Skoda Octavia Scout

Text: Lesley Harris / Photos: Pete Gibson

April 2010

• Latest deal price: from £11,325 to £19,516

The skies above the UK were empty of aircraft last week, but that didn’t stop our Skoda Octavia from hitting the runway! It played a vital role in taking some of the most amazing pictures ever to appear in Auto Express...

When a stunning Audi R8 Spyder arrived in the office car park, it demanded an equally striking photoshoot. And a phone call to Ultimate High in Circencester, Gloucestershire, (www.ultimatehigh.co.uk) set the scene for a memorable day as we snapped the supercar with an Extra 300 stunt plane flying only inches overhead.

I was chauffeuring our photographer, Dom Fraser, in the Scout, and with only three attempts to get the shot we needed, I wondered if the Octavia was up to the job.

Why? Because the plane, piloted by ex-RAF flier Steve ‘Hicko’ Hicks, has a stall speed of 100mph! To get the shot, I had to hit the start of the mile-and-a-half long runway at around 70mph and maintain a constant speed of 110mph for the rest of the run. And all of this while a photographer hung out the window!

With all the safety briefings taken care of, I signed my life away and headed to the apron. After a brief pause, the radio crackled into life and the call sign was given – we were off!

Now, the Skoda’s 2.0 TDI engine isn’t the quickest off the mark, but it’s surprisingly brisk and I managed to hit 75mph before turning on to the runway. The Scout’s composure was impressive as Dom hung on for dear life in the back.

With my foot hard to the floor and the needle pushing further and further round the clock, road tester James Disdale was having no problems keeping up in the R8 Spyder as he cruised alongside. But where was Hicko?

Finally, we spotted the red and white machine as it struggled to catch up – was the Octavia really going to outrun a plane? The answer was quick to arrive in the form of a short radio transmission from our pilot.

“I wasn’t expecting you to be that quick!” he said, as he looped around for another go. Our second and third runs were perfectly timed, and the pictures looked fantastic.

Even the car’s brakes, which took a bit of a hammering after several 110mph to zero stops, were impressive to the end. Mind you, they weren’t quite good enough to prevent a low-speed bump in the last of the winter snow, as road test editor Ross Pinnock found out to his cost.

A graceful slide into the back of a Nissan X-Trail as he tried, and failed, to stop at a frozen T-junction on his way to work has given the Scout a minor nose job.  We’ve had a quote from A.H. Witham in Hersham, in Surrey, for the repairs, and the handsome estate will soon be back to its former glory.

While the R8 Spyder is one of the most stylish and desirable cars on the planet, the Skoda is undoubtedly much more versatile. The drop-top supercar would struggle to cope with the garden rubbish, DIY kit and elderly parents the Skoda takes in its stride. The fact I know it can also cruise serenely at 110mph only adds to its appeal...