Motor Australia — January 2018

d motorofficial f motor_mag^27

Skoda Octavia RS245

Morebrawn,lessbrains–butstillpragmatic

HE PREVIOUS Octavia

RS230 never needed more

grunt. That front-driven

axle struggled as it was to

handle what its turbo 2.0-litre inline-

four was pumping.

However, here comes the new

RS245, with another 15 horsies under

the lid, or 11kW, thanks to software

fiddling. Torque’s climbed too, by

20Nm, for 180kW and 370Nm in total.

That puts its figures line-ball with the

VW Golf GTI Performance.

That’s no coincidence. Now that

Volkswagen’s cult hero has scored

upgraded hardware, the hottest

Octavia gets the same whizz-bang

locking diff and new seven-speed DSG

transmission as hand-me-downs.

The grunt comes as part of a 2018

update for the whole range, which

includes a facelift, more interior fruit,

and adaptive dampers reaching the

options list (in a $1500 tech pack).

Skoda’s also introduced the RS245

full-time in both transmissions and

body styles. We tested the new hero

at a ‘secret’ location on the New South

Wales Central Coast (you probably first

saw it on Google Earth in about 2005).

The private circuit, that’s confusingly

littered with speed signs, offered

tight hairpins, rising straights, and

extremely technical sections, where

you can farm the RS245 for all its got.

Even as a polished daily driver,

there’s plenty of hooligan in the

RS245’s veins, but it can’t convert

enthusiasm into pure talent on track.

Besides a wider rear track and new

adaptive dampers, the car’s supple

composure remains. It’s comfortable,

yet controlled, and feels that way up to

about eight tenths.

The car’s fairly neutral into the

corner, but starts to push under power.

It’ll easily spin the inside front, too,

provided traction control hasn’t shut

down the party. Yes, even with a diff.

Pro driver Steve Owen, who was

on hand at the car’s launch, suggests

rotating the Octavia into the corner.

This helps square it early and quell

wheelspin. But the RS245 just isn’t

as keen to change direction as its

hatch-bodied cousins. Its 2680mm

wheelbase is about 49mm longer than

a Golf’s, and it’s a bit tubbier, too.

The seats are cool as ever, and come

with Alcantara cushions that replace

the old scratch-prone leather jobbies.

They’re electrically adjustable, but you

roll out of them more on track than the

bolsters should allow.

There are still some great tools

in the Octavia RS245’s arsenal. That

steering is accurate as a laser aligner

and the added rear track helps free the

rear end under brakes.

The engine’s powerband has been

stretched by 500rpm over the RS230,

and 200rpm beyond the Golf GTI

Performance, meaning the Skoda

wrings everything from a higher

6700rpm redline with a meaty, hard-

charging soundtrack.

It’s a great match for a DSG gearbox,

however, the seven-speed lacked a

perfect ratio between second and

third for tight, low-speed corners. The

DSG’s $2500 price hike is also a hefty

charge in this value-focused segment.

It’s nice the six-speed manual’s still the

price entry point, but the dual-clutch is

quoted as quicker to 100km/h.

We’d pick the more agile sedan if

you insist on going ten-tenths on a

regular basis, along with better pads,

discs, and fluid. But overall the RS245

remains great value, even with a $1700

price hike.

With that sting comes a new (and

brilliant) 9.2-inch touchscreen that’s

infinitely better than the old smaller

unit. While auto folding black mirrors

are thrown in. The wagon body (for

an extra $1500) remains an IKEA-

devouring warrior, while both cars

on the stretched MQB platform feel

compact, yet genuinely roomy. The

only markdown is dull throttle tip-in

during stop-start driving.

The RS230 fell over at Bang For Your

Bucks last year, and the RS245 hasn’t

fully corrected its shortcomings. Yes,

it pulls harder up high in the rev range,

but the grunt’s worsened traction

issues. And the optional dampers

haven’t injected much needed stiffness

into to the mix.

We su sp e ct the story mi ght

be different away from red-mist

environments, because the RS230

was a much better car up a twisty

road, at about eight tenths, as it was

on a racetrack, beyond said eight

tenths. And the RS245’s new adaptive

dampers suggest it might even have

improved its urban manners in the

urban jungle. We say suggest because,

bafflingly, we didn’t really get to drive

it on the road at the launch.

And we will save final judgement on

the RS245 until then.M

The Skoda Octavia

RS245 scores the

hottest version of

the 2.0-litre EA888

this side of a Golf R

T

ENGINE 1984cc inline-4cyl, DOHC, 16v, turbo / POWER 180kW @ 6700rpm / TORQUE 370Nm @ 1600rpm / WEIGHT 1380kg (wagon) / 0-100KM/H6.7sec/PRICE$43,390

by LOUIS CORDONY

Like

Grunty powertrain;

wagon

practicality;

polished ride

STAR RATING

Dislike

Scrappy traction;

lack of grip

3.5