A holiday to the South West provides an ultimate test of the Scala’s family-friendly abilities.  

Model: Škoda Scala SE Technology 1.0 TSI 110PS

P11d (BiK) £22,030 (29%) Economy 53.4mpg CO2 emissions 120g/km  On Fleet 39.4mpg

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The annual Middleton holiday is always a handy test of the family credentials of any car.

Three generations, excessive luggage packing (partly to save any unnecessary trips once we’re there) and lots of ‘killing two birds with one stone’ in a good way, seeing friends and family while in the local area.

We’ve subjected many Škodas to this trial by jury over the year – and all have performed highly thanks to the brand’s omnipresent combo of practicality, handy onboard features, good levels of equipment, robust interiors and capacious space; regardless of model.

This summer it was the Scala’s turn – and, as I’d already expected, it proved more than up to the task.

First to face the ultimate test was boot space. Now, with 467 litres up to 1,410 litres (VDA) of luggage room, the Scala is no supermini and it actually trumps many family hatch rivals, but we don’t travel light: 2x suitcases, 2x holdalls, 1x wheelchair, 1x walker, various boxes of food, plus presents to deliver.

This even stumped me and I thought at one point that I might have to leave the 60:40 seats folded down on the smaller side and see how much my children can actually tolerate each other, but some half an hour later of luggage shunting, I fitted it all in by removing the parcel shelf and shoving a suitcase between the kids’ seats, Berlin Wall style. I even made use of the cubbies in the boot behind the wheel arches. These are always a godsend and the Scala’s removable dividers help keep things secure but I did miss the removeable boot torches seen in other models. All in all, a big thumbs up to the Škoda for storage.

Cabin space was also put to the test too; all of us, not just the kids, seem to be growing wider but the Scala accommodated everyone well and I remain impressed by its leg and headroom in the rear, even in the middle rear seat where it’s more limited.

The 9.2-inch touchscreen in our top-rung Amundsen infotainment system is clear to see and quick to use, which was much appreciated when needing to double-check relatives’ navigation instructions quick. As mentioned before, the physical dials for the air con are also a godsend.

On the many country roads we travelled, the Scala rode well and cushioned the impact from rough surfaces and potholes. We also found visibility excellent, even to the rear despite thickish B- and C-pillars.

But perhaps the best bit was that the Škoda, despite its ordeal, came out looking unscathed thanks to its hard-wearing interior.

Over the whole trip, we averaged 50.6mpg across mixed routes despite being well laden for a lot of it; only a smidge under the official 53.4mpg and further reinforcing the Scala’s eco focus.

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With prices starting from £20,800, the Scala may be budget-focused, but the interior doesn’t feel low rent in terms of quality or equipment.

There is a mix of plastics; look lower down and there’s some harder materials but the dashboard is soft touch and generally condition feels good and robust. Design is low key but with some flourishes. The seat upholstery is lifted by panelling and contrasting stitching and there’s plenty of chrome detailing including a full-width dashboard bar – it’s not got the standout factor of some but it’s certainly not bland. The seats are supportive and comfy too. It all feels like it could easily keep pace with everyday work/family life – in fact, it already is.

The equipment list also comes with a fair amount of goodies. Our SE Technology model is very much aimed at fleet drivers and gets the top-spec Amundsen infotainment system with 9.2-inch touchscreen and satellite navigation, voice control, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and MirrorLink, cruise control, manual air con with pollen filter, front and rear parking sensors, 16-inch alloys, leather multifunction steering wheel and lane assist. There’s the odd surprise, such as no keyless ignition, but otherwise it’s all very sound. Much to my happiness, there’s a space saver spare wheel too.

As with a growing number of cars these days, the Scala only comes with USB-C ports, but Škoda helpfully provides an adapter and the ports are handily located just in front of the gear stick. There’s two of them too, which is a big help.

The infotainment system is easy to use and pleasingly there’s physical dials located under for air con – which are well used at the moment!

One thing I’m not sure of is the gesture control on the radio – I couldn’t work out why the radio kept changing stations every time I got to the end of my road and indicated. I thought I must be hitting the steering wheel controls without noticing and was confused for a bit but eventually put two and two together. It is, however, proving a hit with the kids to show their magical powers to friends.

I’m also not a fan of the speedo. It’s set with 20mph markers and goes up in 4mph increments in-between – which means it’s hard to see 30/50/70mph at a glance and I do find myself going past speed cameras in built-up areas and motorway roadworks on a bit of a wing and a prayer.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Škoda without a handful of quirkily useful Simply Clever features – there’s the familiar A-pillar ticket holder and integrated umbrella but the traditional ice scraper in the fuel filler flap now gets a tyre tread depth gauge and there’s an integrated funnel in the lid of the windscreen washer tank.

All of which will be put to the ultimate test with a Middleton family holiday next week.

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Forget range anxiety, I think I have boot space anxiety. It’s a problem exacerbated by years of carrying around excess gubbins, in case we suddenly need a picnic blanket, swimming stuff or a bucket and spade. And also down to years of covering for every eventuality on family holidays – the year that I triumphantly produced a hitherto unused kite on a cold and windy beach in France being a case in point.

Ahead of our switch from the long-term Karoq SUV to the Scala, I had visions of having to jettison the boules set, spare fleeces or the badminton racquets and a subsequent slight panic. But no such problem! First glances from when the car arrived showed that stowage wasn’t going to be an issue and, in fact, I’m positively revelling in the onboard space; as mentioned in the first report, the Scala’s 467 to 1,410 litres of boot space rival many in the sector. Fold the 60:40 rear seats down and there’s a slight step up but they’re quick to activate. The Scala also has a plethora of bag hooks and tie down points to stop boot contents rattling around, plus the cubbies behind the wheel arches, which have proved a godsend in the past. Drivers can also opt for an optional variable boot floor.

The cabin has plenty of storage too; a total of 26 litres in fact. One slight niggle is that while it’s great having two cupholders, they’re the same size and too small for some cups/water bottles that we’ve tried them with. I have to put my gym water bottle on the front seat. The handbrake is also located over on the front passenger side too, albeit not far to reach over.

We remain impressed by the space in the rear seats. I sat in the back of the Skoda for a brief spell the other day, much to the confusion of a teenager passing by me on the pavement, and found there really is knee and head room to spare, even for my teenage son who seems to grow an inch a week at the moment.

Our 110hp 1.0-litre engine continues to prove its value at the fuel pumps, achieving consumption in the 50s on longer journeys with little effort. Our 41.3mpg average economy is short of the 53.4mpg average but that’s with a 28mph average speed in predominantly urban conditions. And a lot of onboard clutter too…

The Scala sits between the Fabia and Octavia, and delivers on space, value and practicality

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Following the departure of the Karoq midsize SUV, we’ve stayed with Škoda but switched to the C-segment for our Scala long-termer. And as with all our Škoda test drives of late, it’s proving a pleasant surprise already.

Launched in 2019, the Scala sits between the Fabia and Octavia, replacing the Rapid to bring a more direct challenger to main players such as the Focus and Astra. Since then, it’s won plaudits and awards aplenty for its space, practicality and value – all of which have been clear from the start of our test.

It’s based on the MQB-AO platform, an evolution of the modular MQB architecture used for the VW Golf and Škoda Octavia in the same class as the Scala but actually developed for smaller vehicles such as the SEAT Ibiza and VW Polo. Despite this, the Scala is actually larger than many of its C-segment rivals – delivering boot space of 467 litres up to 1,410 litres (VDA) with the rear seats folded. Rear leg and headroom are also benchmarks in the segment – six-footers needn’t worry about space here.

Such attributes are of course key components of the Octavia proposition too but the Scala is positioned to sit nicely under its larger family car sibling – both in terms of size and price – to provide a complementary compact option. It’s also only available as a hatchback, unlike the Octavia. OTR prices start from £20,800 – slotting it above the £18,600 entry point of the smaller Fabia and below the £24,540 of the Octavia hatch but also positioning it very attractively compared to rivals.

Engine line-up focuses solely on conventional petrols; there’s no hybrids nor a fully electric option and the sole diesel at launch has since been dropped. The three petrols are familiar Volkswagen Group units and span a 1.0 TSI three-cylinder with 95 or 110hp and a four-cylinder 1.5 TSI motor with 150hp.

Ours is the 110hp three-cylinder married up with the six-speed manual that comes as standard, rather than the optional DSG. It’s a combo that we’ve tested in other models and found to nicely straddle the line between economy and performance. Official fuel consumption is 53.4mpg.

We’re also in the fleet-focused SE Technology spec, preceded by the SE and topped by the Monte Carlo and bringing a lengthy list of equipment.

Already the Scala has shown that it’s a competent, comfortable and likeable addition to the fleet, delivering many merits to support six months of work and family transport.