The performance version of the Octavia, the vRS will most probably not make its way to our country due to dismal sales of the Octavia and an exorbitant asking price.
Skoda launched the third generation Octavia in India in 2013, thereby replacing the Laura. As many of us know, the Laura is called Octavia in other countries and according to tradition, the performance version of the Octavia has always been an enthusiast’s must have vehicle. Called the vRS, the performance variant was also launched in India with the previous two generation models and was known as a pure driver’s car which not only was a beautiful sedan made to look sporty, but also had a serious punch in power. vRS models from the Skoda range are known to be driver-centric, giving a sportier appeal compared to their regular counterparts.
The new generation Octavia vRS was unveiled by Skoda at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show and was expected to hit Indian shores. Unfortunately, this does not seem to happen at the moment. The reason for this is quite obvious, firstly, the Octavia sedan itself is not able to reach a monthly sales figure of four digits (which is quite poor), secondly, the Octavia vRS will be brought in as a CBU, which will demand an asking price of over Rs. 30 lakhs (ex-showroom) which will definitely rob the car away from many enthusiasts, and finally, the 2.0-litre TFSI engine which powers the vehicle will also have to undergo homologation.
In the first generation of the Skoda Octavia vRS, its engine was detuned from 180 to 150 BHP and later the Laura vRS had a smaller 160 BHP, 1.8-litre TSI engine for India. But, Skoda this time around will get the more powerful 2.0 TFSI engine, which generates a good 217 BHP of power and 350 Nm of torque, even if the performance sedan somehow finds its way to our shores. The car completes the 0-100 km/hr sprint in just 6.8 seconds and is mated to a 6-speed manual transmission while a 6-speed DSG unit is offered as an option. Coming in as sorry news, we hope the 250 km/hr performance car finds a safe way into our country without breaking hearts of many vRS fans if at all possible.
Source – AutocarIndia.com