Skoda Scala review: The practical, affordable family car that does more for less

The petrol-powered hatchback may lack cutting-edge technology, but it delivers impressive practicality, economy, comfort and value

The Skoda Scala is bigger, more spacious and much more family-oriented than the VW Polo

SKODA SCALA
Rating	★★★★☆
Price	from €26,775 - €32,550 as tested
Power	an old school 1ltre three-cylinder engine with 114bhp
The Spec	has little claim to being tech-laden, but it’s full of good stuff, nonetheless
Verdict	a winning combination of practicality and value for money

WE’VE OFTEN told you that if you want to experience the “more for less” concept when it comes to motoring, then Skoda’s range is a pretty good starting place.

The idea that a company can offer punters more spacious, more practical and more value for money cars right across their production line-up is testament to the Czech company’s ability to somehow eke more from what they are given than most others within the Volkswagen firmament.

Indeed, as we have often pointed out, the Group’s two so-called budget brands, Skoda and SEAT, have begun to regularly embarrass those in Wolfsburg who are supposed to be calling the shots and keeping the underlings in their place.

A combination of clever packaging, thoughtful specifications, customer focus and an ability to think bigger than they’re probably supposed to has given Skoda a critical edge in the battle for customers’ hearts and minds — not to mention their dosh.

The Skoda Octavia is their best-selling car and its longevity and enduring appeal speak volumes about the company’s approach to designing and manufacturing cars.

Nominally, it is based on the same platform as the VW Golf, one of the oldest and most potent nameplates in the history of the automobile. Yet, the Octavia is bigger, more spacious and appeals to a broader spectrum of customers than its erstwhile sibling.

So too the Superb (based on the same platform as the VW Passat), and each of its SUVs — the Kodiaq, the Kamiq and the Karoq.

This week’s tester, the committedly understated Skoda Scala, is another example. It is based on the same underpinnings as the VW Polo and has, pretty much, the same engine choices available. Yet it is bigger, more spacious and much more family-oriented than its Wolfsburg cohort.

The Skoda Scala.

Now, it has to be said that this is very much an old-school type of car and while it got something of a makeover in 2024, it remains, in a world gone EV mad and tech heavy, a throwback to the hugely simple times where petrol engines and manual gearboxes rule the roost. For many that single characteristic would damn this car to oblivion, but for others who fondly remember those somewhat simplistic times, the Scala represents a moment in time where concepts such as range anxiety, battery capacity and the need for a degree in computer science simply to adjust the door mirrors, did not exist.

It is a simple car — if practical, good value and hugely spacious — and truthfully it revels in that salient point. But, if being sophisticated and high-tech is what you’re looking for in your next new motor, you probably won’t be looking in this direction.

That’s a pity in many ways, because this is a really good little car and one with which it is possible to have immense fun while also being hugely economical to run and wildly practical to own.

It might not look like an exciting car and, in truth, it’s not really, despite the visual wash-and-brush-up it got a couple of years ago. Nevertheless, the Scala we tried, which was in the Selection + specification grade and came with a very attractive Black Magic Pearlescent paint scheme (a scheme (a €781 option) and standard ‘Propus Aero’ 17in alloys, which combine to give it a rather dynamic look.

And, although it only has a diminutive one-litre, three-cylinder engine with 114 bhp, it never does seem underpowered and if you extract its muscle by utilising the six-speed auto ‘box, you will uncover a sub-10 second 0-100 km/h time and a top speed of 202 km/h.

It will also easily deliver a consumption return of 5.3 l/100 km, which surprised me given the caning it got in this quarter.

It is reasonably entertaining to drive, if not quite up to the segment standards set by such as the now lamentably no-longer-with-us Ford Focus or the newest Golf. Somewhat light steering makes this more of a comfortable cruiser rather than anything approaching a hot hatch.

It offers reassuring handling and excellent grip levels, but there’s a certain numbness in steering feel that means a real lack of engagement when you’re trying to press on. This might be a somewhat moot point for much of the target audience who are looking for a comfortable, stable family hatchback, but it is certainly something keen drivers will note.

The infotainment screen on the Skoda Scala is small enough at 9.2”, but the digital instrumentation makes for an Audi-esque ‘virtual cockpit’ which certainly makes things feel more upmarket

Skoda has never really been renowned for the warmth of its interiors — in fact, the company has always been proud of the workmanlike nature of what it offers — but there are cloth inserts on the dash and other touchpoints, and this makes the Scala seem a tad posh by comparison with some of the company’s more directly utilitarian products.

Of course there are hard, scratchy plastics around the cabin, but they are mainly centred on the door pockets or around the steering column. It’s notable too how easy it is to deactivate features such as the lane-changing warning system or the speed alerts, even if you have to do it every trip.

The fit and finish are excellent and while nothing as tech-heavy as most these days, the car still offered a suite of stuff from cruise control to an electric driver’s seat and heated seats and steering wheel. It might be a ‘yesterday’ car, but it is actually very up to date when it comes to what’s on offer.

The infotainment screen is small enough at 9.2”, but the digital instrumentation makes for an Audi-esque ‘virtual cockpit’ which certainly makes things feel more upmarket. So do things like the LED lights package and the scrolling indicators.

Also — and like so many Skoda’s — there’s much thought gone into making the car more human-friendly. The umbrella in the passenger door and the space saver spare type, something most manufacturers have happily ditched in favour of those you’d-be-better-off-with-a-stick-of-chewing-gum repair kits.

Boot space too is spectacular — capable of holding 467 litres of cargo with the rear seat fully in place and a massive 1,410 when they’re not. For families with small babies and all the kit and caboodle that goes with them, it’s heaven-sent.

Keen golfers and those involved in ferrying around juvenile sports teams and all their kit will also take notice.

The medium hatchback segment has many excellent contenders — Golf, Peugeot 308, etc — and so it is not possible to rate the Scala in the same company. But it is not that far behind and what it does offer is real-world spaciousness, economy, comfort and decent tech levels (without overdoing it). It also offers excellent value for money.

It might, in character terms, be something of a throwback to simpler times, but that, strangely, adds to its appeal.