Skoda Octavia RS fails hard at moose test, tires get the blame

The km77 team has published a video report dedicated to a recent moose test of the Skoda Octavia RS. The test is considered passed if it can be performed at the titular 77 km/h or higher, but the car managed only 70 km/h.

The test car was a wagon equipped with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine rated at 245 PS (242 hp / 180 kW), front-wheel drive, the optional adaptive suspension and 18-inch wheels shod in Bridgestone Turanza tires sized 225/45.

Soon after launching the car to the required speed, the driver realized he wouldn’t be able to finish the test at all, let alone perfectly. After several consecutive tries, he barely managed to pass it at 70 km/h (43.5 mph). The result puzzled the crew, who found the car otherwise very maneuverable on serpentine roads.

In the end, 77km concluded that the tires were to blame for the failure. If you watch the slo-mo part of the video, you will see the Octavia RS drifting out of a tight corner in the second half of the test. They also pointed out that no car on Bridgestone Turanza tires was able to complete the test at speeds higher than 75 km/h (46.6 mph).