Facelifted Skoda Octavia vRS revealed

Performance flagship of Skoda’s Volkswagen Golf and Seat Leon cousin gets a refresh to bring it into line with standard Octavias
Jimi Beckwith
20 December 2016

The Skoda Octavia vRS has been revealed in facelifted form, shortly after the revised standard car was revealed.

Skoda’s new performance flagship receives the new front-end styling and dual-headlights of the facelifted Octavia, along with a 9bhp power boost for the 2.0 TSI engined vRS. Performance of the diesel Octavia remains the same.

Read about the facelifted Octavia here

The new Octavia vRS gets fully adaptive LED headlights, while inside, optional Alcantara upholstery is now available and ambient lighting comes as standard. Skoda has also added its ‘Simply Clever’ touches to the vRS, including an umbrella under the passenger seat and an LED torch removable from the boot lid of the estate.

Grip should be marginally improved over that of the current Octavia, with a 3cm wider rear track, which is 1cm wider than that of the standard facelifted car. Standard 18in or optional 19in alloys fill the wheel arches. The petrol-powered vRS's extra horsepower shaves 0.1sec off the hatch's performance 0-62mph time, at 6.7sec. the diesel variant's time remains the same as before at 7.9secThe petrol hatch's top speed also increases by 1mph.

Our Verdict

Skoda Octavia vRS

Amid a broader vRS refresh, Skoda has built its most powerful Octavia yet to take on the established order

Find an Autocar car review

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A drive selector allows thechoice of Sport, Normal or Comfort modes, as part of Skoda's Dynamic Chassis Control system.

Skoda claims fuel economy of 43.4mpg for the petrol vRS with CO2 emissions of 149g/km, and 62.8mpg along with 119g/km of CO2 for the diesel. These figures are likely to change for the four-wheel-drive and DSG dual-clutch automatic gearbox-equipped variants.

Does vRS have a future? The future of Skoda's performance sub-brand seems shaky

Driver aid systems include trailer assist, blind spot detect and rear traffic alert, which warns the driver of approaching traffic when reversing, but the semi-autonomous traffic jam assist system of the Seat Ateca and Leon and the facelifted Volkswagen Golf are not offered. It does, however, feature a crew protect assist function, which closes windows and the sunroof and tightens seatbelts if an imminent crash is detected, as well as tightening seatbelts.

Order books for the facelifted Octavia open at the end of 2016, with first deliveries in early 2017. It’s likely that the vRS will follow a little later, with orders opening in January 2017. 

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Comments
7

Porus

20 December 2016
..with the badges removed. I need one. I have a bank to rob. Perfect getaway vehicle. No one will know what it is!

artill

21 December 2016
If cars have a face, why is this one wearing a comedy moustache?

Perhaps they will do a Groucho Marx edition later in its life?

catnip

21 December 2016
artill wrote:

If cars have a face, why is this one wearing a comedy moustache?

Perhaps they will do a Groucho Marx edition later in its life?

I think this one looks like the Hercule Poirot edition. This facelifted front end is rather wierd...

abkq

21 December 2016
At least the ghastly chrome band that splits the grille is now in black for the vRS and therefore less noticable. Should be black across the Octavia range.

Daniel Joseph

21 December 2016
Hmm...the VRs treatment gives the illusion of a huge front grille flanked by tiny headlamps. Overall, the front end remains a dissonant mess of awkward shapes and lines, IMHO. Does anyone think this facelift is an improvement?

mr_phillip

21 December 2016
The new front looks like an uglier version of the last Saab 9-3.

bomb

21 December 2016
Why has it gone the old E-Class route of the split lights? Didn't work there either.


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Our Verdict

Skoda Octavia vRS

Amid a broader vRS refresh, Skoda has built its most powerful Octavia yet to take on the established order

Find an Autocar car review

Driven this week