3 1 JULY 2019 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 35
ROAD TEST
lobally, Skoda has hit a
chord with the buying
public. Its products
mean the same thing
everywhere: they’re good value,
they’re more spacious than you
expect and they’re simply adorned
inside. It is an image that has
resonated in a crisis-ridden world.’
That opening gambit for our road
test of the now-retired Skoda Rapid
appl ie s a s muc h t o d ay a s it d id ba c k
in 2012, although for its successor,
the ambitious Czech brand would
like to add something along the lines
of ‘upmarket sophistication’.
A s muc h i s e v ide nt f r om lo ok i n g
at the Scala, whose design borrows
cues from the premium Europeanmanufacturers both inside and out,
and whose two-box, C-segment
dimensions place it right in the
cross-hairs of the traditionally
m i nde d Eu r op e a n bu y e r. W it h t he
Octavia accounting for the bulk of
Skoda’s sales and its growing range
of crossovers catching up, Skoda has
never built a car that so directly rivals
the likes of Ford’s Focus, the Vauxhall
Astra and even its Volkswagen Golf
c ou si n. It i s no w onde r t h at a ne w
factory in eastern Europe is planned
w it h a n a n nu a l c apa c it y of 3 5 0, 0 0 0
cars, although if the demand exists,
that could double.
Of course, convincingly moving
upm a rk e t i s ne v e r a s si mple a s f it t i n g
an all-glass rear window and using
Porsche-style badging. The Scala
need not handle like the best car
i n t h i s c l a s s , but it mu s t r ide w it h a
degree of panache that the Rapid
never managed. Likewise, nobody
i s e x p e c t i n g Me r c e de s le v e l s of
refinement, but in 2019 success inthis class demands cosseting long-
distance road manners and a certain
level of technology within the cabin.
If Skoda has achieved all of this while
retaining its core attributes, that new
factory may not need to double its
capacity, but triple it.
DESIGN AND ENGINEERING
AAABC
For all of Skoda’s insistence that the
Scala represents a bold new chapter
in the evolutionary story of its design
language – one supposedly defined
by a greater focus on emotional
appeal than ever before – in reality it
seems to be far more conservative in
its execution. More than anything,
the Scala suggests itself as a car
i nt e nde d t o app e a l t o a mor e c l i n ic a l ,
logical side of mind – a trait that hasc ome t o de f i ne t he v a s t m ajor it y of
Skoda’s products over the past few
years, and which has brought it a
go o d de a l of s uc c e s s at t h at.
It i s b y no me a n s a n u n at t r a c t i v e
entrant into the hyper-competitive
family hatch class, and its visual
relationship to the purposefully
styled and assertive Vision RS
C onc e p t r e v e a le d at l a s t y e a r ’s Pa r i s
show is abundantly apparent. But
next to the likes of the simultaneously
classy and classless Golf and the
more overtly dynamic-looking
Focus, there isn’t a great deal about
z Scala range begins with 16in alloys,
although our test car sports these 17in
items wrapped in 205-section rubber.
The largest wheels are the 18in Vega
Aero alloys, which cost £770.
z Wide-spaced rear badging is nicked
from the Porsche style book. It sits
upon an expansive glass tailgate, which
admittedly comes as an optional extra.
z Higher-spec versions of the Scala
have LED tail-lights sitting within
heavily contoured lenses. Lighting hasbecome an integral part of the product
for premium manufacturers, and Skoda
is following suit.
z Gloss black door mirrors are unusually
svelte compared with what we’ve come
to expect from Skoda. It’s a similar story
with the roof-mounted antenna, which
takes the form of this unobtrusive
gloss-black fin.
The Rapid upheld Skoda’s utilitarian ethos
the Scala’s appearance that suggests
it’s much of a harbinger for a more
daring, stylistically driven era in the
marque’s history. That seems like a
missed opportunity.
All that said, Skoda has been
r at he r d a r i n g i n it s appr oa c h t o
the Scala’s packaging. At 4362mm
overall, it’s only marginally shorter
than a Focus and longer than a Golf,
y e t it sit s on a n e x t e nde d v e r sion of
the Volkswagen Group’s MQB-A0
supermini platform – as opposed to
the regular MQB architecture that
underpins its internal rival.This means two things: that the
Scala is the first Skoda to use this
latest-generation family of platforms
a nd , mor e i mp or t a nt , t h at it a l s o
comes with a more rudimentary
suspension set-up. Where the Golf
(and higher-spec versions of the
Fo c u s) r e l y on Ma c Phe r s on s t r ut s at
the front and an independent multi-
link arrangement at the back, the
Scala employs a simple torsion beam
across its rear. Selective damping is
available optionally, although our
test car went without.
Meanwhile, the engine line-up is
comprised of a range of three and
four-cylinder petrol engines as well
a s a s ole d ie s e l fou r-p ot – a l l of w h ic h
are mounted transversely and drive
the front wheels. Our test car made
use of the range-topping 1.5 TSI
petrol, which develops 148bhp and
184lb ft. It also came equipped with
an optional seven-speed dual-clutch
automatic gearbox in place of the
standard six-speed manual. ◊ENGINES POWER FROM
1.0 TSI 94bhp £16,595
1.0 TSI 114bhp £17,395
1.5 TSI 148bhp £19,985 (est)
1.6 TDI 113bhp £20,265
TRANSMISSIONS
5-spd manual
6-spd manual
7-spd dual-clutch automatic
Skoda is good at keeping things
simple, so there are only three trim
levels to choose from for the Scala:
S, SE and SE-L. Prices start at£16,595, and increase all the way
to £23,315. The 1.0-litre three-
cylinder motors will likely be
the most popular among Scala
customers, and it’s worth pointing
out that the 1.5-litre engine fitted
to our test car won’t be available to
order until September this year.
Range at a glance
We don’t like
We like
z Admirably strong powertrain, with
good refinement and economy
z Practical and well-equipped even
though it’s smaller than the Octavia
z Passable handling but nowhere
near the class’s dynamic benchmark
z Lacks the personality that Skoda’s
marketing efforts purport
‘
G