Realitý Czech

SKODA HAS NEVER GONE ALL-OUT AT THE COMPACT HATCH MARKET. THE SCALA CHANGES THAT BUT CAN IT DELIVER?

- JAMES TAYLOR 

DEPENDING ON WHO you speak to at Skoda, the Scala’s Latin-derived name can mean either step, as in ladder, or scale, as in spectrum. Whichever, it fits, for this car is an extension into new territory for Skoda: a proper C-segment hatchback to battle the Toyota Corolla and friends.

Almost new territory, at least. Remember the Skoda Rapid? You’d be forgiven if you didn’t. A budget-conscious car with about as much flavor as boiled celery, it made little dent on this image-conscious market. This car isn’t a direct replacement for the Rapid or, half a size up, the Octavia. The Scala is a step upmarket compared with the Rapid but doesn’t dance close enough to parent company VW’s Golf to tread directly on family toes. A level below the Golf in terms of price and poshness (although you can pay more for a high-spec Scala than a low-spec Golf), it’s directly comparable with the Corolla, Kia Cerato, Hyundai i30 and Ford Focus. But on size and space at least, Scala and Golf are at (civil) war.

It needs to be cheap enough to get onto buyers’ shopping lists but feel plush enough to make them want to part with their cash. It must also be practical enough to haul family gear yet small enough to be undemanding to drive. And while you need to notice it, a family hatch from Skoda wouldn’t want to overdo it. Designing a supercar’s almost certainly easier.