Skoda Octavia 2015 News

Czech brand Skoda and British carmaker Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) have revealed which models will be recalled as part of the wide-spread mandatory Takata airbag call back.

A number of potentially hazardous faults have been identified in vehicles sold in Australia, prompting a wide range of recalls.

Another 35,000 vehicles have been added to Volkswagen Australia's diesel emissions recall list.

US owners of VW cars with diesel engines that can cheat emissions tests have already been given $500, but local owners still have no compensation.

Three weeks after the global scandal broke, Australian owners of VW diesel cars finally know if their car is affected or not.

The second-generation Skoda Octavia Scout arrives in local showrooms this week, with a starting price that trumps its Subaru Outback and VW Passat Alltrack key rivals and kicks off a full $7,000 beneath the model it replaces.The price-leading Octavia Scout 110TDI is priced from $32,990, which puts it $2500 below the equivalent Subaru Outback 2.0D.The only petrol powered model in the new Octavia Scout range is the $38,590 132TSI. The 132TSI comes in  at $2600 more than the petrol Outback 2.5i.Topping out the 2015 Octavia Scout range is the $41,390 135TDI diesel. Compared to the equivalent Subaru Outback 2.0D Premium, the Scout is $2100 cheaper, and $6900 cheaper than the VW Passat Alltrack.RELATED: 2015 Skoda Octavia Scout detailedThe new Octavia Scout matches the segment-leading Passat Alltrak with 588 litres of storage space available with the 60:40 split rear seats raised. This space increases to 1718 litres when the seats are folded.The Outback falls behind with only 512 litres seats-up, but nudges the Czech and the German with a seats-folded figure of 1801 litres.The petrol-powered Octavia Scout 132TSI can tow a maximum of 1600kg, with both diesels carrying a superior 1800kg rating. Equivalent Outback models each fall 100kg short.The off-road oriented Octavia Scout's 171mm ground clearance puts it 6mm higher than the Passat Alltrack, while the Subaru Outback sits above them all at 213mm.The Octavia Scout 110TDI is powered by a 110kW/340Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel engine and a six-speed manual transmission that drives all four wheels via a Haldex system that can send up to 95 percent of drive to the rear wheels for added grip.Standard features include reversing camera, rear parking sensors, nine airbags, driver fatigue detection, a 5.8-inch touchscreen multimedia system and 17-inch alloys.Powering the 132TSI is a 132kW/280Nm 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol engine. It is paired to a six-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic transmission that uses the same all-wheel drive system.As well as all the features of the 110TDI, the 132TSI adds an 8-inch touchscreen, satnav, eight speaker sound system, leather/Alcantara trim, dual-zone air-con, heated front seats and an automatic tailgate.A 135kW/380Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel engine powers the Octavia Scout 135TDI, which otherwise matches the 132TSI on spec. Like the 132TSI, it has a six-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic transmission.The additional features of the 132TSI and 135TDI are available as a $4400 Premium Pack for the 110TDI.A $3900 Tech Pack ($3300 for 135TDI) can also be optioned across the whole range and adds lane keep assist, automatic park assist with front parking sensors, bi-xenon headlights, LED tail lights and a 10-speaker sound system.Adaptive cruise control also forms part of the Tech Pack, however the 135TDI misses out on this.When financed directly through Skoda, the Octavia Scout will be available with the new Skoda Choice guaranteed future value plan, which will give owners the peace of mind of a set resale value at the end of their predetermined ownership.

The new off-road orientated Skoda Octavia Scout will hit local showrooms next month, with the second generation of the Octavia wagon-based model promising a blend of practicality and ability away from the blacktop. The Scout will rival cars like the Volkswagen Passat Alltrack and new Subaru Outback in the jacked-up wagon segment, and will likely be significantly cheaper than the $48,290 VW and similarly priced to the Japanese car which starts at $35,490. Three different engines will be offered in Australia, with the choice of a six-speed manual or dual-clutch automatic gearbox.The entry-level model is powered by a 110kW turbodiesel engine with a six-speed manual, while a 132kW petrol and 135kW diesel are also available exclusively with a dual-clutch auto. The 135TDI uses a similar 2.0-litre four-cylinder powertrain to its Passat Alltrack VW Group sibling, but the Skoda pushes out an extra 5kW.Like the Previos Scout, the new model uses a Haldex all-wheel drive system, and sits 31mm higher than standard Octavia models for off-road ground clearance.The new Scout also wears unique front and rear bumpers with black plastic moldings around the wheelarches that hint at the its off-road pretentions. There’s also extra underbody protection compared to the standard Octavia wagon for added ruggedness.Inside, the Scout is mostly standard Octavia wagon apart from the slightly higher-set driving position. Standard features include nine airbags, reversing camera with rear parking sensors and fatigue detection system, while up-spec 135TDI and 132TSI add eight-inch touchscreen infotainment with satnav, dual-zone air-con and automatic tailgate – these features can also be added to the base model through the optional Premium Pack. Optional on all models is the Tech Pack, which includes adaptive cruise control, xenon headlights, auto park assist, premium sound system, keyless entry and start, drive mode selector and city emergency brake system – though oddly not available on the 135TDI diesel. For the first time on a Skoda, a new camera-based lane-keep assist system is also available as part of the optional Tech Pack. The new Skoda Octavia Scout 4x4 goes on sale across Australia on March 26. 

Reversing camera now standard across most Octavia models, along with minor price increase for 2015.The total absence of a reversing camera in the third-generation Skoda Octavia raised eyebrows when it first arrived in Australia nearly 12 months ago.This proven safety feature was previously seen as a luxury item on up-market models, before finding its way into most current mainstream models. Even budget runabouts like the $14,990 Honda Jazz are now becoming so-equipped.Skoda has now addressed this safety shortfall by including a reversing camera as standard on most Octavia models for the 2015 model year.All Octavia Ambition Plus, Elegance and RS sedans and wagons will benefit from the change, leaving just the entry Ambition grade camera-free.The addition of a reversing camera has added between $300 and $450 to the Octavia's list pricing, aside from the Ambition which remains unchanged.

The New York motor show in April will see the announcement of which vehicle has won the 2014 World COTY, and there looks to be a tough -- and very varied -- field of finalists.Last year's winner was the Volkswagen Golf, which also took awards in pretty well every country on the globe. But this year it could be anything from the little electric BMW i3 to the offroading Jeep Cherokee and even the Citroen C4 peoplemover, judging by the shortlist.A panel of 69 motoring experts from around the world -- including Carsguide's Paul Gover and National Motoring Editor Joshua Dowling -- will choose the winner from: Audi A3, BMW 4 Series, BMW i3, Cadillac CTS, Citroen C4 Picasso, Ford Fusion/Mondeo, Infiniti Q50, Jeep Cherokee, Lexus IS, Mazda3, Peugeot 308 and Skoda Octavia.The 10 finalists for the 2014 World Luxury Car are the Bentley Flying Spur, BMW X5, Cadillac ELR, Cadillac Escalade, Maserati Ghibli, Maserati Quattroporte, Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Porsche Macan, Range Rover Sport and Rolls-Royce Wraith.Due to a tie, there are 11 finalists for the 2014 World Performance Car: Alfa Romeo 4C, Audi RS 6 Avant, BMW M6 Gran Coupe, Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, Ferrari 458 Speciale, Ford Fiesta ST, Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 Roadster, Mercedes-Benz A/CLA45 AMG, Porsche 911 GT3, Porsche 911 Turbo and Volkswagen Golf GTI.A separate panel of five 'green' experts will choose the 2014 World Green Car from Audi A3 Sportback e-tron (+ Audi e-gas), BMW i3, Honda Accord Hybrid, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and Volkswagen XL1.Similarly, a panel of five design experts will decide on the 2014 World Car Design of the Year, from among: BMW i3, Cadillac CTS, Citroen C4 Picasso, Mazda3, Lexus IS, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Volkswagen XL1.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

And it wasn’t done any favours by offering unusual looks and no automatic transmission. But Skoda is not giving up on it just yet. The little people mover has sold just 66 over the whole of 2008 and is lagging behind that sales level this year. “The numbers speak for themselves,” Skoda Australia head Matthew Wiesner admits. “We didn’t give it enough attention – probably through the fact that we had to focus on (medium-size passenger) Octavia to give us best cut-through and best return on investment. “Quite frankly, Roomster has suffered a bit because of that.” However Wiesner says that situation will change next year. “There will be a facelift in the new year – and some drivetrain changes and updates — which means we will then give Roomster the focus it requires, and give it the space to be a far better contribution to what we’ve been doing. Wiesner says that the Roomster has also been hampered by not having an automatic transmission. “Having it in manual only doesn’t help in the Australian market. People want an auto. “And it is a quirky design – you either love it or you don’t. “Is there a market for it? Yes, but it’s a niche market definitely. “But do you give up on it? No. Now that we’ve had a few focus groups, we now better understand who a Roomster owner is – and what they do and how. “They are very different to an Octavia buyer. We now don’t assume they will pick up on us as a brand by what we’re doing with Octavia, so we’ll start to target them specifically.” Wiesner says Skoda missed the mark in thinking there “might been some carryover between wagons, given what Roomster represents”. “But there is quite a distance even between a wagon buyer and somebody interested in Roomster – but their intentions, their motivations and interests are very different. “They are incredibly practical … we just need to be practical about how we talk to them. And we haven’t done that well yet. No question.”