India, July 3 -- Skoda's India story began with the Octavia. When it arrived in 2001, it redefined what a "premium" sedan could mean in India, giving the Czech brand an air of understated luxury. Across four generations, the hottest version has always worn an RS badge, except, oddly, the last one. The fourth-gen Octavia, sold here between 2021 and 2023, skipped the RS entirely. The new Octy RS, launched late last year, fixes that omission, but with a twist. It is now the only Octavia variant on sale.

Built on the 2024 facelift, the RS is easy to spot. It has a blacked-out grille with the RS badge front and centre and a more aggressive bumper. Its sport suspension drops ride height by 15mm for a hunkered stance (though the resulting 128mm...