Skoda Octavia Scout (2007): first official pictures

The new Skoda Octavia Scout… yet another soft-roader?

Sort of. Skoda isn’t kidding itself into claiming that the Scout would win if it took on a Defender; think of it as a slightly chunkier alternative to the current 4wd Octavia estate, or a cut-price rival to the Audi Allroad and Volvo XC70. Skoda’s staying green and clean, steering clear of the antisocial SUV market and building a car that will cope with bracing family outings and mild off-roading. Though the Scout might look more rugged on the outside, underneath the plastic cladding and 17-inch alloys, it’s really more of a cub. Most of the differences between the Scout and the standard Octavia 4x4 estate are purely cosmetic, such as the chromed, twin exit exhaust pipes, aluminium undertrays and flashy kick plates.
So the Scout is just the current 4x4 in drag, then?

Not entirely. You do get a fair bit of kit for your cash, some of which aids off-roading. The Scout has 17mm extra ground clearance over the standard 4x4 and comes with hill-hold control built into the ESP system. It also uses the second generation of the Haldex 4x4 system, allowing 98% of the power to be transferred between the front and rear wheels - so it should be more capable than it looks. With a starting price of £17,585 the Scout is certainly a cheaper alternative to the Allroad and XC70 which both cost around £30k. Expect to see the Scout setting up camp in showrooms in April.