The Skoda Octavia RS is a favourite of ours in the evo India offices. It has everything we love about a car — it is fast, practical and looks great. Add to that the legacy of the vRS badge in India, and the Octavia RS is a car that is hard to not drool over. Skoda launched the Octavia RS 245 in March this year at a price of Rs 35.99 lakh, and in such a short time, the brand has nearly sold all of the 200 units allocated to India. Zac Hollis, Director of Skoda Auto India confirmed that there are only three Octavia RS cars left in stock — so whip out those chequebooks, and head over to your nearest Skoda dealership as soon as this lockdown lifts. It is your last chance at getting one!
The RS variant of this generation of the Skoda Octavia was launched in 2017, and its 2-litre TSI engine made 226bhp. However, Skoda saw the demand that the RS had and managed to get 200 more units — this time called the Octavia RS 245 — allocated to the Indian market. These cars were brought in as CBUs and Skoda had to pass on the heavy duties on to the customer, hence it was priced at nearly Rs 10 lakhs over the previous batch of Octavia RS cars. These cars however, were more powerful making 241bhp (or 245PS, as the name suggests). The first 100 cars were sold in a matter of hours, says Zac and now just three remain. Interestingly, this RS 245 comes with 18-inch wheels, shod in 225/40 Bridgestone 92Y rubber (the earlier one ran 17s) that should help cope with the extra power, as will the slightly lowered suspension.
Ever since we first drove the Octavia RS, we loved it. So much so that we took all three generations of the Octavia RS that were sold in India to find out what makes these cars so likeable. With grins plastered to our faces all day long thanks to their almost silly playfulness, it was easy to tell why the Octy RS is such a popular car. The Ed has driven his fair share of exotic motors, but even he thinks that the Octy RS makes for the perfect mid-life crisis car and that surely means something. Another brilliant thing about owning an Octavia RS is the community that is built around it recently. RS owners around the country have formed groups that drive their cars together. The tuner culture is big too, with some Octy RS' in the country claiming to be putting out close to 400bhp. It truly is a gift for enthusiasts in the country, the likes of which we really have not seen before, at least not at this price point.
If you can't get your hands on any of the three RS Octavias still on sale, fret not. The next generation of the Octavia RS will be brought to India right at the time of launch, and hopefully at a more competitive price. The next generation of the Octavia RS will also have a hybrid drivetrain, but Zac didn't comment on whether this drivetrain would make it to India. Well, what are you waiting for? Start saving today!