Believe it or not, but the speed and acceleration of a car still matter at the economy end of the market. So even though the Skoda Scala is as boring as mild ketchup, it's still supposed to perform decently.
Historically speaking, Skoda is relatively good at this stuff. Not as good as Ford, but better than most mainstream manufacturers, and the combination of lightness plus TSI engines is to blame.
We know TSI is considered VW technology that Skoda just borrows, but the Czech manufacturer is still responsible for most of the fabrication and testing. In the case of the Scala, we're going to look at the 150 HP 1.5 TSI and the 115 HP 1.0 TSI, both of which are sure to be popular.
The Scala 1.5 with the DSG gearbox (screen shows this) should get you to 100 km/h in 8.2 seconds. Weirdly, the bigger Octavia wagon with the same engine is a little faster. Meanwhile, the Scala 1.0 TSI has a 6-speed manual and needs 9.8 seconds to do the magic sprint.
The slightly lower acceleration has something to do with the weight, as most models go over the 1,300kg mark. But all is forgiven when you consider that a Ford Focus with similar output takes longer to reach 100 km/h.
One example of why the weight is weird is the VW Golf. It's been around for seven years, yet the base model is only 1,141kg, which helps with fuel consumption, not just acceleration.
Even though we said it's boring, the Scala is one of the few Skoda models worth buying right now. The Octavia is only months away from being replaced, while the Fabia is stuck in a weird place. Demand is low, so the company can't put money into it, so the 1.0 TSI with 95 HP and a 5-speed manual is literally the only engine you can order right now.
The Scala has many toys that other Skodas don't such as the latest MIB infotainment system. But that doesn't mean they won't charge you extra for the digital dash or LED headlights (€860).
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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