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Onapproach,thelayerofcloudislifting.Metrebymetre,thegroundisgettingcloser.Aquickjudder,afaintscreechfromthetyres,touchdown.WelcometoRomania,orSibiutobeprecise.Thecitywithapopulationof150,000istheculturalcentreofTransylvania–thatmythicalregionintheheartofRomania,whichisalmostcompletelysurroundedbytheCarpathianMountainsandtheirfoothills.
ŠKODAEuroTrek2016:Gravel,MudandScaryVampireStories
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Outsideinfrontoftheterminal,averyspecialwelcomecommitteeisalreadywaiting:21ŠKODAOCTAVIASCOUTSgleamfantasticallyinthemiddaysunasiftryingtooutshineeachother.Thepaintworkisstillascleanasawhistle.Butthatisabouttochange.Threedaysandaround900kilometresofadventure,mudanddirtawaitthemandtheir
crews.
TheŠKODAEuroTrek2016leadsthe21two-personteamsthroughsomeofthewildestmountainouslandscapesEuropehastooffer–fromthestartingpointinSibiu,throughtheTransylvanianvalleyintodeepestTransylvania,andtotheDanubeDeltaontheBlackSea.Onthethreeverybeautifulandequallydemandingstages,thecrewsandtheirvehiclesscalethesteepmountainsoftheeasternCarpathians,experienceexcitingrivercrossingsandovercomenumerouschallenges.
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Oneparticularchallenge:therouteconsistslargelyofdirtroads,muddytrailsand
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roughgraveltracks–idealterrainfortheŠKODAOCTAVIASCOUTwitha2.0-litre,top-of-the-rangedieselengineand6-speedDSG*[A1].Thankstoitspowerfulandefficient135kW(184PS)engine,generousgroundclearanceandinnovativeall-wheeldrive,theversatileoff-roadestatenegotiatesdifficultgradientsandslipperypassageswithease,asitwilldemonstratemanytimesinthedaystocome.Incasetheneedarises,thevehicle’ssparewheelandwheelchockarestrappedtotheroofrack.Afterall,theŠKODAEuroTrekisnotawalkinthepark,butratherarealendurancetest.
Eeriebackdrop:theEuroTrekstopsoffatBranCastleindeepestTransylvaniawhereVladtheImpalersupposedlyoncelived.Drăculea,akadracula–amust-seeforeveryhorrorfan.Guaranteedgoosebumpsat‘Dracula’sCastle’
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“LadiesandGentlemen,startyourengines.TheŠKODAEuroTrekadventureisbeginning.”Beyondthecityboundary,youcatchafirstglimpseofRomania’sruggedside:thewell-pavedstreetsgivewaytoextremelyroughtrackswithpizza-sizedpotholes–filledtothebrimwithwaterfromtherecentdownpour.Slalomaroundthepotholes?Notanoption.Insteadyourinnerchildawakensand,withinminutes,thefirstthick,muddywaterdropletstracetheirwayacrossthebodyworkoftheelegantestate.Thebrilliantsilver-coloured,metallicpaintworkremainsclearlyrecognisablefornow.ButthetripacrossRomaniahasonlyjustbegun.
Timeandtimeagain,theall-wheel-drivevehiclespassold,horse-drawncarts–single-axlewoodencarts,fullyladenwithhay,scrapmetalorshoppingandpulledbysmallPanjehorses.Oldmeetsnew.Althoughonforeignsoil,theteamssomehowfeelathome:wherevertheŠKODAEuroTrekappears,itisalwayswarmlyreceivedbylocals.Awarmwelcomeonroughroads–hospitalityisofparamountimportance
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inRomania.Nevertheless,youmustalwayskeepyoureyesontheroad,ascountlessstraydogs,roaminghorsesandcattlerequireyourfullattention.
Afterabouttwohours,theEuroTrekcrossesanoldrailwayviaductandbrieflystopstotakeinthepicturesquepanorama:rich-greenmeadowsshimmerdeepinthevalleyandareenthronedbythelight-blueskyabove.ThedeterminedŠKODAconvoyisnowheadingforthathorizon,asthenextwaypointisanoldagriculturalfarmbelowthelegendaryBranCastle.AneerilybeautifullocationindeepestTransylvania,untamedandmysteriousatthesametime.NotsurprisingbecauselegendhasitthatVladtheImpaleror‘Drăculea’usedtolivehereinthe15thcentury.‘Dracula’sCastle’isaplaceofpilgrimageforfansofthefamousvampire.ItsitsinthemiddleofEurope’slargest,continuouslyforestedarea,framedbytheFăgărașmountainrangewithitsnine,snow-capped,two-and-a-half-thousand-metrepeaks.Aquickglanceupatthesky–thankfullytherearenobatsinsight.
Upintheclouds:anoldrailwayviaductspansthevalleynearȘincaNouăamidst
thepicturesquecountryside.ŠKODAOCTAVIASCOUT:all-rounderwithimpressiveoff-roadcapabilitiesTheworld-famousTransfăgărășanHighway,whichisamongthemostspectacularroutesontheplanet,iscloseby.Butasyouwouldexpectoftrueoff-roaders,theŠKODAEuroTrekisseekingadventureoffthebeatentrack.TheOCTAVIASCOUTsaretherebyleavingtheasphaltandfollowingdeserteddirtroads.Thecomfortableestatetransformsintoacleverscoutthatskilfullydemonstratesitsstrengths
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ondifficultterrain.Theall-rounderhasanelectronicallycontrolledmulti-plateclutch.Thesystemreactstoallpossibledrivingconditionswithinmillisecondsandinvariablydistributesthepowertoallfourwheelsdependingonthesituation.ThatprovidestheOCTAVIASCOUTwithoutstandingtraction,excellentdrivingdynamicsandgreatactivesafety.Whendrivingacrossdirttracks,stonesandgravel,theunderbodyprotectionofthestandardRough-Roadpackagepreventsthedrivetrainaswellasthebrakeandfuellinesfromgettingdamaged.
Thedirtroadtothenextstopoverisarelativelysteepinclinethatdoesn’toffermuchgriponasurfacesoftenedbyrain.TheŠKODAOCTAVIASCOUT’sadvancedall-wheeldrivealsoovercomesthischallengewithease.Fountainsofmudfromtheclimbersinfronthaildownonbonnetandwindscreen.Thankstotheplasticmouldings,whichcomeasstandard,thebodyremainsunscathedfromthebushesandundergrowth.Afterseveralslipperykilometres,theOCTAVIASCOUTproudlydisplaytheirnewwarpaint:‘Off-roadBrown’,whichyouwon’tfindonanylistoffeatures.Youhavetoearnit.Then,theconvoysuddenlycomestoaseeminglyinsurmountablehurdle:arivermeandersthroughthepicturesquelandscape.Butthat’snottheendoftheŠKODAEuroTrek–thankstothevehicle‘sgroundclearance,whichwasincreasedby40millimetres,theOCTAVIASCOUTchannelsitswayconfidentlythroughthewater.
TheWildWestbeginsontheotherside:inthemiddleoftheRomanianplain,yousuddenlycatchsightofAmerican-stylecoveredwagonsandaranch–‘Maggie’sRanch’.TheAmericanownerofthehotelofthesamenamehasbroughtasmallpieceofPennsylvaniatoTransylvania.AwelcomeopportunityfortheEuroTrekcowboystorestafteralongday’sriding.
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Driftworks:onthewaytotheDanubeDelta,theŠKODAOCTAVIASCOUTprovesits
driftingabilities.
Sonnyboy:whetheronasphaltoroff-road–theŠKODAOCTAVIASCOUTimpresseson
anyterrainwithsuperiordrivingcharacteristicsandahighlevelofcomfort.
Thesaloon’sWesternsaddlebarstoolswithcowhide-coveredseats,andbuffaloskullsonthewallgivethatauthentic‘JohnWayne’impression.Thosetravellingonfourhoovesinsteadofall-wheeldrivecanleavetheirloyalcompanionsintheon-sitehorsestableswhilstrelaxingintheswimmingpool.Thepriceforthismuchluxury:
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around50eurospernightinadoubleroom.Strangersquicklybecomefriendshere.ButtheŠKODAEuroTrekhastogetgoingatdawnthenextday.Ontonewadventures.
ExcitingimpasseatdizzyheightsDaytwoofthejourneybeginswithyetanotherhighlight:the14-kilometre-longLakeSiriudamispicturesquelysetamidgreenforestedhills.Onthe155-metre-highdamwall,theŠKODAEuroTrekparticipantsstopforashorttimeandtakeinthespectacleofnature.Adrenalinelevelsincrease20minuteslater:asuspensionbridgewithverynarrowwoodenplanksspanstheBuzăuRiver–it’stheonlywaytocross.Withfoldedwingmirrorsanddelicateacceleration,the21muddycompanionschanneltheirwaythrough,accompaniedbytherhythmicclatteringandcreakingfromthewoodenplanks.Thereisonlyenoughtimeforaquickglanceatthebeautifulriver;concentrationisonceagainontheviewahead.Goingslowcanbethatexciting.
Thingsgosignificantlyquickerafterthat:theŠKODAEuroTreksetsofftotheDanubeDelta,whereEurope’ssecond-longestriverflowsintotheBlackSea.WhilsttravellingontheroadtowardsTulcea,whichconsistsmostlyofdirttracks,theOCTAVIASCOUTstaketotheroadatfullgallop.Usingtheferries,crossingtheDanubeissignificantlyeasierthanthegameof(thesuspension)bridge.DaytwoendsinDunavăţudeJos.Here,theparticipantsswitchfromcarstospeedboatsandexplorethehugerivermouth–thebeautyofthelandscapewillleavealastingimpression.Thelastdayonceagainsendstheteamsonajourneythroughtime.Alongwithotherinterestingspots,the150-kilometre-longrouteleadstotheruinsofEnisalaFortress,whichsitsenthronedhighabovethevitalwaterway.Inearliercenturies,itwasusedtocontrolshippingtraffic.Today,theEuroTrekkerscanenjoythefantasticviewoftheDanubeDeltafromhere.
OVERTHEPASTTHREEDAYS,THE21ŠKODAOCTAVIASCOUTSHAVESUCCESSFULLYCOMPLETEDACOMBINEDDISTANCEOFABOUT20,000KILOMETRES.
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Alittlelater,theŠKODAEuroTrekentersthehomestraight.TheadventurefinishesattheairportinConstanta.Theimpressivebreakdownstatisticsaftertheequivalentoftravellinghalfwayaroundtheworldovermostlyroughroads:onetyrewasdamaged.Anunforgettableexperienceineveryway.
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