First look: Skoda shows upgraded Octavia RS, Scout

SKODA Group Australia (SGA) launched the facelifted version of its volume-selling Octavia liftback and wagon range this month with a reduced $26,990 starting price, and now it has revealed similarly upgraded iterations of the piping-hot RS and crossover Scout variants.

Due to be launched globally in May ahead of their Australian release in the third quarter of this year, the revised Octavia RS and Scout receive the same new corporate family face as their mainstream stablemates – plus a host of running changes.

The performance flagship RS, badged as the vRS is Europe, receives the garden-variety Octavia’s less polarising new front-end design, including more stylised headlights (now with the option of Xenon globes and Skoda’s adaptive front lighting system), a redesigned front bumper, grille and front quarter panels.

The Octavia RS range also scores new tail-lights, lower (127mm) sports suspension, new foglights with an optional cornering function and daytime LED running lights, plus optional 18-inch ‘Neptune’ alloy wheels and a new metallic paint dubbed ‘Anthracite’.

Interestingly, Skoda says the 2009 Octavia’s more aerodynamic shape, plus weight reductions of 20kg for the petrol version and 15kg for the diesel, make both freshened RS variants quicker, more responsive and faster, although precise acceleration and top speed figures are not yet available.



From top: Skoda Octavia Scout Octavia RS Hatch Octavia RS Wagon.

The Octavia RS continues to be available in two body styles with two (Euro V emissions-compliant) engines – the 147kW petrol 2.0 TSI and 125kW diesel 2.0 TDI – mated to both six-speed manual and twin-clutch automated manual DSG transmissions.

The Octavia RS TDI diesel has been on sale in Australia since November last year, while the Octavia RS TSI petrol became available with a DSG auto from March. The Octavia RS range is currently priced from $37,690.

Skoda Auto says it has sold more than 60,000 examples of the Octavia RS globally since 2000 – 70 per cent of which were the wagon version.

Meantime, the Octavia Scout has also been fitted with the same cosmetic upgrades as the rest of the Octavia range.

Launched here in September 2008 – almost 12 months after the Volkswagen-owned Czech brand was reintroduced to Australia in October 2007 via the Octavia and Roomster – the Scout is touted as the flagship of the Octavia line-up worldwide, where more than 22,000 have been sold since 2007.

Now featuring a redesigned grille, front bumper, headlights, body-coloured side mouldings and foglights, which can also be optioned with a cornering function, the 2010 Octavia Scout also gain a new metallic paint option: ‘Rosso Brunello’.

The Scout will continue to be available in Europe with (Euro V) 1.8 TSI petrol and (Euro IV) 2.0 TDI diesel engines, though only the latter is likely to continue to be available in Australia, mated exclusively to a six-speed manual transmission. Skoda Australia’s compact SUV is currently priced at $39,990.

There are no changes to the Octavia Scout soft-roader’s tallish 179mm ride height, extra chassis protection or all-wheel drive system that comprises Volkswagen’s fourth-generation Haldex clutch, which can transfer as much as 86 per cent of engine torque to a single wheel.

Before the revised Octavia Scout and RS models arrive in the second half of this year, SGA will release the second-generation Superb large liftback, pricing for which has been announced from $42,990.

While the Australian future of Skoda’s small Fabia hatchback remains unclear, the Eastern European brand’s small Yeti crossover is likely to be Skoda’s next major model release locally.

Read more:

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Official: Octavia RS to headline Skoda return

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