I’ve seen two cars on Autotrader, both 2018 and the technical and details in the ads suggest one is 227 BHP and the other is 242. Both appear to be the facelift variant, based on the split front headlights.

Is there any other way of confirming the engine BHP apart from relying on the advert contents?

Thanks

https://www.evo.co.uk/skoda/octavia-vrs/19473/skoda-octavia-vrs-245-review-the-hottest-octavia-gets-hotter

The increase in engine performance is accompanied by some larger brakes, the discs now 340mm at the front and 310mm at the rear. The big stoppers mean the 245 has to come with larger wheels as standard and gets 19-inch black rims with machined details. To help identify the 245 over the regular Octavia vRS, and give it a smidgen of extra aggression, the car also gets a black grill, bumper trims and mirror caps.

As well as the power, the wheels, exhaust, brakes and black trim, the vRS 245 is equipped with the Volkswagen Group’s VAQ electronically limited slip differential. Unlike conventional LSDs, or even other e-diffs, the VAQ’s locking element sits outside of the diff cage. Instead, it's positioned to the right-hand side on the driveshaft.

Or you could put the registration numbers into an on-line BHP checker

Some more digging uncovers the 227 vrs was discontinued during MY2018 so all models got a 242bhp

https://www.autoevolution.com/news/2018-skoda-octavia-vrs-245-uk-pricing-and-details-announced-118814.html

So 227 registered in 2018 could be older models

AI

To keep it simple, the facelift production timeline looked like this:

• Early 2017 to Mid-2018: The standard vRS had 227 BHP [1]. The expensive "vRS 245" special edition had 242 BHP.

• Late 2018 to 2020: The 227 BHP engine was completely discontinued due to emissions laws. The 242 BHP engine became the only standard engine available.

Because of this timeline, a 2018 facelift on AutoTrader is highly likely to be a 227 BHP model if it was registered in the first half of the year.

14 minutes ago, Stonekeeper said:

https://www.evo.co.uk/skoda/octavia-vrs/19473/skoda-octavia-vrs-245-review-the-hottest-octavia-gets-hotter

The increase in engine performance is accompanied by some larger brakes, the discs now 340mm at the front and 310mm at the rear. The big stoppers mean the 245 has to come with larger wheels as standard and gets 19-inch black rims with machined details. To help identify the 245 over the regular Octavia vRS, and give it a smidgen of extra aggression, the car also gets a black grill, bumper trims and mirror caps.

As well as the power, the wheels, exhaust, brakes and black trim, the vRS 245 is equipped with the Volkswagen Group’s VAQ electronically limited slip differential. Unlike conventional LSDs, or even other e-diffs, the VAQ’s locking element sits outside of the diff cage. Instead, it's positioned to the right-hand side on the driveshaft.

Not true - all versions of the Mk3.5 vRS came with 18” Gemini wheels as standard. Both 230ps and 245ps variants also had 340mm front brakes - the difference is that the 245 has 310mm vented rear, rather than 272mm solid.

The easiest way to tell a 230 vs a 245 is to take a look at the rear brakes. The interior stitching on the 230 is also white, whereas the 245 is red - this is probably the most useful when looking at an advert.

You can also check the door sticker for the engine code. 230ps models will be CHHA or DKTA, whereas 245ps will be DLBA, DHGA or DKTB. The DKTA and DKTB variants are Euro 6 with the GPF.

You’ll find people claiming that the 245 has black exhaust tips - this isn’t true. They were, technically, meant to, but a lot of them didn’t.

The 230 was phased out around 2018, but build dates and dealer stock means some do exist with later registrations.

You want to get the 245. The extra power is irrelevant, along with the rear brakes - but you want it for the LSD and DQ381. Nothing wrong with the 250, but the 7-speed ratios are just that bit more friendly. The LSD, frankly, makes the car what it is. You’ll find that the prices are pretty much the same - whether it’s a 230, 245, 245 Challenge or whatever.

The base build spec of both cars was the same - that’s how my 2020 car has ACC, the digi dash and £600 worth of black paint on the spoiler, but manual folding mirrors and no heated seats.

If you want to do some research on the 230 versus the 245, you can compare the GTI to the GTI PP. It’s the same thing.

There are lots and lots of posts about this - just use the search function.

5 minutes ago, OccyVRS said:

The 230 was phased out around 2018, but build dates and dealer stock means some do exist with later registrations.

I am thinking that is where the confusion is, the magazine is for the launch in late 2017 when the 245 vrs was going to be a limited edition "Black", when the EU regs effectively condemned the 227 engine things went a bit haywire. I expect those early 245vrs Black limited edition get good money now.

I think this is one?

https://www.alpineperformancecars.co.uk/cars/skoda/octavia/2.0-tsi-vrs/1773582/

1 hour ago, Stonekeeper said:

I think this is one?

https://www.alpineperformancecars.co.uk/cars/skoda/octavia/2.0-tsi-vrs/1773582/

The link you’ve sent is an early 245 Challenge. It’s all a bit bullsh** as the “edition” cars have black tips and… nothing else. All 245s were supposed to come with black tips, apparently, but some/most didn’t.

My car, meanwhile, has the black pack which, for a mere £600, comprised of a black spoiler and… nothing else. The grille, mirrors, etc were already black as standard - they couldn’t even give me black badges.

The Challenge cars are supposed to come with all the boxes ticked as standard, but couldn’t manage a pan roof, digi dash or any other big ticket items. IMO, the Challenge should have been the standard level of trim, virtually. I’m still amazed VW sold a 2020 EA888 car with an LSD, but with manual mirrors and no heated seats.

The only 5E/5G/5F/8V cars that attract any more money than other examples are, really, the GTI CS S. Some of the nicer specced ABT Leon Cupra Rs, GTI E40s and TCRs also hold their value slightly better than standard models, but not by that much.

Something like a top-end S3 Vorsprung is worth a fair bit, but it’s still depreciated horrendously considering the MSRP.

The only Skodas that are even in the same book might be the vRS245 and Superb 280 4x4, simply because they’re a bit niche and not that common. Even then though, I doubt you’ll see any real price difference between a vRS230, 245, 245 Challenge or whatever else.

Super special GTIs aside, the MQB enthusiast market isn’t really substantial enough to keep prices high for anything special. Not in the same way as the hot Civic, Megane, Yaris or any other serious enthusiast cars, anyway.

Thanks all for the various pointers, really useful.

My quest continues....

7 hours ago, Sinbad1900 said:

Thanks all for the various pointers, really useful.

My quest continues....

Happy to help if you’ve got any other questions or listings - just @ me.