Road test: W

HAT better place to experience the abilities of Skoda’s new Kodiaq Scout than Finnish Lapland? Some may scoff at the thought of one of the Czech brand’s models being enthusiastically driven on the very edge of the Arctic Circle but, these days, they should be in the minority. For the record, Skoda has been experimenting with ‘off-roaders’ since the 1930s.

The foundation of its modern 4x4 success was the launch of the Octavia Combi 4x4 in 1999. Between then and the end of 2017 Skoda has delivered over 700,000 4x4 vehicles to customers. In the last year alone, the company sold more than 127,000 of its 4x4 variants worldwide.

A Scout version of its new Karoq compact SUV is expected soon but the newest Skoda to win its badges as a Scout is the multi-award-winning Kodiaq seven-seater SUV.

Priced from £32,330, it is available with six engine and transmission options, all of which feature fourwheel drive. There’s two petrol offerings – a 1.4-litre, 148bhp unit and an extremely nippy 2.0-litre, 178bhp version – and two 2.0-litre TDI units with a choice of either 148bhp or 187bhp.

The lesser-powered model comes with a choice of a standard six-speed manual gearbox or an extremely smooth seven-speed DSG, which is standard in its mightier sibling.

Fuel consumption from the higher powered diesel is rated 49.6mpg with emissions of 151g/km.

Naturally, the Kodiaq Scout comes with a tent-full of special features in keeping with its outdoorsy nature.

There’s special off-road front and rear bumpers, a rear diffuser, and 19-inch Crater Anthracite alloys, silver door mirrors and, in case you don’t realise what you’re driving, ‘Scout’ plaques on the front wings.

Inside, there’s plush Alcantara trimmed seats and door panels and – a nice touch this – wood finish dashboard and door inserts. The cabin also gets aluminium trimmed pedals, LED ambient lighting and another ‘Scout’ plaque on the dashboard.

The Scout model is well prepared for adventures off the beaten track. All models are equipped with an off-road mode that adapts the chassis, engine and brake settings for rough terrain.

It also engages Hill Descent Assist on steep downhill slopes, automatically holding