The final model in the Octavia line-up to get an airing, the refreshed Skoda Octavia Scout has been revealed promising more tech and improved rough road ability.

THE REFRESHED SKODA OCTAVIA has been revealed overnight; it’s the last model in the refreshed Octavia line-up to be shown and follows the reveal yesterday of the fastest-ever Octavia RS. The Octavia Scout will launch with one diesel engine in two states of tune (110kW or 135kW), gets a 30mm ride height lift over the standard Octavia wagon and a new all-wheel drive system.

The new front and rear bumper have improved front and rear approach and departure angles to 16.6-degrees at the front and 14.5-degrees at the rear.

Skoda said: “Both the front and rear axle of the ŠKODA OCTAVIA SCOUT are fitted with an electronic differential lock (EDL) as standard. EDL allows the car to pull away smoothly on difficult surfaces, transmitting drive to both the front and rear axles”.

The new Octavia also gets the VW Group’s electronic differential lock (EDL) on the front and rear axle, which allows you to lock the car into all-wheel drive for improved grip on slippery surfaces. There is also an Off-Road Mode which activates hill descent control, “When in use the speed of the vehicle is consistently maintained without the driver needing to do anything. Modern engine management, which increases safety during descents using braking, makes the driver’s life easier,” Skoda said.

A rough road package is available in Europe which offers plastic bash plates under the Scout to protect the brake and fuel lines.

“The ‘Simply Clever’ features include a heated steering wheel and seats with the Thermo-Flux function which, from time to time, increases the air and moisture permeability and provides considerably more riding comfort in different climatic conditions,” Skoda said.

The boot offers 610 litres of storage space with the back seats up, and 1740 litres with them folded down. The boot opening is 1010mm wide.

Question: Would you go for an Octavia Scout or a Subaru Outback?