Skoda Octavia vRS review

You could describe the Skoda Octavia vRS as a hot hatchback that takes things to extremes – but not in the way you might expect.

What the Octavia vRS excels at is not so much the "hot" part, but the ability of a hot hatch to offer strong performance combined with a practical body shape. In fact, unlike the ludicrously fast Audi RS3 and Mercedes AMG A45 S, you can have this Skoda Octavia variant as either a hatchback or estate car.

To make the Octavia vRS even more appealing, Skoda has given it a mid-life facelift with some minor styling tweaks to the lights and bumpers, and a tweaked exhaust system with black painted mufflers to provide a slightly more fruity soundtrack.

So can the latest Skoda Octavia vRS compete with the best hot hatches and hot estates – ranging from the Cupra Leon to the VW Golf R? Read on to find out...

What’s new?

- August 2024: Octavia vRS enhanced with 261bhp 2.0 TSI turbo petrol engine, a 13.0in infotainment screen and 10in Virtual Cockpit

- October 2020: prices and specifications announced for new Octavia vRS hatchback and estate

- July 2020: new Octavia vRS announced, with choice of three engines: petrol, diesel or petrol plug-in hybrid. The 2.0 TSI and PHEV versions produce 241bhp, while the 2.0 TDI makes 197bhp

Unlike previous versions of the Skoda Octavia vRS, this latest one is not available as a diesel or plug-in hybrid (PHEV). Instead, your only option is a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine with 261bhp.

Even so, this is the quickest version yet, with a respectable 0-62mph time of 6.4sec for the hatchback and 6.5sec for the estate.

That pace is undoubtedly helped by the seven-speed dual-clutch DSG automatic gearbox, which shifts near seamlessly between ratios. It changes down a gear quickly enough when you want to build up speed, and paddles on the back of the steering wheel allow you to do so manually (the vRS is no longer available with a manual gearbox).

There’s plenty of pace to swiftly get up to motorway speeds and for easy overtakes. Nevertheless, it's at the slower end of the hot-hatch class, with, for example, the Cupra Leon and VW Golf GTI being able to achieve sub-6.0 second 0-62mph times. Compared with the class’s steroid-junkies – the Audi RS3 and Mercedes AMG A45 S – it's positively pedestrian.

You can at least make full use of the petrol engine’s power with ease. While the Octavia vRS has front-wheel drive, with no four-wheel-drive option, it has an electronically controlled limited-slip front differential, which helps maintain traction when exiting sharper bends. Its real benefit is that it all but eliminates torque steer (when the steering wheel writhes in your hands as you accelerate).

As standard, the vRS sits on lower (by 15mm) and stiffer sports suspension, meaning the ride is a fair bit firmer than in a regular Skoda Octavia. Thankfully, you’ll find that it ranks among the comfiest hot hatches out there. While it will sometimes thud over sharp ridges and potholes, it’s still forgiving the rest of the time and you’ll have no problem taking it on a long road trip.

If you tick the option box for DCC adaptive suspension, you gain the ability to choose between two levels of firmness in the drive mode settings. Switch to its softest Comfort setting and it provides a calmer, more supple ride than the standard suspension.

Even on the standard suspension, the vRS possesses far better body control over undulating roads than the standard Octavia. It’s even tidier with DCC set to its firmest setting, but you still have less agility than in a Cupra Leon or Golf GTI.

That’s not to say you can’t hustle the Octavia vRS along your favourite B-road briskly – it’s just that most hot hatchbacks will put a bigger smile on your face, especially the scalpel-like A45 S. Most rivals have sharper steering that provide a stronger sense of connection with the wheels, and they respond in a more playful manner as you push towards the limits of grip; the vRS has been tuned to feel more safe and secure.

There’s a bit of wind and road roar, which can have you clicking the stereo’s volume up a few notches on motorways. The vRS's upgraded sports exhaust has a bassy, throaty exhaust note that also provides a few subtle crackles. It’s not particularly loud, so you can still enjoy it without attracting too much attention.

“I love that the updated sports exhaust gives the Octavia vRS a much more realistic sound. The augmented engine sound that used to be piped through the stereo’s speakers was something you’d rather switch off." – Lawrence Cheung, New Cars Editor

There’s plenty of reach and rake adjustment for the Skoda Octavia vRS's steering wheel, and a good range of movement for the seat, so finding your ideal driving position is easy.

The standard sports seats are comfortable, thanks to adjustable lumbar adjustment and big side bolsters that keep you in place in bends. Naturally, the seats have "vRS" embroidered on them. There's also carbon-fibre-like trim, an Alcantara dashboard panel and sports displays to remind you you're in a hot hatch rather than an ordinary Skoda Octavia.

The sports displays are shown on the same sharp 10.3in digital driver’s display that you'll find in other versions of the Octavia. The display can be easily customised, showing things like a full screen map, by using controls on the steering wheel. 

Luckily, you won’t find any annoying touch-sensitive switches on the steering wheel – as you will in a VW Golf R – but there is a touch-sensitive volume slider beneath the main 10.1in infotainment touchscreen. It's not as easy to use as a dial, and neither are the heater controls on the touchscreen.

Helpfully, Skoda has positioned the screen high up on the dashboard so you don’t have to take your eyes far from the road to see it. It has high-resolution graphics that are easy to read and most icons are big enough to hit easily on the move.

There are shortcut buttons across the top of the touchscreen, which are helpful to have, although we found the ones on the top left corner of the touchscreen a stretch from the driver's seat. There’s also a row of physical buttons below the screen that take you directly to certain functions, such as the drive modes or climate menu.

Seeing out of the front and sides of the hatchback vRS is easy thanks to big windows and slim pillars, while large thick rear pillars inhibit the view over your shoulder a little in the hatchback. The hatchback also misses out on a rear-windscreen wiper, although it is a no-cost option. The vRS estate is better when reversing, owing to its glassier rear end, but parking is a doddle in both versions, thanks to front and rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera.

Visibility is helped by the Octavia vRS's standard adaptive LED headlights, which do a fine job of illuminating the road without dazzling other drivers.

As for quality, the Octavia vRS runs the Cupra Leon and VW Golf GTI closely, with a good range of soft-touch plastics, appealing trim finishers and ambient LED lighting. The physical buttons are nicely damped and the plastics themselves feel more substantial than the hollow-feeling ones on earlier models. Harder plastics are well hidden, although the BMW M135 looks and feels classier still.

“Some hot hatches have figure-hugging seats that hold you tightly but also trim down on the level of padding. Thankfully that’s not the case in the Octavia vRS. I found there was plenty of support for longer journeys." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

Even if you're very tall you'll have no trouble up front in the Skoda Octavia vRS – and that’s still the case if you’ve ticked the box for the optional panoramic sunroof.

There’s plenty of storage, with door pockets big enough to take a 1.5-litre bottle, plus two big cupholders, a capacious cubby under the central armrest and a useful shelf in front of the gear selector that’s perfect for emptying your pockets into.

Rear seat space has long been a Skoda Octavia speciality, although rivals have started to encroach upon its territory: the Cupra Leon is better for rear head and leg room. The vRS does have a rather wide rear bench though, helping three adults to sit side by side easily. A central rear armrest is fitted as standard.

That rear seat bench has a 60/40 split, with the armrest hiding a ski hatch for long, thin items to poke through. We do wish a variable-height boot floor was available on the hatchback, though, because when the back seats are folded down the extended load bay is far from flat.

The hatchback Octavia vRS has 600 litres of boot space, which is much more than most hot hatchbacks. For context, the Mercedes AMG A45 S has 370 litres of space and managed to swallow six carry-on suitcases in our tests. The Octavia vRS Estate has an even bigger boot, at 640 litres.

The vRS's boot also gets a 12V socket, two flip-down bag hooks, a couple of fenced-off areas so your boot clutter doesn't slide around and an electrically operated tailgate. Handy options include a space-saver spare wheel that sits under the boot floor and an electric tow bar with a power socket.

“This Octavia vRS's biggest strength is its practicality, and it makes a huge amount of sense for fitting in my family and our dog with ease.” – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

Compared with its closest rivals, the Skoda Octavia vRS is competitively priced, costing around the same as a Cupra Leon VZ1 and VW Golf GTI, while being much less than a Mercedes AMG A45 S. It's in the highest BIK tax bracket so it's relatively pricey to run as a company car – but then that's true of rival hot hatches. 

All Octavia vRS models get sporty styling inside and out, bespoke sports seats, 19in alloys, dual-zone climate control, wireless phone-charging with a cooler, heated front seats, adaptive cruise control and keyless entry, so you shouldn’t need to add much from the options list. We’d suggest considering the DCC adaptive suspension though.

The Skoda Octavia was awarded a top five-star rating for safety by Euro NCAP in 2022, scoring higher than the VW Golf for protecting adults in the front, but slightly lower for protecting children sitting in the rear.

You get plenty of standard safety kit with the vRS, including automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane-keeping assistance, blind-spot monitoring and an e-call system.

Reliability is a bit disappointing, with the Octavia finishing in a below average 15th place in a 21-strong family car category in the latest What Car? Reliability Survey. As a brand, Skoda did better, finishing in 16th place out of 30 car makers in the survey.

The Octavia vRS comes with a three-year, 60,000-mile warranty. You can extend that to five years and 100,000 miles for a fee. The Cupra Leon’s five year, 90,000 mile cover is more generous.

“I love that the Octavia vRS is available in bright and vibrant colours. It comes with a high-vis Hyper Green paint as standard, although you can also have Race Blue, Velvet Red or a classy Royal Green instead.” – Lawrence Cheung, New Cars Editor

Buy it if...

- You’d like a hot hatch that has lots of interior space

- You’re after a hatch that rides comfortably

- You need the practicality of an estate

Don’t buy it if…

- You’re after a hot hatch with really agile handling 

- You’re hoping for a really theatrical soundtrack

- You need something with a proven reliability record

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