Skoda started making performance versions of some of its models many years ago, but the new generation of Skoda cars, those made after the VW acquisition, had their first performance model back in 2001. It was just the beginning for the Czech brand, which made a variety of vRS models, as they're called in the UK (RS elsewhere).
Today, Skoda no longer makes as many vRS versions of its models as it did one day, but it did have a diverse range of cars with performance badges on them at the time. Skoda not only offered turbocharged gasoline engines in the performance versions of its models, but had a few diesel-engined vRS cars as well.
The latter never did match up with the weight of their gasoline-powered siblings, but they could throw a punch in the name of sport if it was demanded of them.
Depending on personal preference, as well as budget, there are people who like some vRS cars models more than others. While some stick to the TDI versions as if there is no alternative, others prefer the turbocharged gasoline engines instead.
Now, Skoda has a few years on the market since it started offering 4×4 for some of its vRS cars, as well as the possibility of having some of them with a choice between a manual or an automatic gearbox. Today, Skoda even has performance-badged electric vehicles, so it has managed to cover most of the possible niches in the segment.
A few Skoda models were not transformed into vRS cars, and it looks like they will never be such conversions in the future, except when the entire range will be electric. Once that happens and most of the platforms will have the same basis and the same engines available, it will be a matter of discovering if there is a market for a certain kind of sporty Skoda that is also an EV.
The folks at carwow managed to get all the modern Skoda vRS cars from the manufacturer's fleet and placed them in a special drag race. This way was determined to be the best at finding out which is fastest in a straight line, and what model can beat the others from a rolling start, as well.
Starting at 50 mph (80 kph) in third gear (where available), things get a bit trickier than a standing start, in a way, because the launch does not matter anymore, but it is all a matter of torque, gearbox ratios, final drives, and so on. There is also the human element for reactions, shifting times – where necessary, and things get difficult to guess.
Before you watch the video below, ask yourself if the most powerful, yet heaviest car in there has a shot at the least powerful and the lightest in the lineup. Or is the difference in torque in favor of the heavy car with plenty of twist? Does lightness overcome all obstacles? Well, you will find out soon enough.
Also, we get to see which is the best at braking from 100 mph (ca. 160 kph), which is a test where weight matters, but so do other factors such as the size of the brakes, their technology, the tires being used, the rolling surface, and so on. It is a tricky matter, as well, and some results might have been different if a timed lap was considered.
Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver). In over fourteen years, he got behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles and in the offices of the most important car publications in his homeland. Full profile
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