Cloak And Dapper

Skoda’s Scout is aiming for the wild side. Does it really drive that home?

- Sherman Hale Nazareth

If you’ve ever walked into a car or motorcycle showroom in India and observed a customer’s criteria for buying a vehicle, you’d probably consider seeing a shrink because the world wouldn’t make much sense to you anymore. I’m aware I’m generalising things here, but if you were looking for absurd reasons to own things, India’s just the place for you. There’s many reasons some of the best vehicles in the world are doomed for failure in our country. SUVs and ADVs are all the rage here, and this is generally due to reasons far from what you’d expect. So if you actually think about it, manufacturers launching physically large vehicles that are only meant to impress an audience makes sense. That’s all they’d be used for anyway. Hardcore SUVs that could take you to hell and back will hardly ever taste the mud and grime they’re designed for. So, give the people what they want, then.

Now, the Skoda Kodiaq is an impressive car to begin with. The additional Scout nomenclature suggests this version of it could take you to unexplored and mysterious lands. That’s what scouts do, don’t they? Not this one, no. It’ll eat up bad roads and dirt trails almost like a rally car. But don’t expect to use it if you plan on hunting mountain goats in your spare time. When I first heard the Scout name, I was expecting a substantial variation in hardware; Skoda’s no stranger to the world of off-road. Instead, you get a few tweaks and trims that enhance it for rough use just that little bit more.