Coinciding with the unveiling of the Kodiaq RS, the new Skoda Vision RS concept is a sharp five-door hatchback serving a taste of things to come in the compact car segment. Essentially, this is an early look at the Rapid successor, with the future model set to evolve into a proper, more refined compact hatch to compete with the Volkswagen Golf and the Ford Focus. With this concept previewing a potential RS version, it has been designed to give us an idea of what to expect in terms of a GTI and ST rival.
Looking a million times more exciting than the Rapid / Rapid Spaceback on sale today, the Vision RS embraces a much more stylish design language that hopefully will rub off onto the production models. The vehicle is 4356 millimeters long, 1431 mm tall, 1810 mm wide, and with a wheelbase measuring 2650 mm. That makes it longer, lower, and much wider than the Rapid Spaceback, and we're expecting similar proportions for the regular production version coming next year. With a cargo capacity of 430 liters, it offers an extra 15 liters over the Rapid Spaceback.
Aside from featuring a promising design inside and out, the Vision RS also catches the attention thanks to its hybrid powertrain combining a 1.5-liter TSI gasoline engine with an electric motor. It has a combined output of 241 hp (180 kilowatts) good enough for a sprint from 0 to 62 mph (100 kph) in a decent 7.1 seconds before maxing out at 130 mph (210 kph). It needs 8.9 seconds to complete the 50-75 mph (80-120 kph) task.
Using a 13-kWh lithium-ion battery pack that can be fully recharged in two and a half hours, the concept has an all-electric range of 43 miles (70 km). Being a hybrid, it means the Skoda Vision RS manages to remain quite frugal and emits just 33 g/km of CO2 to provide the best of both worlds – performance and efficiency.
Skoda will have the Vision RS and the Kodiaq RS on display starting tomorrow at the Paris Motor Show where the two will share the spotlight with the Octavia G-TEC and the Karoq Scout and Karoq Sportline.
