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Skoda's reinvention of itself as a manufacturer of economically priced models which make their owners happy isn't news to anyone who knows Elvis is no longer with us.

Nowhere is this more apparent that with the hot Octavia vRS, says Adrian Higgins.

Available in three colours, though more are coming, we drove the eye-catching Corrida Red model.

Suddenly all the other cars in the street appeared a little duller and its sporty but grown-up looks (complete with spoiler and 17-inch alloy wheels) raised already high expectations of what lay within.

As with other models, Skoda doesn't skimp on equipment and the sporty looking seats, tidy dashboard and standard features including an 6CD autochanger and air conditioning create a good first impression.

There's a real roomy feel and plenty of storage possibilities for the drink-slurping driver.

But any fears comfort has been  prioritised over performance are swiftly put at ease by the six-speed 197bhp-generating 2.0-lire turbocharged engine.

This enables the vRS to hit Skoda's fastest speed - 149mph and, take care of the 0-60mph part of that in just 7.3 seconds.

That coupled with a quality ride make for a potent package. Chuck in the interior space that usually comes with a cave and you can almost feel your hand wandering towards your wallet.

Though we might not have assumed it would be the best car to assist in a house move we were soon convinced otherwise as the hatchback (an estate version is available for an extra £700) began swallowing boxes like a hungry Tardis.

Fuel consumption isn't usually at the top of spoiler-bearing hot hatch-buyers priorities but average consumption of 35.8 miles per gallon means you can hold your head up with a certain amount of pride when the Green candidate comes knocking before the next election.

The bad news is that Elvis is dead - but the good news is Skoda have produced another highly-specced model which is not only great fun to drive, practical and superb looking. And at £17,525 - £2,600 less than the Golf GTi on which it's based, the vRS is a bit of a bargain too.

Rivals
You might want to consider:

Volkswagen Passat
Volvo S40
Ford Mondeo

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