[WATCH] 2017 Skoda Octavia RS review

If you were one of those boy racers in the 2000s that owned a Subaru WRX, the 2017 Skoda Octavia RS is going to be right up your alley. The 2017 Skoda Octavia RS is fast, it’s functional, it’s fun, and it’s grown-up but also immature enough to make you act like a 20-something with your mates on board as you listen to the rumble from under the bonnet. There is a rumble here, too – the 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine features a “performance sound generator” that augments, or, rather, fakes the noise from under the bonnet. There’s a bit of ‘boxer’ to it, too: a gravelly, grumpy sound that is at its most raucous in Sport mode, and thankfully that’s when the powertrain does its best work. With the same engine as the Volkswagen Golf GTI under the bonnet – meaning 162kW of power at 6200rpm and 350Nm of torque from 1500-4400rpm – the Octavia RS is by no means a slowpoke. Skoda claims 0-100km/h acceleration of 6.9 seconds, and we’ve got no reason to disbelieve the claim… well, almost no reason. That’s because there’s a chance you might struggle to get the grunt down to the road. The tyres – Bridgestone Potenza 5001 rubber in 225/40/18 size – can scramble and squeal from a standstill, and the traction control can be overzealous in cutting power. Couple that with the dual-clutch transmission, which can be hesitant anyway, and you might struggle to nail a launch. And this is the vital shortfall of the Octavia RS – it doesn’t come in all-wheel drive. For former...