Vehicles of various forms and sizes have gone through the moose test. The dreaded test, which measures a vehicle's ability to evade sudden obstacles at speeds, has seen various car brands failing regardless of their price tags. Now, the safety test has tallied a new failure, courtesy of YouTube's km77.com.
The Skoda Octavia Combi RS was the latest victim of the moose test. The wagon version of the sporty compact car failed to complete the 77 kilometers per hour (47.8 miles per hour) benchmark, though the facilitators noted that it wasn't entirely the car's fault.
Gallery: 2021 Skoda Octavia RS
The Octavia Combi RS is available as a diesel, gasoline, and PHEV. The one tested was the more powerful front-wheel-driven PHEV, making 245 horsepower (180 kilowatts) and 295 pound-feet (400 Newton-meters) of torque. The wheels were wrapped in Bridgestone Turanza tires and the car was equipped with the optional adaptive suspension.
As mentioned, the long-roof Octavia failed to complete the course at 77 km/h. The best attempt was at 43.5 mph (70 km/h), with the succeeding attempts failing by hitting one or two cones, particularly on the second lane.
In comparison, the Mercedes E-Class Estate, a bigger wagon, performed better than the Octavia by clocking a best attempt at 46.60 mph (75 km/h).
However, the driver said that the tires were not providing enough grip, which led to the car not completing the maneuver at faster speeds. As shown in the slow-motion replay, the rubber's just not hooking onto the road. He was surprised by the result of the test as the car performed well on the highway and on winding roads.
In fact, km77.com noted that of all the cars it tested that wore Bridgestone Turanzas, each one failed to hit the 77 km/h benchmark. The best attempt recorded was at 75 km/h.
