Skoda releases rugged new Octavia Scout soft-roader [w/video]

[Haltech]

Filed under: Wagon, Europe, Skoda, Off-Road



Automakers may be paying a lot of attention these days to making their crossovers and SUVs drive more like cars, but at the same time, they're also making cars that feel more like SUVs. We're talking about models like the Subaru Outback, Audi Allroad and Volvo XC70. These soft-road (if not quite off-road) wagons have a particularly keen following overseas, and that point is not lost on Volkswagen. In fact the German auto giant has soft-road models under each of its mainstream brands: Volkswagen calls it Alltrack, Audi has Allroad, Seat recently introduced the X-Perience version of its Leon wagon and Škoda offers higher-riding, more rugged versions of its wagons which it calls Scout. And here is the latest one.

The new Škoda Octavia Scout is based on the same MQB platform that underpins the VW Golf, Audi A3 and Seat Leon. Starting with the Octavia Combi wagon, the Scout adds a Haldex-5 all-wheel drive system with an locking electronic differential and more rugged lower body cladding including a new front bumper with metallic insert, fog lights, black lower door panels and wheel arches. It rides on 17-inch alloys mounted on a suspension jacked up an extra inch, and the interior has been redone to match the more rugged outwards appearance.

Although the Octavia Scout, like the rest of the Škoda range, will not be sold in North America, around 8 percent of Octavia wagon buyers overseas opt for the Scout version - totaling around 53,600 units sold between its introduction in 2007 and the end of 2013. With the new model, customers will be able to choose between three engines, including a 1.8-liter turbo four with 180 horsepower or a 2.0-liter TDI with either 135 or 184 hp. Scope out the full details in the press release and the b-roll footage below.Continue reading Skoda releases rugged new Octavia Scout soft-roader [w/video]

Skoda releases rugged new Octavia Scout soft-roader [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 09 Jul 2014 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.



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