Test drive Skoda Octavia RS
The athletic appearance of the Octavia RS hints at strength, but does not turn off the roughness. And if you really spend about $ 26 on a golf-class model, then only on this one - fast, powerful and at the same time the most practical ...
The bright red color of Corrida Red, the emphatically embossed bumper with defiantly large air intakes, complex chopped wheels, behind which the red brakes are clearly visible - the athletic appearance of the Skoda Octavia RS hints at strength, but does not repulse with rudeness. And if you really spend about $ 26 on a golf-class model, then only on this one - fast, powerful and at the same time the most practical.
At first it seems that the tightness of city streets, gripped by daily traffic jams, will make the liftback ride unbearable, but the car turns out to be extremely hospitable. The salon almost does not differ from the standard one, although it still looks more fun. Sports seats with an almost racing profile do not exhaust your back at all and easily take drivers of different sizes into their arms. The thick three-spoke steering wheel fits perfectly in the hand, and trims like red stitching on leather seams and carbon fiber panels would be fine for a quieter car. So the Octavia RS walks along the streets unhurriedly and decorously, carefully fingering the asphalt joints and artificial irregularities, not forgetting to turn off the engine at stops. A bit harsh, and nothing more.
The architecture of the Skoda Octavia RS chassis inherited from its civilian relative, only here everything is a little different, with the prefix "sport": a suspension with a set of other, stiffer springs, shock absorbers and silent blocks, a steering rack with a variable gear ratio and adaptive electric booster, and a tightly boosted engine ... The 2,0 TSI turbo engine produces 220 hp. and a good 350 Nm - 60 Nm more than the previous generation car.
This chassis cannot be called jagged even when it comes with 19-inch wheels. The elastic suspension turns out to be quite energy-intensive even on large bumps and does not bother with rigidity on smaller bumps. Changing turns is a pleasure: the Octavia RS pleasantly surprises with its unambiguous response and precise steering response. The balance is almost perfect: under the thrust, the car straightens the trajectory, under the throttle release, it is screwed into the bend almost without roll. Almost academic behavior is partly the merit of the XDS electronic system, which simulates the center differential lock, slightly braking the unloaded drive wheel. The XDS is especially good at maneuvering on unstable surfaces, but it does not help to avoid desperate slipping when starting from a standstill on wet asphalt.
With gas, especially on a slippery surface, you generally have to handle it more carefully - excess traction immediately goes into a slip. From a place Skoda Octavia RS breaks down dashingly and violently, even despite the resistance of the stabilization system. Further, the engine solo: under the sobs of the turbine and the shots of the exhaust system, he furiously drags the car forward, furiously and evenly spinning even from low revs. It is easy to believe in the declared 6,8 seconds of acceleration to "hundreds".
Fortunately, the character of the current turbo engine is still quite smooth. There is no turbo lag at low revs, and acceleration in the stream is most often dispensed with without downshifting. The box - a preselective "robot" DSG with two clutches - generally tries not to waste time changing gears, leaving the driver with a feeling of an iron connection between the engine and the wheels. It works smartly, but in the “drive” it prefers to use higher gears more often. But in the sports mode, the DSG constantly keeps the engine in the most high-torque rev range and coolly slows down the power unit - sequentially, with regassing, including downshifts. It turns out not only convenient, but also very atmospheric.
The sport mode, which is activated by the RS mode key, changes not only the sharpness of the responses of the power unit and the nature of the box. There is a pleasant heaviness on the steering wheel, and the sound of the engine acquires a noble bass note. That, however, will not at all make those around them jump to the sides - the sports symphony of the engine, which is imitated by the speakers of the audio system, is heard only by the inhabitants of the salon. In addition, the driver does not have to specifically loosen the reins of the stabilization system, which, although it does not turn off completely, noticeably shifts the limits of what is permitted. The Octavia RS can swing aft when exiting a corner without difficulty, although it is much more suitable for trajectory driving with accurate prescription of turns. The tight, slightly nervous steering wheel is precise and understandable in turns, the rolls are almost imperceptible, the gearbox is responsive, the engine is sharp, and the soundtrack is great - in sport mode, this is a completely different car. And this is already really cramped in the city.
Sports mode can not only be turned on or off - the on-board media system allows finer settings. For example, activate the sport steering mode, leaving the economical algorithm of the DSG box. Even economy modes are offered - not very appropriate on a sports car, but very convenient for sluggish pushing in traffic.
However, versatility has always been one of the main trump cards of the fastest Skoda Octavia. The model of the current generation, with its decent dimensions and long wheelbase, will give a hundred points ahead of any competitor in terms of convenience. The spacious cabin easily accommodates five, and the size of the luggage compartment of the Octavia RS is definitely unmatched among classmates. Only she has a huge opening by the standards of a golf class and a full-fledged transformer trunk with a double floor, nets for luggage and pockets for small things. Let's not forget about boxes under the seats, trash containers in door pockets, an ice scraper and a whole arsenal of service electronics, without which even such an athlete in a modern metropolis will feel uncomfortable. For example, adaptive light, automatic valet parking, engine start button and rear view camera.
However, not all of the above is included in the standard equipment. In Russia, the Octavia RS is offered in a single and rather rich configuration (you can only choose a transmission: a 6-speed "mechanic" or a DSG robot with the same number of gears), but the list of options contains two dozen more items that you can do without. Otherwise, the price of the car will surpass the $ 26 mark, which is a bit too much for a golf-class car, albeit so fast. Be that as it may, with or without electronics, among all the "charged" models on the market, it was the Octavia RS that was and remains the most practical. Those who disagree can only look at the fifth door in Corrida Red, which is rapidly slipping into the distance.
