If you hail from the land of pickups and speedy rear-wheel drive family cars, you might be a bit confused when running into a Skoda Octavia.
That being said, you only need to look at some sales figures to realize that Australia loves itself some compact cars such as the Corolla, Mazda 3 or the VW Golf, and technically speaking, that’s exactly what the Octavia is, even in RS 230 Wagon guise.
Thanks to its punchy 2.0-liter turbocharged petrol engine, the Octavia RS 230 Wagon is able to put down 230 PS (227 HP) and 350 Nm (258 lb-ft) of torque, resulting in a 0-100 km/h (62 mph) sprint time of 6.8 seconds. It’s not as fast as some V8-powered saloons or estates Aussie drivers might be used to, but it will surely get the job done according to Car Advice founder Alborz Fallah.
He goes on to talk about its appearance, the interior, the practicality and of course performance – though he does argue against the RS 230’s manual transmission and its inhospitable clutch.
You can buy an Octavia RS 230 Wagon in Australia right now for $46,290 AUD, which is pretty much identical to what you’d need to spend on a Golf GTI. So in the end, it really comes down to the extra practicality you get with the Skoda, while sacrificing the Golf’s nimbler body.
Still, the way Fallah puts it, the Octavia RS 230 Wagon is a good alternative for people who just can’t wrap their heads around owning an SUV.