THE performance version of the Skoda Octavia is now available with four-wheel-drive - and it's even quicker than the standard model.

Priced from £27,315 for the hatchback and £28,515 for the estate, the Octavia vRS 4x4 has a 0 to 60 time of 7.6 seconds which is 0.3 of a second better than the two-wheel-drive car.

It is powered by a 184ps 2.0-litre diesel engine which results in an official fuel return of 57.7mpg for the hatch and 56.5mpg for the estate. Emissions are rated at 129g/km and 131g/km respectively.

The two-wheel-drive Octavia vRS hatch has a fuel figure of 64.2mpg with a CO2 figure of 115g/km.

The Octavia vRS 4x4 is fitted with a six-speed DSG auto gearbox and comes with sports suspension plus an electronic differential lock for optimum traction.

The 4x4 model carries a premium of £1,450 over the conventional Octavia vRS and includes sat nav, extra body styling and bi-xenon headlights as standard.