To paraphrase Telly Savalas, the Skoda Octavia Scout is my kinda car. Indeed, having spent a couple of weeks with both the Mk1 Octavia vRS (issue 26) and the Mk2 Scout in the winter of 2023, I found myself yearning for the rugged estate rather than the hot hatch. In fairness, that probably says more about me and my stage of life than it does the relative merits of each Skoda; these days, I prefer my cars to be more Skechers than sneakers.
In a parallel universe, the supermarket car parks of Britain are filled with jacked-up estate cars, rather than endless rows of crossovers. The first Octavia Scout debuted in 2007, the same year in which Nissan launched the Qashqai and kickstarted the modern crossover craze. It could have been so different. Rather than a modern Skoda showroom filled with special Ks (Kamiq, Karoq and Kodiaq), punters could be queuing up to buy one of a trio of golden nuggets: Scout versions of the Fabia, Octavia and Superb. They all existed at some point since 2007, but their presence is now limited to used car showrooms. The crossover won.
The Octavia Scout wasn’t the first jacked-up estate car. A decade earlier, Volvo launched the XC version of the V70, a car that helped to popularise the concept of a wagon that could handle the rough stuff. Inspired by the V70 XC (later the XC70), Audi entered the game with the Allroad, although Subaru was doing dirty things with estate cars long before the pair of them got their feet wet. And we mustn’t overlook Dangel’s high and mighty versions of the Peugeot 504 and 505, or the Toyota Tercel 4WD Estate and AMC Eagle. This is Petrolblog, so here’s an honourable mention for the Montego Countryman, although the Brit was forced to cope without extra ground clearance or a four-wheel drive system.
Skoda’s original Octavia Scout isn’t as capable or desirable as a Dangel-enhanced Peugeot wagon, but it is relatively rare, being on sale for just a short while before the facelifted version arrived in early 2009. Two engines were available: a 2.0-litre FSI petrol producing 150bhp or a 2.0-litre TDI developing 140bhp. Both were mated to a six-speed manual gearbox and a Haldex 4x4 system. It sat 40mm higher than the standard Octavia estate, or 17mm higher than the 4x4 version, with the benefit of body armour to offer protection from tree stumps, gate posts and whatever else you may encounter on a byway. Skoda said the Scout could ‘tackle anything from small speed humps or potted roads, to muddy fields and tracks with ease’. Maybe so, but some mud and snow or all-terrain tyres would be required when the hills are alive with the sound of running water. The right rubber is needed if you’re hoping to climb every mountain or ford every stream, although even then, the limited ground clearance could be a… limiting factor. Still, given the state of our roads, the classic (can we call it that?) Octavia Scout is now more relevant than ever.
KW08 TWY, part of Skoda’s heritage fleet, arrived in a lorry, but it’s no trailer queen. On the contrary, it has 140,000 miles under its belt and its diesel engine sounds (and smells) like a taxi rank from the 2000s. Thanks to CO2 emissions of 173g/km, it costs £305 a year to tax, although that’s £110 less than the petrol version. Plus, you get the benefit of an official 44.1mpg, rather than the petrol’s 32.5mpg. It’s also hugely satisfying to drive. On a long trip, you can stick it in fifth or sixth and let the abundance of torque (320Nm @ 1750rpm) do the hard work, while the raised ride height and relatively small by today’s standards 17-inch alloys iron out all but the worst road surfaces. Spending a week in the Scout after driving a new SUV with alloys the size of a Ferris wheel and rubber bands for tyres was like jumping from a bed of nails into a bed of roses.
As for the boot, well, it’s properly massive. A figure of 1620 litres of luggage space with the back seats down is rather meaningless in isolation, but it’s enough for two large dogs to lie down next to each other and stand up without banging their heads on the roof. These things matter when you’re in the market for a country estate. Oh, and although styling is subjective, the Octavia Scout looks more appealing than most new crossovers, many of which cost ten or twenty times the price. I know because there has been at least one Octavia Scout on my eBay watchlist since Skoda came to take KW08 TWY away at the end of November. In case you’re wondering, good ones fetch between £2000 and £4000.
Next time you’re scouting for a rugged, practical and spacious rural estate, Czech out Skoda’s ‘Aldi Allroad’.
This article first appeared in issue 29 of Classic.Retro.Modern. magazine.
