Skoda launched the new Octavia in 2013 and now the Czech automaker has come out with the Octavia Scout. The Octavia Scout is an estate version of the Octavia and it comes with increased practicality and space offering. The exteriors have been given elements that make the vehicle look slightly rugged and robust. The front bumper gets a black cladding at the bottom part along with a metallic insert. The Octavia Scout comes with a full body-cladding all around. The side profile looks elongated thanks to the estate design while the rear looks unmistakably Skoda with the company’s trademark tail lamps.
The rear bumper also comes with a blacked out bottom with a metallic insert. The estate also gets black roof-rails. Overall, Skoda designers have done a good job. The 2014 Skoda Octavia Scout comes with all-wheel-drive technology coupled with a Haldex-5 clutch. The Haldex-5 clutch is 1.4 kgs lighter than the Haldex-4 clutch which the previous Octavia Scout used. The vehicle also gets Electronic Differential Lock (EDL) and Electronic Stabilisation Control (ESC). The Octavia Scout comes with three engine options – 2.0-litre TDI diesel mill in two states of tune producing 150 PS and 184 PS of power and a 1.8-litre TSI turbocharged petrol engine producing 180 PS of power.
The vehicle gets a host of safety features such as nine airbags, Front Assistant with emergency braking function, Lane Assistant, Multi-collision brake with automatic braking in the event of an accident, Crew Protect Assistant and Driver Activity Assistant. The Skoda Octavia Scout is a rugged version of the Octavia Combi which is a premium estate. Skoda had introduced the first generation Octavia Combi vRS in India long back but at that time the vehicle found hardly any takers.
Skoda also offers scout and off-road versions of other vehicles from its stable such as Octavia Scout, Fabia Scout, Fabia Combi Scout, Roomster Scout, Yeti Outdoor and Superb with the Outdoor package. Since Volkswagen has made it clear that Skoda will be focussing on having a small market share in India, we really don’t think the company will launch the Octavia Scout here.
