[Joxster]

It was an excruciating 2 month wait to get my hands on it, but it was so worth it! I proudly present my Škoda Octavia RS 245.

What I like:

• POWERRRRR!!! The fiery 2-liter turbo petrol engine which makes 245 HP and 370 NM of torque. Just push the accelerator pedal in at any gear, and watch everything get smaller in your rear-view mirrors.
• The smooth and very fast DSG 7-speed transmission with the paddle shifters. It’s like having your cake, and eating it too!
• Predictable, sharp and stable handling. The VAQ limited-slip differential works well around fast corners, and the steering weighs up very well at higher speeds too.
• Top notch safety equipment and features, with a 5-star Euro NCAP rating.
• Very sturdy build quality. Pretty much everything in and on the car feels built to last.
• Extremely spacious on the inside, with a gigantic boot! A very sporty, yet practical car.
• Loaded with a lot of technology and electronic gizmos. Feels quite future proof.
• Sports seats are very comfortable, and really help to keep your body within the confines of the seat when cornering at higher speeds.

What I dislike:

• Front wheel driven. Gives the feeling of being pulled forward vs. the feeling of being pushed forward like in a rear wheel drive car. It also results in less traction when launching the car at full throttle as well.
• The exhaust doesn’t really make a sporty sound. While I understand this is also a family-oriented car, Skoda could have at least made it sound better.
• DSG delay in upshifting from Gear 1>2 when launching the car from a standstill at full throttle. This is definitely a major factor in the cars’ 0-100 kmph timing.
• Many features are expensive options. More things should have definitely come as standard at this price point.
• The suspension can feel quite stiff sometimes. Comfort mode helps a lot, along with the DCC.
• The automatic start-stop system can be a bit annoying with the way it functions at times.
• Unsurety about the life and long-term reliability of the DSG transmission.

[Joxster]

Index

I will be splitting this review into various sections, so if you want to skip directly to a section of the review that interests you, please feel free to use the links in the index below.

• Car Selection
• Booking & Delivery Experience
• Options Selected
• Exteriors
• Interiors
• Functional Controls
• In Car Entertainment & Virtual Cockpit
• Engine, Transmission, NVH, Ride & Handling
• The Smaller Yet Significant Things

[Joxster]

Car Selection

My search for a car actually started with looking at used car options, but once we realized how much the yearly insurance for the car would cost due to my Belgian license being brand new, the idea was quickly scrapped.
I am an independent consultant in Belgium, hence am allowed to professionally lease a car, and claim a part of the costs as my professional expenses. Since all the costs of the car would be covered by the lease company, this option would work out cheaper than buying the car outright, and became our choice. Interesting fact – in Belgium, depending on the CO2 emission level of your car, the income tax deductibility is higher – the more efficient your car is, the less income tax you pay.
So, why did I choose the Škoda Octavia RS 245? Simple. It met most, if not all of my expectations, and even exceeded some of them. I wanted a fast, but practical car, and this one just fit the bill like no other! The car really sold itself during my test drive. During the test drive, I had the sales executive sitting in the passenger’s seat, and my wife sitting in the rear seat. A short 10-15 minute drive on normal roads, and a little bit of the highway, was enough to convince me that I could be very happy with this car. When we got back to the showroom, my better half surprised me by telling me that she liked the car, and that I should seriously consider this one. After going over all the options mentioned below, it didn’t take me long to go ahead with the booking, which happened on the same day as the test drive. Even though I had the choice of taking a manual transmission, I ended up actually picking the 7-speed DSG for a couple of reasons, and decided that I wanted the car in the Magic Black color.

Alternatives Considered:

1. Golf GTI Performance: This was my absolute first choice, as I have loved the Golf GTI since I was a young teenager! After watching Jeremy Clarkson throwing it around the track on Top Gear, I was convinced that if I ever got the chance to own this car, I most definitely would. However, my better half threw a spanner in the works, by telling me that the car that I selected needed to have enough space for children and all the things you need to carry for them, along with our holiday luggage. So, as much as my heart yearned for this car, I realized that it was not going to happen. I didn’t even test drive the car, because the Volkswagen showroom in the city where I reside didn’t have a Golf GTI test drive or display car available, and they wanted me to go to a showroom in Brussels for the test drive, which I was not willing to do. Reason – we went to the Volkswagen showroom right after the test drive of the Octavia RS 245, and while my better half had seemingly already decided that the Octavia RS 245 was the better option, I was still very interested in the Golf GTI Performance. But, after finding out that the GTI would cost 6000 Euros more than the RS, for essentially the same car, with less space, I also decided that going for the GTI was not an intelligent decision, and the car was ruled out.
2. Mini Cooper S JCW: A real go-kart for the road! I nearly picked up one of these second-hand, but once it was determined that a used car wasn’t an option anymore, coupled with the higher maintenance costs, and issues with the pre-LCI model, this car was struck off the list.
3. Ford Fiesta ST: I never got to pursue this option, because the car was even smaller than the VW Golf GTI, and once my better half sat in the Octavia RS 245, there was no looking back at a smaller car.
4. Suzuki Swift Sport: Same as the Fiesta ST. Although I was very interested in a used Suzuki Swift Sport (1.6 NA) that I had seen, I had to rule it out due to the yearly costs being high, because of my Belgian driving license being new.
5. Hyundai Kona EV Sky: This car didn’t excite me at all, but it made tremendous sense from a tax standpoint. The tax deductibility for this car would still be very high post the year 2020, when the income tax policies on company/professionally owned vehicles in Belgium would change. Adding to my confusion, the top variant with a range of around 415 kilometers (as per EPA), would cost me almost as much as an Octavia RS 245. This was a serious option to consider. However, this car ruled itself out due to the lack availability. I absolutely needed to have a car by the end of January 2019, and was shopping for my car in October 2018. During this time, the Hyundai dealers didn’t have any test drive Hyundai Kona EV cars, and the display/test drive cars were only scheduled to arrive at dealerships by the beginning of 2019, with actual deliveries being only 6-12 months later. While the lack of availability had sealed its fate, I also wanted to own a fast car with a decent sized internal combustion engine, before they go completely extinct.
   Appreciation for the Hyundai dealer here – they followed up with me to schedule a test drive as soon as they got the car, which was exactly a week before I would be taking delivery of my Octavia RS 245, but I was extremely busy, so turned them down.
6. Jeep Compass 1.4 4x2 Limited: Let me start by saying that I really, really like the Jeep Compass, and I am not alone! My better half is completely in love with the car. Personally, I think that it’s a very handsome car, and just has a certain appeal to it. However, I didn’t want to drive an SUV as my daily car, as I am a bigger fan of sedans and hatchbacks, and love the feeling of sitting in a low-slung vehicle, with a lower center of gravity. This feeling was cemented by how I felt while driving my wife’s company-provided F30 BMW 318d, and while I feel like the seating position of the Octavia RS 245 is not as low as in a BMW, it is certainly no Crossover or SUV.
   The roads here don’t really require you to have high ground clearance either. Thus, the Compass while desirable as a second car in my garage, was struck off of the list for the above-mentioned reasons.
7. Nissan X-TRAIL TEKNA DIG-T 163: This car was in the list not because I found it desirable, but because in its category, it was quite cheap to lease, with almost everything coming as standard on the car. The fact that it was big and spacious helped its cause, but I was never too serious about this car, and due to the same reasons that the Jeep Compass was struck off the list, off went the Nissan X-TRAIL as well.

[Joxster]

Booking & Delivery Experience

Let me start out by saying that I had never taken delivery of a new car before, so I was unsure of what to expect. I had owned a Fiat Grande Punto 1.3 Emotion in India, but I had bought that car second-hand.
All my dealings for the Octavia RS 245, were through the ACM2 Skoda showroom in Mechelen. While my experience with them while doing the actual booking of the car was good, it deteriorated after the booking was completed.

26th October 2018: After finalizing on the configuration of the car, along with the options selected, the booking was made. It took a couple of days to get all the documents required signed and sent to the lease company. We also needed to pay approximately 8 months’ worth of the lease in advance, due to my Belgian driving license being new, but that would be reduced from my monthly lease payments. I was initially told by the sales executive that it shouldn’t take the factory more than 2 months to build the car, and that he should have a delivery date to share in about 30 days’ time. I was happy to hear this, because we were travelling to India to spend Christmas with my family, and based on the timelines he indicated, it seemed like I would be able to take delivery of the car at the beginning of January 2019, after we returned from our vacation, but this was not meant to be. I had just trusted in the system so far, and believed that nothing would go wrong with my order, because I thought that the sales executive would contact me if something was wrong.

14th December 2018: I had not heard anything from the sales executive, so I called him to find out when I would be able to take delivery of the car. After checking in the system, he informs me that there is a problem, and that the factory is not building my car yet, and I was like . He tells me that he needs to contact the factory to find out what the issue is, and call me back, to which I agree. After some very anxious and stressful minutes, he calls me back to tell me that the problem is the wheels selected. We had selected the 19-Inch XTREME Alloy Wheels in Black Polished finish, but Skoda had made a change to include the Black Polished finished wheels only as part of a certain pack, which obviously made them more expensive. This change had not reflected in the system at the time when I booked, so the booking had gone through, but the factory was unable to build the car in that configuration. The sales executive then explained that my options were to either take the same 19-Inch XTREME Alloy Wheels in Anthracite finish, or downgrade my choice of wheels, and alter the booking and lease contract. This choice put me in panic mode, because I did not want to delay the delivery of my car any further by fighting for the wheels in the finish that I had originally chosen, and at the same time, I was completely unsure of the how the car would look with what he was suggesting. In my panic, I told him to go ahead with the 19-Inch XTREME Alloy Wheels in Anthracite finish, as I did not want to alter my booking or lease contract. However, I had bitterly complained about this to my better half, some friends & colleagues, and they all told me the same thing – “If I were you, I would have fought to get the wheels in the same finish that I paid for and have in my contract”. This lit the spark in me to fight for what I had originally configured.

17th December 2018: I tried reaching the sales executive, but he was not available, so I spoke to his manager instead, and told him that since I had booked the car in this configuration, I expected Skoda to go out of their way to ensure that the car was built in the same spec, and also delivered to me before the end of January. He made no promises, but told me that they would try their best.

18th December 2018: This was the day before I was flying out to India. I called the showroom, and the sales executive told me that they had managed to work out getting me the 19-Inch XTREME Alloy Wheels in Black Polished finish like I had ordered, and that they would do their best to expedite the delivery of the car as well, and then tried to solicit an appreciation from me, which I simply ignored.

14th January 2019: We came back from our vacation on the 10th Jan, and I don’t remember if I followed up with the showroom on the same day or not, but I remember having a conversation with the sales executive about the delivery of my car on the 14th Jan. He told me that the car should be with them by the 22nd January 2019, and since the lease is through Volkswagen finance, it shouldn’t take them long to complete all formalities, so I can possibly expect the car to be delivered by the 24th or 25th January 2019. I was a bit relieved to hear this, but with my trust in the system shaken, I didn’t take it as gospel truth. Later the same day, I realized that I wasn’t sure of which DSG transmission was in the Octavia RS 245, and also wanted to know when the payments for the lease of the car would start, so I sent him an email about this.

18th January 2019: I didn’t receive any reply from the sales executive, so I send him a follow-up email on top of the last one, also asking if the car arrived in the stockyard. He replied later that day, saying the car has the DQ200 DSG transmission, and that my car should arrive by the 28th January, but they are trying to expedite it. Unbeknownst to him, I had already posted the question about the DSG transmission on the TBHP forum, and also gotten a reply from fellow members. I also knew that the car just could not possibly be running the DQ200 DSG transmission, as the torque cap is 250 NM for that transmission box, and the stock Octavia RS 245 puts out 370 NM of torque. I was shocked that he misinformed me about this, but politely replied to his email, thanking him for his response, asking him to put in his best efforts to expedite the delivery, and also informing him about my discovery about the DSG transmission.

22nd January 2019: I received an email from the lease company with a document, and I called the showroom to check about it. The sales executive asked me to forward the document on to him, so I did, but also asked in my email for the VIN number of my car. He replied to my email later in the day, explaining what the document was, but ignored my question about the VIN, and I was a bit tired of chasing down my questions at this point, so I let it go….for the moment. I was already planning to escalate this experience, but didn’t want to delay the delivery of my car, so held back.

28th January 2019: I called the showroom to find out when I can take delivery of the car. They confirm that it’s possible to take delivery the next day, and I fixed an appointment at 11 AM the next day.

29th January 2019: D-Day! I arrived at the showroom 5 minutes ahead of schedule, and sat down right away with the sales executive and his manager to go over the documents for the car. I was overwhelmed with excitement, and literally shaking at the thought of driving this car. Finally, the moment to go and see it arrived, and the sales executive took me to the garage, where behind one of the shutters stood my Octavia RS 245. He tried to joke with me about the car being the wrong color, by saying “here is your Yellow Octavia RS 245”, but I knew that he was just trying to pull my leg, and actually found the joke to be in poor taste. The moment that shutter went up though, I couldn’t care less about his lousy sense of humor anymore, because there she stood. This was my first glimpse at her:

A mean-looking, purposeful car, and it was mine! The sales executive walked me through a couple of basic things about the car, then asked me if I had any questions. My mind was blank, and I was still shaking with excitement, so I told him that I didn’t have any questions. He then asked me to wait in front of the showroom, while he drove the car out of the garage. Once the car was parked in front of the showroom, he told me that the car only had 3 liters of petrol due to transportation restrictions, then handed over the spare keys, and asked if he could take a picture of my car, to which I said yes. I was anyway already taking some pictures myself.

After taking my pictures, I drove away from the showroom, and barely 500 meters down the road, I got a notification about the air-pressure in the tires. I tried calling the sales executive immediately, but he didn’t answer my call. I then drove to the nearest petrol bunk, and filled the tank full, and also checked the tires visually. Since they all looked fine, I dismissed the warning from the MID, and drove home.
I never thought that I would get such poor service in a developed country, but it just goes to show that you can be unpleasantly surprised anywhere around the world, and bad experiences are not limited to developing countries. I did escalate this whole experience with the CEO of the showroom chain, and he had a meeting with the showroom staff, and promised me better service going forward.

Also, in the interest of being fair, I should mention that since I took delivery of the car, I have had to deal with the same garage twice for repairs, and both experiences were satisfactory. They were a helpful team on both occasions.

P.S: I never ended up getting the wheels I originally ordered, because I unfortunately managed to damage one of the rims that the car was delivered with, and I would then have to pay for it, so I opted to keep the ones that the car came with.

I have left the whole booking and delivery experience behind me, and am just enjoying the car to the fullest extent now!

[Joxster]

Options Selected

I selected most of the options available, but still ended up skipping on a few. Sorry if some of them have grammatical errors, or seem poorly typed, but that is a copy-paste from my car configuration document while translating from Dutch to English

Pack RS GPS which contained the below mentioned options:
- SMART LINK +
- SD Card (Europe)
- Automatically dimming interior mirror
- Multifunction sensor for the control of security systems
- AUTOLIGHT ASSIST - dynamic beam assistant
- Center console with lockable storage compartment and Media Holder
- DRIVER ALERT - fatigue recognition
- Infotainment navigation system AMUNDSEN
- Infotainment online
- Radio standard (Gen2)
- Voice command
- LANE ASSIST (lane assistance)
- Comfort telephony (Bluetooth) and WLAN (Wi-Fi)
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Pack RS Comfort which contained the below mentioned options:
- FRONT ASSIST incl. City-ANB ACC low
- Tools and car jack
- 230 V socket
- Heated front windscreen
- Parking distance control - front and rear
- Pedestrian protective comprehensive and anticipatory
- ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) for DSG auto. gearbox - without Speed Limiter
- JUMBO BOX central armrest with two USB ports at the back
- Fog lights (integrated)
- Radial space-saving spare wheel (5-hole)
- Heated front seats, individually adjustable
- KESSY: central locking with remote keyless entry and Keyless Go
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC) in Performance Mode Select:
- DCC - Dynamic Chassis Control with DRIVING MODE SELECT
- Damping back
- Damping Front - DCC RS
- ECO function for driving profile
- Keys for central locking - 3 folding key with remote
- Performance Sound Generator
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Alloy wheels 7,5J x 19 "XTREME - Black Polished:
- Category 4
- Hubcaps for alloy wheels - standard SKODA logo
- Alloy wheels 7,5J x 19 "XTREME - Black
- Tires 225/35 R19 88Y
- Tire supplier for EU countries
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Virtual Cockpit - Digital Instrument Panel
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CANTON Sound System with 10 speakers, digital equalizer, subwoofer:
- Storage compartments in luggage
- Sound System CANTON - 10 loudspeakers, digital equalizer, subwoofer
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- Alcantara & Leather seats: Satin Black - Red Stitching
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Three-spoke multifunction leather heated steering wheel and DSG paddles
(radio and telephone):
- Three-spoke multifunction leather heated steering wheel with DSG paddles
- Control Number factory
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Electric sunroof:
- Without glasses holder
- Electric open glass roof PAD
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- Heated rear seats, individually controllable
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- Rear view camera
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BLIND SPOT DETECT:
- Multifunction sensor for the control of security systems
- BLIND SPOT DETECT (blind spot-assistant) for TRAVEL ASSIST
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Curtain airbags and side airbags front and rear:
- Side airbags front and rear, with head airbag
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Adaptive Cruise Control - up to 160 km / h Speed Limiter and pedestrian protection:
- FRONT ASSIST incl. City-ANB ACC low
- Pedestrian Protective comprehensive and anticipatory
- Automatic distance control (with follow to stop) and speed limiter

[Joxster]

Exteriors

The front of the facelifted Škoda Octavia drew polarized opinions, and I was on the side of the people that preferred the pre-facelifted design. The RS has managed to change my view however, and the looks have really grown on me. While I honestly can’t say that I find it beautiful, I think that the design suits the car. It looks quite sculpted, and it definitely looks mean!
I just love the black and red theme of this car! I feel like it makes the car look and feel sportier and performance oriented. The lines on the car are purposeful, and really add character and a bit of muscle to the car.



That mean looking face up close and personal. Love the blacked out grill!



The 19-inch XTREME rims shod in Pirelli P-Zero 225/35 tires that I chose for my car play a huge role in making it look really hot! It’s a different matter that I need to pay extra attention when driving close to the edge of the road or parking, but that’s a compromise that I am fine with.



The front three quarter views.





The side profile. Just look at how much the wheel-rim combo accentuates the look of the car! Also, don't miss the shoulder line of the car which adds to its character.





The rear three quarter views.





The sculpted rear end. I love that booty!



Slight under-body shot of the rear end, with the exhausts visible.



A close up of the exhaust tip. Those weld spots are really ugly! Couldn't Škoda give it a proper finish?



A view of the rear from the top.



There's that mean face again! You can see the intercooler more clearly in this photo.



The badge that tells you that this car means business!



A close-up of the full LED headlights.



The sculpted and rather muscular bonnet. I really like the way it looks!



The VIN number easily visible through the right corner of the windscreen.



A close-up of the full LED taillights.



A close-up view of the sensors in the front windscreen, which I believe are for the ACC, AEB and LIGHT ASSIST. If you look closely, you can also see the heating lines which work like magic when you have a layer of ice or snow on the windscreen.



RS badged scuff plates only in the front.



A closer look at the front left & right of the car. You can see the front parking sensors, front tow point & headlight washer.





A closer look at the rear left & right of the car. You can see the rear parking sensors, rear tow point & rear-view camera.





Anybody who recognizes this badge, knows that this is a seriously quick Škoda.



A close-up shot of the rear-view camera neatly tucked away under the Škoda badge in the rear.



The puddle lamps in action at night. You can also see the ambient lighting in action in this picture.

[Joxster]

Interiors

The designers did an excellent job with the interior of the car. It is a very practical, well designed, and likeable interior. Nothing over the top, but no unpleasant surprises either. The quality of materials used is good throughout most of the cabin.
I love the continued black and red theme inside the car as well, with a special mention to those black interiors!



These Alcantara and Leather sport seats offer excellent support while cornering, and really help to keep you in place. Besides looking fantastic, they are also very comfortable on longer drives. And yes, I did not select the electric seats, because they were an expensive option.



The back seat is also in the same Alcantara and Leather finish. From my limited experience in the backseat of my car, the seats are also very comfortable. They split 60:40.



The sexy flat-bottomed steering wheel! It's perfectly sized, and a pleasure to use.



The badge on the steering wheel always reminding you that you are driving a special car!



The driver's foot-well has plenty of space, and I love the aluminium covered pedals! Since this is an automatic, I pretty much use the dead pedal all the time, and it is big enough, and comfortable to rest your foot on for long drives.



The waterfall like center console has a very neat and logical layout, and nothing feels out of place. The areas around the gear lever are finished with a cube pattern material, which looks quite good.



The DSG gear lever is finished very well, and is comfortable to use. I like the fact that they continued the leather with red stitching here as well.



Here is a close-up of the cube pattern material which is covering a small storage spot. This material feels like the cheapest thing in this otherwise good quality cabin, but I am not complaining.
You can also see the main USB port in the car, and the only one which supports Apple CarPlay.



In my car, this storage space doubles up as a wireless charging pad for your phone.



The glove-box is decently sized, and has cooling which can also be adjusted using the knob on the upper left corner. It also houses the SD card slots for the ICE.



The door layout is sporty, and also has the cube pattern material at the top, which houses the ambient lighting, and door opening latch. The side mirror adjustment and heating knob, along with the power window controls are below this on the inner door handle. You can also see warning red light when the door is opened, the Canton tweeter at the top, and speaker at the bottom.



The side mirrors are perfectly sized, and don't create any blind spots. In my car, they also have the blind spot monitoring function, which works really well, and is very handy to have.



Visibility through the rear-view mirror is fine. It has the auto-dimming function. And like the TBHP reviewers, I also LOVE the fact that you can see the spoiler through it all the time!
I wish that Škoda had put a frame-less RVM in this car though.



Both of the sun visors house vanity mirrors, but Škoda decided to cut some costs and not put lights there, which I think is quite silly.
Don't miss the airbag warning for child seats on the passenger side sun visor.





The center area between the driver and front passenger's seats has an adjustable armrest, which I use all the time, and find comfortable to use. Usage of the handbrake is not obstructed even with the armrest pulled all the way forward. There is a 12V socket above the cupholders.
The first cupholder has those little buttons at the bottom to hold a bottle in place, so that you can open the cap with one hand, which is very intelligent!



This is the storage area under the armrest, which has soft materials at the bottom. Handy for keeping phones, sunglasses etc.



My better half wanted the sunroof, so I just couldn't say no, haha. It was well worth the money though!
Here is the sunroof with the sun protection screen closed, and then with it open.





Everybody already knows that the backseats have plenty of legroom. But, here it is demonstrated by me sitting behind my own driving position. I am 5'10 for reference.



The sports seats while great for the people sitting in front, are a bit visually obstructive for the people sitting in the backseat.



Here is how the front of the cabin looks from the middle of the backseat.



And the view out of the rear from the same place. You see how the parcel tray is split in two, and also get a lovely view of the spoiler.



The famous gargantuan boot! I have already put it to good use while moving houses, shopping at IKEA etc.



The left side houses the sub-woofer for the Canton system, along with a 12V socket, the lever to lower the left side of the back seat, and some hooks for tying stuff and hanging shopping.



The right side houses some storage space, with two small drawers below it, the lever to lower the right side of the back seat, and some hooks for tying stuff and hanging shopping.



I opted for the spare space-saver tire, so that is neatly stored under the boot floor, along with the tools for the car.



This is how the front of the cabin looks in the night from the middle of the back seat.



And this is how the driver's space looks at night. Didn't realize that the interior light was still on when taking this photo, sorry!

[Joxster]

Functional Controls

There were just too many things to be covered under the Interiors section, so I decided to separate the functional controls of the car into its own section

The glove-box also houses the switch to turn the passenger airbag off.



The sunroof controls, front cabin lights, and cabin light settings can be found at the top front of the cabin. It also houses two speakers from the Canton sound system.



Here's a closer look at the controls.



Blank buttons at this price-point is just not done! The buttons that are marked in front of the gear lever in L-R and top-bottom: Central Locking, Auto Start-Stop System, Traction Control, Driving Mode Selector aka Witchcraft button and Parking Assist (Sensors & Rear-view Camera).



Here is the knob for the side mirrors. Top left is to fold or open them, and top right is to heat them, which is very useful in Belgian weather.



The power window controls, which are well placed and easy to use.



The buttons on the left side of the steering wheel from L-R: Voice Commands, +/- Volume, and next/previous song. You can also see the downshift gear paddle in the background.



The buttons on the right side of the steering wheel from L-R: Safety Assist Systems (Top), Virtual Cockpit View (Bottom), Option Scroll Button & Answer/End Call, and MID change button. You can also see the upshift gear paddle in the background.



The engine start/stop button is on the right side of the steering column.



The stalk on the right side of the steering wheel is the windshield washers and wipers & the headlight washers as well.



The upper stalk on the left side is the high beam, flasher & indicators.



The lower stalk on the left side is the cruise control. The Adaptive Cruise Control really works like a charm for the most part, but it's a bit annoying that you cannot adjust the speed in single digits.
You can also see the adjustment lever for the steering below this stalk. I have honestly not used it yet.



The knob to control the lights of the car. I just keep it in Auto all the time.



Here are the controls for the AC, front seat heating & steering wheel heating. The last one being my wife's favorite option in my car.



These are the AC controls for the back seats, which also house two USB ports, rear seat heating controls, and a 230V charging plug-point.



Here is a closer look at the 230V charging plug-point.

[Joxster]

In Car Entertainment & Virtual Cockpit

In Car Entertainment

I am so glad that I opted for the Canton sound system! I am a music freak, so the quality of the sound makes a world of difference for me. I listen to a rather wide variety of music, and so far, everything sounds pretty damn good. Whether you want to have mini-Tomorrowland or mini-Graspop in the car, it’s a blast! Pun intended
If there was one minor complaint I have, it is that the sub-woofer cannot handle low bass frequencies at higher volumes without a little bit of distortion, but I am nitpicking here, and it is certainly not a deal breaker for me.
The Amundsen head-unit that I selected for the car is simple to use, and seems to be good for the most part, but sometimes I face issues with it while using Apple CarPlay – My phone just gets disconnected. I am using an iPhone 6S with the latest iOS installed, and have the Lightning cable provided by Škoda. My first suspicion was with the cable, so I tried it with an original Apple cable, but the same thing happened. After some research online, I read somewhere that it can happen if your phone is not rebooted too regularly, so I started rebooting my phone more often, and sure enough, the problem reduced a lot, but never entirely went away. Since this could possibly be an issue with the phone, and not with the head-unit, I am giving it some benefit of the doubt.

Since it would take too many pictures and posts to go through every single option on the head-unit, I will just focus on the main ones.

Here is the first screen of the main list of options on the head-unit.



And this is the second screen of the main list of options on the head-unit.



After opening the Vehicle menu, you are greeted by this screen. It's a pity that Škoda couldn't match the actual color & configuration of the car, because that would have been really cool.



This is not a full-blown TPMS. It only gives you an alert when one of the tires is losing/has lost air, but doesn't give you any information about the pressures, which I was a bit disappointed with.



You can change the Virtual Cockpit display here. For your easy reference, these are what the options look like: Classic, View 1, View 2 & View 3.



This is an overview of the stats of the drive since the car was started, but you can also get this on the Virtual Cockpit display, so I have never used this.



These are the media options available to play from.



These are the apps available in the Škoda Connect App. I have never used any of them.



The apps available in the Škoda Connect App continued.



The first screen of my Apple CarPlay. This is a feature I love, and would find it very difficult to live without now!



The second screen of my Apple CarPlay.



The Balance-Fader options in the main sound settings.



These are the on-screen AC controls. Once again, never used, because the buttons are so much easier.

Virtual Cockpit

This is a really cool option to have, because it has a lot of different possible views, and gives you tons of information, as you’ll see in the pictures below.

The temperature of the engine is on the complete left side, and the fuel level is on the complete right side. Both of these remain in the same place, regardless of the view you choose.

The following pictures are the corresponding views when you change the Virtual Cockpit view options on the head-unit in the same order: Classic, View 1, View 2 & View 3
It's a real pity that the navigation doesn't show if using any other app like Google Maps or Waze while using View 3!









These are the different layout view options of the Virtual Cockpit, which can be changed by pressing the View button.











These are the safety assist options, which can be turned on or off in this menu, which you can reach by pressing the Car Safety Systems button, which is the one at the top left corner.





Using the scroll button on the right of the steering wheel, you can change the information shown in the middle of the screen.

Range:



Overview: This can be toggled to Long-term, Since Refueling & Since Start by pressing in the scroll button on the right side of the steering wheel. This is also the option I use all the time now, but keep it on Since Start.



Fuel Consumption:



Trip:



This is the warning you get if any of the car doors are open, and it shows you which door of the car is open. It also has an alert for the boot being left open as well, which I have found handy.



Every time you turn off the ignition, it will show you a summary of your drive, along with any door that is open, which is really nice.
Once again though, it is a pity that Škoda couldn't match the actual color & configuration of the car, because that would have been really cool.

[Joxster]

Engine, Transmission, NVH, Ride & Handling

Engine

The engine of this car is an absolute gem! It’s like holding the trigger of a gun with the safety off – just point and shoot! Being at the front at a traffic light is an absolute riot, and I get so much pleasure out of giving it the beans till the legal speed limit cuts me off, haha. Taking the car out for a spin in sports mode is one of my biggest guilty pleasures, and that is mostly down to the nature of the engine.
I also thoroughly enjoy the engine note when the throttle is floored. It’s a rather eargasmic sound!
The engine feels quite refined, and even under wide-open throttle, there are no rough spots throughout the rev range. It reaches the rev limit of 6700 rpm violently fast, but in a refined manner.
Driving in the city is no issue at all. The car can be docile and normal to drive around town, if driven with a light foot. Heavy traffic does bring down the mileage quite a bit, but you don’t buy an Octavia RS 245 for mileage anyway, haha.
Driving on the highway is an absolute breeze. The highway speed limit in Belgium is 120 kmph, and even at this speed there is still loads of reserve power on tap, which is needed sometimes on 2-lane highways, when you need to quickly overtake a slower vehicle that is giving you way. It’s also worth mentioning that I find the highway mileage excellent for a sports sedan with this much power.
There is some minor turbo lag when driving in normal mode at 7th gear and trying to suddenly accelerate from 80 to 120 kmph, but I suppose that this is the nature of any engine with a big turbo, and this issue doesn’t exist at all when starting from a standstill or if you drive in sports mode, so it’s really no biggie.

The expression on my wife’s face and her reaction when she floored the throttle in sports mode, and experienced what a proper turbo-petrol feels like from 0-100 in almost 6.6 seconds for the first time, was absolutely priceless!
Just like us, her inner 10 year old came out overwhelmed with excitement

Transmission

I was initially very determined on picking up a manual car, but my wife was leaning more towards an automatic, and while I wasn’t against the automatic, I wasn’t sure about it. The test drive car had the DSG, and after the test drive was over, I had no doubts left in my mind that I was fine with taking the automatic transmission.
The fact that the gearbox in this car is so fast and smooth was the clincher for me, and the fact that I could have paddle shifters to control the shifts easily if I wanted, was really icing on the cake.
The Octavia RS 245 DSG uses the 7-speed DQ380 transmission, which I confirmed from my car configuration document. This transmission is apparently a smaller version of the DQ500 transmission which is used on the Audi RS3 & TT-RS. I am happy that it’s not the DQ250 on my car.
While this transmission is officially rated for 380 NM of torque, the tuners say that it can handle up to 600 HP & 700 NM.

NVH

I really don’t have any complaints in this department. The engine is not very audible or noticeable when the car is driven in a relaxed manner. You do hear the engine when the car is revved a bit, but due to the sporty nature of the engine note, I actually really enjoy hearing it!
I have not noticed any vibrations or rattling anywhere in the car so far. You do hear a thud from the suspension once in a while when going over prominent undulations/flyover expansion joints on the highway at triple digit speeds, but that is expected of sporty suspension because the travel is stiffer and shorter, so it’s definitely not a complaint. The wind and road noise that filters into the cabin is par for the course, and I found it no different from the BMW & Audi that I had gotten used to driving before this car.

Ride & Handling

I had initially dismissed the stiff suspension complaints in the Octavia RS 230 reviews on Team-BHP down to Indian roads, or the lack of them rather, haha. I was in for a shock after I took delivery of my car, and found that the ride was very, very stiff. In fact, it was so stiff that my mother-in-law complained about it causing her pain due to a fracture in her pelvis bone, which she didn’t experience in other peoples’ cars.
This complaint troubled me for some time, but when not so long after that I decided to check the tire pressures at a fuel station, I was in for an even bigger shock. The recommended pressure for R19 wheels when not driving with anyone else in the car was 2.7-3.0 bar, and the reading from my wheels was 3.8 bar. Apparently, they overfill the tires while shipping the car, but no one told me about this. No wonder it felt like the tires and suspension were made from concrete all that time!
Once I corrected the tire pressures, the ride quality was fine. I was very happy with it, and there were no complaints from anyone else either. While it is a bit stiffer than a car without sporty suspension, it is very much bearable on Belgian roads, and the DCC definitely helps a lot as well, so I have no complaints about the ride of my car.
I really enjoy the handling of the car. That limited-slip differential makes a world of difference in fast corners, and the steering is accurate and really well weighted, making for predictable and confidence inspiring handling. This feedback is coming from someone who used to drive a Fiat Grande Punto in India, an F30 BMW 318d, and an Audi B8 A4 TDI in Belgium. Both of the latter being my wife’s company cars.
The steering is light enough to make the car easy to maneuver at lower speeds, and weighs up well as the speed increases, so that it is not light at highway speeds. It weights up quite a bit when the car is in sports mode, and although it is artificial weight, I still like the way it feels.
I haven’t had any nervous moments with the handling of my car so far, and feel absolutely confident taking tighter turns at the same speed I am travelling, while I see all the other cars around me slowing down a bit. I have to mention the Pirelli P-Zero 225/35 R19 tires here as well, because they are grippy and really stick to the road! Sometimes you get a slight wheel slip of the front wheels in wet conditions under hard acceleration, but that is to be expected from any car with this much power. Heck, my wife’s F30 BMW 318d company car used to slip a bit under full throttle from a standstill even on dry roads, and that car had 100 HP less.

The brakes on the car are excellent, and have a lot of stopping power. So much so in fact, that in the couple of emergency braking situations that I have faced, I was more scared about someone crashing into me from the back, rather than me crashing into the vehicle in front.
The progression of the brake pedal took some getting used to initially for me, because it was quite different from the BMW 318d that I had gotten used to driving, but it didn’t take me long to be comfortable with it, and once I got used to it, I really liked it a lot.

[Joxster]

The Smaller Yet Significant Things

• This is the start screen of the head-unit, reminding you once again about the pedigree of the car you are driving, along with your choice of enhanced sound.
  
  
  
• The rear-view camera is very clear, and I find the guidelines to be accurate as well.
  
  
  
• A thoughtful warning when using the Škoda Connect app on the head-unit.
  
  
  
• The head-unit is an absolute fingerprint magnet! These marks are only from using it during the photo shoot.
  
  
  
• This is the warning displayed on the Virtual Cockpit display if you don't have the key with you, or it is not in detectable range.
  
  
  
• Instead of having a flap for your parking tickets or toll booth receipts in the sun visor, Škoda has put in a neat flap here.
  
  
  
• Here is how the sunroof looks at it's minimum and maximum open positions from the inside, along with how it looks from the outside when open at its maximum position. Don't miss the wind deflector in front of it!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Look at how that puny and ugly space-saver wheel looks on the car. It's saved my bacon twice though
  
  
  
  
  
• This picture clearly shows you the gap between the actual exhaust tip, and its outer housing. It's not at all pleasing to the eyes!
  
  
  
• The double beading on the doors definitely helps keep unwanted noise out of the cabin.
  
  
  
• There is no cladding under the hood, but I honestly feel that it is not needed either. However, Škoda should have provided hydraulic struts for the hood, because the Golf GTI gets them.
  
  
  
• I had never heard of this battery brand before seeing it in my car. It's quite a powerful battery though.
  
  
  
• This baby is fine sipping, err gulping 95 RON, great! Also, don't miss the removable ice scraper provided by Škoda, which is a thoughtful touch!
  
  
  
  Various warnings found on the car.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Here is a summary of the key driving stats so far.
  
  
  
• I have tracked my fuel efficiency through the Fuelly app on my iPhone from the time I got the car till now, and this a snapshot of the results so far. I should mention that I don't pay much attention to adjusting the City/Highway usage, but my usage is generally 70% Highway & 30% City, so what's in the app can be ignored.
  
  
  
• The service interval of the car is 30k kilometers or 2 years, whichever is earlier.

I'm very sorry about the picture quality in this review! I am not a good photographer, and all the pictures were taken with my iPhone 6S without filters or editing.

If you have made it through my complete review, then I would like to thank you for your time and patience in reading, and hope you enjoyed it!
I also welcome any questions about the car, or any suggestions

Cheers

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[.HEM]

Congratulations on your new Octavia RS!! Enjoy your black beauty.

Your experience proves Skoda service is the same, not just in India, but all over the world

Great to see that you had a huge list of options to select from.

[ChiragM]

That's one long and detailed review Joxster. Congrats on your new car. I remember seeing your car's pictures on the Octavia RS thread and went back to confirm it was your car. I can see the excitement level in this thread + review thread.

Sad to read that Skoda service is not up to mark anywhere you go. But I hope you have they make up for it with you during the course of your ownership.

Originally Posted by Joxster

P.S: I never ended up getting the wheels I originally ordered, because I unfortunately managed to damage one of the rims that the car was delivered with, and I would then have to pay for it, so I opted to keep the ones that the car came with.

Didn't you order the wheels in Black Polished finish and Skoda managed to get the same for you? The wheels on your car look stunning. Lovely spec you have chosen.

There are rumours that Skoda could introduce the RS245 in India. Hope they do.

Looking at your choices, the Octavia was the obvious way out as it offers the perfect blend of performance and practicality. I love the Fiesta ST but it is a small hatchback at the end of the day.

Wish you many happy miles with the Octavia RS245.

[Ash_vtec]

Great review ! Makes us Indian enthusiasts all the more hopeful for the RS245's launch at a sensible price.