2025 BMW M3 Competition Touring vs Skoda Octavia RS+ TSi Comparison
The performance wagon is an enthusiast's favourite, especially for those with more than just themselves to think about. It is practical, family friendly even, yet when the driver finds themselves alone, it delivers substantial fun.
Unfortunately there aren't many options and most are reserved for the upper reaches of the premium Euro market. An example is the BMW M3 Touring. It's the first time the M3 has been served up with a bigger boot and this M3 is BMW's RS 4 foil. A pity that the Audi is between drinks; we drove the last of the current generation last year, so a direct comparison seemed pointless. Instead we ask: do you really need to spend six figures to get your fast wagon fix? Can something costing significantly less satisfy the urge? Such a machine does exist, and it's just been revised too. We are talking about the Skoda Octavia RS.
We've had coupe, sedan and convertible M3s in times past, and finally now the Touring. You might be used to the angry beaver look of the latest M3 up front, but it's still ungainly. However, the look improves aft of the grille. The Touring is pumped out, its sculpted wheel arches encasing a wider track. The extended side skirts fill in the gaps, bridging the exaggerated front and rear aprons. You'll also notice the XL exhaust tips and the wee Gurney flap on the roof spoiler. Its multi-spoke alloys look menacing though are a nightmare to clean (a good punishment for naughty children).
Under the hood lies a serious rendition of the 3.0-litre straight six. This has a pair of monoscroll turbochargers and creates 390kW, helped by 650Nm of torque. Teamed with all-wheel drive and a quick-shifting eight-speed auto, the Touring can supposedly hit 100 in 3.6 seconds. Typical of the M breed, there is a raft of set-up options; the transmission, suspension, steering, brakes and stability control can all be tailored, most through three levels of intent. And you can save your preferred combo to one of the two M buttons on the steering wheel, for quick access.
The M3 gets a good stiffening with extra bracing and struts, and tauter suspension settings teamed with adaptive dampers. The all-wheel drive is variable in nature and blessed with a rearward bias. There's also an M differential out back to further enhance that rear-drive feeling. You can select 4WD Sport, which serves up even more drive to the rear, or switch off the DSC completely and then you're in 2WD. Then you can tune the M Traction Control to your liking, through 10 stages of intervention. Along with an onboard lap timer, there's the Drift Analyser to record the duration, angle and distance of your skids. All this fun does not come cheap, however, with a base price of $199,600.
The Skoda doesn't have quite the firepower or such a long hardware list but it doesn't ask nearly as much either. The new model starts at $67,990, while the Plus variant is an extra $5k for upgraded seats trimmed in leather and better sounds.
The engine department has had an update, the 2.0 TSI making 195kW here, with 370Nm chiming in as well. The RS runs with a seven-speed twin-clutch transmisison, sending the torque to the front wheels alone. Helping ground that output is the electro-hydraulic diff lock. This tempers torque steer and minimises spinning wheels when powering out of bends. With both a power and traction deficit, it can't hope to hold a candle to the hard charging M3, with a stated 0-100km/h time of 6.5sec, if you can get it to stick properly. Helping balance comfort and dynamics are adaptive dampers. Ride in the RS is set 15mm lower than in the cooking version. The revised Otavia also gets a style update with new front and rear bumpers (new diffuser and tailpipes at the back too) and blackened bits. It sits on 19-inch, aero-optimised alloys. Sure, it doesn't sound quite as exciting, but you could have two of these and still go on a lavish holiday for the price of the BMW.
The RS can decode demon roads well. Switched into Sport mode, it dives into the action, and holds a line sternly through the bends. It does feel a tad digital however as the torque vectoring function is working to keep things tidy. With 'ESC Sport' engaged, this lessens the intervention of the stability commendants, the front-end unshackled and it's your right foot that manages the show. The RS can take corners at a decent clip, the wheels scrambling to lay the power down as you give it just the right amount of jandal, wary to keep the front from pushing too wide. Through the tighter, twistier sections, it is genuinely engaging, grin inducing. The brakes are decent too with good bite but also a delicate pedal so you don't upset the balance with errant weight transfers. Its steering is quick, while also advising on how hard those tyres are working.
The twin-clutch is up and down the cogs quickly and smartly, the paddles there for show really. Its 2.0-litre pulls nicely from 3000rpm at speed, but it's no screamer, being well done by 6500rpm. There's a bit of a rorty note to its delivery but the tyre roar can challenge it at 100km/h on coarse chip.
BMW's M3 Touring can charge through the bends in an even more furious manner, but is it a case of being too much of a good thing? It's seriously rapid, much of its talent going untapped without getting unhinged on road. But, when you do get the chance, this is a blazingly quick and talented machine. It has an outright grip advantage with wider tyres at each corner. Sure, it is heavier but with a balanced weight split, it turns in sharply. The helm isn't brimming with feedback but you know it will just stick.
With its variable AWD and the M diff working together, you can feed the power in mid-bend and it claws its way around without a hint of pushing wide. And then you can be on the gas hard before the exit. With its rear bias, this helps it tighten the line, making it feel very neutral. And easy.
The ride in Sport plus is intolerable, Sport better but still bumpy. The in-between setting for the trans is not quite sporty enough in terms of well timed downshifts while full attack mode is way too racy. So it can be better to paddle it along on the road. There's nothing much wrong with the response of the turbocharged engine. It really comes alive from 3000rpm and it revs quickly to just past 7000rpm, sounding distinctive and powerful through the range. The brakes are almighty, with a strong initial bite yet a tactile feel.
The M3 Touring is an impressive performer, though a bit OTT for your drive to the beach house. Road noise can be intrusive and suspension vibrations are amplified here compared with in the Skoda. The Czech is also that bit easier on fuel reserves. It'll average around the 10L/100km mark for a mix of city and motorway miles, whereas the BMW is in the 15s. When drinking heavily, the Octavia got into the 13s, the M3 saw close to 20.
The character of the M3 Competition will sit well with those that owned a modified JDM rocket in their youth. The suspension set-up sees the tyres chattering during u-turns, the diff gets a bit grumpy when cold and the brakes squeak. It sits low, the splitters and lower skirts look quite vulnerable, while the big alloys had already met the curb a few times before we had our time with it.
The Skoda is preferable as a commuter. Its ride is sumptuous compared with the harsher BMW. And the M3 generates a fair amount of tyre roar even at 50km/h. Neither suffers from any real turbolag at town speeds, the BMW with a heap of low down torque, the Skoda brisk too. Each has quick and light steering, the turning circles about equal.
The Skoda doesn't have quite the firepower or such a long hardware list but it doesn't ask nearly as much either. You Could have two of these and still go on a lavish holiday for the price of the BMW.
The safety minders know their place, issuing precious few alerts, though the Skoda's lane keeping is more insistent. BMW's active cruise with its Assisted Drive feature is smarter too, virtually taking care of motorway cruising. There are more widgets in the infotainment realm, a better parking camera with a surround view, and more items on the spec sheet, as you would expect for the much greater ask. The Skoda has everything you really want though, the bigger 13-inch screen a bit easier to navigate than the old system. However, a few more buttons on the dash would be nice, while the voice help isn't as proficient as the BMW's.
It's a snug fit behind the wheel of the M3, the driving position set deep. The seats are firm, overly so, though have excellent adjustment and are ventilated too. The M3's cockpit wears the sports luxury leather and carbon combo well. Skoda RS has a roomier driving position, the seats with more comfort about them yet they are no less effective in overall support.
The Skoda is your more practical performance wagon. It has a larger boot, with a wider, longer load area. The width of the BMW's hold is limited by intrusive suspension towers. However the M3 is not impractical, still with 500L of space, and with a variable split folding seat back too. The opening glass hatch is a nice touch, a 'heritage' trait.
The Skoda is more accommodating of people in the rear seats. It's tight in the back of the M3 Touring, the big sports seats up front robbing those behind of leg room, while three across is a genuine squeeze.
Most definitely. It's a quick, fun-to-drive car that is also more practical and easier to live with. You get to enjoy all of its potential, the limits easier to access whereas with the M3 Touring, you'll have to try a lot harder. Yet there will still be those with the means that will just want the M3 Touring Competition. It is a weapons-grade wagon but requires you to put up with its much harder edge.
BMW M3 Competition Touring$199,600 / 10.4L/100km / 235g/km
0-100 km/h 3.6s
Ambient cabin noise 78.0dB@100km/h
Engine 2993cc / IL6 / T / DI
Max power 390kW@6250rpm
Max torque 650Nm@2750-5730rpm
Drivetrain 8-speed auto / AWD
Front suspension Mac strut / swaybar
Rear suspension Multilink / swaybar
Turning circle 12.6m (2.1 turns)
Front brakes Ventilated discs
Rear brakes Ventilated discs
Stability systems ABS, ESP, TV
Safety AEB, ACC, BSM, LDW, RCTA, ALK, AHB
Tyre size f-275/35R19 r-285/30R20
Wheelbase 2857mm
L/W/H 4801 / 1903 / 1446mm
Track f-1617mm r-1605mm
Fuel capacity 59L
Luggage capacity 500-1510L
Tow rating Not rated to tow
Service intervals Variable
Scheduled servicing 3yrs / unlimited km
Warranty 5yrs / 100,000km
ANCAP rating Not rated
Weight (claimed) 1865kg
Skoda Octavia RS+ TSI$73,990 / 7.2L/100km / 166g/km
0-100 km/h 6.5s
Ambient cabin noise 72.9dB@100km/h
Engine 1984cc / IL4 / T / DI
Max power 195kW@5250-6500rpm
Max torque 370Nm1600-4500rpm
Drivetrain 7-speed twin-clutch / FWD
Front suspension Mac strut / swaybar
Rear suspension Multilink / swaybar
Turning circle 11.1m (2.2 turns)
Front brakes Ventilated discs
Rear brakes Discs
Stability systems ABS, ESP, TV
Safety AEB, ACC, BSM, LDW, RCTA, ALK, AHB
Tyre size f/r-225/40R19
Wheelbase 2681mm
L/W/H 4709 / 1829 / 1468mm
Track f-1543mm r-1534mm
Fuel capacity 51L
Luggage capacity 610-1700L
Tow rating 750kg (1600kg braked)
Service intervals 12 months / 15,000km
Service plan $1745, 3yrs / 45,000km
Warranty 5yrs / 150,000km
ANCAP rating ★★★★★ (2022)
Weight (claimed) 1563kg
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Last month in a Bioxyne investment video, Watson said that in the past 12 months the company had delivered one million medical cannabis flowers, oils, capsules, vapes and pastilles to market. Bioxyne manufactures in Britain, Japan and the Czech Republic. In Australia, it delivers to pharmacies, clinics and distributors. Watson said Australia has one of the most advanced cannabis markets in the world, saying it is valued at A$1 billion and is growing rapidly. He says that at the company's state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Brisbane, it can manufacture A$100m worth of cannabis per year. It has tripled its manufacturing capabilities over the past six months. Its most popular product, pastilles (gummies), contributes to A$50m of that. Watson's father, businessman Eric Watson. Photo / Greg Bowker Polo power couple's fab Oz life Sydney socialites are getting excited about a new event brought to the city by our most famous Kiwi polo player. Sam Hopkinson played on the international polo circuit and was sometimes in action alongside members of the British royal family. Now living in Sydney, Hopkinson and wife Elisha are an Australian polo power couple. The pair met in the city over a decade ago, when Hopkinson was playing. Elisha is the CEO of iconic fashion brand Sportscraft and the daughter of multi-millionaire Australian apparel titan Andrew Marshall. Kiwi polo player Sam Hopkinson and wife Elisha. Photo / Supplied Marshall is the chairman of Marshall Investments and APG & Co, which owns brands well known on both sides of the Tasman, including Sportscraft, Saba and Jag. The couple live in Sydney's smart lower north shore and spend most weekends with their three young girls at Elisha's family's famous Kurri Burri Polo Club in Richmond, 60km northwest of the city. Sportscraft is the official apparel sponsor for the 2025 polo season in Australia. Hopkinson got into polo as a teenager living in Christchurch. His under-17 rugby coach played the sport, favoured by royals and aristocrats, and got him started. He travelled to Britain after finishing school and started playing internationally. Hopkinson, who featured in Vanity Fair's 'Polo's Hottest Horsemen' in 2009, works with Auckland-based Urban Events managing director Simon Wilson. Karen Walker and Urban Events managing director Simon Wilson at the Auckland Urban Polo. Photo / Supplied Wilson started Urban Polo in Auckland in 2016, and the events are now held annually in Christchurch in February, Auckland in March and Singapore in May. As Urban Events executive director, Hopkinson has been instrumental in bringing Urban Polo's F3 style of the game to Australia. Earlier this year, we reported that the company had purchased the rights to Victoria's famous Portsea Polo, Australia's longest-running polo event on Melbourne's Mornington Peninsula, which is held in February. The company is also planning a New York event. Hopkinson tells Society Insider that Urban Events has now organised a tournament for Sydney in November. 'We are kicking off a new era of polo in Sydney's East at Centennial Park, it's the polo event Sydney has been waiting for. 'We have been passionate about promoting the very best format of the game since we started this journey, and to add another iconic Australian event is another step in the creation of our global series.' Expect Urban Events' wealthy and well-known shareholders to enjoy the inaugural Aussie action. Sydney-based Kiwis such as Centuria Capital Australia joint CEO Jason Huljich and Cook Property Group founder Ben Cook will be there. Also expected are their fellow Urban Events shareholders, Centuria Capital NZ CEO Mark Francis, rich list property developer Kurt Gibbons, Forsyth Barr executive director Jonty Edgar and former All Blacks Dan Carter and Ali Williams. Hopkinson explains Urban Events has partnered with the Australian Polo Federation, which will be able to showcase the best players and horses in the country, taking the Urban Polo events to the elite sporting level they have been working towards. Last November, the company partnered with TEG Sport, the billion-dollar company behind entertainment and ticketing business Ticketek, to evolve Urban's fast-paced style of polo in the US, Asia and the Middle East. Party people of the week Beauden Barrett joins forces with Land Rover An intimate group of owners, car enthusiasts and cultural insiders gathered in Grey Lynn last Tuesday night to mark the launch of Land Rover's new off-road V8, the Defender Octa, and to celebrate a new partnership with rugby icon Beauden Barrett. The partnership has been launched through a new content series shot by fashion photographer Chris Sisarich and Subgenre. The campaign sees Barrett retracing his roots from the gravel roads of Arawhata in the shadow of Mt Taranaki, to the sidelines of Stadium Taranaki. It was shot a few weeks ago on Barrett's birthday, in weather typical of his hometown of Taranaki – rain, hail and sunshine. Among those in attendance were Jason Domancie from Subgenre Studio, TVNZ's Melodie Robinson, Superette co-founder Rickie Dee, Fearon and Hay's Tim Hay, The Local Project's Cassidy Lockwood, Wonder Group creative director Buster Caldwell, Someday Studios' Milly Hewat-Wall with husband, real estate agent Ollie Wall, chef Tom Hishon, Ensemble's Zoe Walker Ahwa and Rebecca Wadey, alongside VIP Defender customers. The brand said its partnership reinforces its long-standing commitment to rugby, globally and at a grassroots level, before the Women's Rugby World Cup 2025. Chris Sisarich and Beauden Barrett at the Defender and Beauden Barrett X launch in Grey Lynn. Photo / Kayle Lawson Richard Moore, Hannah Whittington-Davis, Laura Furey and Beauden Barrett. Photo / Kayle Lawson David Linklater, Giltrap Group CEO Steve Kenchington and Damien O'Carroll. Photo / Kayle Lawson Helen Cherry, Chris Sisarich and Chris Cherry. Photo / Kayle Lawson Jono Parker and Cassidy Lockwood. Photo / Kayle Lawson Melodie Robinson and Marcus Wheelhouse. Photo / Kayle Lawson Glenn Winwood and Tessa Patrick. Photo / Kayle Lawson La bohème opening night New Zealand Opera's winter season of La bohème opened recently at Auckland's Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre, hosting some very special guests. Now playing in Wellington's St James Theatre until June 22, the opera then travels to Christchurch, opening on July 2 at the Isaac Theatre Royal. The new production remains true to the bohemian spirit of 'truth, freedom, beauty, love' of Puccini's original opera, while transporting the story to the evocative backdrop of Paris after World War II. The international and Kiwi cast are accompanied by the Auckland Philharmonia, Orchestra Wellington and the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, alongside the Freemasons Foundation NZ Opera Chorus. Among those who enjoyed opening night were the Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and NZ Opera patrons former Prime Minister Helen Clark and Auckland Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson. Tracy Grant Lord and Karen Walker at La bohème opening night at the Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre. Photo / Jinki Cambronero Sarah Amos and Matthew Sokolich. Photo / Jinki Cambronero Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro. Photo / Jinki Cambronero Helen Clark and Joanne Cole. Photo / Jinki Cambronero Hamish Bell and Desley Simpson. Photo / Jinki Cambronero Chris and Nelson Wang. Photo / Jinki Cambronero Michael Stevens and Campbell Parker. Photo / Jinki Cambronero Kawiti Waetford and Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro. Photo / Jinki Cambronero Soni Sandhu's luxe red carpet reveal Last Saturday evening, Label House by Soni Sandhu rolled out the red carpet for an exclusive showcase of its Winter 2025 Collection, attracting a stylish crowd of around 70 guests to its showroom on Parnell Rd. Debuting under the theme Winter in Colour, Sandhu showed a bright and bold new direction for the cooler months. Models took to the runway in tailored coats, structured blazer suits, rich tweed pieces and eye-catching sequin dresses. Among the fans of the brand were podcast host Ali Bond, fashion stylists Michiko Hylands and Megan Robinson, who enjoyed flowing champagne, handcrafted cocktails, and a selection of gourmet canapes, setting the tone for a night that turned from runway to a dancefloor party. Ali Bond and Andee-Grace Tilling at Soni Sandhu's luxe red carpet reveal. Photo / Norrie Montgomery Megan Robinson and Michiko Hylands. Photo / Norrie Montgomery Designer Soni Sandh. Photo / Norrie Montgomery Chris Bayley and Britt Smith. Photo / Norrie Montgomery Wendy Lang. Photo / Norrie Montgomery Sneha Patil. Photo / Norrie Montgomery Palak and Apar Sethi. Photo / Norrie Montgomery Ricardo Simich has been with the Herald since 2008 where he contributed to The Business Insider. In 2012 he took over Spy at the Herald on Sunday, which has since evolved into Society Insider. The weekly column gives a glimpse into the worlds of the rich and famous.
