Skoda Octavia RS

A nameplate that needs no introduction, the Skoda Octavia RS, has long been known for its timeless design, precise handling manners, and, most importantly, its performance and driving thrills. 

The 2025 Octavia RS is being brought to India via the CBU (completely built unit) route, and only 100 were up for grabs and all have been spoken for. 

A typical Skoda design with clean lines, but with more aggressive ‘RS’ touches make it clear that this isn’t your standard Octavia. The front is adorned by the familiar Butterfly grille, but it’s finished in black and boasts a RS badge for a more racy look. There are sleek dual-pod matrix LED headlights along with V-shaped LED DRLs that clearly give the front-end an aggressive demeanor. A sporty front bumper with sharp cuts and creases round off the overall front look. . 

The Octavia RS boasts a typical sedan silhouette that gives it a clean and streamlined look. But keen eyed viewers will notice that it sits lower than the standard Octavia for better ride and handling manners. Furthermore, the stance is further improved by 19-inch aero-styled alloy wheels. You can’t overlook those red-painted brake callipers which are part of the RS design package. 

At the rear, it features LED taillights and a sleek lip spoiler painted in black. All the badges on the tailgate have also been given a black finish and the overall look is complete with a dual exhaust setup. We have talked more about the Octavia RS’s design in this piece.

Skoda is offering the India-spec Octavia RS in 5 interesting exterior shades: Mamba Green, Magic Black, Candy White, Race Blue, and Velvet Red. You can take a closer look at all the colour options here.

While the dashboard layout is similar to the standard Octavia, there are some visible changes to keep up with the overall sporty theme. An all-black theme complimented by red accents sets the RS mood perfectly. In addition to that, it comes with a RS steering wheel, metallic pedals, and sport seats that are upholstered with a combination of Suedia and leatherette, all of which makes the cabin feel sportier. 

The ‘RS’ badging is also embroidered on the front seat backrests. For added convenience, it gets a front centre armrest with a storage space underneath it.

The Octavia RS’ main advantage, though, is the fact that you don’t have to sacrifice on practicality, unlike some of its rivals. The rear seat can easily seat two occupants and a child and the comfort is further enhanced by extended thigh support and rear AC vents along with two Type-C USB ports. 

Features

The Octavia RS comes decked up with amenities like a 13.-inch touchscreen, a 10.25-inch fully digital driver’s display, 3-zone climate control, a 12-speaker Canton sound system, powered front seats with heating, memory, and massage functions, heated ORVMs (outside rear view mirrors), a 15W wireless smartphone charger with cooling pad, and a gesture-controlled powered tailgate.  

In addition to that, more details about the India-spec Octavia RS have been revealed by Skoda India. 

In terms of safety, the Octavia RS gets 10 airbags, a 360-degree camera, electronic stability control (ESC), ABS with EBD, hydraulic brake assist, auto park assist, and a full suite of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) including adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, and blind spot detection.

Notably, the Skoda Octavia has already been crash tested by Euro NCAP back in 2022 and it got an impressive 5-star rating.

Thanks to its notchback style tailgate, the Octavia RS offers a generous boot space of 600 litres. It is more than enough to accommodate your luggage for long weekend getaways.

Propulsion duties are performed by a 2-litre turbo-petrol engine. The detailed engine specifications are as follows:

DCT - Dual clutch automatic transmission

Compared to the old Octavia RS 245 which used to make 245 PS, the 2025 Octavia RS makes 20 PS more power, while the torque output remains unchanged. The Octavia RS shares its specs with the Volkswagen Golf GTI. If you’re curious about the sedan’s performance in comparison to the hot hatch, we’ve compared them in detail.

There are also plenty of tweaks underneath the skin to ensure that it’s a proper fun to drive car. The suspension is stiffer and the steering rack has been tweaked for better agility. Skoda has equipped the new Octavia RS with an electronic differential lock, which ensures that power is directed to the wheel with maximum grip for better exit speeds out of corners. And if you get naughty, fret not, as Skoda has equipped it with upgraded brakes to slow you down.  

The Skoda Octavia RS only comes in a single fully loaded RS variant. It is priced at Rs 49.99 lakh (ex-showroom).