To celebrate Britain's 20-year love affair with the Octavia vRS, Skoda has launched a UK-only variant called the Challenge. It's based on the most potent version currently available, so there's a 2.0-litre EA888 under the bonnet producing 245hp and 273lb ft of torque. Power's channelled through the front wheels via a VAQ 'diff' and the chassis also gets DCC damping and 19-inch wheels as standard.
The Challenge builds on this generous baseline further with the addition of black exterior trim and black vRS badges, while inside, there are electrically adjustable and heated Alcantara vRS seats and a leather-wrapped vRS steering wheel.
Skoda also sticks its top-spec satellite navigation with an eight-inch touchscreen display and integrated Wi-Fi into the Challenge, along with as its LED interior pack and keyless technology. You also get a colour trip computer and lap timer thrown into the deal.
Both the six-speed manual and seven-speed DSG gearboxes remain options with the Challenge, with the latter capable of sprinting the car from 0-62mph in 6.6 seconds - identical to the regular 245hp vRS DSG, obviously. We remember well how capable the vRS is, having run a pre-facelift one on the PH Fleet back in 2016. The latest model should, in theory, offer an even better mix of pace, comfort and practicality.
If you were to select the bits given to the Challenge as options on the regular car, the extras bill would come to £4,535. But at £30,085, the Challenge costs just £3,460 more than the model it's based on. Not a bad deal at all.
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