11 Jan 06
Unless you've had your head stuck in a bucket of sand for the past few months you'll know that there's been a hot-hatch revival going on.
Volkswagen kicked it off with the latest Golf GTI, followed by Renault, Vauxhall and Ford with their own tyre-smoking turbocharged family wagons.
The trend looks to continue in 2006 with the arrival of the latest car to be sprinkled with the hot hatch fairy dust - the second-generation Skoda Octavia vRS.
On first impressions, the fairy dust has done little cosmetically to the conservative Octavia. The front bumper is a smidgen deeper; there are some natty 17" alloys and a rather hideous rear spoiler. Oh, and lest I forget, some green brake callipers... I can't help feeling that the old Octavia vRS looked a lot better with its chiselled styling and understated machismo. I guess we all get a bit more rounded as the years go on.
If the styling is a little too sensible, at least the engine's a proper hot-hatch powerplant - namely the 2.0-litre turbocharged FSi engine from the Golf GTI. Headline figures are 197bhp and 206lb-ft of torque.
