# Car News - ŠKODA OCTAVIA vRS 245



## WHIZZER (Oct 25, 2005)

Power output of new 2.0 TSI turbocharged petrol engine increases to 245 PS
◾Top speed of 155 mph and acceleration from 0 to 62 mph in 6.6 seconds
◾The VAQ limited-slip differential provides the ultimate driving experience
◾With 7-speed DSG transmission for the first time
◾Sporty design details with distinct front section
◾Pioneering infotainment and driver assistance systems
◾ŠKODA Connect with mobile online services
◾World premiere at the Geneva International Motor Show










Mladá Boleslav, 3 February 2017 - The most powerful ŠKODA OCTAVIA in the company's history is on its way. The new ŠKODA OCTAVIA vRS 245 delivers 245 PS - 15 PS more than the previous top-of-the-range vRS variant. The powerful engine and innovative chassis technology including the electronically regulated VAQ limited-slip differential offer the ultimate driving experience. The powerhouse is available as a hatchback or an estate and will be celebrating its world premiere at the 87th International Motor Show in Geneva.

The compact sports car accelerates from 0 to 62 mph in just 6.6 seconds (Estate: 6.7 seconds); its top speed is limited to 155 mph. As is usual for a ŠKODA, the car features a spacious interior and luggage compartment. In addition, the latest driver assistance systems are also available for the ŠKODA OCTAVIA vRS 245. The infotainment system means occupants have the opportunity to be online on the move, thanks to the optional Wi-Fi hotspot and LTE module. Numerous 'Simply Clever' features are further testimony to the compact car's practical talents.










Gloss-black features and an unmistakeable high-performance sound
The ŠKODA OCTAVIA vRS 245 features the new face of the brand and has particularly sporty design details. The completely new front section with wider radiator grille and the wide honeycomb air inlets in the redesigned bumper provide the ŠKODA OCTAVIA vRS 245 with a masculine and dynamic appearance. The slats on the radiator grille and the trim that frames it both come in gloss-black. The redesigned headlight clusters in a crystalline look feature full-LED technology and AFS adaptive front headlights as standard. The fog lights, tail lights and number plate illumination also feature LED technology and a crystalline appearance.










The exterior mirror housings and the trapezoid tailpipes are also black. The radiator grille and the tailgate both sport the vRS logo featuring a gloss-black 'V'. Features such as the spoiler at the back of the hatchback or roof spoiler on the Estate are further attributes of the car's emotive and sporty design.The ŠKODA OCTAVIA vRS 245 can also be recognised as a high-performance sportster acoustically thanks to the husky sound of its exhaust system.

Sports seats and aluminium design details in the interior
The sporty look also dominates in the interior, which has also been designed largely in black - from the roof lining to the footwell including its silver-coloured pedals with an aluminium finish. With their high sides and integrated headrests, the Alcantara sports seats provide maximum support in fast corners. The front seats bear the vRS logo - as do the front door sills. The multifunctional sports steering wheel with perforated leather and integrated steering wheel paddles (for DSG transmissions) matches the car's dynamic ambience. The LED ambient lighting in the vRS-245-specific decorative trims immerses the interior in one of the ten choices of colours. A colour Maxi-DOT display forms part of the instrument cluster.

A lot of power, little consumption
The ŠKODA OCTAVIA's top-of-the-range model has a 245-PS, four-cylinder, TSI petrol engine under its bonnet - 15 PS more than its predecessor had to offer. Maximum torque of 370 Nm is achieved between 1,600 and 4,300 rpm. There is a choice of a 6-speed manual gearbox or - for the first time in a ŠKODA OCTAVIA - a 7-speed, dual-clutch transmission. From a standing start, the hatchback reaches 62 mph in 6.6 seconds; the Estate does it in 6.7 seconds. In addition, the engine's flexibility is particularly impressive. In fifth gear, the ŠKODA OCTAVIA vRS 245 with a manual gearbox can manage the short burst from 37-62 mph in just 6.4 seconds (Estate: 6.5 seconds), 50-75 mph takes only 6.6 seconds (Estate: 6.8 seconds) - a reassuring safety buffer.

The ŠKODA OCTAVIA vRS 245 bristles with emotion and dynamism. In the compact car segment, it provides exceptional value for money for sporty and ambitious yet practical, down-to-earth drivers.

Sports chassis and mechanical limited slip
Compared to the 'normal' models in the range, the sports chassis lowers the body of the ŠKODA OCTAVIA RS 245 by 14 mm. Its rear track is 38 mm wider than that of the predecessor. The standard, gloss-black alloy wheels are 19 inches in diameter. The ESC stability system with Sport mode, as well as the electronically regulated VAQ limited-slip differential are also part of the standard equipment. This electronic inter-wheel lock for the differential on the driving wheels allows for particularly dynamic acceleration when exiting corners: the amount of slip on one of the front wheels is limited and transferring power to the road is optimised. The electronically regulated VAQ limited-slip differential will remain a distinctive feature of the vRS 245 model. Performance Mode Select with the Performance Sound Generator function enables individual adjustment of drive, chassis and comfort settings. The dynamic character of the ŠKODA OCTAVIA vRS 245 is additionally highlighted by the car's progressive steering and the optional adaptive Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC).

Wi-Fi hotspot and real-time navigation
ŠKODA Connect offers pioneering mobile online services divided into the two categories of Infotainment Online (information/entertainment) and Care Connect (driver assistance). The controls for the new generation of infotainment systems are integrated in a glass design for the Bolero, Amundsen and Columbus versions and, with their capacitive touch screens, react even to a light touch; in the ŠKODA OCTAVIA vRS 245, they display a special start screen. The top-of-the-range Columbus navigation system features a 9.2-inch screen and an optional LTE module for super-fast data transfer, and provides occupants with a Wi-Fi hotspot. One of the particularly helpful services is Online Traffic Information, which offers recommended alternatives to the chosen route in the event of a traffic jam. In the Columbus system, destinations can be entered via voice control using the POI (Point of Interest) search. The system also provides news and information on the weather, petrol stations along the route (including fuel prices) or parking spaces. A Phonebox charges smartphones inductively.

Further online services are offered by the ŠKODA Connect app on a smartphone. By using the Remote Access feature, windows, doors, the sunroof and lighting can be controlled, the fuel level can be checked, or your parking location can be displayed. Care Connect also allows an Emergency Call to be made (automatically in the event of an accident in which restraint systems have been activated). The system alerts your breakdown service at the touch of a button and connects the driver to experts who can answer any questions regarding vehicle functions.

Driver assistance systems usually seen in higher segments
The electronic assistance systems surpass the usual level of the compact car segment by far. Newly available features include Trailer Assist (which steers and brakes the car and trailer when reversing), Predictive Pedestrian Protection (which brakes in the event of an impending collision with pedestrians) as a component of Front Assist, Blind Spot Detect (which warns of any vehicles in the blind spot), Rear Traffic Alert (its rear sensors warn the driver of approaching traffic when reversing out of parking spaces), Manoeuvre Assist (which brakes the vehicle as soon as the sensor detects an obstacle when moving forwards or reversing) and Crew Protect Assist (which closes the windows and sunroof in the event of an impending collision and tensions driver and passenger seatbelts). Crew Protect Assist works in conjunction with Front Assist including the City Emergency Braking function. In the ŠKODA OCTAVIA vRS 245, the proven Adaptive Cruise Control ((ACC), which helps the driver to maintain the selected speed and the desired distance from the car in front) can be activated up to a speed of 130 mph.

A wealth of 'Simply Clever' features
The numerous 'Simply Clever' features in the new ŠKODA OCTAVIA vRS 245 include special bottle holders in the centre console (allowing PET bottles to be opened with one hand), a heated steering wheel, two USB ports in the rear, a personalisable key (allowing up to three users to programme their individual settings for the air conditioning, seats, the audio system's volume and Driving Mode Select) and a removable LED torch in the boot of the Combi; the battery of the torch will recharge automatically while driving.

The abbreviation RS for the sportiest ŠKODA models
ŠKODA used the abbreviation RS for the first time in motorsport in 1974. In 2000, the synonym of sportiness entered the ŠKODA model range, and in the UK was badged vRS. This marked the beginning of the success story. 200,000 RS and vRS models have been sold to date - a whopping 100,000 of which are third-generation OCTAVIAs and have been sold since 2013. In the UK the vRS variant of OCTAVIA accounts for approximately 20 per cent of sales.


----------



## Soul boy 68 (Sep 8, 2013)

Very nice indeed, red suites the car well.


----------



## cossiecol (Jun 29, 2014)

Need to get to the dealers


----------



## ollienoclue (Jan 30, 2017)

All very well for a sensible fast estate, but what is one of these likely to cost new?

I could never bring myself to buy a car like this and pay the sticker price, not when you could have a second hand S or M car for the same money and they would be barely run in, meaning you would get a lot more car for your money.


----------



## DrEskimo (Jan 7, 2016)

ollienoclue said:


> All very well for a sensible fast estate, but what is one of these likely to cost new?
> 
> I could never bring myself to buy a car like this and pay the sticker price, not when you could have a second hand S or M car for the same money and they would be barely run in, meaning you would get a lot more car for your money.


Discounts off new cars can be very high. Typically cheaper than 1yr old, low mileage used cars.

I used to drive a 2.0TFSI A5 and that was only 180PS. It was FWD and the wheel spin in any condition drove me bonkers. I see a mention of a LSD, but presumably this is still FWD. I highly doubt putting 245PS through the front tyres is going to give you much traction.

I would opt for the A4 2.0TFSI with quattro. More power 252PS and traction to actually use it...

Well...I would opt for the 3.0V6 obviously...!


----------



## tmitch45 (Jul 29, 2006)

Looks nice I just still don't know if I could drive a skoda does that make me a snob? My brother in law had an octavia 3 years ago and I hated the interior it was so cheap and dull.

I though the VRS always had a DSG option?


----------



## Richf (Apr 26, 2008)

Not a fan of the revised bumper and lights, I have the mk3 with the dsg , it does lack the lsd which will be a significant improvement as at low speed it will spin up quite easily 

I'm guessing this is the same engine etc just with a remap , tuning companies are winding them up to 300hp or so so the engine seems good for it . That said my stock 216hp/220ps model was dynoed at 242hp


----------



## ollienoclue (Jan 30, 2017)

DrEskimo said:


> Discounts off new cars can be very high. Typically cheaper than 1yr old, low mileage used cars.
> 
> I used to drive a 2.0TFSI A5 and that was only 180PS. It was FWD and the wheel spin in any condition drove me bonkers. I see a mention of a LSD, but presumably this is still FWD. I highly doubt putting 245PS through the front tyres is going to give you much traction.
> 
> ...


I was thinking along the lines of a car that was 2-3 years old with 20K on the clock or something, maybe more. Most of them are capable of stratospheric miles with good maintenance and the savings in depreciation will more than offset any even big repair bills.

As you say front drive with 200hp plus is a bit daft, I would prefer rear or quattro etc with a turbocharged petrol engine or even the more potent diesels these days.

3.0 V6 or 2.0 TFSI there won't be much in it, all depends on what you want, you can't beat a 6 cylinder car for refinement IMO.


----------



## tmitch45 (Jul 29, 2006)

DrEskimo said:


> Well...I would opt for the 3.0V6 obviously...!


Isn't that the S4? Totally different kettle of fish and price bracket but very nice!


----------



## Richf (Apr 26, 2008)

tmitch45 said:


> Looks nice I just still don't know if I could drive a skoda does that make me a snob? My brother in law had an octavia 3 years ago and I hated the interior it was so cheap and dull.
> 
> I though the VRS always had a DSG option?


Current dsg in the Octy is a 6 speed


----------



## alfajim (May 4, 2011)

Not keen on the alloys and the grill is a bit plasticy. Bangs for bucks I bet you can't beat it.


----------



## andy665 (Nov 1, 2005)

ollienoclue said:


> As you say front drive with 200hp plus is a bit daft,


I have an M135i and the traction (or lack of it) with RWD through these winter months has been laughable - to be honest whilst I like the "feel" of RWD to suggest that a FWD has worse traction than a RWD car in this day and age is a bit of a fallacy


----------



## DrEskimo (Jan 7, 2016)

tmitch45 said:


> Isn't that the S4? Totally different kettle of fish and price bracket but very nice!


Yea true, but if you use fake money (aka PCP) there isn't anything in it at all.

I went to buy a 2.0tfsi quattro A5 and ended up getting my S5. Monthlies were actually cheaper and reported MPG is not that different at all. 22 in my S5 vs around 28 from forums in the A5.

Bit of a no brainer really!


----------



## DrEskimo (Jan 7, 2016)

ollienoclue said:


> I was thinking along the lines of a car that was 2-3 years old with 20K on the clock or something, maybe more. Most of them are capable of stratospheric miles with good maintenance and the savings in depreciation will more than offset any even big repair bills.
> 
> As you say front drive with 200hp plus is a bit daft, I would prefer rear or quattro etc with a turbocharged petrol engine or even the more potent diesels these days.
> 
> 3.0 V6 or 2.0 TFSI there won't be much in it, all depends on what you want, you can't beat a 6 cylinder car for refinement IMO.


Yea that's a different story. You do have to factor in extra service costs and out of warranty repairs, so if you are in the habit of changing cars often, new cars with good discounts aren't that much of a terrible idea.

I'm not sure...quotes 0-60 for my S5 is 4.9 vs around 6.8 for the 2.0tfsi....biggest draw for me was the supercharger over the turbo. Just a personal preference of mine. Different topic though


----------



## tmitch45 (Jul 29, 2006)

DrEskimo said:


> Yea true, but if you use fake money (aka PCP) there isn't anything in it at all.
> 
> I went to buy a 2.0tfsi quattro A5 and ended up getting my S5. Monthlies were actually cheaper and reported MPG is not that different at all. 22 in my S5 vs around 28 from forums in the A5.
> 
> Bit of a no brainer really!


This may be a daft question but how does PCP work and what are the likely costs for a S4 or S5? Is PCP like a finance option where you get the servicing, insurance and other bills except fuel in the monthly fee?

I've only purchased nearly new cars in the past for cash or a loan.

I'm trying to save for a 1 year old S4 now does it make more sense to go the PCP route?


----------



## DrEskimo (Jan 7, 2016)

tmitch45 said:


> This may be a daft question but how does PCP work and what are the likely costs for a S4 or S5? Is PCP like a finance option where you get the servicing, insurance and other bills except fuel in the monthly fee?
> 
> I've only purchased nearly new cars in the past for cash or a loan.
> 
> I'm trying to save for a 1 year old S4 now does it make more sense to go the PCP route?


Not a daft question at all mate. Very happy to give you as much advice as I can, hopefully no one minds if I do it on this thread...? Might be better than over PMs, in case others want to pitch in?


----------



## tmitch45 (Jul 29, 2006)

DrEskimo said:


> Not a daft question at all mate. Very happy to give you as much advice as I can, hopefully no one minds if I do it on this thread...? Might be better than over PMs, in case others want to pitch in?


I'm happy to do which ever suits. I don't want to divert a thread off topic. Thanks for the offer of help


----------



## DrEskimo (Jan 7, 2016)

tmitch45 said:


> I'm happy to do which ever suits. I don't want to divert a thread off topic. Thanks for the offer of help


Making a bit of a habit of going OT, but mods, please feel free to delete them...!

A PCP is just finance, except you offset a chunk of money to the final payment. So a car worth £30k, and you put down £5k upfront, would be at least £700per month (+interest) if finance is taken over 36month.

On a PCP they estimate how much the car will be worth at 36months (with a specific annual mileage) and offset that amount as the final payment, referred to as the Guaranteed Future Value (GFV). So if they think the £30k car will be worth £15k in 36months, you've now halved the monthly payments. Importantly though, you don't own the car unless you pay this GFV.

Now while the interest rate may be similar to a personal loan, the interest you pay is much higher since you pay interest on the entire amount. I.e. what you are paying back each month and the GFV. Since the GFV won't decrease over the term, the amount you pay interest on is constantly higher over the 36month term.

Now the deposit isn't a deposit that you get back, its just a upfront payment. There is minimum you can pay, and the maximum is the difference between the price of the car and the GFV. There is a common misconception that you shouldn't put a lot of money down upfront, but its nonsense IMO. If anything, you save a bit of money by putting more down upfront since you are paying interest on a smaller amount. In reality, the difference between a low deposit and high monthly or high deposit and low monthly is small. Basically do what ever you are comfortable with. As with any finance, the shorter you borrow it, and the smaller amount you borrow, the cheaper it will be.

As with buying with cash, the most important thing is to get a good discount. Dealers will try to make you focus on monthly payments and suggests that the price of the car is irrelevant, but of course it isn't, as a bigger discount will mean cheaper finance. My advice is to use websites like CarWow and Orangewheels to get some discounted prices and then use that to start the haggling with your local dealer. Try different dealers till you find one that will play ball!

So I've had a look at S4 deals on orangewheels and they say you can get £6,920 off a standard S4 saloon at £44,600. Looks to be about 15.5%, which isn't bad...!

According to Audi finance calculator, you could get the following:

Term: 36months
Deposit: £2000
Monthlies: £480
GFV: £22,154

So if you bought the car, it would be £40,954 with the deposit, monthlies (35 as the final payment is the GFV) and the GFV. So as you can see, the interest you have been charged is about £3,600. Interest rate on the S4 is decent at 3.4% so its not that bad. Personal loan at £35k is 6.9%, and interest over 36months would be about £3k, so not a huge difference since the increase in interest on the PCP is offset by the smaller APR for the PCP.

The idea with PCP is you trade in the car with a bit of money (they call 'equity') and you start again with a new car. So if you got £1k back from the deal above, it would of cost you £17,800 over 3 years, which is close to £6k per year.

Not great, so I would be trying to get more discount, but then you probably want to add options, so might end up being similar overall...

New cars are pricey, whatever way you finance them. Big discounts can be had if you want to take that route, and PCP isn't too bad if interest and term is kept short.

Sorry...long post, but hopefully helpful! Haggle hard, and work out the total cost of ownership. If you don't plan to buy the car, then work out the worst case scenario of paying the deposit and the monthlies and getting no equity back. If thats reasonable to you, then go for it. :thumb:

£5/£6k per year to effectively rent a car is expensive, but then you have warranty and a shiney fast performing car to drive. I decided to do it with the S5 because I fancied treating myself. If you are in the habit of changing every few years, its quite surprising how much you spend on used cars with depreciation, extra servicing and out of warranty repairs. I found it wasn't that far off the £3k/£4k per year mark. Was happy to pay the extra to get a massively upgraded brand new car.

Lease is another option but you can look into those as they are simple.


----------



## DrEskimo (Jan 7, 2016)

Oh and the cheapest Audi S4 B9 on Audi's approved used list is £41.5k...got lots of options, but reckon it would still be cheaper to get a brand new one with discount...


----------



## tmitch45 (Jul 29, 2006)

Thanks mate that makes sense now! I guess I need to work out how long I want to keep a car, how much repayment I can afford and how much a year a used car actually costs.

Some of my friends talk about servicing and repair bills for tyres etc being included is that the case?


----------



## muzzer (Feb 13, 2011)

andy665 said:


> I have an M135i and the traction (or lack of it) with RWD through these winter months has been laughable - to be honest whilst I like the "feel" of RWD to suggest that a FWD has worse traction than a RWD car in this day and age is a bit of a fallacy


Agreed, i have a 266bhp fwd car and despite it being bottom of my list of things i love right now, it has traction aplenty. Okay it does have an LSD but i suspect it will have just as much grip as a RWD car, as you said.
Handling wise, the difference between the two is down to individual preference as i am sure everyone is well aware of.

Back to the original post, i looked at the vrs before i bought my GTi and it makes less power, is less economical, has a timing belt not a chain,is more to tax and for me, the interior isn't as nice as mine.
However, i do realise that the engine will be less stressed than mine and that it has better build quality but i still wouldn't have one.


----------



## DrEskimo (Jan 7, 2016)

tmitch45 said:


> Thanks mate that makes sense now! I guess I need to work out how long I want to keep a car, how much repayment I can afford and how much a year a used car actually costs.
> 
> Some of my friends talk about servicing and repair bills for tyres etc being included is that the case?


Nah that's on lease deals. Think it's called maintenance.

Can get service packs and things from the dealer. Audi don't offer anything decent though.


----------



## Richf (Apr 26, 2008)

As I said I have the first incarnation of the Octy VRS mk3 bought new in 2015, i have it on pcp , with includes servicing , quite a few options and i pay £285 pm , I think the GFV fee is around £14k , the car was £28k new with the options i added and I used my old car as a deposit

I know you shouldn't get options with pcp deals but we plan/ned to pay for the car at the end of the 3 years and keep it another 2 , we bought on pcp as it was a good deal and whilst we usually pay cash the money was better spent elsewhere we pay 2.9% apr which is around the same as the 3 services not 100% sure whether we will do that now or not , I'm doing more miles in my weekend car as I now have something more sensible (Jaguar XFR)

I think i have a 10,000 miles per year deal which isnt an issue for me as I have the second car and only cover about 8k per year in this one but its my daily driver

Its been a good car so far , I drive it fairly hard, evidenced by needing new front tyres at 13,000 miles but it still averages 35mpg , nothing has fallen off and nothing has gone wrong, i've had as much as 42mpg on a European road trip in 2015.

I certainly prefer the 18" wheels to the 19" extreme ones but really wish I had the limited slip diff .


----------



## ronwash (Mar 26, 2011)

The new front is extremely ugly.
Nice car otherwise.


----------



## ollienoclue (Jan 30, 2017)

andy665 said:


> I have an M135i and the traction (or lack of it) with RWD through these winter months has been laughable - to be honest whilst I like the "feel" of RWD to suggest that a FWD has worse traction than a RWD car in this day and age is a bit of a fallacy


I don't know about those 1 series things, they look a bit ungainly to me, but be honest, you think it would be better with the front wheels driven and not the rears?

Don't get me started on BMW going turbocharged either.

Front drive cars with lots of torque and power just make no sense.


----------



## ollienoclue (Jan 30, 2017)

DrEskimo said:


> Yea that's a different story. You do have to factor in extra service costs and out of warranty repairs, so if you are in the habit of changing cars often, new cars with good discounts aren't that much of a terrible idea.
> 
> I'm not sure...quotes 0-60 for my S5 is 4.9 vs around 6.8 for the 2.0tfsi....biggest draw for me was the supercharger over the turbo. Just a personal preference of mine. Different topic though


Hard to ignore the V6/supercharged bundle. Always liked the S4.

If you are in the game of changing cars often as you say might as well pay monthly or lease the thing.

I have always had second hand cars and have never had a repair bill that was too terrifying, and I tend to run them on past middle age.


----------

