One Last Hurrah For The Skoda Octavia RS245

Skoda will bring in the bonkers Octavia RS245 at the 2020 Auto Expo

• The Octavia RS245 will be brought to India in a limited capacity.

• Its 2.0-litre turbocharged engine makes 245PS and 370Nm.

• There is a 7-speed DSG and an electronic slip differential to channel power to the front wheels.

• Expect a plethora of vRS badges inside the cabin.

• The expected price of the RS245 is above Rs 25 lakh.

The RS is coming back to India! Yes, you read that correctly. The current-gen Skoda Octavia is on its last legs in India and the Czech carmaker plans to send it out with one last bang. And what better way to do that than bringing back the vRS badge in its most powerful avatar!

This particular bit of juicy news was shared by none other than Zac Hollis, Director of Skoda India. The company plans to introduce the Octavia RS245 at the 2020 Auto Expo. They have set aside 200 units for India, which will be the last of the current-gen Octavia that we’ll see here.

What makes the RS245 special is the 2.0-litre TSI engine underneath the bonnet, which churns out 245PS of max power and 370Nm of peak torque. This kind of performance is courtesy of a turbocharger. The transmission on offer is an automatic -- VW Group’s very own 7-speed DSG. There is also an electronic limited slip differential on the front axle, which makes sure that the tyre with the most grip gets the most amount of power.

All the mad power and electronic trickery means that the RS245 can go from 0-100kmph in just 6.6 seconds, before going on to hit a top speed of 250kmph.

If looks appeal more to you than power, the Octavia RS245 doesn’t disappoint. The international-spec RS245 comes with 19-inch wheels but it would be a stretch to say that the Indian-spec car will get the same. There is a glimmer of hope though because Zac Hollis, in his chat, said that they will bring the Euro-spec car to India. Whether he meant just the powertrain or the full car, we will have to wait till the 2020 Auto Expo to find out.

On the inside, the RS245 will get sport seats and a flat-bottom steering wheel that will be covered in Alcantara and perforated leather, respectively. We expect Skoda to be generous with vRS badges inside the cabin. The Euro-spec car gets VW’s Virtual Cockpit System, which is essentially a fully customisable digital instrument cluster and Skoda should offer that in India too, as other VW Group cars sold in India get it.

Now, addressing the elephant in the room, we expect Skoda India to price the Octavia RS245 well above the Rs 25 lakh mark. We say that because when we got the Octavia RS230 back in 2017, Skoda had priced it at Rs 25.12 lakh (ex-showroom New Delhi). Unfortunately, we will have to wait till the 2020 Auto Expo to find out more.

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