Skoda Octavia Scout: month 1

Arrived: May 2008
List price (including options): £20,240
Average economy: 40.4mpg

The Skoda Octavia Scout has been -

Earning its keep as a removal van and carting rubbish to the refuse tip as it arrived slap bang in the middle of a house move. It couldn't have come at a better time either, as the large 580-litre boot (which extends to 1,620-litres with the rear seats folded) has been used to carry all manner of goods. Easy access through the large tailgate has already endeared the Skoda to us.

There have also been plenty of motorway miles, as the Octavia Scout ferries us from home to the airport, family, friends and days out. The chunky off-road-ish bodywork manages to look at home in the country among big bruiser 4x4s, yet looks suitably slick in the city, so it's turning out to be a good combination without any of the anti-SUV sentiments.

We're loving the -

Comfort and equipment that comes as standard with the Scout. There's a lengthy list of factory-fitted goodies that includes climate control, six-disc CD autochanger, steering wheel stereo controls, cruise control, four electric windows, rear parking sensors, rain-sensing wipers, automatic headlights... You get the idea: it's pretty much fully loaded. The only extra we went for was metallic paint, which cost £350. Perhaps a sunroof would have been a good idea, but £665 is steep. Also, curtain airbags seem a strange omission from the standard equipment list and cost an extra £280.

The Scout spends a lot of time on the motorway, so comfort and refinement have to be first class. Luckily they are and the Skoda is acquitting itself very well as a business express. Its 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine has plenty of low- and mid-rev impetus, yet it's quiet at higher speeds in the uppermost ratio of its six-speed manual gearbox.

But not so impressed by -

The ride on country roads can be a touch too firm. It's great when the road in question is freshly surfaced and smooth, allowing the Scout to show off its unexpectedly fine grip and handling. However, throw in a few bumps, ripples and surface scars and it's too easily deflected off-line. It means a little extra caution is needed, but then that's not such a bad thing now that the tourist season has kicked off in rural Scotland.

We're looking forward to -

A big trip to London and then on to Le Mans in France. It will give the Scout a chance to shine on the motorway, where it returns excellent fuel economy. If the weather at Le Mans is as changeable as it was last time I was there, I reckon four-wheel drive will score over the usual sports car suspects too.

Alisdair Suttie