Looking for a practical family car that can carry a lot of things and yet is still good off-road? Just walk into your local Skoda showroom in August and ask for the all-new Skoda Octavia Scout, a rugged combination of 4x4 and estate.
Highlights of the new Scout model include a 171 mm ground clearance, 31 mm taller than the standard Octavia. It's also better protected than the average Octavia, thanks to metal scuff plates at the front and rear, plus plastic body covers for the wheel arches. Specially designed for this car, 17-inch alloy wheels are offered as standard in combination with 220/50 R17 tires that should make this Scout handle quite well.
The all-new model is based on the third-generation Octavia and is thus built using the MQB platform. Therefore, the Scout benefits from a range of efficient engines, including two 2.0 TDI diesels producing 150 or 184 PS. The more powerful of the two is combined with an automatic six-speed dual-clutch transmission (DSG) and an all-wheel drive system, the first time this combo has been offered on any Skoda model.
This flagship of the range is both economical and fast. 0 to 100 km/h takes only 7.8 seconds and top speed is a respectable 220 km/h. The combined fuel consumption is only 5.1 litres/100 km with CO2 emissions of 134 g/km.
The less powerful 150 PS diesel can only be ordered with a manual six-speed gearbox and gets the exact same combined fuel economy rating. It's cheaper to buy, but its specs are a little less impressive, taking 9.1 seconds to reach 100km/h on its way to 207 km/h.
The all-new Octavia Scout can also be ordered with one petrol engine, the 1.8 TSI rated at 180 PS, only available with six-speed DSG. As expected from a petrol-powered car, it's fast, taking 7.8 seconds to reach the 100 km/h mark. However, you do pay a price at the pump, where the fuel tank demands 6.9 liters for every 100 kilometers you've spent driving in the combined cycle. CO2 emissions are also higher at 158 g/km, meaning it could be more expensive to tax.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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