Skoda

Skoda is mostly associated with affordable and sensible vehicles for pragmatic people. However, that doesn’t mean all of them are boring. In fact, the Octavia RS has always been based on the VW Golf GTI and is something of a sleeper. The story of this particular one started 10 years ago, on August 19th, 2011, when it set a speed record. The humble Skoda was dubbed the Bonneville Special and after serious modifications, it went to the Bonneville salt flats in Utah and managed a 227.080 mph (365 km/h).

The Volkswagen Golf GTI is considered the forefather of the hot hatch segment. The first Golf GTI was introduced in June 1976 and has been going strong ever since. Nowadays, the Golf GTI is in its eighth generation and is still one of the best all-around performers in the segment. It’s also sold both in Europe and North America, which is not something that can be said for all the cars on the list. With that being said, the modern hot hatch scene is as dynamic as ever and many new contenders for the best hot hatch title. Here are some of the best alternatives that aim to de-throne the GTI.

Skoda has long been the popular brand choice for pragmatic people who want a comfortable and practical commuter. The Octavia makes the backbone of the lineup and is one of its most popular models. The Octavia has always been about getting a lot of a car at an affordable price. But with new cars having more and more tech on board, cars are gradually rising up in value. This begs the question, can the best-seller of the Czech brand still be at the top of its game?

The Skoda Vision IN Concept is a big deal for the Czech automaker. Not only does it serve as the precursor to a production model that’ll largely be offered in India and other international markets, but it’s also being prepared to challenge several established models in those markets, including the Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos.

The Vision IN Concept is the first step to doing that, and for what it’s worth, the Czech automaker is making a good first impression with its new crossover. The Vision IN Concept will eventually translate into a production model, called Kushaq.

After a long wait, the Skoda Enyaq iV is finally here. The company has revealed its first all-electric SUV. The Enyaq draws inspiration from the Skoda Vision iV concept. The latter had an SUV-Coupe like body style, but the Enyaq will be a traditional SUV. It is also the company’s first vehicle that’s underpinned by Volkswagen’s MEB architecture. Everything on the Enyaq iV seems top-notch in terms of quality and design. In fact, the electric SUV also holds the record for being the most powerful Skoda ever built! Although it seems very impressive as of now, will it be able to draw volumes for the Czech automaker?

Once a company that built a handful of compact cars, Skoda has recently expanded to include a midsize sedan, and since 2016 it entered the SUV market with no fewer than three models. Come 2020, and Skoda is taking yet another step toward new heights with the Enyaq iV, an all-electric crossover. Although this isn’t Skoda’s first EV, being preceded by the tiny Citigo iV, the Enyaq iV is the company’s first vehicle built on the Volkswagen Group’s MEB platform, which is dedicated exclusively to zero-emission models. The Enyaq iV is essentially Skoda’s own variant of the upcoming Volkswagen ID.4.

Skoda’s current vehicle lineup includes three hatchbacks, two sedans, and three SUVs. It’s far from spectacular, but that’s what Skoda has been about (mostly) since its inception more than 100 years ago.

But the Czech automaker just rolled out a concept that proves it can design dynamic and emotive two-door cars. It’s called the Slavia and it’s an exciting roadster version of the Scala hatchback.

Skoda is working hard on keeping its best-selling moniker, the Octavia, tip-top. The car received a new-gen model last year, and a few months back, the automaker introduced the vRS version as well.

Now, Skoda has revealed the new Octavia Scout ahead of its launch slated in July. The wagon features a few aesthetic changes and looks a little more off-road friendly than the outgoing model. The Scout is based on the latest generation of the Octavia Combi (read wagon) and is longer and wider than its predecessor. It also sits higher off the ground.

Skoda has officially teased the Enyaq electric SUV. Although we can’t deduce all the details since the SUV is covered in camo skin, Skoda has been generous in giving details regarding its dimensions, battery pack, and so on. The Enyaq also marks the return of a rear-wheel-drive vehicle in Skoda’s portfolio after almost three decades. Will it be a paradigm-shifting vehicle for the automaker?

The 2020 Skoda Octavia vRS is the high-performance version of the fourth-generation liftback sedan. Available in both sedan and wagon body styles, the 2020 Octavia vRS boasts the sportier, more angular design of the latest Octavia, but the really big news is that it features a hybrid drivetrain. This isn’t surprising given that it shares underpinnings with the latest Volkswagen Golf,, but it’s the first vRS model to sport a form of electrification. The 2020 Octavia vRS iV is the first performance Skoda model with a plug-in hybrid drivetrain. It also joins other electrified Octavia models like two mild hybrids and a less powerful plug-in. Let’s find out more about this performance four-door in the review below.

While all eyes are set on the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show, Skoda announced a brand-new crossover called the Kamiq GT. Previewed by a couple of renderings, the Kamiq GT draws styling cues from the Vision GT concept car. It’s obviously based on the already familiar Kamiq, with the main modification being a coupe-style roof. The Kamiq GT joins the Kodiaq GT, a coupe version of Skoda’s midsize SUV. And just like the Kodiaq GT, the Kamiq GT will be sold only in China.

Coming up with visually-enhancing packages based on a carmaker’s moment of glory that occurred throughout its history is far from uncommon these days. Let’s take a look at Skoda, for example, which as of 2011, has been using the so-called Monte Carlo branding to spice up the looks and comfort for some of its cars.

The latest model to be awarded with the Monte Carlo trim level is Skoda’s Scala. The imbued version was introduced at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show and we are here to tell you what’s so special about it and how Skoda concocted the Monte Carlo trim level in the first place, as well as its motorsport roots. Because, believe it or not, Skoda’s way more tied to rallying than you might think. Read on…

The Toyota Camry is available in Europe for the first time in decades, sold as a luxury sedan that undercuts the usual luxury sedan suspects on price. The model is a firm favorite not only in America, but also in Russia, yet it has not been available for European buyers who where offered the Avensis sedan instead.

Now that the Avensis was phased out in mid-2018, there is space in Toyota’s Euro range for a large-ish sedan and the global Camry seems like a perfect fit. It is bigger and more expensive than the Avensis, though, and it will not really face off against the Ford Mondeos and VW Passats, but instead a different car that’s very similar to it in terms of formula: the very talented and much loved Skoda Superb, a car that offers the space of a limousine and almost limo-like levels of luxury for a fraction of what an equivalent premium car of the same size would cost.

The Superb is definitely the Camry’s biggest European rival, and once buyers do get accustomed to the Camry being available, these two models will undeniably be cross-shopped. The only problem is the Camry is only sold as a hybrid in Europe and it can’t really compete with the strong powertrain lineup of the Superb - the big Czech sedan even gained a plug-in hybrid version along with the recent mid lifecycle refresh.