We like
More powerful engine, slick transmission, choice of liftback or wagon, correct ride/handling balance, poised chassis, spacious interior, well-calibrated adaptive safety tech, real-world fuel economy, easy to live with

Room for improvement
Considerable road noise on coarse chip, average stereo quality, unavoidably over $60K, misses online connectivity features in Australia, axle tramp on launch, Europe’s AWD and PHEV versions not sold here

Overview

 

Škoda’s Australian rebuild is now underway, backed by a refreshed showroom line-up that majors in competent SUVs and electric powertrains—with hybrids soon to join the mix.

 

Unlike some marques that, in chasing pragmatic volume sellers, eventually abandon their enthusiast base, this Czech-based brand continues to look after its loyal fans — the ones who turned the Octavia RS sedan and wagon into a cult favourite. The mid-life upgrade to the fourth-generation model has now landed in Australia with a bursting specification sheet.

 

Continuing to import the Mladá Boleslav-built Octavia RS isn’t some crazy indulgence for Škoda. While not a crossover, this hot ‘Octy’ remains a practical alternative for Australians who run out of room in their Volkswagen Golf GTIs — the hot hatch that shares its powertrain, transmission and MQB platform with this 4.7-metre midsize liftback (badged sedan) and wagon.

 

Despite the demise of most other midsize cars, demand for the Octavia remains strong enough that Škoda continues to offer three variants. The tested RS sits clearly at the apex, above the more attainable Select and Sportline grades, both powered by a 110kW/250Nm 1.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine.

 

With no all-wheel-drive Octavia option offered locally, the RS continues Škoda’s hot front-driver tradition. This mid-life update brings the shift to the Generation 3B version of the Volkswagen Group’s tried-and-tested EA888 2.0-litre turbo four, now producing 195kW — up 15kW. Peak torque remains steady at 370Nm, now delivered across a band 200rpm wider than before.

 

Engine upgrades include new piston skirts, revised boost pressure and a redesigned crankshaft. A seven-speed wet-clutch dual-clutch automatic remains the sole transmission — the six-speed manual Octavia RS was dropped in 2018. A mechanically locking, electronically controlled front differential is standard.

 

Škoda-spotters will notice the svelte facelift of the cleanly penned Octavia Mk IV, though more casual observers may not — the changes are thankfully subtle and include updates to the Matrix LED headlight and LED tail-light graphics, minor tweaks to the grille and bumper detailing, and a new 19-inch ‘Elias’ alloy wheel design.

 

Structurally, the five-seat interior carries over largely unchanged, with a greater reliance on physical buttons than most of its Volkswagen Group cousins. The main update is a larger 13.0-inch central touchscreen running a new operating system—though it lacks the online connectivity features and smartphone app integration offered overseas.

 

Škoda Australia has now opted to fully equip the Octavia RS as standard, reflecting strong buyer uptake of the previous model’s $6600 Premium Pack. As a result, list prices rise by a justified $5900 to $58,490 for the sedan and $59,990 for the wagon, both before on-road costs. National drive-away pricing is set at $62,990 and $64,490 respectively.

 

Aside from the aforementioned online connectivity, nothing is left off the table from the global Octavia RS menu. Australian buyers get the lot: 15-stage adaptive dampers, Suedia and leatherette sports seats with 12-way power adjustment up front, heating for all outboard seats, the windscreen and the perforated sports steering wheel with paddle shifters.

 

Also included are a head-up display, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, satellite navigation, digital radio, tri-zone climate control, a 15-watt wireless charger, walk-up unlocking and walkaway locking, a 360-degree parking camera, and surprise-and-delight “Simply Clever” extras like an umbrella, ice scraper, clever cargo netting and acoustic front glass.

 

Metallic paint is included in the price — except for our tester’s Velvet Red premium finish, which attracts a $770 surcharge. Wagon buyers alone can also option a panoramic opening sunroof with sunshade for $1900. A seven year/105,000km service plan can be prepaid for $4200.

 

Despite an eight per cent rise in engine power, fuel economy remains unchanged from the pre-update Octavia RS — a claimed 7.0L/100km on the combined cycle for both sedan and wagon. The 50-litre fuel tank provides a theoretical range of 714km. CO₂ emissions are a claimed 160g/km. Warranty is seven years, with unlimited kilometres.

 

Driving impressions

 

Successive Škoda releases in recent years have suggested that this Eastern European brand—once a sharp-value foil to cousin Volkswagen—is moving upmarket, with interior materials in particular occasionally eclipsing what buyers might find in a reasonably equivalent VW model.

 

The Octavia, though, is an exception to Škoda’s mission creep. While it continues to endear itself with its Mk IV-era glow-up in dynamics and comfort, it has resisted the urge to chase luxury-car status—and remains at least $20,000 more affordable than premium midsizers such as the Audi A4 (from $79,990 + ORC) or BMW 3 Series (from $92,900 + ORC).

 

Despite evolutionary improvements to infotainment responsiveness, ride quality and semi-autonomous tech, the 2025 Octavia RS will feel familiar to anyone who has owned a hot Škoda before. Compared with a rapid Volkswagen, there remains a mild but discernible scrappiness to the Octavia’s dynamics.

 

This is partly due to Škoda’s dogged commitment to front-wheel drive for the Octavia RS, even as it has grown larger and more powerful over time. European buyers can opt for an RS wagon with Haldex all-wheel drive, but that variant has never been sold in Australia.

 

Our Octavia RS has simpler two-wheel drive, which remains fairly light — just 1580kg in wagon form — though a lurid tendency to axle tramp when accelerating from rest on damp tarmac remains an inherent vice. The Škoda needs careful taming to launch within its 6.4-second 0–100km/h claim (6.5 sec for the wagon — both down 0.2 sec for 2025).

 

Architecturally, the Octavia RS rides on the refined MQB Evo toolkit that underpinned the Mk IV’s 2020 launch. Evo brings added rigidity and the wiring required for advanced driver assistance systems and various hybrid powertrains—including the 150kg-heavier, 180kW Octavia RS plug-in hybrid offered in Europe.

 

The uprated Gen 3B version of the Octavia RS’s EA888 engine offers considerable flexibility. It can lope along languidly, relying on the seven-speed DSG’s taller gears to return excellent touring economy (sub-6.0L/100km!), yet the fast-reacting transmission can arouse revs rapidly—particularly in the convincing, retuned ‘S’ shifting mode.

 

Finnicky launches aside— a scenario where the forthcoming all-wheel-drive Cupra Leon ST would be quicker—the Octavia RS is, in the real world, a genuinely rapid family car with a beautifully flexible powertrain.

 

A sports exhaust is standard and is said to be louder now — particularly on Australian-delivered cars, which omit the petrol particulate filter — though we struggled to notice a major difference, aside from the welcome ability to disable the Škoda’s overdone artificial engine noise in the cabin.

 

Compared with lesser Octavia variants, the RS features a far more sophisticated suspension setup—a MacPherson strut front end with lower triangular wishbones, and a four-link independent rear. Select and Sportline grades make do with a cheaper and ultimately less capable torsion beam arrangement.

 

That’s before factoring in the RS’s superb, standard-fit 15-stage Dynamic Chassis Control Plus adaptive dampers, which provide a clearly perceptible range between notably soft settings and an overly firm extreme. The sweet spot remains somewhere in the middle, blending strong body control with acceptable bump absorption, including what the road throws up mid-corner.

 

Ride quality in the Octavia RS has improved markedly over time, with DCC Plus doing well to tame the effects of relatively low-profile 225/40 R19 tyres fitted all round, with examples fitted with either Goodyear Eagle F1 or Bridgestone Potenza S005 rubber. Tyre width is fairly narrow for a car of this size.

 

Front-end grip remains impressively tenacious despite the narrow rubber, but when unladen, the spacious rear of the Octavia RS can be coaxed into playful rotation off-throttle with ESC Sport engaged—particularly in wagon guise, which we still consider the sweet spot thanks to its 640-litre boot. The sedan’s liftback-style tailgate still reveals a useful 600 litres.

 

If the Škoda has an Achilles’ heel, it’s the oppressive level of road noise on coarse-chip surfaces—the common kind in regional Australia. Cabin noise is considerable, blunting the output of the otherwise capable Canton hi-fi. It feeds into the slightly scrappy dynamic vibe, though a back-to-back drive with the whisper-quiet electric Enyaq RS would be illuminating.

 

Aside from the road noise, there’s little to criticise about the Octavia’s interior. While not outright plush, it’s entirely functional and comfortable. The artificial suede and leatherette sports seats offer strong support and, notably, identical levels of adjustment and amenity for both front occupants—the driver is not favoured at the expense of the co-pilot.

 

That said, the all-black interior is likely to be warm in summer, and seat ventilation in addition to heating would be welcome. Aurally, the Canton stereo is a bit sharp and quality falls short of the (optional) Harman/Kardon system offered in the Volkswagen Golf—and we even wonder whether the regular Octavia’s unbranded stereo might be easier on the ears.

 

Cabin space and storage are generous. The rear bench is slightly narrow, but both wagon and sedan comfortably seat four adults with excellent headroom and legroom. Four USB-C outlets, dual-zone rear air vents and clever touches like rear phone holders help keep the whole family satisfied on a road trip.

 

The driver will also appreciate the Octavia’s well-calibrated adaptive safety systems. Volkswagen Group is quietly producing some of the best software in this space, with the helpful Travel Assist semi-autonomous cruise and lane centring noticeably reducing highway fatigue while the remainder of the systems don’t get in the way, day-to-day.

 

There’s no incessant speed warning chime, and lane-keeping can be deactivated with just two presses on the steering wheel—a user-friendly detail other manufacturers would do well to emulate.

 

Across our 400km test drive of the updated Octavia RS, we recorded an average fuel consumption of 7.5L/100km, equating to a real-world range of 666km. Consumption will rise in town and drop significantly on longer highway runs, where close to 1000km from a full tank is achievable.

 

All up, the mid-life update to the Octavia RS is a subtle one—reflecting the reality that there was little that truly needed fixing in this accomplished and sporty midsizer. The changes are mostly about packing in the features Australians want and polishing them to work exactly how drivers expect.

 

It is that level of polish that continues to allow Skoda (and its cousin brands) to stand out in a market increasingly punctuated by efforts that feel unfinished at best.