Report 7

So far, so good. The slight problem-ettes I had with the Scala following the first ‘big freeze’ of the winter appear to have been of the temporary variety. As I mentioned last time around, the navigation system stopped working and there was endless bleeping to warn me that the tyres pressures were low (they weren’t). However, there hasn’t been a repeat performance, so, hopefully, I can chalk that up to the Skoda merely having had a bad day. Otherwise, my time with the Scala has been rather wonderful. I remain very happy with the car. Having already had a reprieve, I am not looking forward to the day when I have to hand it over.

 To be honest, it has been unbelievably good at just about everything. While in no way exciting, and to be fair it isn’t billed as such, it is all the car I need and more. It has more than earned its keep, that’s for sure, especially given that I have covered more than 12,000 miles in the car. The one area which has consistently impressed me is its parsimonious thirst. I routinely beat the manufacturer’s mpg figures, but I must admit to being a bit surprised that the numbers haven’t been quite so impressive of late. I have done some long journeys recently, as in 500 miles in a day long, but many have been regular trips. As such, I know what to expect in terms of mpg.

Whereas on some I became accustomed to getting 52mpg or slightly better, now I am getting ‘only’ 46 to 47mpg. Yes, I know, it’s outrageous. I tend to avoid 95 octane fuel wherever possible, so I am not sure what the ‘problem’ is. Even if the numbers have dropped off a little, it still has a range of around 500 miles or so, if I drive like a saint. I am yet to get close to the 60mpg I recorded with my prior Fabia, but nor do I expect to. That’s asking rather a lot… As for any other problems, for want of a more appropriate word, I am struggling to think of anything with the Scala that bothers me particularly.

Now that the cold weather has descended, I notice that it mists up quickly with more than one occupant onboard, but show me a car that doesn’t. The demist function is a bit all or nothing, being either tepid or hot enough to melt plastic. My previous SEAT Arona was much the same. You get used to it. There have been a few occasions where the rear hatch hasn’t closed first time, but again that’s hardly earthshattering. It’s just a minor irritation. Overall, the Scala has been a faithful companion, and one blessed with better ride comfort and road manners than some ostensibly similar Volkswagen Group products.

As I mentioned a while back, what surprises me is how few I see on the roads. Skoda products seem to be omnipresent the length and breadth of the UK, but Scalas not so much. A motoring writer friend asked me recently what I was driving. When I mentioned it was a Scala, he said he honestly couldn’t recall what one looked like. As such, I wonder if the Scala has an identity problem, or if it’s something more marketing related. Whatever the truth, it’s a good ’un.

Mileage 14,310
Arrived 6th June 2022
Price when new £23,995
Price as tested £25,940
Economy 52.2mpg (combined) 47.6mpg (on test)
Costs None Faults None