Take a standard midsize sedan, add a turbocharged, 150bhp engine, sticky tyres, a hot body-kit and buckets of yellow paint, and you have the new Octavia RS. We hop into India’s first sports sedan.

“It's built like a rhino yet cleaves the air at 220 kilometres an hour.”

‘There is the characteristic under-bonnet whistle as the turbo spools up, sucks in air and slingshots you forward.’

SKODA OCTAVIA RS TURBO
List price (ex-showroom,
Mumbai) Rs 13.53 lakh
Top speed 223kph
0-60kph 3.99sec
0-100kph 9.06sec
Kpl 9.23 (overall)
For Performance, build quality
Against Rear seat space

We first got a taste of the Octavia RS early this year and regular readers may recall our first drive of this new Octavia variant in our March 2004 issue. Since then Skoda has given it some serious body kit, slapped on the evocative 'RS' badge and pegged it a notch up above the mundane 2.0-litre petrol. The result? Easily the most exciting car we've tested this year, the one that's made the biggest impression on us and the one we want to possess.
The RS wipes the Octavia slate clean. It feels like a new car, solely because of the new engine. This 1.8 turbo petrol is the heart of the matter. And what a heart!
The RS gets a state-of-the-art Volkswagen Audi Group (VAG) engine that does wide and varied duty on all manner of cars from the Octavia RS and the Seat Leon Cupra at one end of the spectrum, to the Audi TT at the other.
The engine makes maximum use of its relatively small 1781cc displacement by using five valves per cylinder as well as forced induction in the form of a turbocharger. Not only does this motor breathe deep but it runs hard too, right upto its red line at 6800rpm. Developing 150bhp and 21.41kgm of torque, this engine makes the 111bhp 2.0-litre petrol (still available in the market) look decidedly pedestrian.
Interestingly, the Octavia RS is sold internationally with a 180bhp version of this motor, and the 150 we have here is closer to Laurin & Klement spec.
One of the big challenges for Skoda was tuning this turbo-petrol to suit our low octane fuel. While 91-octane is recommended, we tested the RS on regular 87-octane as that is the diet it would feed on most often. Despite using less-than-ideal fuel, the RS was anything but lacking in power.
The 1260kg kerb weight notwithstanding, the RS rockets past the 100kph in just 9.06 seconds with no let up. Keep the sporty pedal nailed to the floor, punch through the gears and in 24.12 seconds you've sailed past 160kph. That's 0.4 seconds faster when compared to Honda's big 221bhp, 3.0-litre V6 which powers the Accord.
Also keeping it company is Toyota's Corolla which completes 0-100kph in 9.07 seconds.
What the numbers don't explain is the exhilarating rush you get whenever you prod the throttle. There is the characteristic 'whistle' from under the bonnet as the turbo spools up, sucks in air and slingshots you forward ‘on boost’. So addictive is the strong acceleration, so crisp and sweet the gearbox, so effortless the motor, you want keep the engine spinning as hard as you possibly can. And the punch delivered above 4000rpm is so strong, it's simply addictive.
Get hard onto the throttle and the Octavia seems to shed half a ton, as it simply gallops up to seriously large speeds — like 180 kilometres an hour, a speed we seemed to cross regularly, often without trying. V-Max is an unreal 223kph making this one of the fastest cars in the market and certainly the fastest for its price. Overtaking on the highway, making use of all that power, is simply a joy, and you're always looking for your next victim.
The surprising part is that for a turbo motor, it is pretty driveable in the city and in heavy traffic. There is a bit of turbo lag below 2000rpm, but the wide power-band and the responsive nature of the motor mean you don't spend too much time awaiting boost.
It's also important to remember that there are a number of upgrades available for this motor, from humble chips that will take you past 220bhp to more complete engine jobs that promise to more than double output. But that's another story altogether.
Fuel consumption is not something RS buyers would be too concerned about but the good thing is that fuel efficiency is not as dismal as we expected, especially if you take into consideration the kerb weight and the high-performance motor. We achieved a respectable 7.75kpl in the city and 10.71kpl on the highway.
But remember, these figures were recorded under our standard test conditions and driving cycles. Make full use of the throttle pedal and economy will quickly go south. On a particularly hard run in which the tacho needle was mostly in the last quadrant we couldn't better 6.0kpl.
The RS uses the same suspension set-up as the 2.0-litre petrol but gets wider and lower profile 205/55 R16 tubeless tyres. It's the new rubber, riding on 16-inch wheels, which makes the low speed ride distinctively more stiff and jiggly but not to the point of being harsh or uncomfortable.
It's only sharp ruts and potholes that catch the RS out but even then you are rarely greeted with more than a muted thud from the suspension.
Drive the RS at speed and you can't but help marvel at its amazing composure. Straight-line stability is fantastic and the Octavia feels rock-solid at the astonishing speeds this car effortlessly attains. The handling is incredibly reassuring and this makes the RS effortless to drive but true enthusiasts may be disappointed by the suspension set-up, which feels soft when the car is driven really hard. The steering is direct but a little lacking in feedback and there is a fair amount of body roll.
With 150bhp at the front wheels, torque steer is admirably under control, but it's easy to break traction on slippery surfaces and the RS is prone to understeer. The ABS-equipped brakes are absolutely phenomenal and add to the sure-footedness of the car, clearly in a league of its own. Forget the Corolla, not even the Accord can match the ease with which this Octy munches miles.
The RS looks the part as well with all its racy bits and pieces. There's a new, deeper chin with a sporty lip, the central air intake below the grille is now massive to enable better air flow through to the inter-cooler, the clear lenses and xenons look special and the high quality ‘vRS’ badge really stands out. A rectangular exhaust tip, a spoiler and another ‘vRS’ badge is what differentiates the rear. But what makes the RS truly stand out are the stunning 16-inch alloy wheels, which are shod with imported Bridgestone Turanzas. Delicious!
The insides, like all Octavias, are typically understated and functional but the RS does get some sporty touches as well. The part leather-part fabric seats are more heavily bolstered than the ones on the standard car, with more under-thigh, lateral and side support as well.
Other driver-centric features include a perforated leather, three-spoke steering wheel, sporty metallic pedals, aluminium trim on the gear lever, an RS badge, and a prominently marked 'red zone' on the silvered tachometer, up around the 7000rpm mark. Equipment is very generous as well, with a soft feel dash, climate control system, an Alpine in-dash, single-CD MP3 player, electric sunroof, airbags and a boot that could swallow a small district.
However, compared to other cars in its class, even the RS' interiors look dull. Shades of black and dark grey abound and even the roof of the car is finished in an ominous, almost funereal shade.
This apart, the Octavia carries its strengths. The insides are built like a tank, the dash feels strong enough to kick, the doors shut with a solid thunk, and even the seats are built tough. It's a car that reminds you of its solid build every time you step into it.
Rear-seat passengers of course get the short straw as the short wheelbase limits legroom. But this is less of a problem on the RS as owners won't be buying it to be only chauffeur-driven.
What owners will be buying it for is the sheer exhilaration this car offers without sacrificing practicality. The first and only turbocharged petrol-engined vehicle to be sold in India, the RS plays a dual role as a sports car on the weekends that will run away from cars twice as expensive, or as a family car that will happily trundle along in traffic with equal ease. Priced at Rs 13.53 lakh (ex-showroom, Mumbai) it's decent value too, even more so if you plug for the no-frills option (Octavia Rider 1.8TPi) at Rs 11.87 lakh. An enthusiast's car that's difficult to fault, and at an attractive price. Isn't that what the doctor ordered?