The new ŠKODA Octavia Scout

I love my job. Especially when I find myself holding the keys for a week long test drive of a fancy new car.

In this instance, we were the proud testers of the ŠKODA Octavia Scout Estate.

Our model was the 2.0 TDI 184PS 4X4 DSG – which I’m sure meant plenty to my husband judging by the look on his face when I handed him the key. I don’t pretend to know the ins and outs of car terminology or the intricacies of an engine, but I reckon that makes me perfect for giving a real, honest account of what I like and dislike about the Octavia Scout. I can’t fool you with any fancy car words because I don’t know them!

The timing was excellent – we were ready to pack up the car for a camping trip with our son’s football team. We have a ŠKODA Octavia ourselves so I was looking forward to checking out the differences between ours and the Scout.

 

All scout models come with the following features:

• 17″ ‘Polar’ alloys with anti-theft wheel bolts and 225/50 R17 94W tyres
• 3-spoke leather multifunction steering wheel with Scout logo
• Amundsen touch screen satellite navigation system
• Auto-dimming rear view mirror with humidity sensor
• Colour Maxi-DOT trip computer
• Cruise control
• Door mirrors in silver
• Door sill trims with Scout logo
• Floor mats
• Improved front approach and rear departure angles
• Increased ground clearance (+33mm)
• Lane assist
• Light assist (coming home, leaving home, tunnel light, daytime running lights)
• Rain sensor
• Rough road package
• Scout badging at front and rear
• Scout body styling: front and rear bumpers, sills and wheels arches
• Scout specific front fog lights
• Side mouldings in black
• Sunset glass
• Under-seat storage drawer on passenger side

Our model had a few extra features too, such as an upgraded sat nav, spare wheel and heated washer nozzles, front windscreen and front seats.

So what did we think of it?

The basic shape of the Octavia Scout hasn’t changed much over the last few years, but there have been some subtle cosmetic improvements. I love the shape of the lights on this car – it’s as though they’re saying ‘We mean business!’.

The alloys on this car are another striking feature, though I’m not sure whether I like them or not. Alloy wheels are something of a personal preference I guess so they’re not really something that will make or break a deal on a new car.

The interior of the Scout was as luxurious, comfortable and hi-tech as I’ve come to expect from ŠKODA in recent years. With the touch screen satnav, multi-function steering wheel and dashboard computer, this car can do pretty much anything aside from make a cup of tea. I did find the sat nav a bit tricky actually because I couldn’t work out how to simply enter a post code. Sure, I could add town/street name and then either town centre, intersection, building number etc., but since we were using it to find a farm in the middle of nowhere that proved to be a bit of an issue. We spent some time trying to work it out and eventually found our intended destination so top tip: read the manual!

The boot space in the Octavia Scout is massive. I could quote you the official figure (around 610 litre capacity with the seats up) but to give you a better idea I can tell you that we easily packed our huge tent, all of our camping equipment (and trust me, we don’t travel light. It’s more like glamping), ourselves, our two kids and the dog into the boot and a roofbox.

I had the boys in their car seats on either side of the back seat and they had plenty of room between them for their belongings. The car has isofix points too, though we didn’t need to use those.

The parcel shelf is the same flexible design as in previous models, which is perfect for if you’re regularly transporting things like a wheelchair, pushchair or kids scooters. It just rolls away into itself when you don’t need it and pulls back over when you do – not like having to remove those fiddly felt covered parcel shelves!

How does it feel? Like a dream. Honestly. The model we drove had triptronic gears, meaning we could effortlessly move from automatic to manual transmission. Not only that, but knocking the gearstick into sports mode gave the car the kick you want when overtaking and off-roading. I certainly miss being able to just nip around those Sunday drivers with such ease! This certainly doesn’t drive like a large estate car. Getting into my seven year old Octavia once this car was returned was depressing. As much as I love my car, driving this one really felt like a huge step up. It’s the perfect family car, especially for outdoorsy families like ours. It’s comfortable, it’s quick, it’s spacious and it’s luxurious. If you’re in the market for a car that can adapt to all aspects of family life, the ŠKODA Octavia Scout is definitely worth a look.

*Disclosure: we were sent this car free of charge in order to review it. All opinions are my own. Stats have been taken from the information I was provided with because, you know, I’m not a walking ŠKODA encyclopaedia.