Skoda Octavia RS 245 - exhaust shots included?

What do kids usually expect from a car? In order to have plenty of space in the back seat, it is also important to have a USB port, a 12V socket or WiFi. What does a woman (wife and mother) require from a car? That it smokes little, is easy to use and convenient. What about the head of the family? He probably counts on more power, good handling and new technologies. Are these not features of the tested Skoda Octavia RS 245?

Small but sufficient changes

The Octavia RS 245 was not long in coming. Before it was the RS 220, RS 230, and suddenly the facelift came, thanks to which the power jumped to 245 hp.

At the front, in addition to the controversial headlights, a redesigned bumper and black accessories are striking. There was also an "RS" emblem.

The profile of the car has changed the least - for example, there are no door sills. You have to be content with only a special rim pattern and black mirrors.

Behind the most problems - especially the spoiler lip on the tailgate. In addition, we have an "RS" badge and a twin tailpipe.

Not much, but the changes are visible.

The red lacquer "Velvet" for PLN 3500 gives our test a sporty character. 19-inch XTREME light-alloy wheels also require a surcharge - PLN 2650. We get 18-inch wheels as standard.

Family is a priority!

When designing the interior of the latest Octavia RS, we did not forget about the most important thing - although we have a sports version, convenience and comfort are still in the first place. The chairs will take care of that. In front, they are combined with head restraints. I was afraid of this decision, because sometimes it turns out that such chairs are uncomfortable. Fortunately, everything is in order here. We sit quite low, and the strongly contoured lateral support keeps our body in the corners. The seats are trimmed in Alcantara, and the headrests have an "RS" badge to remind us at every turn what we're riding.

Both the seats and all the elements inside are stitched with white threads. This gives a nice visual effect, because everything else is black - nothing can unnecessarily distract the driver.

The decorative elements in this case are also black - unfortunately, this is the well-known Piano Black. Our test car didn't have much mileage and the aforementioned parts looked like they were 20 years old. They were all scratched and beaten. For a family car, I would choose a different solution.

It is time to discuss the steering wheel, i.e. the element with which we have constant contact. In the Octavia RS, it is completely trimmed in perforated leather. In addition, it was cut at the bottom and thickened its crown. It fits in very well and in winter you will be glad that it can be heated.

Skoda is famous for the consolidation of cars in this segment. With Octavia it could not be otherwise. There is more than enough space in front. People with a height of 185 cm will find themselves without problems. In the rear, the situation does not change at all. The roofline doesn't drop very quickly, so headroom is plentiful. The Octavia is not for nothing called the "king of space" - this is what it deserves with the capacity of the luggage compartment. Under the tailgate 590 liters! Skoda has thought of everything, too, with a 12-volt outlet, shopping hooks and handles for folding the rear seat. In our test, the audio equipment takes up little space, but it's worth spending some time on it, because I have no comments about the quality of the reproduced sound.

Safety after all!

Octavia RS 245 remains the famous Octavia. Therefore, parents should not worry about the safety of their children. There are many driving assistants on board. This is, for example, active cruise control, operating in the range from 0 to 210 km / h. Octavia warns us of a vehicle in the blind spot or helps us move in a crowded city. I like the last midfielder the most. It is enough to activate it in a traffic jam so that our car accelerates and brakes itself and imitates the car in front of us on the road. The system doesn't need a lane - it just needs another vehicle in front of it.

People sitting in the back should be pleased with the presence of airflow. On hot summer days, this significantly speeds up the cooling of the interior. In winter, there will be a struggle who will sit on the extreme points of the rear seats - because only they are heated.

In this day and age, when everyone has a smartphone, and often a tablet, a Wi-Fi hotspot can come in handy. Just insert the SIM card in the right place, and the Columbus multimedia system will allow you to "send" the Internet to all devices.

To keep everyone satisfied, Skoda has introduced a parking assistant with a rear-view camera into the Octavia. All you need to do is select the parking method (Perpendicular or Parallel) and indicate which way you want to maneuver. Having found the right place, our only task is to control the gas and brake pedals - the steering wheel is controlled by a computer.

Polite or ruthless?

In terms of driving, the Octavia RS 245 is disappointing on the one hand, but fulfills its purpose on the other. It all depends on what we really demand from a hot hatch. If you rely on a stiff suspension and focus mainly on driver pleasure, the Octavia RS is a poor choice.

The car has been tuned to please everyone. The suspension is very comfortable for a hot hatch. It's tougher than the regular Octavia, but this car will easily go through a speed bump or sunroof. After all, no one should complain about the lack of comfort.

The steering is more driver-focused, though a little too light in my opinion. Sport settings should be the norm, because even in the sharpest mode, the steering wheel turns very easily. It’s even lighter in comfort settings… There’s no lack of accuracy, but at higher speeds it becomes less confident because the slightest movement of the steering wheel changes direction.

What can be said about the brakes? There are enough of them, although no one would be offended if they were even more effective.

This car is driven by a 2.0 TSI unit with a power, as the name of the model suggests, 245 hp. The maximum torque is a whopping 370 Nm, available in a very wide range from 1600 to 4300 rpm. Thanks to this, the engine pulls forward very willingly. The turbo hole is almost invisible.

After driving only a few kilometers, I came to the conclusion that four-wheel drive would be a great addition. Unfortunately, the combination of high power with front-wheel drive is not the best solution - the car behaves definitely understeered. Starting from the headlights is also ineffective, because we basically grind the wheels on the spot ... The indicators are still at a good level - 6,6 seconds to a hundred and 250 km / h of maximum speed.

TSI engines are distinguished by the fact that, with careful handling, they pay off with low fuel consumption - in the case of the one tested in the city, it is about 8 liters per 100 km. However, when we press the gas pedal more often, the fuel tip will fall very quickly ... In the city, with dynamic driving, fuel consumption will increase even up to 16 liters per hundred. On the highway at 90 km / h, the computer will show about 5,5 liters, and on the highway - about 9 liters.

Power is transmitted via a 7-speed DSG transmission. I have no objection to her work - she shifts gears quickly and clearly, without unnecessary delays.

On the other hand, the sound, or rather the lack of it, is disappointing. If you are looking for exhalation images, unfortunately, this is not the place…

Reasonably Priced

Prices for the Octavia RS start at PLN 116. We will receive a kit consisting of a proven engine and a manual transmission. The DSG grant is PLN 860. zloty. However, if we travel a lot, and still want to feel the power under our feet, it is worth asking the Octavia RS with a 8 engine, but a 2.0 hp TDI. The price of this configuration starts from PLN 184.

It's hard to find a car that can compete with the Octavia RS 245 if you take into account the space inside and the output of about 250 hp. Do you need something stronger? Then the Seat Leon ST Cupra is a good fit, starting at PLN 300 with 145 hp. Or maybe something weaker? In this case, the Opel Astra Sports Tourer comes into play with a 900 engine with a power of 1.6 hp. The price for this car starts from PLN 200.

How do I remember the Octavia RS 245? To be honest, I expected much more from her. I'm not entirely sure if its name is appropriate - I'd rather see the Octavia RS-Line 245. This car is just an Octavia that accelerates much faster. However, if we demand a truly sporty feel from a car, then we need to look further.