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 petrol 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-litre TSI engine will offer 241 bhp. 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 petrol-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-fuelled model is listed as having a 2.0 TDI with 197 bhp 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-bhp TCR version, we haven’t heard anything about a beefier Octavia RS.
Gallery: 2020 Skoda Octavia RS iV teasers
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 bhp 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.
Also coming is The jacked-up estate:
At the end of August, the RS models will hit the market together with an all-wheel-drive 2.0 TSI Octavia offering 197 bhp and a seven-speed DSG, which in our books is the pick of the range. In addition, a thrifty Octavia with a 1.5-litre engine compatible with compressed natural gas (CNG) will offer 129 bhp channelled 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.
Gallery: 2021 Skoda Octavia RS estate spy photos
Source: Skoda News / Twitter