While Mercedes were widely praised for the W212 facelift costing a billion euros, the exact opposite happened when Skoda revealed the 2017 Octavia facelift with dual headlights.
It looks like cosmetic surgery gone wrong, with features that only a mother could love. Not since the Bentley EXP 9 F have we seen such a severe reaction. Still, the Octavia facelift is here to stay and will become available soon.
But Skoda only revealed a small part of the range, and we are still waiting to see what the popular Octavia RS looks like. Until the reveal happens, we can admire the rendering work of X-Tomi Design. It's not his fault the car came out looking ugly, but the big wheels and blue metallic paint draw your eyes away from the horrible headlights.
The real thing won't necessarily look like this, but it should be pretty close. We'd argue that the 2009 facelift of the previous Octavia RS was a lot more successful, but there's no point.
Instead, let's just focus on the engineering side. We know that the maximum power output of the regular Octavia is 184, so the RS 2.0 TDI will stay the same. However, it's likely to use a 7-speed DSG on both the FWD and 4x4 versions.
As for the TSI version that runs on gasoline, German media says the output will stay the same at 220/230 PS. This seems consistent with what happened during the previous facelift.
Overall, Volkswagen is keeping Skoda away from all the best tech. However, the RS still has access to adaptive dampers and a brand new 9.2-inch infotainment screen. Considering how loyal Octavia RS fans have been, we kind of expected more. But I guess the trick is to balance the good features with an affordable price.
The joke around the net is that Skoda intentionally made the Octavia much uglier to increase sales of the profitable Kodiaq. But it's not like the sedan was as faultless as people said it was before, with flaws including tiny screens and the lack of independent rear suspension almost across the range.
But Skoda only revealed a small part of the range, and we are still waiting to see what the popular Octavia RS looks like. Until the reveal happens, we can admire the rendering work of X-Tomi Design. It's not his fault the car came out looking ugly, but the big wheels and blue metallic paint draw your eyes away from the horrible headlights.
The real thing won't necessarily look like this, but it should be pretty close. We'd argue that the 2009 facelift of the previous Octavia RS was a lot more successful, but there's no point.
Instead, let's just focus on the engineering side. We know that the maximum power output of the regular Octavia is 184, so the RS 2.0 TDI will stay the same. However, it's likely to use a 7-speed DSG on both the FWD and 4x4 versions.
As for the TSI version that runs on gasoline, German media says the output will stay the same at 220/230 PS. This seems consistent with what happened during the previous facelift.
Overall, Volkswagen is keeping Skoda away from all the best tech. However, the RS still has access to adaptive dampers and a brand new 9.2-inch infotainment screen. Considering how loyal Octavia RS fans have been, we kind of expected more. But I guess the trick is to balance the good features with an affordable price.
The joke around the net is that Skoda intentionally made the Octavia much uglier to increase sales of the profitable Kodiaq. But it's not like the sedan was as faultless as people said it was before, with flaws including tiny screens and the lack of independent rear suspension almost across the range.