Skoda Scala 1.0 TSI SE

WE SAY: “IT’S TARGETING THE LESS SEXY END OF ONE-STOP-SHOP FAMILY CAR”

- Tom Form

33 lakh (estimated)

Just what the world needed; another mid-sized hatchback. This time spun intricately by Skoda from the A0 (think Polo) subset of endless carmaking Lego that is the VAG MQB platform, aiming once again at the practical end of the market. It’s called the Scala. Mind you, this makes sense for Skoda, because the Scala slips neatly into the gap left between Fabia (small hatch) and Octavia (big hatch/saloon/estate). Gap, plugged. It’s targeting the less sexy end of one-stop-shop family car, so think Ford Focus, Kia C’eed, that sort of thing, trying to make a new VW Golf look expensive and a second hand Golf look… used. As ever with middle children though, there are complications.

The breakdown goes like this: there’ll be three engines available from launch, with four different outputs, with either 5spd or 6spd manuals or a 7spd DSG paddleshift. A 1.0-litre TSI 3cyl petrol that comes in 93 or 112bhp flavours, another 4cyl petrol 1.5 TSI with 147bhp, or a similarly four-pot 1.6 TDI diesel with 112bhp. There are three trims – S, SE and SE L.