Skoda Scala - Practicality, comfort and boot space

The Scala majors on practicality – those looking to get the most space for their money will be hard pressed to find a better hatchback in the class. There are five seats, with those in the rear big enough for adults. Interior space is impressive generally – Skoda has done wonders with packaging. Visibility is great thanks to a large glasshouse.

The boot is large and there’s the usual smattering of practical storage areas, including large door bins, a cooled glovebox, under-seat storage in the front and a sunglasses cubby in the roof. Other practical touches include electrically adjustable and heated mirrors, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror and a space-saver spare (rather than a rescue foam kit).

The Skoda Octavia is a good alternative if you need even more space, but the Scala’s shape makes it a more flexible proposition overall.

Size

The Scala measures 4,362mm long, 1,793mm wide (1,988mm including side mirrors) and 1,471mm tall. It’s about 510kg lighter than an equivalent Volkswagen Golf and over 130kg lighter than a Kia Ceed, despite being longer and more spacious inside than both

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Leg room, head room & passenger space

There’s loads of room for adult passengers front and rear, while those in the back will have little to complain about. Both front and rear seats are very comfortable, with the fronts each adjustable for height as standard. A standard centre armrest also features, plus a leather-wrapped steering wheel.

There’s more space in the back of the Scala for passengers than just about any other car in this class – great news if you need space for a growing family. Speaking of which, ISOFIX points are supplied on the front passenger seat, and on the outer positions of the rear bench seat, with the securing rings easily accessed under some removable plastic caps. The rear doors open wide and, in combination with the relatively high roofline, offer good access to the rear when fitting child seats.

Boot

One of the Scala’s big selling points is its even bigger boot – a wide, square load space with an impressive 467 litres and a low load lip. The boot is usefully bigger than the Volkswagen Golf’s 380-litre offering and beats the Ford Focus’ 375 litres.

The rear bench folds in a 60/40 split to increase total load capacity to 1,410 litres – a figure that’s among the very best in this class. The seats don’t fold completely flat, but it’s still a hugely practical space. The boot also features two large pockets behind each wheel arch – great for keeping loose items from sliding around.

If there’s one criticism, it’s that there’s a bit of a lip to lift items over when loading up the boot, so we’d suggest specifying an adjustable height boot floor for £200, because that removes the lip, and the awkward step when the rear seats are folded down, making the transport of longer items a bit easier.

Towing

The Scala can be prepared for – or fitted with – a tow bar as an option, but you’ll need to make sure the former box has been ticked on the list if you want to retrospectively add a tow bar. The 1.0-litre TSI model can tow up to 1,200kg of unbraked weight, while the 1.5 TSI manages an unbraked load of 1,250kg. 

If you’re looking to tow more weight, consider the plug-in hybrid Vauxhall Astra with its 1,450kg braked towing limit, or a traditionally powered 2.0-litre diesel Golf, because that’ll pull up to 1,600kg.