When it comes to marketing, artifice is everything. Whoever lets an inconvenient thing called reality get in the way of their unseemly scramble for the pound in your pocket is on the quick route to failure. That's what the contemporary business manual would appear to suggest anyway. Skoda is a company with a long history and an appealingly old-school way of going about its business. Call them the Ronseal of the car world - practical, unassuming and the models all do exactly what they promise on the tin. The Octavia Scout is a case in point. Some manufacturers will sell you a car that looks as if it could have some off-road capability, only for it to founder at the first obstacle. The Scout is an all-wheel drive estate car cut from different cloth.

Although Skoda notes that the Scout's ground clearance is a full 40mm higher than that of the standard estate and 17mm higher than the 4x4 version of that car, it's worth putting this figure into some sort of frame of reference. With 170mm of draught beneath the car, the Skoda is still some way off something like a Toyota RAV4 (191mm), a Volvo XC70 (200mm), a Subaru Forester (205mm) or even the old Renault Scenic RX4 (210mm). Therefore it's probably best not to attempt to tackle deeply rutted tracks in the Scout. Instead, if you aim it at something a little more even in relief, it should do just fine. Much of a car's off-road capability is, in fact, down to the tyres and merely changing the rubber for more aggressive mud terrains will be the biggest advantage you could give the Scout when negotiating off piste.

Unlike some rivals (but just like the ordinary Octavia 4x4), the Skoda Octavia Scout features a permanently available all-wheel drive system. This doesn't mean that the car runs in all-wheel drive mode all of the time, merely that its functioning is completely transparent. You don't need to press any buttons or manhandle any levers inside the car to switch to four driven wheels. In normal operating conditions, 100 per cent of the drive is directed to the front pair of wheels but as soon as the Haldex coupling system detects any slippage, a proportion of drive is shared with the rear wheels to offer improved grip. Full integration with the traction and braking systems mean there's not the tiresome loading of the steering that many 4x4 vehicles suffer from during parking manoeuvres.

"The Scout looks good and also looks capable of performing a workmanlike job"

It's a handsome thing with redesigned bumpers at front and rear that tack another centimetre to the overall length. Protective strips on the wheel housings and body-coloured side mouldings help keep your Scout looking fresh, as do the profiled door sills, the front pair having the 'Scout' badge engraved on them. A toughened sump guard aims to prevent you from doing your own mini Exxon Valdez. The 17-inch Proteus alloy wheels are a lifestyle concession but no worse looking for it, as are the polished steel dual exhaust pipes. Prices start at £17,725 for the 2.0 FSI, rising to £19,670 for the TDI 140 diesel version. Standard equipment includes a net programme in the boot, sunset glass, dual zone air con, ESP, headlight washers, rear acoustic parking sensors, cruise control and aluminium pedals.

Although the second generation Octavia estate is a good deal bigger on the inside than the old one, the external dimensions have been kept in check and the wheel at each corner stance hints at very good packaging. It's no mere impression either, as there's a massive 1,620 litres of space available and even with the seats fixed into place, there's 580 litres available to stuff with bags. The interior also benefits from a Jumbo box under the front armrest and upholstery exclusive to this model. There's even a passenger hand grip on the dashboard to help brace when tackling steep descents.

The load bay is not only large but also sensibly shaped. Instead of the wheelarch intrusion that so many estate models suffer, the Octavia Estate features a large, flat load space, carpeted and trimmed with rails so that heavy items can be slid into place. Lashing eyes mounted on the floor ensure that heavy objects can be firmly stowed and all the fixtures and fittings look beefy enough to last the course. The sheer attention to detail is impressive. The low loading lip is thoughtfully contoured so that heavy items can be rested there for a moment without danger of slipping. Beefy gas struts keep the tailgate well out of your way so you've got plenty of room to manoeuvre.

The 2.0-litre TDI 140 model looks to be the pick of the Scout bunch and this engine has demonstrated in the standard Octavia that it can be a surprisingly entertaining unit. With 320Nm of torque to call upon, the 2.0 litre TDI surges through 60mph in just under ten seconds and runs on to a top speed of around 126mph. A combined fuel economy in the region of 42mpg isn't a bad showing either.

Then there's the 2.0-litre FSI petrol engine. This offers a great compromise between power and economy. This all-aluminium, four-cylinder engine uses an adjustable camshaft for the intake valves and is good for a maximum speed of nearly 130mph. It will dispatch the sprint to 60mph in 11 seconds while being capable of returning a combined fuel economy figure of over 30mpg. The engine is equipped with two three-way catalytic converters - a main converter and front-end converter, two lambda sensors plus exhaust gas re-circulation with an electric valve. When it comes to its green credentials, the Octavia Scout 2.0 FSI doesn't do too badly.

The Octavia Scout won't appeal to poseurs and badge snobs - its too no-nonsense for that -but it will also be struck from the shortlists of those who need a vehicle with rugged go-anywhere capability. Quite what that leaves as a marketable niche is open to question. Let's just call it a car for pragmatists with an active lifestyle who want something very slightly more rugged than a standard Octavia 4x4 and don't mind paying a premium for it. That'll do. Scout's honour.