SOME people will be surprised to learn that Skoda has a rich motor sport history and has been successfully competing with its production cars since the mid-1930s.
In fact, Skoda has been involved in motor sport longer than most manufacturers have been in existence.
And since being taken over by Volkswagen the sporting nature of some of its models have come to the fore, especially the fastest Skoda ever built, the Octavia vRS 2.0 T FSI.
I’ve just tried out vRS and it has truly sparkling performance and superb handling.
Not only that, it is very practical with a huge boot and plenty of interior space.
Another plus factor is its looks. It stands out in the crowd with its deep bumpers, rear spoiler, 17-inch alloys, a large front air intake and sleek halogen headlamps.
The exhilarating performance comes from a gutsy 2.0-litre turbocharged engine which throws out 200 bhp.This gives the vRS a sprint time of 7.3 seconds to 62 mph and a claimed top speed of 149 mph.
To deal with the power produced by the 200 bhp engine, larger, ventilated brake discs are fitted as standard to all Octavia vRS models, while electronic safety systems include electronic brakeforce distribution, traction control, ABS, electronic stability programme and tyre-pressure monitoring are both fitted as standard.
Skoda claims that over a combined run the vRS, which costs £17,525, will give you around 35.8 mpg, which is pretty good for a real hot hatch.
Mid-range power is excellent and overtaking in the super-fast Skoda is made safe and easy. Just drop a gear and you surge past with a gratifying sporty exhaust note as a bonus. It has a slick, six-speed manual gearbox and is front wheel drive.
Because the vRS has much of the same mechanicals as the VW Golf GTI it offers top-class handling, with accurate steering, hardly any body roll on fast corners and a suspension which is firm but won’t rattle your teeth. It is civilised around town and has a good turning circle which makes parking easy.
There is a bit of wind noise at high speed but road and engine noise is well suppressed thanks to the build quality of the fast Skoda.
The cabin has an uncluttered layout with knobs and switches easy to reach and understand. The steering wheel is adjustable for rake and reach and the grippy driver’s seat also adjustable to give a good driving position.
Legroom in the back is a little tight for taller passengers but head and shoulder room is adequate.
The boot is one of the biggest in class at 560 litres and you could easily fit in large suitcases and golf clubs. With the split-fold rear seats down the capacity increases to 1,350 litres.
The vRS includes twin front and side airbags, ISOFIX child seat mounting points, anti-lock brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution and electronic stability control, immobiliser, six disc CD autochanger, electric front windows, trip computer, air conditioning, tinted glass, remote central locking - and that's about as complete a car as you can get for the money.
FAST FACTS
Skoda Octavia vRS 2.0 T FSI
Price: £17,525
Mechanical: 200 bhp, 1,984cc, 4cyl petrol engine driving front wheels via 6spd manual gearbox
Max speed: 149mph
0-62mph: 7.3 secs
Combined mpg: 35.8
Insurance group: 15E
CO2 emissions: 190g/km
BiK rating: 25%
Warranty: 3yrs/unlimited mileage, 3yrs paint, 10yrs anti-rust