Octavia Scout 4X4 well worth a look

Test Report by Graham Breeze

With Autumn leaves starting to fall, Winter just around the corner and with thoughts beginning to turn to the need for a 4X4 it was time for a close look at Skoda’s Octavia Estate Scout.

It’s been 20 years since the first Octavia rolled off the production line, marking the start of a unique success story and changing Skoda’s image for ever.

Over the last two decades the Octavia has become a worldwide best seller and is still the best selling model of the brand from Mladá Boleslav.

The Octavia is also the most popular estate car in the fleet market, occupying 25% of the segment, testament to the compelling offer it presents to company car drivers and employers alike.

So it makes complete sense that Skoda extended the range to introduce a 4X4 Scout with the 2.0TDi 184PS on test proving just how far the company has come in those 20 years.

The Scout is easily recognisable from the rest of the range, standing proudly 33mm higher on 17 alloys with anti-theft wheel bolts, badging to front and rear, body styling with front and rear bumpers, sills with Scout logos and wheel arches, unique front fogs, black side mouldings and tinted glass.

The standard model gets a three-spoke leather multifunction steering wheel, leather Scout upholstery, a touchscreen navigation system, cruise control, lane assist, impressive light assist system and rain sensors.

All that comes in at £28,495 but the test car came with a Columbus satellite navigation system which included SmartLink, trip computer and integrated WiFi. There was also a double sided boot floor, space saver spare wheel, towbar and a winter pack, adding another £3,000 to the overall bill.

What’s really impressing the fleet user are the performance figures. You can comfortably expect around 55mpg on the combined cycle and CO2 levels are impressive at 12pg/km. Tadd to that a top speed of 136mph and 0-62mpg in just 7.8 seconds and it’s easy to see why this Skoda is turning more than just a few heads.

There aren’t many better estates around when it comes to space. The Scout is a genuine five seater with plenty of legroom for three in the rear seats. And the 610litre boot space gets top marks in this sector, particularly when extending to nearly 1,400 litres with the seats stowing away neatly to form a perfectly flat surface.

On the road the Scout is as at home on motorway as it is on country roads, happily cruising at speed or soaking up the bumps of urban and rural surfaces.

It’s easy to drive too with lots of controls at your fingertips on the neat three-spoke steering wheel and everything else easy to find. The touchscreen SatNav system is particularly impressive. Many I come across are complicated to use, this is one of the easiest I have seen lately.

Since the start of production of the first generation back in 1996 over 5,000,0000 Octavias have left the production halls. I’m confident the Scout will continue to boost those sales.