If there’s one thing we’ve learned from decades of Skoda jokes, it’s not to take the brand too seriously. But that creates something of a dilemma when Skoda finally have reason for us to view it as a maker of serious high-performance cars.

So, for the launch of the new ‘more powerful’ Octavia vRS, they chose to demonstrate what everyday items would look like if they received the vRS treatment and one of those items is the appropriately named ‘Man-Pram’.

The £22,990 Octavia vRS is powered by a 217bhp version of VAG’s 2.0 TSI petrol engine and is also available in 181bhp 2.0 TDI form. A top speed of 154mph is claimed for the petrol version, which is capable of sprinting from 0 to 62mph in 6.8 seconds.

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In a survey of 1,000 British dads, Skoda’s researchers revealed what men all over the country already know – that men would spend more time propelling their baby in a pram with a higher-spec.

Some of the more amusing requests include a more muscular design (25% of respondents), large alloy wheels with enhanced ride height (22%), hydraulic suspension system (16%), high spec brakes including brake lights (15%) and wing mirrors (12%).

A third of British dads (33%) admitted they sometimes feel embarrassed pushing conventional prams, whilst one in four (25%) insist their partner pushes the pram when out for walks together.

The ‘vRS Mega Man-Pram’ was commissioned and used in Skoda’s latest advert for the new Octavia vRS which features a man driving an Octavia vRS through a dreamy neighbourhood where residents use a collection of exaggerated props including a super jet-powered vRS Barbecue, V8-powered lawn mower and jacked-up ice cream van.

The ad was produced by ad agency Fallon and shown for the first time at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Despite its Americana-look, the scenes were filmed in Prague.

“The ‘vRS Mega Man-Pram’ was used in the new Octavia vRS TV ad because we wanted to bring to life the idea of enhancing the performance of everyday objects,” said Heidi Cartledge, Head of Marketing at Skoda UK. “The high tech-buggy gives a tongue in cheek sense of what you could experience if you vRS’d your life.”

True to the brand’s tag line – Simply Clever.

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