2020 Skoda Octavia vs 2021

What's the difference?

As sedans fall out of favour with the Australian populace, Skoda’s Octavia occupies an increasingly secure niche.

The Octavia does what Skoda has always been best at: finding a niche which its parent company, VW doesn’t quite fill, and presenting a quirky option for customers looking for something a little unusual.

According to Skoda, demand was such for sporty Octavias, that it had to introduce a permanent Sport variant for those who want some of the look and feel of its go-fast RS range without the larger price tag.

A niche car for a niche audience, then. Does the Octavia Sport deliver where others don’t? We took one for a week to find out.

The Skoda Octavia RS has built as strong a reputation among ‘those in the know’ as many entire car brands wish they could forge with customers.

And when an all-new version of the Skoda Octavia RS comes along, you can bet there’ll be an influx of existing customers weighing up whether they should hang on to their old car, or trade-in for the new one.

I can conclusively say to those buyers - and any potential new customers in the market for a sporty sedan or wagon that boasts European engineering and styling, huge amounts of tech, and a fun and fast drive experience - that you should buy one of these. Read on to find out why I think this is one of the best new cars of 2021.

Oh, and for the record, we know that in Europe it’s called the vRS, and the badges here say vRS, but Aussies consider the ‘v’ silent. Why? Nobody knows.