I am the very person this car was made for. I have a family: a wife, a couple of kids, and a turtle to boot. Plus two bicycles, a bunch of roller skates and ice skates in four bags, badminton, skis, a barbecue grill, and even a flashlight. We live in a city that on weekends, barely squeezing through traffic jams, releases its tired residents. People spread out along the highways in search of air, and the metropolis feels lighter. On one of those sunny weekends, my wife and I, along with our main expert on family cars, set out to find out why the usual options — a sedan, a compact van, or an SUV — might be rejected by the family council in favor of a surprising UPP, that is, a crossover wagon.
"Dad, why is the car called Skoda? Does it skoda (misbehave)?" — Yulia smiles. I mumble something in response, but I understand: for a family car, how it sounds matters. Not about the engine or music. It's about the magic of the name, its sound. Ask a five-year-old child who they'd take into the family — a BMW, Volkswagen, SsangYong, Lianchu, or Skoda? They'd probably choose Lianchu, but that's not the point. The point is that it's not a Volkswagen. Because you can't name a brother Volkswagen, and a sister HR-V — even less so. But with a Skoda, it'll definitely be fun.
A calm, slightly tired look, big kind headlights, and shapes far from elegance. A true workhorse.
A sedan is boredom. An SUV for that money is a joke. A compact van — who would even drive one alone? Here we need to sort out the terms. A car is a dream of your own vehicle, an SUV is parking in a snowdrift, a compact van is an apartment on wheels. But you want everything at once! So our Slavic brothers are offering me a universal "three-in-one" solution.
The Scout badge means not only all-wheel drive, like the Octavia Combi, but also "3-4 kilograms" of steel protection underneath.
Let's be honest: the Scout isn't a looker. Aggression, dynamics, solidity — that's not about it. The Octavia doesn't pretend to be cool. It's deliberately simple to draw people in. The "suitcase" design sets the right mood: quickly toss in your stuff and hit the road. All-wheel drive and a raised body awaken dreams of wild nature and add confidence. But no more than a souvenir rifle on the wall — it won't fire, and you won't go to a waterfall.
Inside, it's cozy like home — that's the main thing. No ultra-modern chic. But it feels good, like in your parents' apartment where furniture was bought in the last century. Overall, Czech aesthetics are close to our people. The green speedometer in old style, the black-and-white screen of the onboard computer, a small skylight window on top, the displays of the stereo and climate control like a calculator. Pure nostalgia! But the quality is German. Nothing creaks or falls off. Doors with large pockets, a couple of cup holders (Yulia says they're for apples), pockets and compartments for small items, convenient nets in the trunk — everything that greedy Germans offer for extra cost, the kind Czechs put on the table right away.
Modest but clean. Premium owners will spit, Japanese car drivers will be outraged at the price, and the Octavia owner will only ask for an automatic transmission selector.
The trunk — that's what it's all about. A black hole, a well, a troglodyte. Things inside seem to shrink and disappear into the depths. You can haul as much groceries from the store as you want — bring your own fridge. Yulia's bike, which didn't fit in either the Fiesta or the A4, got lost somewhere between the bag of roller skates and the laptop. Loading is both Tetris and a quest at the same time. And closing it is a whole ritual! The head of the family, after surveying the cargo area like a cargo ship captain, pulls the special "pear"... Bang! The car shudders, the draft disappears: everyone understands — we're off!
Dark leather and velour, heated seats with adjustment, and two ventilation vents — passengers won't complain. Plenty of space. For complete happiness, Yulia only lacks factory sun blinds.
Big, convenient, and well-equipped — that's all about the trunk. The floor is flat and soft. The "pear" for closing is cool and handy. Nets on the floor and sides will hold small cargo. The trunk cover slides along rails and will support more than just a soft toy.
While I was driving the Scout, I decided I'd write just one paragraph about the ride. Because we've already tested the Octavia 4×4 Combi wagon. The Scout is almost the same. I don't think the extra four centimeters of ground clearance, plastic body cladding, and stylish sill plates changed the car's behavior much. By the way, you're reading that paragraph right now. The car drives well.
17-inch wheels — simple and nice.
On dirt roads, the Octavia Scout driver will be beaming with happiness — finally, the car is in its element! And it doesn't matter that everyone else drove here before him — a guy in a Lada, and a kid on a bike.
Every car has something funny about it, that's no secret. Here too. For example: the backlight of the buttons on the steering wheel can be turned off with a separate button on the same wheel. Cute. Or the oddly working system that changes music volume based on speed — you have to constantly adjust it. And here's another: during emergency braking, the hazard lights turn on by themselves. Yes, yes, safety, I understand. The idea is good. But in practice? Our hazard lights can mean anything — from "thank you" and "looking at the map" to "I'll stand here as a third row for half an hour" or "what does this triangle button do?" And anyway, have you ever seen a driver who turned on the hazard lights after hard braking?.. And with all these extras, the car doesn't even have simple power seats. Too bad. But that's not the worst part.
There's a foreign body in this car. It's not the sunroof, which you can't even stick your head out of. But you can say "I have a sunroof in my car" — that's already cool. And it's not the wide handle above the glovebox, which my passenger has to grab while I tackle extreme off-road. What ruins everything is it — the manual transmission. An awkward lever with a tasteless "4×4" inscription and imperfect shifts. A rudiment of a modern family car. Why? To make it more dynamic? But even with the "stick," the engine doesn't pull more than "just driving." To emphasize economy and practicality? Come on... I have a sunroof in my car!
The gasoline 2.0 FSI of all Russian Scouts will save family money three times: at purchase — there's no more powerful and expensive engine, on the highway — traffic cops will set you as an example, and at the gas station — this engine has a very modest appetite.
What's the result? We get not an ideal, but a family car very close to it. It's positive, convenient, practical, and well-made. Yards aren't filled with such cars. I've heard many times: "Octavia Scout — allroad for the poor." Offensive? No! That definition is accurate, and it flatters Skoda. The car seems big, though in length it's smaller not only than the A6 but also the A4 (the Octavia is on the Golf platform, and they share the same wheelbase). And as for serious off-roading, both of these UPPs will get stuck instantly. As much off-road as the Allroad has, that's how much Cherokee the Scout has. And we'll end with a price argument. For the price of the simplest Allroad, you can get two Octavia Scouts. For example, silver and... silver. Well, red doesn't suit it, not at all!
Technical specifications
| Parameters | Skoda Octavia Scout |
|---|---|
| Body | |
| Number of doors/seats | 5/5 |
| Length, mm | 4581 |
| Width, mm | 1784 |
| Height, mm | 1533 |
| Wheelbase, mm | 2578 |
| Front/rear track, mm | 1534 |
| Curb weight, kg | 1490 |
| Gross weight, kg | 2150 |
| Trunk volume, l | 580/1620 |
| Engine | |
| Type | petrol, with direct injection |
| Location | front, transverse |
| Number and arrangement of cylinders | 4, in-line |
| Number of valves | 16 |
| Displacement, cm³ | 1984 |
| Max power, hp/rpm | 150/6000 |
| Max torque, Nm/rpm | 200/3500 |
| Transmission | |
| Gearbox | manual, six-speed |
| Drive | all-wheel drive |
| Chassis | |
| Front suspension | independent, McPherson |
| Rear suspension | independent, multi-link |
| Front brakes | disc, ventilated |
| Rear brakes | disc |
| Ground clearance, mm | 180 |
| Performance characteristics | |
| Maximum speed, km/h | 200 |
| Acceleration time from 0 to 100 km/h, s | 10 |
| Fuel consumption, l/100 km | |
| urban cycle | 11.9 |
| extra-urban cycle | 6.9 |
| combined cycle | 8.7 |
| Emission standard | Euro-4 |
| Fuel tank capacity, l | 55 |
| Fuel | AI-95 |
Equipment of the tested car
Standard equipment
Price of tested car — 1,105,895 rubles ($46,520)
- Alloy wheels 17"
- Compact spare wheel (space saver)
- Leather steering wheel
- Power steering
- Dynamic stability system
- Engine and gearbox protection
- ISOFIX child seat anchors
- Height adjustment of front seats
- Roof rails
- Heated front seats
- Central locking with remote control
- Auto-dimming interior rearview mirror
- Power windows
- Front airbags
- Front armrest
- Set of nets in the trunk
- Exterior mirrors with electric adjustment
- Rain sensor
- CD player (MP3) and 4 speakers
- Fog lights
- Dual-zone climate control
- On-board computer
- Heated washer nozzles
- Maxidot multi-function display
- Alarm with remote control
- Electric sunroof
- Front side airbags
- Xenon headlights
- Multi-function steering wheel
- Combined leather and alcantara seat upholstery
- Heated rear seats
- Audience audio system
Price of tested car — 1,105,895 rubles ($46,520)
Behind the scenes
All Saturday and Sunday we intensively used the car: covered kilometers around the city, went out of town for a picnic, visited the car wash twice, and even managed to work as a photo car for the Corsa OPC. Interesting point: while the car was parked at the entrance to the editorial office, none of the employees showed any interest — no one came to look or asked for a ride. Apparently, the youth is already used to more interesting cars :-)