Skoda Auto India has launched its fastest and the most powerful car ever in India – the Octavia RS 230. The go-faster version of the Octavia which comes laden with more power, sportier styling and more features has been priced at INR 24.6 lakh ex-showroom. The 230 suffix denotes the 230PS of power the 2.0 TSI turbocharged engine of the car produces between 5500 – 6300 rpm. Add to it 350Nm of stonking torque between 1500-4500 revs and the resultant performance numbers read a 0-100km/h sprint time of 6.8 seconds and a top speed of 250 km/h. The engine is mated with a 6-speed dual clutch DSG transmission.
To put down all that power and torque down to the tar, especially around bends, the Octavia vRS comes with XDS+ limited-slip differential for optimum grip. Other highlights include a full LED lighting system and an advanced infotainment system.
Launch Video
Up front, the Skoda Octavia Octavia RS 230 gets a distinctive face with sporty details. The bumper gets wide honeycomb mesh air inlets for a sportier appearance. The headlight cluster with a crystalline look gets full-LED technology and the AFS adaptive front light system as standard. The fog lights, tail lights and number plate illumination also feature LED technology as well as a crystalline appearance. The radiator grille and the tailgate both sport the RS logo featuring a gloss-black ‘V’ (for victory). As another sporty detail, which is one of the biggest giveaways at the rear, the car gets a sporty spoiler along with trapezoidal stainless steel dual exhausts. The Octavia RS 230 is available in Race Blue, Steel Grey, Corrida Red and Candy White.
On the inside, the theme is predominantly black with the upholstery finished in Alcantara. The quality of the materials inside is definitely a notch above the standard Octavia. The seats get additional side bolstering for better lateral support around corners. The front seats bear the RS logo – as do the front door sills. To further highlight the sporty positioning of the car, the seats get a contrasting red topstitching. The front seats are also electrically adjustable and offer lumbar support. The driver side seat also has a memory function which saves three seat positions.
The special multifunction sports steering wheel gets perforated leather and integrated gear-shift paddles. The radio and telephone (Bluetooth) can be operated from the steering wheel. A colour Maxi-DOT display forms part of the instrument cluster. You can also tune the LED ambient lighting inside the cabin in ten different shades.
The Octavia RS 230 rides 15mm lower than its stock Octavia counterpart for better road holding, lesser body roll and enhanced dynamic ability. The standard Hawk Anthracite alloy wheels are 17 inches in diameter.
The XDS+ electronic differential enhances the grip levels by gently braking the inner wheels and transmitting more torque to the outer wheels for better cornering. The XDS+ gets activated once the lateral acceleration reaches 0.15 g.
The variable ratio steering wheel on the car is meant to deliver an engaging feel to the driver at speed, and comfort when parking.
Skoda used the abbreviation RS for the first time in motorsport in 1974. In 2000, the synonym of was used for the Skoda model range. More than 200,000 RS models have been sold to date of which 100,000 have been the third-generation Octavia RSs and have been sold since 2013.