New Skoda Octavia Scout announced | New Release - Car News Jan 2016

11:23 Tuesday 03 Jan 2017

Hot on the heels of the new Octavia vRS, Skoda have announced the arrival of the new Octavia Scout.

The rugged Scout joins the hatchback, estate, and vRS variants in the recently refreshed Octavia line up.
With ground clearance raised by 30mm, distinctive off-road looks, and all-wheel-drive, the five-door Skoda Octavia Scout offers increased practicality and versatility. Styling wise, the Octavia Scout carries the revised front end shared with the rest of the new Octavia line up, with a more prominent bonnet, wider radiator grille, and additional full-LED adaptive front headlights. To the rear are modified LED fog lights and taillights. The Octavia Scout is distinguished by silver-coloured underbody protection at both front and rear, while the Rough-Road package features plastic covering for the undercarriage as well as the brake and fuel lines.

All-wheel drive with electronically controlled, hydraulic multi-plate clutch, comes as standard, and the Octavia Scout’s off-road capabilities are further enhanced by increased ramp angles, up by 16.6 degrees at the front and 14.5 degrees at the rear. Both axles are fitted with an electronic differential lock as standard, which allows the car to pull away smoothly on difficult surfaces by transmitting drive to both the front and rear axles. The Off-Road function aids descents by consistently maintaining the Octavia Scout’s speed without the driver needing to do anything.

A heated steering wheel and seats with the Thermo-Flux function - which periodically increases the air and moisture permeability for added comfort in different climatic conditions – are also included on the Octavia Scout. A boot capacity of 610 litres rises to 1740 litres with seats down, and towing capacity is up to two tonnes depending on the engine version.

The choice of power plants comes in the form of two four-cylinder, 2.0-litre diesel engines. The 148bhp variant is the most fuel efficient at 56.5mpg combined, and CO2 emissions of 130g/km. At 9.1seconds to go from 0-62mph it is slower off the mark than the 181bhp version, but the latter pays for that performance with increased fuel consumption of 55.4mpg, and 133g/km of CO2 emissions.

An LTE module, which provides passengers with a Wi-Fi hotspot, is included, and top line models boast Columbus navigation, while the automatic ‘eCall’ emergency call is available as an option. The infotainment system is accessed via capacitive touch displays on the 9.2 inch glass screen. Driver assistance includes Trailer Assist, Blind Spot Detect, Rear Traffic Alert, Crew Protect Assist, Front Assist, City Emergency Brake, Pedestrian Protection, and Park Assist.

Pricing for the Skoda Octavia Scout will be confirmed closer to the model’s UK sales launch date.