(Tue 21 Apr 09)

Yes, we know that Skoda facelifted the Octavia range as a whole last year, but that applied only to the more mainstream models. Skoda has now issued the first official images of the two remaining special-interest cars which are getting the same treatment a few months later.

Both the high-performance vRS and the Scout off-roader have had their front ends redesigned. The vRS is also lower than before, it's lighter (by 20kg for the petrol version and 15kg for the diesel) and it has lower air resistance, giving a slight improvement in performance. The front foglights optionally double as cornering lights, for the first time, and there are also LED lamps for daylight running.

The more powerful of the two available engines is the 198bhp 2.0 T FSI turbo petrol, and there's also a 168bhp 2.0 turbo diesel which gives 49.6mpg on the official combined cycles and emits 150g/km of CO2.

The Scout gets the same front-end treatment and new body-coloured side mouldings, and like the vRS it can be specified with cornering lights. The engine choice is here is between a 158bhp 1.8 turbo petrol and a 138bhp 2.0 turbo diesel.

Prices and UK on-sale dates have yet to be confirmed.

Skoda Gallery
Skoda Road Tests

Previous: Big Engine, Small Resale Value                     Next: Volkswagen Golf GTD Prices