Skoda Octavia RS245 to start from $43,390 BOCs

SKODA Australia has announced pricing for its permanent Octavia RS245 line-up on sale this month, with the Czech car-maker's quickest model yet to kick off from $43,390 before on-road costs.

Commanding a $4500 premium over its petrol-powered RS siblings, the four-variant RS245 range consists of sedan and wagon body styles with either a six-speed manual gearbox or a seven-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Its predecessor, the RS230, was limited to 70 units locally and could only be had in manual form, costing $41,490 as a sedan and $43,190 in wagon guise when it was released in November last year.

Comparatively, the RS245 equivalents are $1900 and $1700 dearer, while the DSG option adds a further $2500 to the pricetags.

Powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine, the front-wheel-drive RS245 produces 180kW of power and 370Nm of torque from 1600rpm to 4300rpm, an 11kW/20Nm improvement over the RS230.

Sprinting from standstill to 100km/h in 6.6 seconds, the RS245 sedan outguns the four-door RS230 by 0.1s, while the RS245 wagon completes the triple-digit dash in 6.7s. Top speed is 250km/h for both body styles.

All RS245s come equipped with an electronically controlled limited-slip differential that provides more traction and stability when cornering at high speed.

Equipment levels further extend to leather and Alcantara upholstery, electrically adjustable front seats with driver's memory function, and auto-folding and -dimming side mirrors with puddle lighting.

Visually, black 19-inch Xtreme alloy wheels, black exhaust tailpipes, and an RS-branded instrument cluster and door inserts distinguish the RS245 from the less-powerful RS.

There are four exterior paint colours to choose from, Corrida Red, Steel Grey, Moon White metallic or Black Magic pearl, with the latter two attracting a $500 cost.

Two options packages are available, with the Tech Pack and Luxury Pack costing $2300 and $1500 respectively.

The Tech Pack adds park assist, adaptive chassis control, keyless entry, an alarm, manoeuvre braking assist and a 10-speaker Canton sound system.

Meanwhile, the Luxury Pack includes lane keeping assist, blind-spot monitoring, lane departure warning, and heated front and rear seats.

The options list also includes a glass sunroof for sedans ($1500), as well as a panoramic sunroof ($1700) and an automatic tailgate ($500) for wagons.

According to Skoda Australia director Michael Irmer, the RS245 is another example of the brand's dedication to products that offer more bang for your buck.

"Skoda has always stood for getting more car for your money, which is easily observed in the new Octavia range. With this new, high-performance Octavia RS245, Australian fans will not just see 'more car', they're going to feel it too," he said.

Octavia sales have held steady this year, with 1166 units sold to the end of August, representing a 0.2 per cent increase over the 1164 sales the model achieved during the same period in 2016.

2017 Skoda Octavia RS245 pricing*

Sedan	$43,390
Sedan (a)	$45,890
Wagon	$44,890
Wagon (a)	$47,390

*Excludes on-road costs