The new Skoda Scala is the Czech firm’s first direct rival to the Ford Focus, Vauxhall Astra – and its Volkswagen Group siblings, the Seat Leon and Volkswagen Golf.

The five-door family hatchback replaces the dreary Rapid and is a much more appealing value-priced contender from the fast-growing brand.

And although the Scala sits between the Fabia supermini and Octavia large family car, Skoda isn’t shy on the internal comparisons. The Scala is a very roomy car indeed. 

It has, for example, identical 73 mm rear kneeroom as the Octavia. Elbow room of 1,425 mm isn’t far show of the Octavia’s 1,449 mm. Headroom of 982 mm actually betters the Octavia’s 980 mm.

And the boot may not be as large as the Octavia’s famously cavernous luggage bay but it’s still bigger than anything else in the segment. By far: 467 litres is way larger than a Volkswagen Golf’s 380 litres. It extends to 1,410 litres with the seats down.

The packaging skill becomes more impressive still when you clock the dimensions: it’s 4,362 mm long, which compares closely to the 4,255 mm of a Golf. It’s 1,793 mm wide (a Golf is 1,799 mm) and 1,471 mm tall, with a long 2,649 mm wheelbase.

The Skoda Scala goes on sale in spring 2019.

What does the name Scala mean?

Scala is derived from Latin: it means ‘stairs’ or ‘ladders’. Skoda’s picked it because, ahem, the brand “has climbed several rungs on the development ladder.

“It perfectly embodies a set of brand values which can be summarised very well under the term ‘smart understatement.

We wonder if the fact the Volkswagen Group already owns the rights to the name ‘Scala’ helps: it was first seen on a special edition VW Scirocco back in the late 1980s…

Bosses also proudly point out this is its first car to have the brand name written out in letters on the (black glass) tailgate. SKODA is coming to the rear end of all models in the future.

Skoda Scala: engines

The Skoda Scala will, in the UK, be offered with four different engines – three petrols and a diesel. All are turbocharged and all have engine stop/start.

The entry-level 1.0 TSI produces 95hp and is paired with a five-speed manual gearbox. There’s a more powerful 1.0 TSI 115, which has a six-speed gearbox as standard, or a seven-speed DSG as an option.

Volkswagen Group’s outstanding 1.5 TSI 150 is also available – again with a six-speed manual or seven-speed DSG. And, although diesel is hardly flavour of the month, a 1.6 TDI 115 is also available. Again, it’s either six-speed manual or seven-speed DSG. The exhaust emissions are cleaned up by a diesel particulate filter, SCR catalyst and AdBlue injection.

In Europe, Skoda Scala buyers have an additional engine – a 1.0 G-TEC, which runs on compressed natural gas (CNG). Sadly, we won’t get it in the UK, as we don’t have a refuelling infrastructure for clean-burning CNG. Pity.

Skoda adds the Scala will come with an optional Sport Chassis Control. This is lowered 15mm and has adaptive dampers to offer a firmer Sport mode as well as a softer-riding Normal setting.

Skoda Scala: interior

Skoda has already revealed the interior of the Scala. It’s a big step on for the value brand, that head of interior design Norbert Weber says marks the introduction of its new interior concept. This “introduces an updated design language alongside new colours and materials. 

“Its premiere in the Scala marks the beginning of a new brand identity for Skoda, which is as emotive as it is functional.”

Highlights include the freestanding infotainment screen in the centre, which can be as large as 9.2 inches. This makes it the biggest touchscreen in the family hatch sector. 

It’s the first Skoda to be ‘always online’ courtesy of an embedded eSim. This enables owners to use Skoda Connect mobile online services: they’ll be able to check their fuel level whether their car’s locked, or simply where it is, via an app on their smartphone.

The instrument panel and door trims are made from soft-touch plastics which feature a new ‘crystalline’ grain structure that’s coming to all Skodas in the future. The firm’s also proud of how the air vents extend into the door panels, giving an impression of width within.

LED ambient lighting is available, as are up to nine airbags. The windscreen, steering wheel and both front and rear seats can all be heated.

Skoda Scala: simply clever

Skoda loves its Simply Clever features. Like most of its cars, the Scala gets an umbrella compartment in the driver’s door (yes, it includes a free umbrella). It also has a fluorescent yellow ice scraper built into the fuel filler flap.

A new feature is an electrically retractable tow bar, which whirrs in and out of the rear bumper via a button in the boot. There’s also an electric tailgate with ‘tip-to-close’ function.

A more ‘Simply Audi’ feature is standard LED headlights; LED tail lights are also included, with a very Audi-style ‘sweeping’ indicator function.

Speaking of Audi, Skoda’s offering the 10.25-inch Virtual Cockpit as an option. This is the ‘digital instrument panel’ first seen in the Audi TT.

Side Assist is also clever. It’s a step on from blind spot assist: that can only spy cars up to 20 metres away, whereas Side Assist can ‘see’ them up to 70 metres away. It can therefore warn the driver of fast-approaching cars from far further away, potentially avoiding nasty rear-end crashes.

Adaptive Cruise Control, Rear Traffic Alert, Lane Assist and Front Assist are also available, along with City Emergency Brake.

And for those who like big wheels, 15-inch and 16-inch rims are joined by 17-inch and 18-inch options.

2019 Skoda Scala: in pictures

The bike from the Highway Code book of the 1970s and 1980s is up for sale. And you could own a piece of British motoring history.

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H&H Classics will be offering the 1973 Triumph TR6R Tiger 650 for sale at the National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham on March 2 2019. That’s just over 40 years on from the bike’s first appearance in the Highway Code.

How much for this little-known slice of road regulatory history? Far from big bucks, the little Triumph is expected to fetch between £4,500 and £5,500 when it hits the block.

You could be forgiven for not recognising the bike. It was only ever pictured from the rear, to show signalling while riding. Then again, we expect the number plate rang a few bells over the years…

It was owned from new by the Ministry of Transport but wouldn’t feature in print until five years later. After its appearance in the 1978 Highway Code, it was sold to a traffic police officer. He then sold it to one Nick Searson in 1982, who has owned, used and maintained it ever since.

The bike is presented in excellent condition and comes complete with a copy of the Highway Code in which it starred, as well as an issue of Road Safety magazine featuring its former owner.

“This modest bike is part of our collective automotive history,” said Mark Bryan, Head of Motorcycle sales at H&H Classics.

“You could say it is an urban legend, a bike used to teach us how to stay safe and keep bike riders safe.”

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It’s what’s underneath that counts, they say. That’s certainly the case with the first KNC Koenigsegg Regera… What’s KNC? That’s Koenigsegg Naked Carbon, and, other than the fully automated bodywork that you can open with the touch of a button, it’s Koenigsegg’s way of saying beauty is more than skin deep.

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Bare carbon is nothing new in the world of hypercars. Pagani pioneered the art form near-on 20 years ago with a bare carbon fibre Zonda, featuring perfectly symmetrical weaves with a line going down the centre of the car. Even down to neighbouring body panels, the weaves matched.

This Regera is the latest to bare its construction for all to see and it’s a testament to how far carbon fibre work has come in the 30 years it’s been in use in road cars. The sophistication of the shapes it can take and the absolutely perfect symmetry is candy for the eyes.

To say that many cars before are bare carbon is a little bit of a porky, however. This Koenigsegg is genuinely as close as you’ll get. Most ‘bare carbon’ cars are in fact painted with a lacquer layer. It’s one of the ways Koenigsegg has done it before. It can be combined with a colour for a different tone to the carbon fibre finish.

In the case of the KNC Regera, however, the epoxy layer that would ordinarily cover the carbon, as it does on underside pieces and interior trim pieces on other cars, has been sanded back. For the first time, the whole body of this car has had that layer removed and the carbon fibre itself has been polished to deliver the finish.

It’s a delicate process, so says Koenigsegg, given one rub the wrong way can result in carbon fibre threads frayed and curling out from the panel.

What are the advantages of this polished exposed carbon? Apparently, it’s a much hardier surface when it comes to dealing with the rigours of road-faring life. Stone blasts and other impacts that would otherwise damage a layer of lacquer are much less damaging to the harder exposed carbon. The other advantage is that the car is 20kg lighter, given there’s no heavy lacquer or paint coating it.

It ought to have its advantages, given how difficult it is to execute. Never mind the process of stripping the carbon back, in order to be suitable for the treatment, every panel has to be nothing short of perfect in terms of its carbon quality. As it should be regardless, you’d have thought.

“KNC takes the idea of visible carbon fibre to a whole new level, revealing a beautiful lustre and a very silky finish,” said Christian von Koenigsegg, CEO of Koenigsegg.

“The Koenigsegg philosophy has always been about exploring extremes. It’s great to extend that idea to a whole new way of finishing and presenting a car.”

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Toyota has revealed prices and specs for the new RAV4, and opened ordering at UK dealers for those keen to get one of the first new cars when deliveries begin in April 2019.

The firm hopes to have cars in retailers from February for early test-drives.

The all-new model is priced from £29,635 in entry-level Icon front-wheel drive spec, with the cheapest all-wheel drive model being the £33,430 Design AWD.

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All new RAV4 use the same 2.5-litre Hybrid engine, which produces 215hp in front-wheel drive guise, and a slightly higher 219hp in all-wheel drive form.

Emissions of both are seriously impressive: from 102g/km CO2 with the base car, with the AWD running from 103g/km. Fuel economy figures will be revealed later once the new RAV4 has been officially homologated.

Called Hybrid AWD-I, the all-wheel drive hybrid system is fully automatic, and actually sends drive torque to the rear wheels when pulling away, to improve traction. A Trail function helps maintain grip on loose terrain.

Toyota says the new RAV4 is lower overall than the outgoing car, with a lower bonnet height, but a longer wheelbase gives more passenger and boot space. It also has a lower centre of gravity, benefitting handling.

2019 Toyota RAV4 specs

The new RAV4 is offered in four specs: Icon, Design, Dynamic and Excel.

Even the base Excel has 8-inch Toyota Touch 2 infotainment, 17-inch alloys, a rear-view camera, privacy glass, LED headlights and Toyota Safety Sense 2 protection pack.

This includes adaptive cruise control and autonomous emergency braking that can detect cyclists by day, as well as other cars, and sense pedestrians both day and night.

Design ups the alloy wheels to 18-inches and adds front parking sensors and an electronic tailgate.

Excel has projector LED headlights, full leather interior, heated steering wheel, headlight washers and a blind spot monitor. Dynamic, meanwhile, adds black five-spoke 18-inch alloys, heated front sports seats, bi-tone metallic paint and a black interior headliner.

Buyers can choose from nine colours and the Dynamic’s bi-tone paint combines a black roof and pillars with White Pearl, Silver Blade, Decuma Grey or Obsidian Blue.

2019 Toyota RAV4 prices

Icon

2.5 Hybrid FWD: £29,635

Design

2.5 Hybrid FWD: £31,190

2.5 Hybrid AWD: £33,430

Excel

2.5 Hybrid FWD: £33,610

2.5 Hybrid AWD: £35,850

Dynamic

2.5 Hybrid FWD: £34,400

2.5 Hybrid AWD: £36,640

The 2018 Fiat Panda has failed to score a single star in the latest round of Euro NCAP crash testing, making it one of the worst-performing cars ever tested by the safety organisation.

Particularly shocking was its Child Occupant Protection performance, where the Panda scored just 16 percent for kids sat in the rear.

The average rating for new cars is 79 percent.

The Panda failed to score more than 50 percent in any of Euro NCAP’s four car crash tests. It thus takes the dubious honour of being only the second zero-star car ever tested.

The other one was, ironically, also a Fiat: the 2017 Punto.

Matthew Avery, director of research at Thatcham Research (which carries out Euro NCAP crash testing in the UK), said: “Most troubling is that the Fiat Panda is seen as a good choice for young drivers and fledgling families.

“Where budgets are tight, consider a safer small car second-hand instead.”

Watch: comparing zero star and five star cars

Why did the Fiat Panda score so badly?

The Panda is the victim of tougher standards introduced by Euro NCAP in 2018. It’s an old design, first introduced in 2012, and seems not to have kept pace with safety.

Avery said it was particularly weak in crash avoidance technology. “As the bare minimum, a standard-fit Autonomous Emergency Braking system should be available with the Fiat Panda.

“This is especially important since the car offers so little protection in the event of a collision.”

The only safety technology fitted to the Panda is seatbelt reminders. “The rear system failed to meet requirements, so wasn’t even rated,” said Avery.

Jeep Wrangler gets one Euro NCAP star

The Fiat Panda wasn’t the only poor performer from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. The all-new Jeep Wrangler also scored badly, earning a paltry one star.

It has a seatbelt reminder and a rudimentary speed limiter but otherwise, lacks a single piece of driver-assistance technology. “The Wrangler clears the one-star threshold but lags far behind its competitors,” said Euro NCAP secretary general Michiel van Ratingen.

Luckily, every other car tested in this latest round of assessments did much better. The Audi Q3, BMW X5, Hyundai Santa Fe, Jaguar I-Pace, Peugeot 508 and Volvo S60 and V60 line all scored five stars – proving it is still possible to do well in Euro NCAP.

“The Audi Q3, Jaguar I-Pace, Peugeot 508 and Volvo V60/S60 have set the standard against which other are judged this time, and other manufacturers could do well to follow their example,” said van Ratingen.

“The I-Pace, especially, demonstrates that future vehicles will be good for the environment but also provide high levels of safety.”

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Aston Martin will begin offering electric car conversions to classic Aston owners in 2019 – and the future-proofing solution is fully reversible should owners change their minds about going green.

Called the Heritage EV programme, Aston Martin says it addresses concerns that classic car owners who live in cities may not be able to use their cars in the future.

The first car, a DB6 Volante, has already been completed as a proof-of-concept. Aston Martin Works in Newport Pagnell will begin converting customer cars from next year.

Andy Palmer, Aston Martin Lagonda president and Group CEO, said: “We are very aware of the environmental and social pressures that threaten to restrict the use of classic cars in the years to come.

“Our Second Century Plan not only encompasses our new and future models, but also protects our treasured heritage.”

Earlier this year, Jaguar showed a similar scheme, and has sinced announced it is putting the E-type Zero into production. 

How to turn a classic Aston Martin into an EV

The Heritage EV conversion is based around a ‘cassette’ of electric motor and batteries. This sits on the same mountings as the original engine and gearbox, and takes up no more space.

In principal, it’s (almost) as simple as removing the petrol engine and inserting the electric casette. Which is why it’s fully reversible.

It is also virtually undetectible. The only interior change is a screen that will be subtly integrated into the dashboard.

Aston Martin says insights from the Rapide E – which will become its first all-electric production car from 2019 – has gone into the Heritage EV project. That car is also a petrol sports car that’s been converted to electric.

Paul Spires is president of Aston Martin Works. “We have been looking for some time to find a way of protecting our customers’ long-term enjoyment of their cars,” he said.

“Driving a classic Aston Martin on pure EV power is a unique experience and one that will no doubt be extremely attractive to many owners, especially those who live in city centres.”

Collectors could even commission EV-converted heritage cars, he added, bringing “another dimension to their collection”.