[dkaile]

My son buys a Skoda Scala in Ireland (13th Jan 2024) -

So my son had completed nearly a year in his first job as a engineer with a top construction firm of Europe. Though he had been offered a company car from day 1, he did not have a European driving licence to own one. So after 4 failed attempts he finally got the Irish (EU) driving licence in September last year and was looking at opportunities to owning his own 1st car since then. I told him to buy a 5~10 year old Audi or Beemer but somehow he wanted a new car as his 1st one and a Skoda at that (like father like son).

So he finally narrowed it down to their starting level car there, which is the Skoda Scala, in it's topmost trim - the Style variant. He was in India in Nov-Dec for the marriage of his sister and had already paid a advance deposit for the car before coming. So the car finally arrived on 5th January and he went in for the PDI armed with the TeamBHP PDI checklist which I had sent over -

Here's the first look of the car he got in Steel Grey. It was a late 2023 manufactured car according to the VIN-



The Rear. Note the 17" alloy wheels -



The price list. And Yes, in Ireland, cars are heavily taxed like in India and almost 30-40% costlier than UK or Germany. He chose the 1.0TSI 110bhp 6MT variant in Style trim -



The feature list. The car comes with limited ADAS as Lane Assist with active steering and cruise control with speed limiter is standard. However adaptive cruise control was a 567Euro extra.



The technical specs of the car. The engine seems to be the same as the 1.0L Kushaq available here in India but with a higher 200Nm of torque -



For perspective, the Scala is longer and wider than both the Creta and the Kushaq available here. Even the wheelbase is more than the Creta. The bootspace is 30L more than the Creta and 80L more than the Kushaq and just short of 90L from my Superb. Overall, it is a 'superb' starting car for a person in his 20's -



The 1L TSI 110bhp 6 speed Manual Transmission engine is an award winning gem of a frugal engine with a 0-100 time of 10.1 seconds. He is easily getting 12kmpl in the city and 16~18kmpl on the highways -



The interiors. Some highlights being 8" Bolero Touchscreen with 8 speakers, Climatronic Dual Zone Auto AC, Keyless Go, Full LED Lights including headlights with AFS, fog lights, 7 Airbags, TPMS, USB C ports front and back etc. etc. -



The dashboard. Notice the chrome door handles -



The rear seats with dedicated AC vents and 2 usb-c ports -



A walk-around video -

https://youtube.com/watch?v=IGNFUdci_Vc

LED Tail Lights with dynamic indicators -

https://youtube.com/watch?v=iHik2M9povI

Of course, he wanted the Superb like his father



But even pre-owned ones were very costly -



His final quote after discounts and add-ons; 29k; insurance was extra and even road tax is yearly -



His dealer threw in some extra goodies which he adjusted in the discount like Wireless Charger and Heated Front Seats (very essential in Ireland) and washers -



He finally takes delivery of his 1st car with his own earnings on the auspicious day of Lohri/Makar Sakranti - 13-01-24 -



Outside the dealership, front view -



and Rear -



The interiors -



First thing I taught him was to always check oil of VAG cars



The Engine Oil specs - same as the Kodiaq sold in India; and the AC refrigerant specs -



Self Car Wash comes in handy for keeping it clean -



He has to put up a N sign signifying a 'New Driver' for the initial 2 years of a fresh driving licence -



Gassing it up has to be also be done by one own self -



And since his sister was also taking driving lessons on his car, he had to display 2 signs up front, one for N and the other signifying Learner (L). She has since, btw, also got her driving licence in just the 2nd attempt... and will tease him forever



On his recent trip to the countryside -



Miles to go -



Such curious onlookers abound in Scotland and Ireland -



The Wild Atlantic Way is beautiful and a must do -



WAW in person -



Cheers for now...

[GTO]

Thanks for sharing, dkaile! Moving your post out to a new thread.

Will be going to our homepage in the coming days

[ashis89]

Two things that I noticed at first - a manual gearbox and a beautiful shade.

Many congratulations to the young driver! I hope the new Skoda takes him to places of his dream.

[SilverSmoke]

Wow.. Scala is a looker - especially from rear. Loved those curves - a departure from typical Skoda works. Hope they launch it in India someday. Is it FWD, RWD or AWD?

[dkaile]

Originally Posted by SilverSmoke

Hope they launch it in India someday. Is it FWD, RWD or AWD?

It's a front wheel drive, 5 door small family hatchback in Skoda terminology. It first broke cover in 2019 -
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%A0koda_Scala

According to him the fit and finish and premium feel of the car will never break the price barrier required in India, so I doubt if they will ever launch it here. You can see the cost cutting in the Indian models like Kushaq or Slavia. This though, is a true thoroughbred Skoda that we know and like. And in India they are going electric with the Enyaq, in all probability, but the price will be very steep, seeing their latest Superb launch. Hope good sense prevails here for them going CKD with premium models once again.

Cheers...

[Porschefire]

Congratulations to your son! The Scala seems to be a popular choice in Dublin as I saw many of them on the road during my visit last year.

My sister and BIL bought one earlier this year and they're satisfied with the choice. They owned a Polo GT TSi back home and this has felt like an upgrade, they tell me. Unsure of the variant and the specs though, as I never bothered to ask them.










My nephew was't particularly happy with the choice of colour though, he wanted red, like his Polo was.

[SilverSmoke]

Great! Black looks fantastic. We are getting a good size comparison with Kodiaq Sportline though.

[shiv11bhargava]

Looks beautiful, driving manners seem like a charm! So glad to read this. Drive on! Congratulations once again.

[AKSarkar1]

Skodas in the EU are undoubtedly one of the best cars in terms of bang for the buck. I totally loved the spec and colour on your Scala! How I wish these models were more readily available in India!

Wishing you and your son many happy and safe miles in it!

[Arunsedanlover]

Wow! Looks great in grey.The interiors look well put together. Hope Skoda learns to keep up the same quality in their Indian cars which is really pathetic at present….

[Simha.k]

My previous leased car was a 1.0 TSI, my current one is a 1.5 TSI. Both cars combined, I've driven in excess of 40,000km and every single kilometer has brought a smile on my face. I've comfortably cruised at 180+ on the Autobahn. The car doesn't complain. The 1.5 TSI is a cracker to drive too. Pulls clean and no tantrums.

I cannot agree more about those heated seats. They're absolutely god sent features for cold countries. The heated steering wheel and the heated windshield is added cherry on top. People from Europe will relate with me on this especially those who got their fingers frozen in winter scraping the snow/ice off.

Wishing your son many countless miles of smiles.

[Dreamlifter.07]

Drool worthy pictures!
Brings back the days while I was in Ireland getting my degrees. The drives were simply wonderful!

Congrats on the new ride! Cheers to much miles on it! ��

[gentlemandriver]

Congratulations on the new car! I always love Skodas in that colour, especially with a black badge. Any idea what the name of the colour is? Also how come the driving test required 2 attempts? Was it their first time driving there and are Indian standards really that low, makes me worried.

[dkaile]

Originally Posted by gentlemandriver

Congratulations on the new car! I always love Skodas in that colour, especially with a black badge. Any idea what the name of the colour is? Also how come the driving test required 2 attempts? Was it their first time driving there and are Indian standards really that low, makes me worried.

As I had already mentioned, that color is called Steel Grey. My son got the licence in his 5th attempt after having failed 4 times previously there, whereas my daughter got it in her 3rd attempt after failing twice. Yes, Indian standards are pathetic and both of them owned Indian driver's licence without even giving a full fledged proper driving test. In fact, my son was regularly driving in India and used to drive our Baleno quite often, even intercity, without issues and was supposedly a good enough driver. But he had to unlearn everything that is required to drive in India and only then could he adapt to a systematic driving system unlike the chaotic one here.

Cheers...

[gentlemandriver]

Originally Posted by dkaile

As I had already mentioned, that color is called Steel Grey. My son got the licence in his 5th attempt after having failed 4 times previously there, whereas my daughter got it in her 3rd attempt after failing twice. Yes, Indian standards are pathetic and both of them owned Indian driver's licence without even giving a full fledged proper driving test. In fact, my son was regularly driving in India and used to drive our Baleno quite often, even intercity, without issues and was supposedly a good enough driver. But he had to unlearn everything that is required to drive in India and only then could he adapt to a systematic driving system unlike the chaotic one here.

Cheers...

Ahh Sorry, Even after re-reading twice I still missed it

Crazy how pathetic Indian standards are, sure most Indian drivers probably have better control over their cars and a cooler mindset thanks to the closed and congested roads and chaotic situations. However the driving manners are also extremely pathetic, almost no one uses their common sense and everyone is in their own rat race and somehow can't even afford to lose a second (I'm sure your kids have a good driving sense given that they were raised by a BHPian) adding to this road laws aren't even enforced properly all of which leads to a very sorry situation.

Sorry for my very off-topic little rant just trying to introspect and understand the situation while typing it out to see what other people think.