Skoda Octavia RS Gasoline Model Has 241 HP, Diesel Packs 197 HP

4 years, 8 months ago - 20 February 2020, motor1

The gasoline model will have as much power as the already announced plug-in hybrid.

Skoda has officially announced the fourth-generation Octavia RS will receive its world premiere early next month at the Geneva Motor Show with a plug-in hybrid powertrain for the first time. While the Czech marque hasn't said a word about the conventionally powered models, we now know that both gasoline and diesel versions will follow shortly after the electrified "iV" version.

An internal marketing document from Skoda Austria has escaped onto the Internet via an unofficial Skoda News channel on Twitter to reveal the Octavia RS with a 2.0-liter TSI engine will offer 241 hp. If that sounds familiar, it's because the number is exactly the same as the combined output of the electrified variant and the previous-gen Octavia RS TSI. The gasoline-only model will be available with a choice between a standard six-speed manual or an optional seven-speed automatic transmission. Both two- and three-pedal models are programmed to go on sale towards the end of August.

The diesel-fueled model is listed as having a 2.0 TDI with 197 hp linked exclusively to the seven-speed DSG. Interestingly, there's no sign of an all-wheel-drive version, although we're hoping that will come at a later date. Meanwhile, the diesel Octavia RS is programmed to go on sale together with its gasoline sibling late August.

How do these numbers stack up against the new Golf GTI and GTD? If that leaked slideshow is to be believed, it reveals that the VW and Skoda models will once again have identical outputs. But while the Golf GTI will spawn a hotter 296-hp TCR version, we haven't heard anything about a beefier Octavia RS.

The document from Skoda Austria's marketing department reveals the hot plug-in hybrid variant will be the first to hit the market early June, hence the company's decision to only bring the PHEV model to Geneva next month. Joining the electrified model will be the entry-level 1.0 TSI model with 108 hp and a six-speed manual transmission, alongside a mild-hybrid version of the same three-pot hooked up to a seven-speed DSG. Also coming at the beginning of June will be the plug-in hybrid Octavia iV.

At the end of August, the RS models will hit the market together with an all-wheel-drive 2.0 TSI Octavia offering 197 hp and a seven-speed DSG, which in our books is the pick of the range. In addition, a thrifty Octavia with a 1.5-liter engine compatible with compressed natural gas (CNG) will offer 129 hp channeled to the road through a seven-speed DSG.

In the meantime, the Octavia RS iV will celebrate its world debut on March 3 at the Geneva Motor Show.