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Sitting above the Fabia, the Skoda Scala is the Czech brand’s answer to the Volkswagen Golf and replacement for the now-defunct Rapid.
It uses a different platform and torsion beam rear suspension and the result is a very spacious interior.
The car launched globally in May 2019 but took a while to reach Australia, arriving in petrol guise only from early 2021.
The boot capacity of the Skoda Scala is class-leaving and rivals some larger medium SUVs with its 467L! There is a temporary spare tyre underneath the floor and only the top model gets a powered tailgate.
The Scala Select is a front-wheel drive and has a 1.0L three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine that produces up to 85kW of power and 200Nm of torque.
The Scala Monte Carlo is a front-wheel drive and has a 1.5L four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine that produces up to 110kW of power and 250Nm of torque
Standard accessories include dusk-sensing LED headlights, rain-sensing wipers, keyless entry/start, LED daytime-running lights, 8.0-inch digital instrument cluster, 8.25-inch touchscreen multimedia system, Bluetooth, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, rear view camera, front/rear parking sensors, leather-trimmed steering wheel with shift paddles, dual-zone climate control, eight-speaker sound system, four USB-C ports, a 12-volt socket and a drive mode selector.
The cabin shares some similarities with its corporate cousin, the VW Polo, with the sharply-designed dashboard and air-vents but it’s softened by lovely grey fabric-accent panels and soft touchpoints liberally scattered across the cabin.
The technology screens look premium, if small, and the cloth seats look a lot nicer than the standard black fabric you usually get in base models. Accent colours vary between grade levels.
The Scala Select has an official 0-100km/h sprint time of 10.1-seconds, while the top Monte Carlo model can achieve it in 8.2-seconds. Top speed is around 205km/h.
The Skoda Scala is offered with five seats in a 2/3 configuration.
Standard upholstery is a black cloth with grey accent panels but the design is upgraded in the top-spec model and features sporty red, white and grey stripes down the middle of the seats.
Front seats are manually adjustable until you get into the top model, where they are powered.
The Scala Select has an official combined fuel cycle figure of 5.4L/100km, and based on the 50L fuel tank you should see a theoretical driving range of up to 925km.
The Scala Monte Carlo has an official combined fuel cycle figure of 5.6L/100km, and based on the 50L fuel tank you should see a theoretical driving range of up to 892km.
Skoda recommends a 95 RON premium unleaded petrol for both models.