The Skoda Scala is a small family car that’s considerably longer than the Volkswagen Golf. Nonetheless, it comes with some of the latest VW tech features. It also shares some of its engines with the Leon and Golf. But is the Skoda Scala a good car?
The Skoda Scala can be a good car to some and undesirable to others. It all depends on what you’re looking for. The Skoda Scala is ideal for those who desire a compact, reliable, spacious, practical, and safe family car. On the other hand, those searching for a highly advanced, luxurious, faster, and high-performance car may find it undesirable.
History of the Skoda Scala
This small family car or compact hatchback is made by Skoda Auto. This car lies between Skoda Fabia and Skoda Octavia. It has been in production since 2019 and it is part of the C-Segment cars. Before this car was unveiled, several names were suggested, including Garde, Felicia, Popular, or Spaceback. However, the manufacturer settled on Scala.
The Scala, which means “stairs” or “ladders” in Latin, was made public on October 15, 2018. The Skoda Scala is a small 5-door hatchback with a front-engine, front-wheel-drive engine. What’s more, it is based on the MQB A0 platform that is also featured in the Volkswagen Polo and SEAT Ibiza.
Features of the Skoda Scala
Appearance
The Skoda Scala not only looks elegant on the exterior, but it also has a spacious and beautiful interior. Its stylish design allowed it to get the “Red Dot” prize for product design. The car is dynamically shaped to stand out with its light-and-shadow play.
The interior also looks amazing with a free-standing infotainment display. Besides, the interior provides a tremendous amount of space, allowing users to seat comfortably, more so in the rear seats. Generally, this is a stylish and modern car with lots of useful features.
Performance
The Skoda Scala may not be the best-performing car in its class, but it performs pretty well. The manufacturer offers both petrol and diesel engines. The base engine is the 1.0 TSI I3 engine that delivers up to 94 hp and 129 lb-ft of torque. On the contrary, the most powerful engine is the 1.5 TSI I4 engine with a maximum of 148 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque.
Furthermore, the manufacturer only offers one diesel option, which is the 1.6 TDI 115 I4 engine that delivers up to 113 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque. Note that the best-performing engine, which is the 1.5 TSI comes with a maximum speed of up to 136 mph and it can accelerate from 0 to 62 mph in just 8.2 seconds.
Comfort and cargo space
Featuring five passenger seats, the Skoda Scala is a wonderful family car. It has a spacious cabin with spacious rear seats. On top of that, it is fitted with a big cargo area that can accommodate several backpacks or luggage.
Safety
All Skoda Scala models feature twin front and side airbags and curtain airbags. What’s more, it also has lane-keeping assistance, automatic emergency braking, and a speed limiter. But if you want additional safety features, the manufacturer offers them. You can get lane keep assistance, adaptive cruise control, and blind-spot monitoring.
Fuel efficiency
When it comes to fuel efficiency, the Skoda Scala is pretty efficient with an average of 40 mpg for its 1.0-liter TSI engine. This is way better than a 1.0-liter Kia Ceed model. Therefore, the user should expect to spend less when it comes to fuel usage.
Price
Skoda Scala is favorably priced. The base model goes for around $22,400, while higher-end trims go for around $25,000. When you compare it with its rivals like the Volkswagen Polo and SEAT Ibiza, you will find that it is way cheaper.
FAQ
Is the Skoda Scala worth buying?
It depends on what you’re looking for in a car. If you desire a practical, spacious, reliable, efficient, and safe hatchback, the Skoda Scala is an ideal car for you. But if you’re looking for speed, luxury, and technology, this is not the car for you. Overall, it is still an outstanding car with excellent performance for its cost.
What are the common problems with Skoda Scala?
Before you invest in the Skoda Scala, it is crucial to know some of the common problems that you will face along the way. Common problems with the Skoda Scala are juddering when accelerating, faulty software, cogged fuel injectors, defective seat covers, and uneven wear across rear tires. Moreover, you may also experience turbo failure, excessive oil usage, and timing chain failure.
How fast is the Skoda Scala?
The Skoda Scala is not a very fast car. So, if you’re looking for speed, this hatchback may not be very appealing to you. Nonetheless, this car is pretty fast. The best-performing engine in its lineup is the 1.5 TSI EVO which delivers a maximum of 148 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque.
This engine also delivers a top speed of up to 136 mph and it can accelerate from 0 to 62 mph in just 8.2 seconds.
Is Skoda Scala a good daily driver?
Yes, the Skoda Scala is a wonderful daily driver. This is because it is fuel-efficient. With an average of 40 mpg, Skoda Scala won’t cost you a lot to be on the road. Furthermore, this car is quite reliable, meaning implying that you won’t spend a lot of time in the garage. What’s more, it is a small car, meaning that parking it or maneuvering it in public car parks won’t be a problem.
Which cars are similar to Skoda Scala?
Skoda Scala is a fantastic small family car from the C-segment. It is spacious, practical, reliable, and performs well. Nonetheless, this car also faces stiff competition from its rivals which include Volkswagen Polo Mk6, Skoda Kamiq, SEAT Ibiza Mk5, Volkswagen T-Cross, SEAT Arona, Skoda Fabia Mk4, and Volkswagen Virtus.
Summary
Skoda Scala is an elegant and efficient car. It is also practical, spacious, and safe. However, those looking for a luxurious, faster, and high-performance car may not love it. Besides, this car is cheap to maintain compared to most of its competitors like Volkswagen, SEAT, and Audi.
Overall, this is an affordable, durable, and safe car. It can also last longer if it is well-maintained and driven.
