Skoda Auto India has just launched the new 2025 Octavia RS in India, marking 25 years of operations in the Asian subcontinent. The company has brought Octavia RS into the country via CBU route (Completely Built Unit) with a limited run of 100 units. The biggest buzz around this launch was that all 100 units allotted for Indian market were sold in just 20 minutes of booking window started.
This shows Octavia’s vast popularity in the country and its strong brand recall it has among Indian performance enthusiasts. For, there have been four iterations of Skoda’s high performance sedans in India in the form of Octavia RS Gen 1, Laura RS, Octavia RS 235 and Octavia RS 245. Now, we get the new 2025 Octavia RS based on the 4th Gen model and we experienced it where we should, on a race track, at Buddh International Circuit, Greater Noida. Here’s what we found out.
Skoda Octavia RS Track Drive Review
A sporty car should be driven at a proper race track. Buddh International Circuit in India is an F1 racetrack and it forms the perfect testing ground to push 2025 Octavia RS to its limits. That is exactly what we did and returned impressed with what 2025 Skoda Octavia RS had to offer for Indian motoring enthusiasts and brand loyalists.
Octavia RS has had quite a good run in the country and Skoda exhibited all RS (VRS) models sold in India. Sort of a montage of the brand’s high-performance journey in the country at its 25th year of operations. New 2025 Skoda Octavia RS has been priced at Rs 49.99 lakh (Ex-sh) and all 100 units allotted for the Indian market have been sold away. There might be a second batch with another 100 units run in 2026.
Skoda Octavia RS is offered in 5 colours – Mamba Green, Magic Black, Candy White, Race Blue and Velvet Red. The launch colour is Mamba Green, of course, and it is the most striking of this bunch. It is based on the 4th Gen model and measures 4,709 mm in length, 1,829 mm in width, 1,457 mm in height and has a 2,677 mm long wheelbase. Ground clearance is 128 mm and kerb weight is 1,528 kg.
RS Specific Styling
When compared to the standard 4th Gen model, Octavia RS gets many RS specific elements. Elements like Black grille with RS badging, aerodynamic front bumper, Matrix LED headlights, sporty rear bumper, a Black lip spoiler, a diffuser, 19-inch sporty alloy wheels and larger disc brakes with Red painted callipers are specific to Octavia RS. Even the interiors with all-Black theme, Suede materials, RS-spec steering wheel, sporty metallic pedals, RS-spec sporty seats and other elements are specific to Octavia RS.
From the inside and out, Octavia RS lends an immense sense of occasion. It makes the buyers feel like their money is well spent. The ethos behind Octavia RS is to culminate Skoda’s decades of rally experience infused into an everyday car, which is as practical as its standard counterpart. That’s true with Octavia RS as this vehicle packs oodles of practicality with its 600L boot (expandable to 1555L), hatchback-style powered tailgate.
You get all the features and technology that is associated with a D Segment executive sedan. A large infotainment screen, a digital cockpit, HUD, multi-zone climate control, wireless charging pad, headlight washers, ambient lighting, powered front seats with memory function, 10 airbags, comprehensive ADAS suite with adaptive cruise control and lane assist, 11-speaker CANTON sound system with 675W output and ample room for adults of varied sizes.
Track Drive Experience
Skoda India organised a track drive for Octavia RS at Buddh International Circuit where we drove it over the racetrack and then there were curated experiences to test out the car’s brakes handling and overall dynamics. Sadly, we only had a short spin in the Octavia RS on the race track and on these curated experience zones and couldn’t drive it on public roads.
Octavia RS is powered by an up-tuned version of its staple 2.0L TSI Turbo Petrol engine. Here, this This 4-cylinder Turbo Petrol engine is tuned to generate around 262 bhp of peak power and 370 Nm of peak torque. All this torque comes up early in the rev range between 1600 RPM and 4500 RPM. The engine is mated to a quick-shifting 7-speed DSG gearbox.
Skoda Octavia RS is capable of sprinting from 0 to 100 km/h in just 6.4 seconds. Unleashed, it can cover speeds as high as 250 km/h. You can feel this performance with the first dab on the throttle. Octavia RS feels light on its feet and is eager to propel itself. Media were not allowed to do 0-100 km/h acceleration runs with Skoda Octavia RS, but the car feels like it can do 0-100 km/h in the claimed 6.4 seconds.
VW Golf GTI is slightly quicker as it claims a 0-100 km/h run in 5.9 seconds from the same engine in the exact state of tune. That’s because it is a smaller vehicle with less weight to lug around. Before getting into the Octavia RS, I had a pre-conceived notion that it won’t be very agile owing to its long length and associated weight along with its FWD architecture. However, all of these concerns started to fade away once we started to move.
Sporty Drive
Despite its length, Skoda Octavia RS dives into a corner with enthusiasm and then exits that corner with immense precision. It does not feel like hitting a bulls-eye with an axe. It feels properly dart-y. Steering response was almost direct as it gets a progressive steering as part of the RS package. Sports suspension ensures the car behaves well and gives less surprises to drivers. This includes the new multi-link rear independent suspension that keeps things tidy around the corner.
The tyres were sticky and didn’t squeal a lot when pushed harder around corners. A sporty car is as fast as its brakes allow it to be. Octavia RS’s brakes are quite commendable, but they could have had a little more bite. Like, they’re adequate for a sporty drive, but not to push the limits. Looking at how capable this chassis is, I couldn’t stop wondering how much better an AWD setup might be with Octavia RS. Maybe the next gen model, eh?
Conclusion
There’s no point in concluding the 2025 Skoda Octavia RS because it is already sold out. Even if the company brings in a second batch in 2026, it will be sold out or spoken for in a matter of minutes. Octavia RS looks like it is impervious to whatever feedback it gets in India owing to its massive popularity and gargantuan sales potential.
The only gripe I had with Skoda Octavia RS other than its brakes, is with its exhaust. It sounds okay-ish and nothing exciting. It is louder than standard Octavia and feels quite refined. Would have loved it if Octavia RS was louder and snarlier along with packing pops and bangs to cater to my inner child. That is because rival brands have done it with a 2.0L 4-cylinder Petrol engines. Maybe for the next generation model.
