Skoda Australia has confirmed the arrival of the limited edition, high-riding 4x4 Superb Scout wagon to its local portfolio.
It comes as the brand’s local director, Michael Irmer, says a delay in the arrival of the updated Superb sedan and wagon led to the brand obtaining “several hundred Scouts” to sell in the interim.
Taking the place of the delayed models, the off-road-ready Superb Scout wagon will cost $59,490 (plus on-road costs) and is due on sale “early in the second quarter” of 2020 – or, sometime around May.
Outback-ready credentials in its favour, the new Scout wagon will come armed with an extra 15mm of ground clearance, an off-road driving mode, alloy bash plates and underbody protection.
Power comes from a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine, good for 200kW/350Nm and paired to a seven-speed DSG transmission that sends power to all four corners.
Down from the usual 206kW tune, the Superb Scout is in fact the first Skoda model in Australia to use a petrol particulate filter, requiring it to run on high quality premium unleaded petrol.
“This particulate filter can withstand petrol with 50 parts per million of sulfur, but it must be understood that these cars can run only on premium unleaded,” Irmer said. “While that’s also true of all our non-filtered petrol cars, which will not run to their full capability on basic unleaded petrol, ‘underfuelling’ accidentally or to save money at the pump will rapidly require the costly replacement of the filter.
“While we will continue to access non-filtered engines wherever possible, our view is that all motorists would benefit by the immediate introduction of a higher quality petrol - as used in most first world countries - with less than 10ppm in place of current ‘Premium’.”
Standard features on the Scout include LED Matrix headlights, LED tail lights, fog lights with cornering function, Skoda’s virtual cockpit, Alcantara/leather seats, tri-zone climate control, electric tailgate, front and rear heat seating, tinted windows and more.
Inside the cabin resides a 9.2-inch touchscreen with Apple Carplay/Android Auto, digital radio and more. Wireless phone charging, stainless steel pedals, 18-inch polished wheels are standard, as is autonomous emergency braking (AEB), adaptive cruise control, reverse camera, traffic jam assist, lane assist, tyre pressure monitoring and more.
With the rear seats in place, the wagon’s luggage capacity is rated at 1950 litres.
There’s also be a number of optional extras for the Superb Scout – the stand out perhaps, a bright Tangerine paint job worth $1700. Other options include a panoramic glass roof ($1900), metallic and pearl effect paints ($700-1700) and a tow bar, which is yet to be priced.
Meantime, Skoda says mid-life revised Superb sedan and wagon models are due Down Under later this year.
2.0-litre turbo-petrol - $59,490 (plus on-road costs)