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2018 Skoda Octavia RS 245 Unleashed With Challenge Plus Package

The Octavia, now in its third generation, is more than just a reskinned Volkswagen Golf with a large trunk. It’s the perfect car for the go-faster treatment, with Skoda deciding to further up the ante with the Challenge Plus at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show.
Skoda Octavia RS 245 9 photos
Photo: Skoda
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As a package developed to make the Octavia RS 245 look better than it already does, the Challenge Plus benefits from an assortment of exclusive exterior and interior design elements. Skoda didn’t go into detail about what those elements are, and on top of that, the automaker didn’t release any pics of the newcomer.

What we do know, however, is that “from summer 2018, the sporty top-of-the-range variant of the bestseller will feature a 180-kW (245-PS) TSI engine.” The 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbocharged plant will be teamed with an electronically controlled limited-slip differential of the VAQ type, also known as Vorderachsquersperre.

Essentially a front-axle transverse differential lock, the system is designed to overcome traction disadvantages of front-wheel-drive vehicles. A multi-plate unit is responsible for the locking, with the drive torque capable of being sent to one wheel in the most extreme of situations. Of course, torque vectoring is also featured.

Even with the Challenge Plus package, the Octavia RS still has more to offer. Take the 2018 Skoda Superb for instance, which will gain a 200-kW (272-PS) version of the 2.0-liter TSI coupled to the seven-speed DSG transmission at the 88th Geneva Motor Show.

Last, but certainly not least, the Swiss get-together will see the Octavia, Superb, and Kodiaq receive a piece of equipment that debuted on the Karoq. That would be the all-digital instrument cluster that Audi calls virtual cockpit. The 12.3-inch configurable system has a resolution of resolution of 1,440 by 540 pixels and can display almost every piece of information one could wish for.

Also in Geneva, the facelifted Fabia will take center stage with a revised engine lineup.
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Editor's note: Skoda Octavia RS 245 pictured.

About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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