Bling Bling

The day before I was set to drive the new RS version of the Laura here in India, I learned about Skoda’s recent milestone; the company had just crossed the 200mph (over 320kmph) barrier at the Bonneville Salt Flats with its special prepped-up Octavia RS (the Octavia is of course sold as the Laura in India). That RS had a 2-litre turbocharged petrol engine with 500bhp. Quite an achievement, it must be said.

The Indian RS version though gets a 1.8-litre, 160bhp turbocharged petrol engine. It’s the same engine that already powers the Laura petrol. But, has something been done to make it more of a fire breather? What about other changes – besides sportier looks does it also get sportier underpinnings? Read on to find out.

Outside, the vRS clearly looks much better than the unassuming Laura on sale in India. The exterior of the RS gets a complete body kit with a rear spoiler, lower profile tyres, day-time running LEDs and 16-inch dual-blade alloy wheels that look really nice.

Inside, it gets sporty seats, a three-spoke steering wheel, a touchscreen music system, sunroof, six-airbags and parking sensors. The dual-tone dashboard is a combination of black and brushed aluminium. The interior quality on the RS feels richer than the regular Laura too, and more homogenous as well.

The RS on sale in India though is a lot more down to earth, so to speak. After all, compared to the 200mph Octavia, this makes a pedestrian 160bhp from its 1.8-litre turbocharged petrol engine. Now don’t get us wrong; on a salt flat 160bhp in the Laura might feel... slow. But, on the road, especially in India, it sure is entertaining. With a 0-100kmph time of just over 8 seconds and a top speed over 200kmph, you’d win majority of the traffic light drag races as well as expressway runs. And with the power overwhelming the tyres and suspension at launch, you might just be fined for smoking (tyres) in a public place!

The six-speed manual gearbox on the Laura RS is slick too and with positive shifts that never fail you, doing lighting quick upshifts comes easy as well. We loved the positioning of the gear shifter as well; it falls nicely to hand and the armrest doesn’t get in the way either.

Sadly though, the guy in a normal Laura Ambinete petrol will be as fast and will create as much drama because there’s just no upgrade to the drivetrain on the RS. Everything is identical to the Laura petrol already on sale. Thankfully, the suspension has been stiffened a bit to add to the sportier feel, but to be completely honest, the difference isn’t much. Not that you won’t enjoy the car. It still handles wonderfully – body roll isn’t much, turn in is still sharp and precise and now thanks to wider, low profile tyres, the grip has improved too.

The Laura RS is essentially a sportier looking Laura TSI thanks to a body kit including side skirts, extended bumpers and a rear spoiler. But, it you are looking for a performance bump over the TSI with the RS, you’d be disappointed. What the RS version has done, nonetheless, is give the Laura TSI’s engine and performance potential, the set of clothes it deserved from the very start.