2021 Ford Focus vs Skoda Scala

What's the difference?

Ford's small hatch, the Focus, is criminally under-bought in Australia. The latest model is  one of the best hatchbacks on the road and when you chuck in the decent price, impressive equipment and absurdly powerful engine for its size, it's a winner.

But you lot? You don't buy it in nearly the kinds of numbers it deserves. Partly because there isn't a bait-and-upsell boggo model to lure you in, partly because it's got a badge that is not exciting Australians any more and partly because it's not a compact SUV.

Or is(n't) it? Because alongside the ST-Line warm hatch is the identically priced and therefore technically a co-entry level model; the Focus Active. Slightly higher, with plastic cladding, drive modes and a conspicuous L on the transmission shifter, it's a little bit SUV, right?

Skoda’s retired nameplate list has grown to three in its 14 years in Australia under Volkswagen: Roomster, Yeti and – most recently – Rapid. Three interesting, offbeat sales losers. Replacing the latter for 2021 is Scala.

Based on the early 2010s VW Polo but stretched and packaged as a family small car, the old Rapid’s failure to fire against the likes of the Mazda3 remains a mystery, as on paper it represented an appealing concoction of pleasant styling, a roomy interior, slick powertrains and affordable pricing. Perhaps punters pushed back on the name – which has ties to the Czech brand stretching back to the mid-1930s.   

The all-new Scala – which, again, uses components shared with (today’s) Polo and is related to the popular Kamiq small SUV – builds on many of the Rapid’s virtues with more space, safety, technology and equipment. But it’s also more expensive.

We take a look at the Monte Carlo from $33,390 plus on-road costs (or $34,990 driveaway) to see if the newcomer has a fighting chance of staking a claim in the C-segment hatch segment.