The new Scout vs the old Scout a connundrum

[duderduderini]

Hey.
i just traded my 2012 Scout as I had clocked 130000 Kms in 3 years flat. I was getting worried re the common rail diesel problems that await any of us with a high mileage Common rail engine. Most say expect round 200 to 250 k out of one before expensive repairs.
My old scout was a manual the new one is the 110 kw 6 speed manual. I will divide my findings into departments.
Interior.
The new car has less useful storage space. The centre compartment atop the dash is gone. The compartment under the heater controls is smaller and has no lid. The side pockets in the doors seem smaller and there are no useful little compartments in the sides of the seat bases and the ones under the seat dont seem to be there either.. the ones near the handbrake lever appear similar. The Back doors compartments seem smaller too. The cargo area has side storage like before but no lids/covers. so your oil bottles/ jumper leads will be viewable. I dont have the Canton system taking up one of the compartments thankfully.
The seats I hate.It feels as though I sit on them not in them and there does not seem to be much shoulder support. I am looking into a set of vrs seats (wish me luck).
The interior does feel a bit more airy and spacious but its not an epiphany.
The MFD is better in the new one and the settings are now accessed via the infotainment unit. I have the bog standard one as I found the last gps unit in the gen 2 car pretty useless compared to my smartfone app. To upgrade just the head unit is 2700 but it comes a part of a 4k option pack too. No thanks. The standard sound system is ok. The bass is not as boomy as the gen 2 model but tonally the speakers are not accurate so its a win lose there.
Engine.
It might have 7kW more but it feels just like the gen 2 engine. Economy is about the same. Performance wise its no slouch to be sure. The only bummer is that doing your own oil changes on these engines is a tad difficult given the oil filter housing is now facing downwards and can only be accessed from underneath.The new engine feels smoother at least but its good nonetheless
Gearbox. The same delight to use, clutch is ok too no huge difference there.I can still hear the slight gearbox/diff whines that the gen 2 had.
Handling steering.. What have they done to the steering???, I feel its been dumbed down or electroniced up..it feels artificial and its harder to point the new one accurately compared to the old one ..not by much but I feel the steering is a retrograde step compared to the gen 2.
The car does handle nicely but it seems the new one lurches more initially and my partner become a tad queasy in the new one ( I have a test road shh.. don;t tell anybody) which infers to me that its softer than the gen 2. I prefered the handling of the gen 2 sorry.

Fuel capacity. The new car must have a smaller tank because the range on the gen 2 would often be between 900 to 1000 km but the new one has come in at 840 to 900. Thats a bummer but hey thats progress. I find I am getting similar fuel usage in the new one almost higher incidentally but I am hoping this will get better as the car only has 1000k on it at this point. I am guessing the new tank is between 5 and seven litres smaller.
Brakes are good they feel much stronger but to me might be a bit smaller in the rotor department but i prefer the new one over the gen 2.
Forget heel and toeing in the new one..in the gen 2 i could do it easily but the new accelerator pedal seems to have a one second elastomeric snail implanted in it cause it does not blip the engine as in gen2-- another minus
Looks.. This one looks like an audi/vw.. I am ambivalent on its looks ymmv.
They sold me a towbar but cant tell me when they are in the country!!!! I use my car to tow my kart trailer and had to borrow a mates car last weekend cause i went karting. I wish they had of told me.
Would I recommend the new one?
No.
If you are happy with your old one and it hasnt got the huge k's mine had then keep it. I drove a gen 2 that had a chip in it that ups the power of the gen 2 to 135 kw and 400Nm and boy was that was fun!!. If I wasnt getting rid of it I would certainly do that. The new car has more airbags and I do have a 15 month old to worry about so that was also a factor. Do I think its a good car.. yes I do but the Gen2 was my favourite. I did all the research on awd cars (not trucks) and the scout is still the clear choice on balance. I will look into thicker anti roll bars or stiffer springs to counteract the body lurch thing and I might be lucky and find some vrs seats (depending on compatibility and airbags).
I Lamentably had to upgrade and trade in wasnt spectacular as it was and I know lots of stories about cr diesels and the horrors that might await
If you have a gen 2 stick with it. I gave my Gen 2 10 out of 10.. what a sleeper of a car. The new one I give it 8
I hope this helps some of you
Nick

[tigger73]

Nice review. Maybe you should have just traded for another gen 2.... 2009 Skoda Octavia Scout

Someone's going to get an absolute bargain!

[duderduderini]

Given its a work car the rate I got for the new car was i think 1.9% from vw finace.. it was always going to be a new car but yes someone is going to get a good car

[Bob51]

Thanks for your review. I also have a 2012 Scout and have been considering the new model when the warranty runs out.

What did you pay and what choices were there in colour and option packs?

Is there any difference in road noise between the old and new models?

[tigger73]

Thanks for your review. I also have a 2012 Scout and have been considering the new model when the warranty runs out.

What did you pay and what choices were there in colour and option packs?

Is there any difference in road noise between the old and new models?

Given the review above I think the smarter money is investing in an extended warranty (before the warranty runs out)

[Gerrycan]

It was not a Scout, but I thought the steering on my Mk2 was also something remarkable and not something I ever took for granted over the 6ish years I drove it.
The Mk3 is good, but as you say not as good.
The UK versions can customise certain aspects including the steering weight and report that the heavier 'Sport' setting gives a much better feel.
My Mk3 Ambition does not have this, but does the Scout?

[brad]

Nice review. Maybe you should have just traded for another gen 2.... 2009 Skoda Octavia Scout

Someone's going to get an absolute bargain!

The guy that services my car bought a low mileage Scout from a local car yard for $10k. It sat there for months. He says he can't fault it.

[duderduderini]

Thanks for your review. I also have a 2012 Scout and have been considering the new model when the warranty runs out.

What did you pay and what choices were there in colour and option packs?

Is there any difference in road noise between the old and new models?

I paid 37600 with a towbar which hasnt even landed in the country yet (they cant even tell me when)
Road Noise is about the same which wasnt that bad for me but some will find it irritating.
If you go on to skodas site it lists all the option packs and colours there
The 2 basic option packs are the tech pack and the other 4400 dollar one which includes 8 inch gps folding mirrors heated seats etc.. I didnt bother with any of those things less things to go wrong if you ask me.
Currently the fuel consumption is about 1/2 litre per 100 k's worse than the Mk2
My dealer is looking into changing the steering setting is their software setup whizz bang machine.. will let you know.
What I should have done is perhaps sourced spare dpf/injectors and injection pump cause they are the things that cost big dollars to fix and I was told that the extended warranties don't cover "wear and tear use" so they might not honour a blocked dpf after all cause its "fair use" as they say.. that is the fine print in the extended factory warranty I just got. I was in a corner and as always picked the wrong line.
Keep your mark 2 and I will quietly weep as I pass one going the other way....

[Gerrycan]

.... I didnt bother with any of those things less things to go wrong if you ask me.

My dealer is looking into changing the steering setting is their software setup whizz bang machine.. will let you know.

..

I agree with you about keeping modern cars as simple as possible.

It seems that Skoda have extended their policy to the Scout lower models sent to Australia of not including 'mode' selection.
If the dealers say they cannot change the steering weight then there may be someone with VCDS in your area who can do it for you.

I assumed my light steering feel was due to the fact that the Mk3 1.4tsi weighed so much less than the Mk2 1.9D.
Another factor that might be affecting your steering is that the wheels are out of alignment.
While it seems stupid that a new car should need an alignment it is not unknown for them to be quite a long way out and the cost of an alignment could pay for itself in extended tyre life anyway.

Regarding fuel consumption, did your old diesel Scout have DPF as well?

[duderduderini]

I agree with you about keeping modern cars as simple as possible.

It seems that Skoda have extended their policy to the Scout lower models sent to Australia of not including 'mode' selection.
If the dealers say they cannot change the steering weight then there may be someone with VCDS in your area who can do it for you.

I assumed my light steering feel was due to the fact that the Mk3 1.4tsi weighed so much less than the Mk2 1.9D.
Another factor that might be affecting your steering is that the wheels are out of alignment.
While it seems stupid that a new car should need an alignment it is not unknown for them to be quite a long way out and the cost of an alignment could pay for itself in extended tyre life anyway.

Regarding fuel consumption, did your old diesel Scout have DPF as well?

Yes the old one had a dpf
I am going to get the wheel alignment checked cause the car does wander a tad and my dealer is looking into whether the steering can be adjusted at software level
Will keep you posted
Nick