Skoda launches Octavia Combi RS and Kodiaq RS in Singapore

SINGAPORE - Two reasonably niche but very welcome cars have just arrived in Singapore. Making good on the promise that was made during the launch of the Octavia RS earlier this year, Skoda Singapore has now officially begun sale of the Octavia Combi RS here.

It is being launched alongside another interesting car, the facelifted Skoda Kodiaq seven-seat SUV, now available in Singapore in RS form as well. It is the first time in history that an RS performance version of the Kodiaq is officially available here.

Priced at $226,900 with COE, the Octavia Combi RS is essentially the go-faster version of the Octavia Combi, and is mechanically identical to the liftback Octavia RS. 

The Kodiaq RS meanwhile, kicks off with a price tag of $285,900 with COE. On paper, it’s a remarkably capable piece of machinery with a 245 horsepower, 2.0-litre turbo four cylinder engine, seven seats, and genuine off-road 4X4 capability. 

Meanwhile the base model Kodiaq facelift, with a 1.5-litre, 147hp turbo petrol engine, is priced from $199,900 with COE. The Kodiaq Sportline with uprated standard equipment goes for $215,900 with COE, and the top-spec Laurin & Klement trim variant, with a 2.0-litre, 188hp turbo engine, has a $245,900 with COE price tag.

Other seven-seat SUVs that you can presently buy in Singapore include the Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento. Ascending the luxury car ladder you would find the Mercedes-Benz GLB 200, Volvo XC90 PHEV, and even the Audi SQ7. The Skoda Kodiaq RS however, is quite special for this class because of its combination of sporty handling, power, size, and price.

The 2022 updated base model Skoda Kodiaq

Skoda Kodiaq RS: First impressions

First thing to get out of the way is that the Kodiaq RS is a quick and reasonably nimble large SUV, but it’s not an all-out sports SUV that something like a Porsche Cayenne Coupe is. 

The engine is identical to that in the Octavia RS and the extended family member, the Volkswagen Golf GTI. Basic numbers are 245hp, 370Nm, a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, and adaptive all-wheel drive with a dedicated off road setting. The 0 to 100km/h dash is accomplished in 6.6 seconds, and fuel economy is rated at 7.5l/100km.

We were given an in-depth, pre-launch preview of the car with a two-day drive from Singapore to Kuantan on Malaysia’s east coast, and its performance credentials are very much on-point. It’s a very stable car at high speed. The boxy shape hides the fact that it is a very aerodynamically efficient car, with very little wind noise even while it is ripping down back roads at full chat. 

The adaptive suspension really gives the car a properly planted stance through all sorts of corners, though the sports exhaust resonator is probably best turned off. The raspy, bassy drone may be fun in short bursts but soon becomes a mild annoyance.

Like most other large SUVs, seven-seat capability comes with a foldable third row of seats that open up from the boot floor. Legroom is managed with a sliding second row. It’s a reasonably big car so getting seated comfortably isn’t as big of a deal as in a smaller car, but there are no aircon vents in the third row.

It’s undeniably quick in a straight line and carves lines through corners with good precision, and despite its size and having ‘only’ 245 horsepower, which isn’t much by 2022 performance SUV standards, it punches pretty hard. 

The exterior gets plenty of now-trending black bits, noticeably around the window frames and front intake grille, which is also of a different design from the 2021 Kodiaq because this is actually a mid-life model facelift.

The wheels feature unique covers between the spokes for better aerodynamic efficiency. While the car has all the drivetrain setup that makes it quite a capable offroader, the low profile road tyres and fancy wheels will put an end to that idea until you switch them out.

First impressions of the Skoda Octavia Combi RS

This car is exactly what you would expect it to be, essentially the sporty, more powerful version of the Octavia Combi. It’s not just a more powerful engine though, as like in the Octavia RS liftback, the entire suspension and drivetrain has been uprated for a sportier drive. 

The overall driving impression is very similar to the Octavia RS liftback, but the wagon actually has better aerodynamic efficiency which can actually be discerned, with slightly less wind noise at Malaysian highway speeds. On the slower Singaporean roads however it’s hard to hear it.

The long-serving Volkswagen Group’s 2.0-litre turbo engine turns up no surprises and is as punchy as ever, though with cars like the Renault Megane RS already putting out 280hp from a 1.8-litre turbo four cylinder, one wonders if Skoda and VW do need to turn it up a bit more.

Interestingly, the Octavia Combi RS is a tiny bit slower to 100km/h compared to the Kodiaq RS, despite its size and weight advantage. Its official time is 6.7 seconds, just 0.1 seconds down from the larger SUV. It’s almost entirely down to the fact that the Octavia is front wheel driven while the Kodiaq RS has all-wheel drive that allows it to put the power down to the road more effectively. 

It’s a niche product and Skoda Singapore knows it. Yet as previous generations of Octavia RS cars have shown, there is a steady but small group of car owners that will put money down for a quick wagon that isn’t from a luxury continental brand, and the Skoda fills this niche nicely.

Perhaps the only big minus point is that none of the Skoda RS cars here have any kind of mild hybrid ability. We know from experience that current mild hybrid drivetrains really do next to nothing for real-world fuel economy, but it’s a step towards better efficiency as the systems evolve to feature more strongly alongside electric vehicles.

This article was first published in CarBuyer.