April 2008

Are you looking for a car that offers the performance and handling of a hot hatch, but with a touch more practicality? And do you want it to have a price tag considerably lower than similarly powered rivals?

Well, if the answer to those questions is yes, this is the car for you. The Skoda Octavia vRS won’t be the first model performance fans think of, but in many ways it deserves to be right up there with the very best in the class. It shares its platform with the Volkswagen Golf, and under the bonnet is the same 2.0-litre turbo engine as in the GTI. Yet the Skoda simply doesn’t have the image of its German cousin.

Is that unfair? Well, the interior does without much of the VW’s neat detailing, and the materials don’t feel as expensive. But the differences are minor, and the vRS cabin is well laid out and built, while the driving position is excellent.

The seats are supportive, with a huge range of adjustment. Rear passenger room is good, too, while the boot is huge.

Although the Octavia has an identical wheelbase to the Golf, overall it’s 362mm longer – and the vast 560-litre load bay accounts for most of that. The vRS is as practical as hot hatches get.

But it’s the driving experience that really counts in this sector, and the Skoda doesn’t disappoint. The 2.0-litre engine is punchy, while the six-speed manual gearbox has a positive shift.

And even though the vRS weighs 50kg more than the Golf GTI, when we tested them together in Issue 894, the Octavia covered 0-60mph in 6.7 seconds – only one-tenth-of-a-second slower.

So this is a genuinely fast car, and it doesn’t fare too badly through corners, either. While the chassis doesn’t offer that degree of polish you get from the GTI, there’s still plenty of fun to be had along a twisting road.

The styling is handsome, in a solid kind of way. It’s not beautiful, but sporty details such as the green brake calipers, deeper bumpers and attractive alloy wheels boost the vRS’s appeal.

Most importantly, this unsung hero costs £17,905 – and that’s £3,410 cheaper than a five-door Golf GTI.

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