Skoda shows off new Octavia Scout

Rugged cars seem to be all the rage today. We already have the Volkswagen Cross Polo, the Toyota Etios Cross and the soon to arrive Fiat Avventura. But Skoda was amongst the first manufacturers, if you discount the Fiat Palio Adventure and Corsa Swing, to launch such a car in India with its Fabia Scout. However, the car didn't do very well for the brand and was soon pulled off the market.

2015 Skoda Scout

But now Skoda has taken the wraps off its all new Octavia Scout, which is essentially a hopped up soft roader version of the Octavia Combi wagon. The Octavia Scout is a more thorough job than the usual bumper and sticker jobs that India tends to get. The Scout features 31mm of extra ground clearance in addition to a more rugged body kit with blacked out bumpers and skirting. The Scout comes with a choice of a 1.8-litre turbocharged petrol that makes 180PS or a 2.0-litre TDI diesel in two variants - 135Ps and 184PS. All four wheels receive power via a new, lighter Haldex four wheel drive system that works with an electronic locking differential. This is the first time Skoda is offering the diesel engine coupled with a DSG gearbox and four wheel drive.

The Scout runs 17-inch wheels

Skoda has also tweaked the interiors to reflect the exterior changes, with plenty of Scout badging.

The interiors get different fabrics and plenty of Scout badging

The Scout has been quite a successful model for Skoda internationally and they have sold nearly 54,000 cars since its launch in 2007. We are quite certain that Skoda has no plans of bringing the Scout to India anytime soon. Only time will tell.

The new ŠKODA Octavia Scout

?› With a powerful off-road look in the new ŠKODA design language

› Impressive rough-road capability, steep-slope performance and high traction capacity

› Ultramodern all-wheel-drive technology based on innovative Haldex-5 clutch

› Three more powerful engines and up to 20 percent more environmentally friendly; a premiere for the 2.0 TDI/135 kW with DSG and 4×4 all-wheel drive

› A 'bit more car': lots of space, 'Simply Clever' features, maximum safety

› ŠKODA's successful 'adventure' models: Octavia Scout, Fabia Scout, Fabia Combi Scout, Roomster Scout, Yeti Outdoor and Superb with the Outdoor package

?Hamburg/Mladá Boleslav, July 2014 – The new ŠKODA Octavia joins the scouts. The unique all-rounder impresses with its outstanding driving performance even on rough roads, its powerful all-wheel drive and robust off-road look. At the same time, emission and consumption levels have been reduced by up to 20 percent compared to the previous model. In addition, this crossover vehicle is extremely spacious, highly practical, has up-to-date safety and comfort systems and represents excellent value-for-money.

?"As an exceptionally versatile cross-over estate, the new ŠKODA Octavia Scout demonstrates the strengths of the ŠKODA brand," says ŠKODA CEO Prof. Dr. h.c. Winfried Vahland. "A true Scout has to earn that name at ŠKODA. The Octavia Scout has a rugged character with outstanding all-wheel and steep-slope performance, traction capacity and ground clearance. The car meets the highest technical, aesthetic and lifestyle standards. More and more customers ask for cars with individual appeal and the new ŠKODA Octavia Scout is the answer," says Prof. Dr. Vahland.

The new Octavia Scout is available exclusively based on the Octavia estate variant. Its market launch will be in August 2014. The Octavia Scout has been a fixed feature in ŠKODA's model range since 2007. With its second generation Scout, the Czech manufacturer intends to build further on the successes of these versatile vehicles. Between 2007 and the end of 2013, ŠKODA sold around 53,600 Octavia Scouts worldwide. This represents almost 8 percent of all Octavia estates supplied during that period.

With the new Octavia Scout, ŠKODA once again displays its great expertise in equipping vehicles for off-road capability. With the models Octavia Scout, Fabia Scout, Fabia Combi Scout, Roomster Scout, Yeti Outdoor and Superb with the Outdoor package, the Czech car manufacturer currently offers six models with special off-road styling.

Powerful personality

The new ŠKODA Octavia Scout is a vehicle with a style all of its own – self-assured and distinctive. "The Octavia Scout has character: its striking looks and all-wheel-drive technology are in perfect harmony," says ŠKODA Head Designer Jozef Kaba?.

The front has a distinctive, Scout-specific bumper with black plastic moulding. The lower front panel has a silver off-road attachment. The fog lights with their sharp, distinctive shape are an exclusive Scout design. The radiator grille bears the Scout badge.

Black plastic door sill and wheel arch mouldings run down both sides of the vehicle and are a distinctive feature of its side view. There are also protective side strips in black plastic, and aluminium-design exterior mirror housings. Aluminium-effect roof railings are available as an option.

The ground clearance of the new ŠKODA Octavia Scout has been raised to 171 mm and is now 31 mm higher than the standard Octavia. The rough-road package with additional underbody protection is a standard feature. 17-inch alloy wheels with 220/50 R17 tyres are also fitted as standard.

The rear of the ŠKODA Octavia Scout is precision-designed with clean, uncluttered lines. Two reflectors are integrated into the right and left of the bumper (cat's eyes). The lower black-clad bumper components include a silver-coloured off-road attachment in the middle.

The interior has been specially designed for the Scout. The door sills bear the Scout lettering and the trims are in a unique Scout design. The 3-spoke steering wheel and the gear knob also bear the Scout emblem. The dashboard is available in either the classic black or black/brown combination. The seats are available in either brown fabric or in leather/Alcantara combination (brown or black).

The Octavia Scout is as spacious as the Octavia Combi. The passenger compartment is one of the largest in its class, with optimised interior length (1,782 millimetres), rear legroom (73 millimetres) and headroom at front and rear (983 and 995 millimetres). The boot has a 610 litre capacity, and, with the rear seats down, its capacity increases to 1,740 litres. With the front passenger seat folded down, items up to 2.92 meters in length can also be accommodated.

The Scout also has a series of 'Simply Clever' features such as the double-sided floor cover in the boot, the folding cargo fasteners, the ice scraper in the fuel filler flap, the high-visibility vest holder under the driver's seat, waste compartment in the side door and an array of storage compartments.

The ŠKODA Octavia Scout is available in the entire Octavia exterior colour range: four standard colours (including the new colour Laser White) and nine metallic colours.

Outstanding drive capabilities with state-of-the-art Haldex-5 all-wheel-drive technology

The Octavia Scout is available exclusively with all-wheel drive. Optimum drive capabilities and traction are guaranteed by modern all-wheel-drive technology based on the Haldex-5 clutch. The distribution of power to all four wheels changes depending on the conditions. Ideal driving torque for the rear axle is constantly being calculated. Compared with the Haldex-4 clutch previously used in the Octavia Scout, the new technology is 1.4 kg lighter.

The ŠKODA Octavia Scout is a real workhorse and can tow up to two tonnes, 25 % more than before. It also has excellent steep-slope capability. With greater angles of incline from 16.7 degrees at the front and 13.8 degrees at the back, the Czech scout can also master steeper, more demanding terrain without difficulty. Electronic differential lock (EDL) supports stable start-up characteristics at low speeds in the Octavia Scout.

The new Octavia Scout features a two-stage Electronic Stabilisation Control (ESC). The system can be adjusted to suit certain driving conditions at the touch of a button.

Three engines; premiere for the 2.0 TDI/135 kW with DSG and all-wheel drive

The new ŠKODA Octavia Scout has three engines to choose from: two diesel and one petrol. The engines are both more powerful and more economical than those used in the previous model. Yet they are still up to 29 kg lighter. All engines feature improved all-wheel-drive technology and the use of efficient Green tec packages with automatic stop-start mechanism and brake energy recovery as standard. All three engines meet standard EU 6 which comes into force in September 2014.

The most powerful diesel engine is the 2.0 TDI/135 kW (184 PS) with an attractive combination of an automatic six-speed dual-clutch transmission (DSG) and all-wheel drive. This is the first time that the engine has been used in this configuration in a ŠKODA. The combined fuel consumption is only 5.1 litres/100 km with CO2 emissions of 134 g/km.

The 2.0 TDI/110 kW (150 PS) is available exclusively with a manual six-speed gearbox. The engine manages 5.1 litres/100 km with a CO2 emission value of 129 g/km.

The Octavia Scout is available as a petrol engine with the 1.8 TSI/132 kW (180 PS) with automatic six-speed DSG. Combined consumption is 6.9 litres/100 km with CO2 emissions of 158 g/km.

Excellent safety and comfort

The safety technology of the new ŠKODA Octavia Scout sets the highest standards. Up to nine airbags and state-of-the-art 3-point seatbelts protect the occupants in the event of an accident. Furthermore, a wealth of new safety features are available as optional extras: Front Assistant with emergency braking function, Lane Assistant, multi-collision brake with automatic braking in the event of an accident, Crew Protect Assistant for vehicle safety in crash situations and Driver Activity Assistant (fatigue recognition).

Thanks to its modern chassis with optimised axles, the new ŠKODA Octavia Scout impresses with excellent vehicle handling in almost every situation. It has an optimised multi-link rear axle. The MacPherson strut at the front with low-mounted triangular wishbones has shed around 2.8 kg compared to the previous model.

In addition, a range of electronic comfort systems are available for the new Octavia Scout: Adaptive Cruise Assistant (automatic distance control), Intelligent Light Assistant, Automatic Parking Assistant and Traveller Assistant with traffic sign recognition. Another optional feature for the new Octavia Scout is KESSY (Keyless Entry Start and Exit System). The vehicle can, in addition, be supplied with Optical Parking Assistant (rear-view camera) and a 3-spoke multifunction leather steering wheel in Scout design. The Swing radio now has a 5" colour touch display.