Skoda Octavia vRS Range : CRAZY GOLF

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If you like the idea of a Volkswagen Golf GTI but don't fancy the asking price, Skoda have an alternative you probably haven't considered. Andy Enright reports on the improved Octavia vRS

Pound for pound, Skoda's Octavia vRS is the best all-round fast hatch it's possible to buy. The fact that it's larger than a usual five-door hot hatch - and available as an estate - makes it a family alternative too. If you don't care about badge equity, then this is a car that can't be ignored in its sector.

Brand equity may not be strictly tangible but it's something that you can pin a firm price tag onto. Take Skoda's Octavia vRS for example. Strip away the window dressing and it's the same car underneath as a Volkswagen Golf GTI or an Audi A4 2.0T FSI. The difference is that the Skoda retails at around £17,500, the five-door Golf for around £21,000 and the Audi for around £25,000. Whilst we wouldn't pretend that this was solely down to badge engineering, the lion's share of those price discrepancies can't really be attributed to softer touch fascia materials, more sophisticated electronics functions or pricier pot plants in the respective dealerships. If you want to escape the inescapable conclusion that you're paying over the odds to bolster your ego, the Skoda is the logical choice. With the same 197bhp 2.0-litre turbocharged FSI engine as the Golf GTI, the Octavia vRS remains a real entertainer. The bigger bodyshell shaves a fraction off the car's sprint to 60mph but slippery aerodynamics restore balance by giving the Octavia a higher top end than its lauded Volkswagen relative. The figures for the Octavia hatch are 60mph in 7 seconds flat and a maximum speed of 149mph. The estate version adds another string to the Skoda's bow and this is only a smidgeon slower to 60mph but adds the practicality for which Octavia estates have long been renowned, filling an interesting niche amongst budget performance estates. Skoda also offer a 2.0-litre TDI diesel vRS derivative packing 170bhp. This current Octavia vRS benefits from Volkswagen's quest to endow the Golf chassis with Ford Focus-style driving manners. Even with the wick turned down a good few notches, it can't help but feel extremely capable when stitching a series of bends together. The suspension has been dropped by 12mm and the rear end has been braced to offer increased torsional stiffness. Ventilated brake discs are fitted, as is ESP stability control and TPM tyre pressure monitoring.

"An Octavia vRS is certainly a logical choice if you're looking for a car of this sortâ€¦."

Beefed up shock absorbers and springs give better road feel and flatter cornering. The steering feels like a good hydraulically assisted set-up but is in fact electro-mechanically assisted. Many of the early versions of this steering set-up felt unacceptably artificial but the Octavia's helm feels meaty and rewarding at speed, reverting to fingertip light at parking speeds. Impressive stuff. The gearchange is light and positive and the multi-liink rear suspension keeps the sort of bump and thump that often afflicts cars wiith more rudimentary torsion beam setups at bay. With deep bumpers and a pert boot spoiler, this Octavia looks purposeful without appearing as if it's returning from Max Power Live with a teenage driver who's just maxed his dad's credit card. Other details include red brake calipers, Cat's Eyes reflectors in the rear bumper and vRS badging on the tailgate. The interior also benefits from some subtle upgrades with deeply bolstered sports seats, a three spoke steering wheel and aluminium-effect trim to lift the somewhat sombre Octavia fascia. Black rooflining and a leather-trimmed gearknob complete the interior package. Compared to its predecessor, the rear overhang has been extended a little further to give the Octavia more of a `three box' profile. Like all models in the range, the latest car boasts a practical hatchback rather than the boot its stub-tailed lines may suggest. Over 560 litres of space is on offer with the rear seats in place. Bear in mind that this dwarfs what's available from a BMW 5 Series, a Mercedes E Class or a Volvo S80 and you'll get some idea how huge it is back there. The Golf doesn't even compare. Fold the rear seats flat and you'll then get a yawning 1,350 litres of available room. Not a car for the agoraphobic in other words and if you opt for the estate, that seats folded capacity increases to 1,620 litres. Passenger room is similarly generous - and that's important since the prodigious luggage space of the first generation Octavia required rear seat passengers to pay in kind. The wheelbase of the second generation model has been teased out by another 66mm, endowing it with admirable rear legroom even when the front seats are occupied by long limbed adults. Rear headroom is better than the swooping roofline would suggest, helped in no small part by a slightly more generous seat back recline than in many such cars. An Octavia vRS is certainly a logical choice if you're looking for a car of this sort. The trouble is that logical doesn't always figure high on the buying priorities of customers looking for an aspirational fast car. There are those who will always hunt down the best deal, but for the majority of customers, buying a car in this price bracket is as much about how the car makes them feel as what it actually does. That's where Skoda have struggled in the past when launching high end models. Their first generation Octavia vRS was outsold by its mechanically similar SEAT cousin, the Leon Cupra, by seven to one. It still seems that the more you charge for a Skoda, the less competitive it becomes. Take a look at the latest Skoda Octava vRS, however, and you have to surmise that if this model were to fall on its face, it would be something of an indictment of the car buying public. To make sure, the UK importers have in recent times equipped the car with a useful extra package of equipment at no extra cost. This includes larger 18" Zenith alloy wheels, dual zone climate control, a jumbo box central armrest with 3.5mm `auxiliary in' socket, rear electric windows and cruise control. The upfront costs of the Octavia vRS are certainly attractive when you weigh up what you're getting in the package but what about running the car? Well of course, the diesel version is the one to choose if overall running costs represent a key priority. You'll return 48.2mpg on the combined cycle, while CO2 emissions of 157g/km should help your tax banding situation. Against that, the 2.0T petrol version returns 35.8mpg and 190g/km. Given that it's only just over a second faster from rest to sixty and only 9mph quicker flat out, you'll quickly guess where the smart money goes. That is, of course, assuming your annual mileage is large enough to justify the up-front £1,000 premium. Buyers can also expect reasonable residual values, although they still sit between 7 and 9 per cent down on those of the Volkswagen Golf. Insurance is going to be somewhere between groups 14 and 16 depending on your choice of engine. One has to ask just how cheap or how good Skoda need to make the Octavia vRS before people buy it. There has to be a tipping point where customers can no longer remain sniffy about any perceived social stigma regarding driving a Skoda. Much comes down to your own self confidence. On the rare occasion that I spot an Octavia vRS coming the other way, I usually clock the driver and make a quick mental note. Smart cookie.

Facts At A Glance
CAR: Skoda Octavia vRS range
PRICES: £18,345-£21,200 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 14-15
CO2 EMISSIONS: 155-188g/km
PERFORMANCE: [2.0T] Max Speed 149mph / 0-60mph 7s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [2.0T] (urban) 25.9mpg / (extra urban) 45.6mpg / (combined) 35.8mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Front and side airbags, ABS, ASR, MBA, MSR, ESP, TPM.
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: [5dr] Length/Width/Height, 4572/1769/1462mm