It's classic facelifting, really. The Skoda Octavia range got a front end that made it look more like the distinctly smarter
Superb at the end of last year, but for some reason Skoda held back on doing the same thing to the vRS and the Scout versions.
Well, now it's done it. And now we're telling you about it. Which means you're thinking about it again. Job done.
The rhinoplasty isn't an exact replica of the Superb's nose, obviously, but it does imbue the Octavia's face with more of bigger Skoda's flair than the outgoing conk did. Let's deal with the vRS first: it gets adaptive headlights as an option with Xenons for the first time and guess what else the headlamps get? Well done! Along with those new daytime running lights it gets front fog lamps that corner too, if you pay extra for them. The rear lights are tweaked as well, and there's a new set of size 18 shoes.
More importantly, it's slightly lighter than the
pre-facelift car, which is an unusually enthusiastic thing to do for a midlife tweak, and means it has a slightly higher top speed and is a touch quicker accelerating. It gets retuned, lowered suspension too. The same 200bhp 2.0-litre turbo TSI unit powers the petrol version, capable of 37.7mpg economy, and the 49.6mpg 170bhp turbodiesel remains, both available with DSG.
Then there's the Scout - always a worthy choice for those bang into plastic panelling - which also looks a little more dynamic. And it gets an 'advanced lighting skills' badge to stitch to its upholstery, because it too gets the active cornering lights as an option, useful for looking around trees and things in the rugged Scout's natural off-piste environment. The two available engines remain: a 1.8-litre TSI petrol with 160bhp and a 2.0-litre TDI with 140bhp.
Mark Nichol - 21 Apr 2009