome 370Nm of torque. That’s enough to fire the new VRS 245 from 0-62mph in 6.6 seconds and on to a top speed of 155mph.
Arguably the more important news is the fitment of a new electronic differential, which has been lifted straight from the Golf GTI. Skoda’s engineers have fettled it by tuning of the software to make it behave exactly as they want it to – but on both road and track it works an absolute treat.
On the move, the 245 feels surprisingly refined to begin with. It rides smoothly and the steering is light but accurate – even rather delicate in its response. And for a while you wonder whether it’s actually as sporting as the raw numbers suggest. In fact, it feels much like a regular Octavia.
But with the VRS button selected, the 245 feels like a proper driver’s car. It transforms the Octavia into an altogether more serious machine. The transition isn’t black and white, but the further you go, the more obvious the differences become.
The ride gets more taut but not offensively so, the throttle response is notably sharper, and the gearchanges (with the DSG fitted) happen faster and harder. At the same time the exhaust note becomes a lot crisper and the steering feels meatier and more precise. It’s engaging enough to satisfy all but the most committed petrolheads, in fact.
And the new differential really does work very well indeed. The harder you push the 245, the sweeter it feels, and that’s mostly because the e-diff always does its best work when there’s some throttle involved – all but eradicating understeer so long as you keep your right foot locked in. Yet you can dial the car back to Comfort and it becomes relaxed and more cosseting to drive.
Various styling tweaks distinguish the 245 over its lesser brethren, including the standard VRS 230. There are flashes of black throughout, while the wheels are sexy 19-inch items wearing Pirelli P-zero rubber. In the flesh, the VRS 245 looks purposefully tasteful – in a politely menacing kind of way. Inside, there’s a new infotainment system, which takes pride of place within
“It’s like a regular Octavia, but with the VRS button selected it’s transformed into a proper driver’s car”
the dashboard. The VW Group’s excellent touchscreen console works well, and Apple Carplay comes as standard. The electric front seats are as comfortable as they are supportive, but thankfully Skoda has done without full-blown buckets. Elsewhere, space is just about as good as it gets in this class.
Faults? Not many to be honest. On some surfaces of our Italian test route the ride did seem a touch firm, even with the dampers set to Comfort, and those wheels look horribly easy to kerb. But other than that, the VRS 245 is as good to drive as it looks.