The Big Test: Skoda Scala – 2019

On the road

Skoda’s model range has historically been a touch out of kilter, with the likes of the Fabia and in particular the Octavia and Superb being large cars for the classes into which the motor industry likes to pigeon-hole them.

So the Octavia, which nominally competes against the likes of the Ford Focus, Vauxhall Astra and the rest of the lower-medium hatchbacks, is larger in terms of interior and particularly luggage space compared to its peers and likewise the Superb against the Ford Mondeo, Vauxhall Insignia and others that remain in that diminishing upper-medium segment.

But as far as the Octavia goes, that is changing slightly, because it has some home-grown competition, at least in as much as the basket of segment rivals that manufacturers are never that keen on their cars being slotted neatly into.

The new Scala is more than 300mm shorter than the Octavia and has a boot 123 litres smaller, but compared to a Vauxhall Astra it’s 16mm shorter and still outpoints its rivals for boot space. The dimensions put the Scala right in the heartland of the sector, as does its pricing, and Skoda clearly feels there is the space for another car between the Fabia supermini and Octavia. Previously, it had the Rapid in similar space, although that was a larger supermini rather than a core lower-medium hatchback.

So the Scala is slightly shorter than the Astra, Ford Focus or the Kia Ceed that are all key rivals, although Skoda’s addiction to offering ultimate practicality means it still has a much larger boot than any of its competition, with the 467 litres being more than 85 clear of the rivals and more than 120 above the Focus’s small offering.

The Scala launches with a range of three petrol engines and a single diesel. The petrols are 95hp and 115hp outputs of the 1.0-litre three-cylinder, plus the top model, driven here, which is the 150hp 1.5. The more powerful pair are both available with either a manual or a DSG automatic transmission, as is the 115hp 1.6 diesel.

The petrol engines are good for efficiency, and all three power levels sit at either 113 or 114g/km for CO2 emissions. The diesel emits 108g/km, which means, thanks to the Government’s diesel penalty, it sits three Benefit-in-Kind bands higher than the petrol alternatives, and given that the 150hp petrol is more than £250 cheaper than the 115hp diesel, and the 115hp petrol is over £1600 cheaper, the diesel is a tricky car to make stack up financially for either a business or its drivers.

Trim levels at launch are pretty straightforward. There is an entry S, available only with the 95hp and 115hp manual petrol engines, then SE and SE L, both of which come with the full array of seven engine and transmission combinations. A fleet-orientated SE Technology and a top Monte Carlo trim are both due to be added next year.

The S is best ignored by all but the most pool-car of fleet purchasers, because equipment levels are pretty basic, although it does get 16-inch alloys and the lane-assist and front-assist safety systems. It’s better to make the £1190 hop up to SE, which brings much of the kit that fleet drivers will expect, including rear parking sensors, an 8.0-inch touchscreen featuring Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compared with the entry 6.5-inch, automatic lights and wipers, and a steering wheel with infotainment control buttons on.

Another £1800 up is the SE L, which looks like good value in terms of the extra standard equipment fitted in return, including privacy glass, 17-inch alloys, dual-zone climate control, sat-nav, keyless entry and a larger 9.2-inch central screen, but at this price level drivers can probably manage without the more premium of niceties.

The Scala also incorporates some of Skoda’s clever little features that the brand has made a name for itself with, including the in-built funnel for topping up the screen wash, the ice scraper fitted inside the filler cap and, from the SE trim upwards, an umbrella slotted into the driver’s door.

Skoda describes the Scala as enjoying a “striking new look” and having a “dynamic appearance”, but to some eyes it’s actually a little on the plain side, and doesn’t offer any stand-out design that will ingrain on the memory. It is the first model to feature the word Skoda across the tailgate, rather than the brand’s badge, which is something that will follow across future models, but overall it’s a fairly sensible and unassuming design.

Context

Skoda’s new Scala comes into the VW-owned brand’s line-up between the Fabia supermini and Octavia models, sitting in the same lower-medium sector that the Octavia has inhabited, although the Scala is sized more in line with the rest of the class.

The Octavia has always straddled conventional sectors, falling somewhere between the Ford Focus and Mondeo sizes of vehicle, so the new addition gives Skoda a core competitor in the key lower-medium hatchback sector. It’s sized directly in line with the big players in the segment, while the Czech brand is still offering the larger Octavia for customers wanting the extra space. Skoda is also at pains to point out the Scala doesn’t replace the Rapid, a discontinued smaller model between the Fabia and Octavia.

The Scala was previewed in the form of the Vision RS concept car (pictured) at the 2018 Paris motor show, although the show car had a plug-in hybrid powertrain with 46-mile range and a 33g/km CO2 figure. Skoda’s first production plug-in hybrid comes early next year in the form of the Skoda Superb iV, toting a range of up to 34 miles and a sub-40g/km emissions figure.

Verdict