The Skoda Octavia needs no introduction. At 11 years old, I still remember sitting in the Mk1 and being awed by the plush interiors and the power with which the sedan pulled through. At around Rs 13 lakh for the base model, the pricing was aspirational. It was perhaps one of the first cars in India that defined aspirational before it became a buzzword and jargon for marketing pitch decks. And that stayed consistent through the three generations we’ve had on our shores. Sure, the Laura did dent its appeal a little, but the Mk3 more than redeemed it with the RS230 and RS245 trims.
Naturally, expectations were high from the Mk4. Right from the first teaser to the promo campaigns and even OOH ads set the tone just right. All 100 units allocated to India were sold out in 20 minutes. Heartbreak for the millions of petrolheads who’ve grown up admiring the legacy of the Octy? Sure. Envy for those whose neighbours got lucky enough to own one? More so.
With hopes and Delhi’s AQI significantly high, we set out for the Buddh Circuit to wring the MK4 Octavia RS for a few hot laps. And almost instantly, the car made it clear that this wasn’t some nostalgia-bait badge job. The 2.0-litre TSI doesn’t explode out of the blocks the way the RS245 did; instead, it builds momentum with a layered swell of torque. The new RS isn’t manic — it’s measured. A little more grown-up. But it still knows how to misbehave when you ask it to.
Point it into the first set of corners and the new chassis starts revealing its personality. There’s a firmness you expect, but not the bone-jarring sort. Body roll is minimal, turn-in is sharper than any stock Octavia has ever delivered, and the steering provides a lot of feedback. The car feels settled mid-corner, almost eager to hold a line even when you brake a touch later than you intended. But given that our test cars had already been put to the test around the BIC by fellow journalist, and the fact that this is a city car after all, the brakes provided just enough feedback to course correct. Even the gearbox behaved — sharp on downshifts, obedient on the way up, and never once doing that confused half-second pause the older DSGs loved to spring on you at the worst possible moment. You ease in, thinking you’re being gentle, and suddenly the back straight is shrinking faster than expected.
Out on the wider sweepers, the RS is still properly quick, but the way it communicates grip and weight now feels more usable than unhinged. The previous RS models often felt like they wanted a racetrack more than they wanted a commute. This one feels like it can balance both realities. You could drive it to work on a Monday and chase apexes on a Sunday, without either activity feeling like a compromise.
Inside, the cabin holds onto its European seriousness. Supportive seats, spot-on ergonomics, and just enough flair to remind you this isn’t a mundane family sedan. The space is still very Octavia — practical, squared-off, and genuinely usable. Crisp screens, intuitive menus, and thankfully, physical controls where they matter. Rear seat space remains usable, the boot is still cavernous, and everything feels screwed together in that old-school European way that earned the Octavia its cult status. No matter how hard the RS tries to be a hooligan at heart, it can’t hide the fact that it’s still a practical everyday performance car you can buy.
So where does that leave the MK4 RS in the Octavia timeline? Somewhere between nostalgia and evolution. It doesn’t chase the rawness of the RS230 or the sharp edge of the RS245. Instead, it delivers a performance car that knows when to thrill and when to calm down. It will annoy a small but vocal group of enthusiasts who wanted it to be angrier, louder, more unhinged. But for everyone else who grew up idolising that blue-and-black RS badge, this feels like the natural next chapter: still quick enough to get you into trouble, still practical enough to justify to your parents or partner, and still carrying that unmistakable Octavia attitude. And maybe that’s the point. In a market obsessed with SUVs and software, the RS quietly reminds us why a fast sedan with history still matters. It may not be the hero of the posters on your childhood wall, but on a clear lap at Buddh, it proves one thing: the Octavia RS still knows exactly how to make your pulse jump.
