The first serious days of winter caught us at the wheel of the most specialized version of the Czech compact superior class model of Skoda Octavia.
This is called Octavia Scout and it enters the marked to cover not a very popular segment but a much appreciated one by the connoisseurs. This segment is called crossover and it is dominated by cars that sell for a significant amount of money, making them not very accessible. Among these cars we can specify the Alfa Romeo 156 Crossover and the Audi Allroad.
The Octavia 4WD range More than 5 years ago the same car manufacturer launched on the market the Octavia I 4x4, model that offered for the first time an all wheel drive transmission, type 4-Motion.
This car gained her fans shortly although the buying price was much bigger than the one of an Octavia. The permanent all wheel drive with a Haldex central differential and a 1.9 liters and 101 bhp diesel engine were the ingredients that promoted this car on a not very crowded market.
To continue the success of its predecessor, Skoda continues to offer the new Octavia generation all wheel drive transmission, but to take a more important step they designed a Octavia Break called Octavia Scout.
Once with the launch of this model the Skoda customers will certainly ask themselves witch is the more efficient car for them. As a result of the test we can say that the new Scout is superior to the 4x4 series model because it excels at certain chapters so much that this encounter was a surprise for us as well.
Our advice is that if you drive mainly on asphalt all you need to do is buy an Octavia 4x4, but for those who dare to adventure in the wilderness then the Scout is the answer. Performances Under the hood we have met an old acquaintance the 2 liter and 140 bhp TDI diesel engine.
This one proved his qualities again, efficient and economic; however the weight of the car (over 1.6 tones empty) almost made this diesel engine show signs of fatigue in certain conditions. Even so the car had a medium consumption level of 6.5 liters for 100 kilometers, and the engine torque of 320 Nm was a factor that recommends the usage of the car for any road condition. The 6 speed gear box is precise and nice to use. To make this package a better choice the diesel engine must be the 170 hp one that has a bigger engine, even so the car behaves over average in traffic.
The strong point of the new Scout is indisputably the permanent all wheel drive transmission, system that moves gracefully the car on the road as well as off-road. For those that like muddy roads or snowed up ones we recommend to have the ESP turned off.
For the off-road fans we would like to mention that Octavia Scout has a more resistant running gear than that of a normal car, and the side skirts and higher ground clearance are not design details.
The Octavia Scout is exactly what the smaller brother Roomster Scout is not, a demanding SUV.
Skoda Octavia Scout is that crossover that allows the user to access the most difficult routes due to the high ground clearance and the permanent all wheel drive, and for those who are TDI fans, the engine under the hood can only be the icing on the cake.
We consider that with the 170 bhp TDI engine and a top of the line level of equipment with navigation system and leather upholstery this Scout can be a replacement even for its bigger and much more expensive brother the Audi Allroad.
One thing that’s interesting is that the price of the Scout, 27.000 Euro, is in the range of the old Audi Allroad on the second hand market. So if do not have the money for the new Audi Allroad but you enjoyed the old Audi Allroad then buy without a doubt the new Skoda Octavia Scout.