15/2/2019

The Skoda Octavia Wagon RS get a 180kW Tune

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It’s well known that the Aussie buying public doesn’t have a great deal of interest in manual transmission cars. Our roads are ill suited to manual gearing in some ways, and it should come as no surprise that Skoda is going to drop their 180 kW engine from the excellent RS 245 down to the lower specification Skoda Octavia wagon RS. Skoda is also dropping the manual gearbox in line with their parent company Volkswagen as changes are made for the way that emissions testing is carried out. Let’s take a closer look at what we’ve learned about these latest developments.

High Powered Turbocharging

Now, the higher powered turbo 4 will be paired with a limited slip differential that’s sourced from the RS245. This will mean that each new variant will be shared with the same drivetrain. The RS245 can now be easily distinguished from its stablemates by a string of features, such as keyless entry and start up, adaptive dampers and a number of convenience and comfort features.

Skoda Australia Director Michael Irmer stated that this “tendency to aim for the top of the range was also a component of the driving force behind the decision” he went on to say that "Skoda Octavia customers almost always express a preference for highly-optioned petrol engine cars" he went on to say "Since the availability (last year) of the RS245 with its enhanced drivetrain, Octavia RS buyers have now gravitated to this most potent variant to date.".

A different Skoda spokesperson also confirmed in an interview with industry insiders that the Skoda Octavia RS 245 wagon is now the most popular Octavia variant.

Formal Changes to Pricing

All these changes have brought about an inevitable pricing change here in Australia and elsewhere. However, this didn’t exactly play out as many car industry insiders thought it would. Instead of prices rising, they actually fell instead, and this is astonishing, to say the least. The pricing is down across the range slightly, and it will vary depending on the exact variant chosen. The optional extra packs are still available, but as far as we can tell the prices here have not and probably will not change. The best of the bunch in our opinion is the Luxury Pack, which adds leather and suede styled upholstery, extra driver assistance tools, and electrically operated heated heats.

In Conclusion

The Skoda Octavia wagon in any variant was already a great deal, to begin with. You got some interesting European styling and bags of equipment at a very affordable price. However, with the new changes, the pending release of the two new Rapid variants and the pricing changes it seems that Skoda is out to capture a lot of new business in 2019. If everything goes to plan Skoda will soon be very well established here, and Aussie car buyers look set to benefit from these developments.

If you're looking to buy a Skoda Octavia wagon 2018 model contact us at Skoda Perth and we can arrange a no obligation test drive for you.

Tags: cars / Automotive / skoda octavia wagon / Skoda Octavia Wagon Perth / Skoda Octavia Wagon 2018 / Test Drive Skoda Octavia Wagon / Perth City Skoda Octavia Wagon