Facelift brings excitement to Škoda's model mix

Škoda is a big seller in Europe but here it remains a niche player - still a littleknown brand with unknown models. But Škoda has the firepower to impress. By Keith Didham

As any first-year marketing student will tell you, a new product must have a USP if it's going to succeed. Fustratingly for some brands it can take time for its "unique selling points" to be truly appreciated by the market.

Škoda is a good case in point. The Czech brand's key selling points are solid engineering, borrowing heavily on its VW links, quality and delivering big on value for money.

Its RS, the sports version of its volume seller Octavia, has the merit to be a sales hit. but it remains a sleeper in the market, accounting for less than 20 per cent of Octavia's modest volume.

But Škoda's battle to build excitement in its model mix took a giant step forward this week with the launch of the facelifted RS.

The RS range has been diversified, offering buyers a wider choice of petrol or diesel engines and manual and manu-matic DSG transmissions.

The latest RS neatly ticks two of the important marketing boxes: it packs performance without sacrificing fuel efficiency and it conies with a comprehensive list of standard equipment at a price which doesn't break the bank.

Škoda Australia boss Matthew Wiesner says he finally has a range of RS models to win incremental sales: "We were handicapped by the previous RS in that we could only offer a manual petrol version. Now we have petrol and diesel, manual and the DSG and in liftback or wagon. It will probably still only account for 20 per cent of Octavia sales but that model is showing healthy growth, so it's all incremental.

"What the RS does is add another layer to our model mix. It will attract younger buyers and even female buyers which is what we need to expand."

On the road

The new RS's styling belies its potency. Here's a versatile liftback or wagon which successfully does double duty as a performance car and family bus. A wolf in sheep's clothing? Not quite, because the clothing gives a hint there's something here with more than average driveability.

The RS comes to the party with lowered and stiffer suspension, new front and rear lamps, including for the first time, daytime LED running lights. 18-inch alloys, sports seats, alloy pedals, obligatory rear wing, chromed twin exhaust pipes and redpainted brake calipers. They all neatly lift the otherwise homely appearance of the Octavia.

But if you are looking for the petrol or diesel badges to tell the RS twins apart you won't find them.

Škoda has delivered two models which between them have an impressive set of numbers - starting with the price from $37,990, up just $300 on the previous version.

That gets you into a Euro import with plenty of solid German engineering and better than expected Czech-built quality.

There's a generous level of standard bling for the money including dual zone air conditioning with air quality sensing, remote central locking, six-stack MP3 audio system, heated front seats, rain sensing wipers, rear park sensors and multifunction trip computer.

On the safety list you can tick the boxes for six airbags, advanced antilock brake system, traction and stability control and onboard tyre pressure monitoring. Luggage space in both the liftback at 560 litres and wagon 580 litres with rear seats up.

Options include sunroof, front park sensors, satellite navigation with 30GB hard drive which replaces the CD stacker, Xenon headlamps and leather upholstery.

The hardest choice for buyers is picking the petrol or diesel. There's a balancing act here: the gap between traditionally slower but more frugal diesels and quicker but thirsty petrols has narrowed.

Škoda says the turbo-packing direct injection petrol version can hit 100km/h in a claimed 7.3 seconds which is 1.1 seconds quicker than the diesel but, for a diesel, a sprint time of 8.4 seconds for a vehicle which tips the scale just under 1.5 tonnes and is 35kg heavier than the petrol version is no embarrassment.

The petrol version delivers peak power of 147kW over a 900rpm band, with maximum torque of 280Nm available from 1800 to 5000 revs, that's a huge broad band, giving the RS strong and long legs.

The petrol version delivers where it counts. For a performance car the RS shows few vices: it feels well balanced, there's a degree of expected understeer which gets more aggressive as speed rises: only the brakes could benefit from more stopping power.

But I just love the diesel alternative as well. It has a different driving dynamic but it probably is the better car to live with, especially if you do a lot of country running, thanks to its massive low- to mid-range torque and good fuel economy. The secret is to keep the revs up.

My pick?

The diesel is impressive but my choice is the petrol wagon. It offers the best of both worlds - a family-sized and versatile load carrier with potent performance.

That's hard to ignore.

Small Torque

Provisional Škoda Octavia RS

How Much: From $37,990 (liftback) and $39,990 (wagon) plus on-road costs. Optional DSG transmission adds $2300.
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol or 2.0-litre turbocharged common rail diesel.
Power: 147kW between 5100 and 6000rpm (petrol), 125kW at 4200rpm (diesel).
Torque: 280Nm between 1800 and 5000rpm (petrol), 350Nm between 1750 and 2500rpm (diesel).
Transmission: Six-speed manual or optional DSG manu-matic sequential auto, front-wheel drive.
How quick: 0-100km/h 7.3 seconds (petrol liftback), 8.4s (diesel liftback) 7.5s (petrol wagon) 8.5s (diesel wagon)
How thirsty: 7.71/100km combined city/highway (petrol), 5.91/100km (diesel); 179g/km C0₂ (petrol) 155g/km (diesel)
Suspension: MacPherson front, multi-link axle with torsion beam rear.
Brakes: Four-wheel disc.
Body: Liftback or wagon.
Seats: Five.
Towing: 650kg unbraked; 1300kg braked trailer; down ball weight 75kg.