Skoda announce Octavia RS pricing

Skoda has released pricing for its all-new, all-important Octavia RS, which will be cheaper than when the model was first launched in Australia seven years ago.

The RS model, which Skoda says will account for 30 percent of all Octavia sales, starts at $36,490 for the 2.0-litre petrol manual.

Adding a DSG dual-clutch gearbox pushes the price to $38,790, while the 2.0-litre TDI diesel with DSG starts at $39,790.

It's a competitive price point for the performance variant, which first launched in Australia in 2007 at $37,490.

Performance is up in the new model, with 162kW of power and 350Nm of torque from the 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine – up from 147kW/280Nm in the superseded RS.

If you prefer diesel grunt, the 2.0-litre turbo diesel variant churns out 135kW and 380Nm – up from the old diesel’s 125kW/350Nm.

Fuel economy is good, too, with official combined figures of 6.4L/100km for the petrol and 5.2L/100km for the diesel.

Skoda predicts that 70 percent of Octavia RS sales are expected to be wagons, while the take-up for manuals will be less than 10 percent.