Trio of ‘Planet 4x4’ awards for Skoda

Skoda’s Octavia 4x4 and Scout models have been recognised at the 2007 Planet 4x4 awards. The off-roading experts at the magazine voted for the 2.0 TDi 4x4 as both the ‘Best Crossover’ and ‘Best Budget Crossover’ of the year and for the Octavia Scout 2.0 TDi as the ‘Best Budget SUV.’

The Octavia 4x4 2.0 TDi – which costs £18,690 – saw off challenges from the Nissan Qashqai and Subaru Forester to take the title. It was praised for being “the most pleasing of the three to drive” and for appealing “to many drivers who feel other SUVs are too macho”.

As for the triumphant Scout, the testers thought that “its on-road dynamics were capable of teaching real sports cars a thing or two”, while off-road they commended it for its “solid traction, agility and extra ground clearance”. The Jeep Patriot and Kia Sportage both lost out to the Scout TDi which costs £19,690.

These aren’t the first mud-plugging awards Skoda has won in 2007. Early this year the Skoda Octavia Scout was also named ‘Best Crossover Estate’ at 4x4 Magazine’s 2008 ‘4x4 of the Year’ awards, beating the likes of Jaguar’s X Type AWD and the Subaru Forester.

Head of Skoda UK, Chris Craft, was delighted, but not surprised, by the victory: “The Octavia 4x4 and Scout not only represent excellent value for money, but are also very practical and capable off-road. The Haldex clutch system can deal with all kinds of terrain, from gravel tracks to wet motorways.”