I see it's got an old fashioned handbrake. Have the car manufacturers finally started to listen to the customers ?

One of the selling points is the infotainment system. That's one of my bugbears. How can the driver keep his eyes on the road when he/she's adjusting through the menu ?

I always though of the Rapid and the Seat Toledo as a car that would sell well to the minicab market - lots of rear leg room and boot space for the overall length of car, hatchback boot opening, cheap to buy, a bit narrow so useful in town.

Maybe they are all going for trim quality nowadays, though why would minicab drivers want that a car that some point a load of drunks will puke up or spill their beer in, I don't know.

I remember deals on the 'Cars for Sale' section of the website going as low as £11.5k, admitedly for the lowest spec 1.2 TSi. Still, for basic transport if you need 4 seats and a big, very accessible boot, not half bad. Basic, cheap, reliable transport.

Not szre HJ would like to see an autocar link when he has his own article.

www.honestjohn.co.uk/news/new-cars/2018-12/skoda-s.../

Just been down town and looked in the January WhatCar in WHS which has an article, more of that later

But just done a Google and found Skodas official site for the Scala

www.skoda-auto.com/news/news-detail/skoda-scala

Its probably not all relevant to the UK since different importers do not sell all variants but its does seem to confirm that the 1.5 TSi will be available as a 6 speed manual, praise be the lord or the 7 speed DSG. Unfortunately it has the usual collection of disguised photo's but follow the links and you can download a brochure

az749841.vo.msecnd.net/sitesencom/alv1/77186f28-58...f

and hopefully that is a real image of the car we will be getting, no specs unfortunately

Back to the WhatCar article. This appears to suggest that the 1.5 TSi will have the 6 speed auto (no mention of a manual) and this is quite remarkable since VAG don't make a 6 speed "auto" and the DSG boxes for that size of car are 7 speed (and always have been), usual WhatCar nonsense. They also suggest that all cars will be fitted with a miss fueling device, why. Very useful on a diesel to prevent accidentally using the petrol nozzle but it would take a total idiot to fill a modern petrol with diesel since they have much smaller fillers, more WhatCar nonsense (surely).

What's wrong with you lot? When will you all learn that skidpan is never wrong?

Skidpan asserts .... "A DSG as we all know is not an auto box."

The bit that concerns me is "as we all know". That implies you're speaking on MY behalf.

Please don't speak on MY behalf skidpan ... I don't want you speaking on MY behalf. OK?

I have a DSG. And if I choose to refer to it as an automatic, then I will do so and don't want you telling me I'm not disposed to do so. HAVE YOU GOT THAT, SKIDPAN?

I know it has two clutches and not a torque converter, thank you.

I also know there's such a thing as ASG , an "Automated Manual", as is fitted to the Citigo for example. and that that has one clutch and that the clutch operates automatically .... (but on a very similar basis to that of a manual clutch/gearbox set up). There will be those who elect to call their ASG Citigo an automatic ... that's their choice - they put their car in "DRIVE" and off they go ... no clutch pedal!, no gear changing! It happens that I refer to my DSG as an 'automatic' on the basis that it, too, has no clutch pedal, and it has a "DRIVE" option as well as SPORT, REVERSE, PARK & NEUTRAL and it changes gear as quickly, efficiently as a torque converter transmission, has a kick down facility and, to all intents and purposes, IS an automatic.

I had a CVT Jazz and I called that an automatic too. Maybe you'd have disapproved of that too?

So, if it's alright with you, skidpan, please allow me to call my car what I choose to call it and refrain from speaking on MY behalf

KB Do not threaten me.

Do not add more fuel that further proves that.

(Swearing deleted: I would also have deleted any actual threat, but couldn't find one in anyone's post.)

Edited by Avant on 09/12/2018 at 19:30

If you can see any "threats" in anything I wrote then be good enough to point them out. But when you talk jibberish and offer poor advice then I'll happily point it out to you ... if you don't like it (and you clearly don't like being corrected when you're wrong) then I'm sorry about that.

As for your bad language .... that's between you and the site management.

Q) Can someone with an automatic-only driving licence drive a car fitted with a DSG, CVT or robotised manual?

A) Yes.

Q) Can the user just slap them in "D" and whizz around without knowledge of clutches and gears?

A) Yes.

Conclusion:- the use of the word "automatic" to describe these transmissions is perfectly acceptable. They are automatic as far as the driver licensing authority are concerned - they are automatic as far as the user is concerned - therefore - they ARE automatics.

Case closed for the defence m'lud.

Looks like little or no imagination went into that design. File under anonymous euroboxes and move on....

... agreed – exceedingly bland. An androgynous amalgam(?) of an A3/MG/Volvo et al.

2/10 for inspirational vizualisation ...

Its a small family hatch, what do you expect. If people want something exciting to look at and drive they will not be buying a Scala. What people want is value, space, decent performance and economy, good spec and a competitive price, the Scala seems to tick all those boxes in exactly the same way as all the other cars in this class.

Earlier someone mentioned the Mazda 3 as a better looking example. The wife liked its looks so we went to see it. What a waste of time. 3 things you need with a family hatch i.e. rear seat space, rear seat access and boot space were all compromised by the shape and if you fitted the essential spare wheel the boot space got worse, much worse.

Give me functional but bland any day over compromised but pretty. Living with one for 3 years would soon make you see where the money is best spent. A bit like women really.

Strangely enough, just last week I happened to say to skidpan, in another thread, something along the lines of ......

It would all be so much worse if I had you as a neighbour, co-worker - or, worse still, a relative .....

I think he proves my point.

:-)

(best stick a smiley in there so as not to rile him again).