Friday 20th February 2015

Skoda Octavia vRS 230

Already appealing Octavia vRS spiced up with VAQ 'diff' and power bump to 230hp

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It would be amusing to think somewhere in Wolfsburg somebody periodically pulls a handle on some sort of MQB platform one-armed bandit, watches the various combinations of brand, engine tune, chassis components and drivetrain spin and then - kerching! - phones in the result to the brand in question. And it seems this time it's Skoda's turn, the Octavia vRS today confirmed with a new derivative comprising a power boost to 230hp and fitment of the VAQ 'differential' to meter it out across the front axle.

We're not moaning; the many and various combinations of performance oriented MQB-based cars are generally pretty decent, be they Skodas or Audis costing twice as much.

It's got ... seats ... with extra red bits

The latest pick'n'mix creation takes the 220hp petrol Octavia vRS - the cheapest of the hot MQBs at £23,755 - and basically adds the uprated Golf GTI Performance's 230hp state of tune and Haldex-derived VAQ torque distributing front axle. How much torque it'll be distributing hasn't been confirmed but we'll take a wild stab at 258lb ft, this being the consistent figure whether in a 220/230hp Golf GTI, 265hp/280hp SEAT Leon Cupra or standard vRS. Other confirmed stats include a 0-62mph time of 6.7 seconds, a tenth quicker than the regular car.

49mm longer in the wheelbase than most other MQB cars, the Octavia in both hatch and estate form is the most practical of the breed and a little more stable and planted than the more overtly hot hatch derived equivalents from SEAT and VW. This is good news for load-lugging PHers who aren't quite ready to hang up their driving gloves and makes it an even more useful car than the SEAT Leon Cupra ST estate we tested recently. Next rung up on the MQB fast/practical ladder would be the forthcoming Golf R estate, adding a bit more power and four-wheel drive into the mix.

When there's time we'll have to plot the exact pecking order contained within the MQB family but, suffice to say, we'd consider the Skoda a welcome addition. Deliveries start in June, more from Geneva when we've seen it in the metal.

[FWDRacer]

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