Skoda Octavia vRS (2024 – ) review

At the time of writing there’s no plug-in hybrid Octavia vRS option as there was previously, which will be a blow to those hoping to sneak one as a company car. Indeed, the sole option of a 2.0-litre petrol pretty much rules it out for those paying Benefit In Kind given the CO2 figure. It’s better news for private buyers, the price nestling beneath the £40,000 threshold where you’d be hit with the ‘premium car’ VED rates, which feels a bit of a win given the performance. On that score it’s going to save a lot of money over relatives like the Cupra Leon and Golf R, though it’s worth pointing out the Leon is still available as a hybrid.

Skodas are generally considered dependable, and the brand ranks above others within the VW group using the same engines and parts like Seat, Cupra, Audi and Volkswagen itself according to the latest What Car? reliability survey. Older Octavias score well individually, too, though the version previous to this did suffer infotainment issues common to the Golf and others sharing the same tech. We’ll hope this has been sorted.

Safety tech is among the upgraded features for this latest Octavia, forward radar sensing hazards and applying the brakes if it detects vulnerable road users like pedestrians or thinks you’re about to turn across oncoming traffic. As the top model in the range the vRS also gets useful features like upgraded lane keeping (annoying, but you can turn it off easily from a shortcut button on the wheel) and blind spot alerts (genuinely useful) you’d pay extra for or aren’t available on some of the more basic trims.

Park your prejudices about Skodas feeling cheap, the vRS in particular feeling very well put together with some expensive feeling materials. It’s perhaps a little dark with the all-black finish but otherwise feels top-notch, the figure-hugging shape of the standard sports seats up front especially pleasing. Those in the back get lots of space as well, though the centre passenger has to straddle a lump in the middle of the floor. Boot capacity has, meanwhile, always been an Octavia selling point and the vRS’s combination of performance and practicality continues to be a winner, the amount of space available proving there’s more to life than SUVs, even in this hatchback version. As the sportiest model in the range the vRS does get firmer suspension, and the option of an adjustable set-up branded DCC you can customise to your heart’s content via a slider on the touch-screen. This has an impressive bandwidth, going from controlled but comfortable at one end to teeth-clattering firmness at the other. A nice option to have but it adds quite a bit to the cost and the standard, non-adjustable set-up we tried on an another car felt a spot-on balance. So we'd be happy taking that and saving the cash.

Skoda had an example of the previous version of the Octavia vRS for comparison purposes, which highlighted just how slicker the graphics and interface for the new nav system are. You can, of course, pair your phone and use the apps if you prefer but it’s nice to know the built-in system is up to standard. Dedicated 19-inch wheels, a sports exhaust and full package branded exterior and interior styling features meanwhile set it apart from the rest of the Octavia range, the lurid Hyper Green only available on the vRS if you really want to hammer the point home though the more subtle greens and blues also look cool. As befits its range-topping status the vRS also gets additional goodies like an extra umbrella in the nifty storage holsters hidden in the front doors, a power tailgate that opens with a wave of your foot under the rear bumper if you have your hands full of shopping and plenty more.

There’s now just the one engine option for the vRS, this being an uprated 265 horsepower turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol driving the front wheels through a clever system to help put the power down without spinning the tyres on slippery surfaces. It’s a proven bit of hardware Skoda inherited from fancier versions of the Golf GTI and Cupra Leon for the previous Octavia vRS, and pretty much makes up for the lack of the all-wheel drive you get in the much more expensive (and considerably less practical) Golf R. If you’re on the power early through the corner or when leaving a wet roundabout you may just feel a murmur of movement from the steering wheel as it does its thing but you soon learn to trust it, and appreciate the ability to use more of the performance more of the time. A pity there’s no manual option any longer but, in fairness, the DSG automatic is slick, effective and suits the car’s character. Overall, there are faster and more powerful cars out there. But the vRS makes a virtue of its impressive performance being more accessible and usable in the real world, which plays to Skoda’s no-nonsense values and means you can enjoy the sporty character with few real compromises in comfort or practicality. Bravo.