Skoda Scala vs Peugeot 208

What's the difference?

In many ways, the Scala 110TSI Monte Carlo reminds us of the lower-line Mercedes-Benz A180 and BMW 118i in the way it blends premium European presentation with a sporty flavour. Seen in this context, the $15K or so you save going the Skoda instead makes it a winner.

However, the Monte Carlo’s stiff suspension is one trait shared with the above luxury brands’ offerings at base level that we can live without, so if you’re enamoured with the Scala’s looks and packaging, we suggest checking out the regular 110TSI with a couple of the option packs added, and enjoy a smoother and softer experience.

Or check out one of the latest VW Golf alternatives instead.

The 208 GT-Line is hardly a car purchased on its value offering; it’s an emotional purchase. Fans of the brand know it, even Peugeot knows it.

Here’s the thing, though, the GT-Line looks the part, is true-to-its-roots in how fun it is to drive, and will surprise most with its spacious dimensions and decent spec level. So, while it might be an emotional buy, it’s not necessarily a bad one.

The Rapid was only sold in boxy Spaceback shape in Australia, and the wagon-oid look established by that elongated five-door two-box hatch silhouette has migrated to the Scala too.

It's not unique to this brand of course, with Mazda’s BJ 323 Astina and (maybe more stylishly) the original Impreza wagon of the ‘90s espousing similar themes.

The differences between old and new Skoda are in the latter's more contemporary body surfacing and modernised nose and tail treatments that are all, frankly, a little fussy and too confusingly similar to other Skodas of today, especially the Octavia and Kamiq. We’re talking cookie-cutter clones of each other from some vantage points. Not unattractive, just samey.

Germans love this sort of Matryoshka doll thinking when it comes to car design.

Still, the upshot is plenty of space inside.

It might not be for you, but I had come around to the 208’s design by the time I handed the keys back. It’s a bit more upright and frumpy than the slick, conservative design of the Volkswagen Polo, or the swish, cutting-edge lines of the Mazda2.

It’s undeniably a European city car in its short and upright stance, but blazes its own path, even compared to French competitors. I grew quite fond of its weird, slopey bonnet, unconventional face and tough rear wheel arches. The way the rear light clusters clasp the rear to bring the design together is quite satisfying, as are the aluminium-brush alloys, recessed lights and the single chrome tailpipe.

It could be argued that this is a path well-travelled, with this 208 mirroring the design cues of the 207 that came before it, but I’d argue it holds its own, even in 2019. If you’re after something radically different, the styling on its replacement, due next year, is one to look out for.

On the inside, things are… unique.

There are cushy, deep seats for front occupants, with a super vertical dash design, leading up from the deep-set shifter (an older look) to the top-mounted media screen, which is slick, with its chrome bezel and lack of buttons.

The steering wheel is awesome. It’s tiny, strongly contoured and covered in nice leather trim. Its small, almost oval shape is super satisfying to wrangle, and enhances the way you interact with the front wheels.

What is extra strange about it is how far separated it is from the dash cluster. The dials are perched way atop the dash in a layout Peugeot refers to as the ‘iCockpit’. This is all very cool and aesthetic and French if you’re my height (182cm), but if you’re particularly short or particularly tall, the wheel begins to obscure vital information.

Other strange things about the cabin mainly involve little bits of plastic of varying quality strewn about the place. While the overall look is very cool, there are some odd bits of chrome trim and hollow black plastics about that probably don’t need to be there.

The Scala might be built on a stretched Polo platform, but there is nothing short or skinny about this roomy little runabout. Long doors, wide apertures and a sense of space as a result of the six-window glass area means the Skoda squares up as a solid small hatch proposition.

Apart from the badges, umbrella holder in the driver’s door side, cruise control stalk seemingly stolen from a ‘90s Audi 80, brand-specific graphics and there being no flocked door pockets, there’s very little that isn’t VW inside. German heft, precision quality, squidgy upper plastics and a premium ambience are present in abundance.

Take the driving position. It offers a pleasing amount of adjustment so taller or larger drivers can fit inside. The same goes for the steering rack adjustment (tilt and telescopic), firm and always supportive sports-style front seats, while the weight of the switchgear and the feel of the textures are all kin to the Golf.

Drilling into them a little further, the Monte Carlo's front pews look wild. Tombstone-shaped, with outlandish shoulder flares and side bolsters, thick red striping and deep contours, they promise – and deliver – exceptional comfort and support. They're designed this way for improved body location during g-force-inducing hard cornering, speaking to this grade's athletic nature.

Both front seats offer multitude of adjustability, with lumbar support and height movement, as well as the obvious front-to-rear sliding functionality, for both front passengers. These are great chairs to travel in.

Being a Monte Carlo with Travel Pack, the (1.2-inch larger) 9.2-inch touchscreen is another expensive-looking addition, with its (fiddly and unreliable) gesture control, wide fascia, colourful look and elegant layout. It feels slick and smooth on the fingertips.

Five instrumentation panel designs are offered in the digital instrumentation, including a two-dial (speedo and tacho) approximation of an analogue dial and a full-screen map view, as well as a load of other-data related info displays. There’s bound to be one to suit everybody.

But the climate control is needlessly complicated and confusing (it takes a prod of a button in the multimedia system to access air-flow, fan speed and other controls; and what is the point of a glass roof if it doesn’t open? The fabric covering is OK but not strong enough to block out the hot sun. And how can a $40K Euro not offer digital radio nowadays?

Take away the flashy add-ons, though, and you’re still left with a basically sound cabin layout. Large door bins make up for the small-ish centre console storage (with sliding fabric-covered armrest); there’s a sizeable glovebox, two too-small cupholders (it wouldn’t hold our standard-sized Keep Cup), while vision out is very respectable – even without the big camera view.

Some surprise-and-delight details abound, but perhaps not as many as you might expect from the off-beat brand. There’s the aforementioned umbrella that lives in the driver’s door, as well as a waste-bin that sits in the driver’s door card storage area. Generous rear legroom. You’ll discover four USB-C outlets (two under the back of the centre console) and rear face-level air vents. And the Monte Carlo’s racing-car style tombstone front seats, that afford excellent forward visibility for rear-sited passengers. Our Travel Pack-derived rear (as well as front) seat warmers are also nice to behold on a cold journey.

The rear bench is pretty comfortable, though a bit more thigh support from the cushion would be appreciated. There’s no level of sliding or reclining adjustability, however, while the lack of armrest (and subsequently any form of cupholders) is a disappointing omission in any 2021 car.

Further back, behind the long and wide electrically operated tailgate is a big, deep cargo area, which stretches from 467 litres in five-seater mode to 1410 litres with the rear seatbacks dropped. Among other things, you’ll find a double-sided mat with fabric or rubber as required, sturdy bag hooks, a 12-volt boot socket, ‘Trunk Package’ with a net under the rear shelf and two hooks in the top tether), and a space-saver spare wheel beneath that low, low floor.

All-in-all, then, the Scala’s as spacious and practical as you’d expect from a Skoda.

The 208 hit me with some surprises here. Firstly, don’t drink and drive this car. And, by that I mean, don’t even begin to think you’ll find a good spot for a decently sized coffee. There are two cupholders under the dash; they are about an inch deep, and narrow enough to accommodate maybe a piccolo latte. Place anything else in there and you’re asking for a spillage.

There’s also an odd little trench there that barely fits a phone, and a top-box arm-rest thing that’s tiny and bound to the driver’s seat. The glovebox is large and also air-conditioned.

The front seats offer heaps of room, though, for arms, head and especially legs, and there is no shortage of soft surfaces for elbows.

The back seat was also a surprise. I was expecting it to be an afterthought, as it is in many cars this size, but the 208 delivers, with excellent matching seat trim and generous legroom.

Sadly, that’s where back-seat amenities end. There are tiny trenches in the door, but no air vents or cupholders. You’ll have to make do with just the pockets on the backs of the front seats.

Don’t be fooled by the 208’s cropped rear, the boot is deep and grants a surprising 311 litres to the shelf, and maxes out a 1152L with the second row folded down. Also surprising  is the inclusion of a full-size steel spare, stashed under the floor.

This Peugeot is never going to be as cheap as a Mazda2 or Suzuki Swift. The current range spans from $21,990 for the base Active to $26,990 for the GT-Line, and that’s all before on-road costs.

Safe to say you’re looking at a $30k hatch then. For the same money you could be hopping into a decently specified Hyundai i30, Toyota Corolla or Mazda3, but Peugeot bank on the fact that this car appeals to a special kind of customer; the emotional buyer.

Perhaps they had a Peugeot in the past. Perhaps the quirky styling calls out to them. But they aren’t interested in value… per se.

So do you at least get a decent standard spec? The GT-Line comes with a 7.0-inch multimedia touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support, built-in sat-nav, 17-inch alloy wheels wrapped in some seriously low-profile Michelin Pilot Sport rubber, panoramic fixed glass roof, dual-zone climate control, self-parking function, front and rear parking sensors with a reversing camera, rain sensing wipers, sports bucket seats, auto folding mirrors and GT-Line specific chrome styling touches.

Not bad. The styling is certainly turned up a notch over the regular 208 range and the spec list makes it one of the better-equipped cars in the segment. However, there are some notable omissions which hurt on a car at this price. For example, there’s no option for push-start or LED headlamps.

Safety is okay, but it could use update. More on that in the safety section.

At the other end of the Scala is VW’s evergreen EA211 four-cylinder direct-injection petrol engine. Turbo-charged and intercooled, this 1498cc 1.5-litre twin-cam unit with variable-valve timing and a Euro-6 emissions rating develops 110kW of power at 6000rpm and 250Nm of torque from a low 1500rpm to 3500rpm.

It drives the front wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission (DCT) VW calls DSG. Tipping the scales at 1215kg (tare), this gives the Scala a power-to-weight ratio of a healthy 90.5kW/tonne.

VW says it can hit 100km/h in 8.3 seconds, on the way to a 219km/h top speed, so it’s no slug.

The regular (that’s non-GTi) 208s are offered with just one engine now. A 1.2-litre turbo petrol three-cylinder, which produces 81kW/205Nm. While that doesn’t sound like an awful lot, it turns out to be plenty for the little 1070kg hatch.

Unlike some notable French manufacturers, Peugeot has seen the light and dumped single-clutch automatics (aka automated manuals) in favour of a six-speed torque converter auto, which does its best to have you not notice it.

It also has a stop-start system, which might save fuel (I couldn’t objectively prove that it did) but will definitely annoy you at the lights.

Tuned to operate on a minimum of 95 RON premium unleaded petrol and aided by stop/start technology, the Scala’s official combined average fuel consumption figure is just 5.5 litres per 100km, which translates to a carbon-dioxide emissions rating of 127 grams per kilometre.

That’s impressive stuff for a non-hybrid small car of this amount of space and practicality. Fitted with a 50L fuel tank, over 900km between refills is possible.

What did we manage at the pump though? An OK 7.9L/100km, some 0.4L/100km more than what the on-board computer displayed.

Not a bad outcome, given the at-times hard-revving and racy nature of this powertrain prompting us to put the pedal to the metal. In fact, we didn’t give two thoughts about saving petrol, driving our Skoda one or two-up with the air-con constantly on, and mostly in inner-city or urban areas.

The claimed/combined fuel number for the 208 GT-Line is a slightly unrealistic-sounding 4.5L/100km. Sure enough, after a week of city/highway combined driving, I produced a number of 7.4L/100km. So, a solid miss. Slightly less-enthusiastic driving should see that number drop, but I still don’t see how you could get it down to 4.5L/100km.

The 208 requires a minimum of 95RON mid-range fuel, and has a 50-litre tank.

From the moment you step inside and press the starter button, you’ll be taken by the spirit and effervescence of the Scala 110TSI’s powertrain.

Slick and speedy off the line, with a minimum of lag despite the inclusion of a turbo and DCT, the Skoda is a strong and consistent performer, with an eagerness to rev right up to the red line without fuss and plenty left in reserve when you need to overtake quickly.

Even in normal mode, throttle response is lively, but for extra snappy acceleration, there’s sport mode, as well as a handy set of paddle shifters for manual transmission manipulation. This is a naturally rapid little commuter... hang on, where have we heard that name before?

The engineers have also done a great job balancing steering effort and reaction, meaning tipping the Scala into corners, zipping through gaps in traffic or parking in tight spaces is no chore at all. You just need to get used to the turbo's thrust if you're coming from a naturally-aspirated car. The 110TSI's fiery nature can catch you by surprise.

There’s much to really admire here, and it is clearly designed for round-town commuting in terms of size, ease and manoeuvrability.

However, we wonder whether the Monte Carlo – with its sports chassis set-up and 15mm-lower suspension – is the right grade for you if you travel regularly over rough or uneven roads.

This is because the ride can feel stiff and unyielding, as well as loud in certain conditions. A set of adaptive dampers would help, as the Drive Selector Mode does not alter the suspension settings at all. Speaking of which, fitted with MacPherson struts up front and a torsion beam rear end, it’s clear that this Scala grade is tuned for the type of rippleless roads you find in more affluent areas of Europe. In Oz, it can get tiresome.

Out on the open highway, it’s a similar story. And you might also find the amount of road noise coming through the Goodyear Eagle 205/45R18 tyres might be wearing over coarse bitumen.

On the other hand, find a set of snaking turns, and the Monte Carlo really comes to life, drawing upon its muscular throttle responses, fast-shifting DCT and taut chassis set-up to gel together beautifully; precise steering brings involving handling and excellent body control, for fast yet secure point-to-point transportation.

This Scala isn’t quite up to GTI standards, but at least it has the dynamic capability to please the keen driver, as compensation for the terse and at times vocal suspension arrangement. Think of it as a warmed-over hatch, rather than a hot one.  

Note that while most of the driver-assist safety tech is right up to class standards, the adaptive cruise control will bring the Scala to a full stop but will not hold on to the automatic braking, meaning that after a few seconds, it will release and roll forward again. Unlike the best systems around nowadays, you need to consciously apply the brakes straight away, and it won’t resume afterwards. This is disappointing for a model that was all-new on the world market less than two years ago.

Over all, then, we rate the Scala 110TSI’s punchy performance, handling agility and smooth-road refinement, but reckon the Monte Carlo’s sub-standard suspension comfort is enough to have us gravitate towards one of the less sporty grades, given that they ride on a less-firm chassis tune.

The 208 is good fun, and lives up to its heritage of making the most of its lightweight dimensions and small figure to make for an agile city-slicker. The engine outputs might look like just any other hatch in this class, but the turbo comes on nice and strong in an impressively linear fashion.

It makes for reliable and strong acceleration, with the peak 205Nm of torque available at 1500rpm.

A featherweight at 1070kg, you’ll find no complaints from me about its performance. It’s no GTi, but it will still be warm enough for most.

Despite its upright figure, handling is fantastic, too. The low-profile Michelins feel planted at the front and back, and, unlike the GTi, you never really feel at risk of understeer or wheelspin.

This is all enhanced by the intense helm, with the small steering wheel giving it a thoroughly engaging feel. You can chuck this car into corners and down alleyways with enthusiasm, and it feels like it loves it as much as you do.

The suspension is stiff, especially at the rear, and the low-profile rubber makes it noisy on coarse-chip surfaces, but you’ll barely hear a peep out of the little engine. Other notable downsides include the slow-to-react stop-start system (which you can turn off) and the lack of active cruise, which would be nice at this price.

On the topic of active cruise, this car is showing its age in the safety department. Available active safety is limited to a camera-based city-speed auto emergency braking system (AEB). The lack of a radar, even optionally, means no active cruise or freeway-speed AEB. There’s also no option for blind-spot monitoring (BSM), lane-departure warning (LDW) or lane-keep assist (LKAS).

Sure, we’re talking about a car which largely dates back to 2012, but you can get cars a full size up with all those features for close to the same money from Korea and Japan.

On the more impressive side, you get an above-average set of six airbags, seatbelt pre-tensioners and rear ISOFIX child-seat mounting points, as well as the expected set of electronic braking and stability aids. A reversing camera is also now standard.

The 208 previously held a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating from 2012, but that rating is limited to four-cylinder variants, which have since been phased out. Three-cylinder cars remain un-rated.

Skoda has switched to an industry-average five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, while roadside assistance is free for the first year only.

Service intervals are every 12 months or 15,000km, while published basic capped-price servicing is available. Prices start at $307 in year one, then change to $467, $452, $769, $452 and $542 in the subsequent years. This adds up to $2989 over five years and averages out to $598 annually. Prices are valid until December 31, 2021.

Scala owners can also subscribe to a pre-paid three-year/45,000km or five-year/75,000km pre-paid service regime, which works out to be a little cheaper again.

Peugeot offers a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty on its entire range of passenger cars, which is up-to-date and in-line with most segment competitors.

The 208 requires servicing at yearly or 15,000km intervals (whichever occurs first) and has a fixed price to the length of the warranty.

Servicing is not cheap, with yearly visits costing between $397 and $621, although there’s nothing on the optional extras list, that price is all-inclusive.

Total cost over the five-year period is $2406 for an (expensive) average of $481.20 a year.