Test drive Skoda Octavia Scout 2.0 TDI 4 × 4: Honest Scout

Skoda Octavia is among the most popular cars in Europe - and what did the marathon show?

It was overloaded frequently and almost no one guarded it - the popular Skoda station wagon with a two-liter diesel, dual transmission and Scout equipment. After 100 kilometers, it's time to take stock.

Leather and Alcantara upholstery, music and navigation system, distance radar, keyless entry - is this still the brand that came on the market with the idea to meet only basic car needs? The one that the VW concern bought from the Czech state in 1991 in order to be able to offer price-sensitive buyers a cheap alternative to the main brand with modern equipment, but simple workmanship and equipment? Today, the facts show that the current models steal customers not only from rivals such as Opel or Hyundai, but also from the sophisticated and expensive brethren Audi and VW.

As the most popular imported car in Germany, in 2016 the Octavia again ranked among the top ten best-selling station wagon models and in this body shape is preferred more often than the technically related Golf Variant. First of all, a solid argument for buying is the larger interior space against lower prices, but buyers rarely make such thin bills. On the contrary - many of them order more powerful engines, automatic transmissions, dual transmission, as well as high levels of equipment, and pay more than twice the price for the base Combi 1.2 TSI for 17 euros with 850 hp. and a serial ice scraper, but without air conditioning.

Scout does not leave a trace in the winter

The test car with developing 184 hp. two-liter TDI, dual-clutch transmission and Scout equipment was launched at the start of the marathon test in early 2015 with a base price of 32 euros, with the 950 selected extras raising the final price of the car to 28 euros. Although we can do without some of them, most of them are useful and make life on board more pleasant and safer - for example, bright bi-xenon lights, good connection to a smartphone and iPod plus voice control or powerful heating in the rear seats. In addition, thanks to the dual transmission with a fifth-generation Haldex clutch, electronic differential locks and torque distribution depending on the situation, the Octavia is very well equipped for the cold season.

In the Scout version with a package for bad roads, increased ground clearance and bottom protection under the engine, the car copes well even with gravel tracks and snowy slopes - but with changed settings of the shock absorbers, from which comfort suffers. Especially in the city and only with the driver on board, the suspension responds to short bumps without feeling against the background of the bouncing movements of the standard 17-inch wheels. There is no adaptive suspension like in the more resilient Golf, but in return the payload is much higher (574 instead of 476 kg).

The boot also holds more than the 12 cm shorter brother in the concern (1740 instead of 1620 liters maximum) and can be split or aligned with a movable second floor when, remotely released, the rear backrest is folded forward. Although ample space has been used frequently, only a few scratches on the load sill and side panels indicate intensive use. With the exception of the flaky chrome on the DSG transmission lever, which was renewed under warranty, and the worn leather and Alcantara upholstery, at the end of the marathon test, the Octavia is just as shiny, solid and non-creaking as on the first day.

The powerful TDI is music to the ears

The rough rhythm of the two-liter diesel with 184 hp, 380 Nm and NOX storage catalyst is part of the daily music accompaniment not only during a cold start. But he doesn't get really annoying. On the other hand, the powerful TDI fiercely pulls the 1555 kg station wagon, sprints from zero to one hundred for the sporty 7,4 seconds and offers powerful intermediate traction. In Eco mode with automatic clutch disengagement when accelerating, it runs at less than six liters per 100 km, but for the entire mileage with the most vigorous driving, the value stabilizes at a solid 7,5 liters. In addition, a total of six liters of engine oil had to be added.

The assessment is also ambiguous for the six-speed DSG with two oil bath lamellar clutches, for which an oil and filter change (EUR 295) is prescribed every 60 km. While everyone appreciated the appropriate gear ratios and the possibility of stress-free driving, some drivers were not happy with the gearshift strategy. In normal mode, the transmission often - for example on mountain roads - stays in high gear for too long, and in S-mode it just as stubbornly holds one of the low ones at about 000 rpm. And especially when maneuvering in a parking lot or starting after a traffic light break, it engages the clutch with a delay and with severe shocks.

No one remarked on the steering with a sense of the road, comfortable seats and logical control of functions, and the automatic adjustment of the ACC distance worked as reliably as the fast navigation system Columbus. However, without real-time traffic information, it does not always manage to get around congestion in time, and the speed limit indicator also makes a large error rate. It is even higher only with the ultrasonic sensors of the parking assistant, which, especially when moving in a column, without any reason and with a constant annoying sound signal warn of the threat of contact.

Great traction, little wear

Otherwise, the false tones and damage were very few: Apart from a vacuum hose bitten by rodents, only the tie rod of the rear stabilizer had to be replaced. To this picture are added the rather cheap service checks with oil change every 30 km, as well as the one-time change of wipers and front brake pads. Because Skoda, which relied on good traction, was careful even with the tires, it had to visit the service outside the schedule only once and lost less of its value than the Golf, according to the damage index in its class, it ranks on a par with the VW model. .

This may not be entirely in the spirit of the group's policy, but it is certainly in the interest of customers.

This is how readers rate the Skoda Octavia

Since February 2015, I have driven over 75 km with the same model as your test car. The average consumption is 000 l / 6,0 km and apart from one defeat by a rodent I have not had any other problems. However, the chassis seems too rigid, the navigation is quite slow, and the leather seats tend to form creases.

Reinhard Reuters, Langenprising

The construction, space, design and equipment of the Octavia are great, but the materials in the interior show savings compared to the previous model. The RS chassis seems too comfortable, and I had big problems with the electronics. After launching, it sometimes takes a few minutes for me to enter navigation targets or make phone calls. Although Skoda recently allowed me to change my central infotainment control unit, the new one is no faster.

Sico Birchholz, Lorrah

For a dual-transmission model with 184 hp, which burns an average of seven liters per 100 km, the tank is too small, and the two-liter TDI needs about one liter of oil per 10 km. And the coolant needs to be topped up from time to time, and the seats, while comfortable, cause sweating. With the DSG transmission and support systems, I can overcome daily stages of 000 km without stress and fatigue, because I turn on the adaptive cruise control whenever possible.

Rasmus Vechorek, Frankfurt am Main

With our Octavia Combi TDI with 150 hp. and double transmission so far we have traveled 46 trouble-free kilometers, but the workmanship of the previous model was better, and its tank - ten liters larger. The consumption is between 000 and 4,4 l / 6,8 km. When servicing 100 km, the air pressure in all tires was too low, too much oil was detected and the service interval indicator was set incorrectly.

Heinz. Herman, Vienna

After 22 months and over 135 kilometers, the impressions of my Octavia TDI RS are mixed: the positive aspects include the short switching times of the DSG, the great multimedia interface, the sensationally large space and the price / quality ratio. Negatives include leather imitations, unreliable parking assistants and speed limits, and a 000-kilometer turbocharger failure.

Christoph Maltz, Mönchengladbach

Advantages and disadvantages

+ Solid, low-wear body

+ Plenty of space for passengers and luggage

+ Large payload

+ Many practical solutions in detail

+ Comfortable seats and seating position

+ Clear function management

+ Efficient heating of the cabin and seats

+ Satisfactory suspension comfort

+ Good xenon lights

+ Diesel engine with strong traction

+ Suitable gear ratios

+ Very good handling

+ Safe behavior on the road

+ Good traction and suitability for winter conditions

- No load insensitive suspension

- Unexplained signals from the parking sensors

- Unreliable indications of speed limits

- No real-time congestion reports

- Slow, working with shocked DSG

- Noisy engine

- Not very economical

- Relatively high oil consumption

Conclusion

Octavia looks like many of its owners - uncomplicated, pragmatic, versatile and open to everything new, but not to vain nonsense. In the long test, the car impressed with useful qualities for practice and everyday life, low wear and unconditional reliability. Powerful diesel, DSG transmission and dual transmission make it a universal talent with qualities for long journeys, but the noisy operation of the engine, shocks from the transmission and the rigid chassis in the Scout version bring forward the rough sides of the station wagon model. Otherwise, it is close to the ideal of a universal vehicle for all occasions.

Text: Bernd Stegemann

Photos: Beate Jeske, Peter Volkenstein, Jonas Greiner, Hans-Jürgen Kunze, Stefan Helmreich, Thomas Fischer, Hans-Dieter Soifert, Hardy Muchler, Rosen Gargolov