Skoda Octavia. £12-£15 budget

Hello, 

Starting my graduate job soon and I want to upgrade from my Nov 2014 Corsa which was given to me after the passing of my stepfather. It has done its job but now I am wanting something more exciting, sporty and reliable. I am going to be working for a different car manufacturer which has its own employee discount but I don't think currently it is worth it. I have always liked a skoda and recently I have been looking at Octavia VRS but I am not sure which ones I should be looking at? My budget is between £12-£15k but I can increase it a bit if needed. I have also heard about the Octavia SE L but my one issue with it is (tell me if I am wrong) is that it looks exactly the same to a bog standard octavia? 

If you have any recommendations for anything that you think suits me please let me know and I would greatly appreciate any tips/tricks. 

I am open to diesel and petrol as well. 

Cheers!