Currently in its third generation in the Indian market, the humble Skoda Octavia has been a rather good offering. This entry-level premium sedan has always punched way above its weight and has always kept its buyers happy. Not only has it has been in the garage of a number of executives and businessmen who are chauffeur driven around, in the RS guise, it also has and continues to find a special corner in the heart of the Indian car enthusiast. Delivering an optimum blend of power, sporty handling at a rather affordable price point, no wonder it was an instant hit. The fact that the latest model in this legendary line up, dubbed the RS 245, was sold out despite the world is facing such a crisis, stands as a testimony to its immense popularity.
However, the latest Czech powerhouse is only made available as a CBU this time around. While we would appreciate the well-built quality and finish of a CBU, the massive taxation applied on them would mean that at INR 36 Lakh(ex-showroom), the RS, has now reached a different price league. With such a price tag, its major competitor, the mighty BMW 3-series, now starting at INR 41.70 Lakh(ex-showroom), becomes too hard to ignore. While these two cars have had a massive gap in terms of pricing in the past, the difference now seems insignificant. Moreover, BMW dealers have been known to give a few additional discounts on the 330i, making the gap almost extinct. So which one should a petrolhead go for, the Simply Clever Skoda or the Thrilling 3-series?
With both cars being powered by a 2-litre turbocharged petrol motor, the Beemer manages to leash out 258 hp, compared to the 245 hp of the Skoda, emerging as a winner in the number wars but the RS 245 is not too far. Have a look at how close these two machines are on paper.
| Octavia VRS 245 | 330i | |
|---|---|---|
| Displacement | 1984 cc | 1998 cc |
| Peak Power | 258 hp @ 5,000 rpm | 245 @5,000 – 6,700 rpm |
| Peak torque | 400 Nm @ 1,550 – 4,400 rpm | 370 Nm @ 1,600 – 4,300 rpm |
| 0 – 100 kmph | 5.8 seconds | 6.6 seconds |
| Top Speed | 250 kmph | 250 kmph |
Moreover, with the ever-expanding tuning scene in India and the capabilities of both these wonderful power plants, the numbers can be changed by a rather huge margin with some minor hardware changes and coding. However, the components right ahead of the engine give both these cars very different characteristics, so much so, that the buying decision may boil down to these differences.
The Skoda uses a lightning-quick 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox to send power to the front wheels. The Beemer does things in a more enthusiastic way, by sending power to the rear wheels. While the ZF sourced 8-speed automatic gearbox of the 330i may not be as quick as the DSG, it can not be called slow by any means. It all boils down to the preference of the buyer. On the track, the DSG of the RS 245 would save quite a few precious microseconds while on the road, the rear-wheel-drive layout of the 330i would give you quite a few thrilling moments.
While we wait for the situation to normalise and be in a position to explore these cars to find out how they compare in the real world, it seems that the Indian car enthusiast right now has two paths to choose from, both of which would lead to a wonderful experience and some huge smiles behind the wheel, every time the cars hit the blacktop.
Author: Videh Vora
