The Octavia RS is one of those cars that have already built a reputation for themselves so you sort of know what you are getting into before you even sit in it. But when we finally got a chance to experience the new RS at the Buddh International Circuit, things felt both familiar and surprisingly fresh. Even with that little time you begin to notice how it acts and what sort of personality it has.
On the track, the car is fast without really trying. It manages to go past 200km/h without any drama, and the brakes feel strong and reassuring. You do feel a little bit of body roll, but it’s nothing unusual since the RS isn’t built as a hardcore track machine. It’s more of a fast everyday sedan, and that shows through in the way it handles corners. The steering is natural and gets heavier as you go faster, and that makes it easy to trust what the front end is doing. The electronic diff also does a good job of keeping things tidy when you are accelerating out of bends.
The platform is the same MQB Evo base that the Golf GTI uses and that explains the stable feel at higher speeds. It’s front-wheel drive but surprisingly sharp: you can push it quite a bit, and it still stays composed.
The exterior keeps that RS flavour. The Mamba Green catches your eye in an instant but the other shades – white, black, blue, red – look clean too. There’s a big black grille, RS badges, matrix LED headlights and those 19-inch wheels with red calipers. Since it’s a notchback, the boot is huge at around 600 litres and the powered tailgate makes it even easier to use.
Inside, everything is tight and put together: soft-touch materials, suede, red stitching everywhere. The seats have massage, memory, and lumbar support so long drives shouldn’t be a problem. There’s a 650W Canton set up with 11 speakers, the car gets a big infotainment screen and a crisp digital cluster, while there are also loads of safety bits – 10 airbags, ADAS, HUD, diff lock, 360 camera (resolution could be sharper) and even a washer for the headlights. The rear passengers get good space with their own climate zone and USB ports.
The complete package is around the 50 lakhs mark since it’s a CBU import and all the 100 units that were brought to India are sold out. It still feels like the same OG fast sedan it has always been – fast, practical and something that fits between everyday cars and proper luxury performance sedans.