Skoda Octavia VRS TDI 4x4

Skoda builds a quattro-like version of its octavia vrs

Being a Volkswagen group product planner must rival the job of an air traffic controller when it comes to positioning ‘products’ in the right spaces so as not to overlap and cause confusion or a collision. although admittedly there are fewer risks if the Passat Convertible doesn’t sell.

when the brief came through for a skoda that offered four-wheel drive, performance and practicality but didn’t tread on the toes of Volkswagen’s golf R estate, there couldn’t have been many options left for those responsible for filling this niche within a niche. a Yeti vrs would do, but skoda has said it will never build one, which is a shame.

what they came up with is an octavia vrs. The car’s official name is skoda octavia vrs 2.0 TDI 184 Dsg 4x4. it’s the only specification you can have if you want a four-wheeldrive vrs, which means there’s no meaty, 227bhp petrol engine mated to a six-speed manual gearbox and in-line 4-cyl, 1968cc, turbodiesel 129g/km four-wheel drive on the product plan, or coming anytime soon.

The four-wheel-drive setup is the fifth-generation Haldex system. This means up to half of the diesel’s drive can be directed to the rear axle when traction demands it, and there’s a limited slip-differential fitted between the front wheels, too. Being a vrs model means the chassis is lower than standard, by 10mm for the saloon and 12mm for the estate, and both body styles also feature more sophisticated multi-link rear suspension in place of the regular model’s simplistic beam axle. The larger vrs-spec brakes remain, too.

Despite skoda being the biggest seller of compact 4x4s in europe, this hasn’t carried much weight for the vrs 4x4 in terms of power output. Rather than getting the more powerful 187bhp 2-litre four-cylinder diesel engine that’s fitted to the new superb, this octavia retains the same 181bhp four-cylinder powerplant that evo is running in its Fast Fleet octavia vrs TDI. it uses the same six-speed 181bhp @ 3500-4000rpm dual-clutch gearbox, too.

Having enjoyed playing around on snow and ice earlier in the year during the car’s international launch, there isn’t a great deal of anticipation when an octavia vrs 4x4 arrives at evo. i mean, what will an extra pair of driven wheels bring to a front-driven skoda? i’ve never felt our Fast Fleet vrs would be improved if it had a propshaft running to the rear.

First impressions are that the steering is much more consistently weighted. in normal mode (selected via the vrs mode controller), it feels as weighted and responsive as our front-drive vrs’s does when the steering is set to sport. switch the four-wheel-drive vrs to sport and there’s a further level of improvement and a cleaner connection with the 18-inch front wheels. The whole car turns in more effectively, too. not golf R quick, because the octavia is still a substantial car, but it’s more alert than the front-drive model and works harder to get more from the chassis, which once loaded up

Tightens the vrs chassis

206lb ft @ 1750-3250rpm 7.6sec (claimed)

Diesel and Dsg only

142mph (claimed)

remains settled and works its stiffer dampers and springs more evenly. it just feels a better balanced chassis, with a more even weight distribution (incidentally, the 4x4 is 85kg heavier than a two-wheel-drive vrs), and less nose-heavy on turn-in. The twowheel-drive vrs sometimes feels like it’s pivoting around its front axle, but the four-wheel-drive system all but eradicates this sensation. it’s not a Mitsubishi evo Vi by a long shot, but the 4x4 system does allow you to crack on at an unexpected rate.

The only fly in the ointment is the engine and gearbox combination, which as we’re discovering with our Fast Fleet example, isn’t the best you can have with a vrs. The diesel motor isn’t the most sophisticated compared with other Vw group offerings and the six-speed Dsg ’box is feeling its age. so come on, skoda, offer this 4x4 drivetrain with all vrs engine and gearbox options and give the golf R estate something to think about. 1475kg (125bhp/ton) £27,590