MikeHorsham

I have a 2022 1.5 SEL DSG. It's the best car I have ever owned - comfortable, powerful, nice-looking, roomy, nice to drive and safe. My own observations and to answer your points: I chose the 1.5 for comfortable cruising and towing - I know the 1.0 has the spec on paper, but I wanted 4 cylinders and the flexibility of more power. The DSG does have auto hold which operates on hills, and it works well. My previous car had an electronic handbrake, and returning to a 'proper' one has not been an issue. I sometimes have to force stop/start to operate by holding on the footbrake and shifting to neutral. Not ideal dazzling the car behind, but it works for me. Coming off the footbrake and using the handbrake whilst in drive allows creep. The behaviour of the DSG going downhill isn't ideal; it tends to select a far lower gear (with associated engine noise) than I would choose myself. So I change it manually going down steep hills, but otherwise I let the DSG make all the decisions. Economy is excellent - I have managed 50mpg towing a 400kg trailer tent, and I can achieve 60mpg on a light-footed motorway run with the wind behind me. My average MPG (calculated properly) is 46.5 (6.07 l/100km) which includes around town. It's always above 50mpg on a run. I chose the SEL for comfort and gadgets - no climate control as standard on the Monte Carlo when I purchased, and I really like the digital dash. And in 2022 there were still supply issues, so I had to take what was available rather than waiting 9+ months for a factory order - because I am inpatient. Back to digital dash - I cannot stress enough the benefit of the satnav screen/map in the driver's direct line of vision. The Skoda satnav is OK, although not as user-friendly as Google maps. The car can cope with Google maps perfectly well, but it displays on the centre screen rather than in the dash. Switching from cruise to speed limiter is a bit of a faff, and could be simpler. Lane control is very annoying, particularly on narrow country roads where it sometimes steers you into the edge. It can be disabled in car settings. I have an OBD scanner, and there is an app within which saves last the setting on lane control. Otherwise you have to disable it every time you restart the engine. Don't be put off by keyless entry/starting and the risk of theft - a faraday pouch (around £5) removes that risk.

I generated an airbag warning because I switched the ignition on to test the dashcam but I had the passenger airbag plug disconnected at the time. I cleared the warning light with OBD - full scan scan, fix fault. You may well be able to scan just the airbag module to save time.

I chose the SEL over the Monte Carlo for around £2,000 less, because (based on the spec at the time) with the SEL I gained rear armrest, wireless smartlink, keyless entry and stop/start and climate control. For me it was spec and gadgets over image.

Cabin heating recycles heat from the engine via the cooling system, so remote pre-heating isn't feasible for a standard petrol/diesel car. And I suspect that your heated seats and steering wheel will only work when the engine is running - same as the rear screen heater.

In a way this is good, becasue it means that your sensor is extremely accurate. The water will expand slightly as the engine warms up, which brings the level up above minimum. You need a relatively small amount of water, so as a one-off topping up with tap water will be fine. Use cooled boiled water if you're concerned about water purity. If you want to use antifreeze, match the colour of what's already in there. Don't add neat antifreeze - dilute it around 50/50 with water first. And watch your level over the next few weeks - you might have a slight coolant leak.

I had front sensors fitted by a local (Sussex) specialist, Road Radio. My car is a 2022 1.5 SEL, which like yours did not have front sensors factory-fitted. When negotiating the purchase I asked about dealer fitment, and was advised that anything they fitted would not be integrated with and coded to the car's systems. So I have standalone front sensors, which work but have a drawback - unlike factory fitted sensors, they remain active above 5mph which means that they make noise when they don't need to. So when I pass parked cars or roadside foliage I often hear a stray beep or two. They also give false warnings when covered with raindrops. I have an isolation switch fitted very neatly within easy reach, so it isn't a huge issue to switch them off when I need to. It's good to have front sensors, and if I had been patient enough to wait for a factory order I would have definitely added them.

There is a function within My Skoda which allows remote lock/unlock through the app. It's not essential that it works, but it would be nice. The supplying dealer (London) didn't activate it on handover, and when I subsequently asked I was told that they no longer had access to my vehicle because I had linked the car with my local dealer (Sussex). I tried to get it activated locally a few times, with no success. It was serviced a couple of weeks ago, and despite the longer time available they still couldn't activate it - and suggested that I would have to contact the supplying dealer in London. Does anybody else have this as an active function? If so, how was it activated? Error message is attached.

I bought a two 30cm USB-C to USB-C cables, in bright blue to match the car. Amazon is your friend - huge range available.

I also have the SEL. I don't think I have changed fan speed, except when demisting the windscreen on a cold morning. I press the demist button once, then when clear I press it again and my normal view appears on the screen. But if I enter the heating settings screen, I get back to normal by pressing 'home' rather than 'menu', which takes me to my own home screen which I have set to my liking.

I have just logged in successfully. My data is still there.

Thank you for the responses ... at least it's not just me (or my phone). I have emailed the Škoda connect lite customer support team as below, and I will let you know what they say. I can't log in to the connect lite app. My password is definitely OK, but I get the attached error message. This problem exists for several other Skoda drivers too, in a range of vehicles and a range of different devices. So it's definitely an app problem rather than a user or device problem. Please advise a workaround or fix.

I have been happily using the connect lite app for almost a year. It was definitely working OK five days ago because I logged a refuel, but now I can't connect. I attempt to login, and I know that the password is correct (because an incorrect password produces an error message). After I enter the password and click login, I see the attached message. I can see trips, challenges, service and manual, but I can't see statistics, parking and fuel ... so the app is definitely connecting with the dataplug and the car. It's just not letting me login. Has anybody had similar issues, and is there a solution? Thank you.

The whole subject of being plated for towing - or not - is very confusing. I wonder how many forum members have Scalas (or other Skodas) that are not plated for towing. Because cars not specified for towing at the point of order leaving the factory plated for towing contradict the brochure.

PS - just noticed that your dealer is in the Medway Towns. If you're lucky your car will come into Sheerness. I was unlucky with Grimsby.

This was my experience: I reserved my Scala and paid a deposit on 4 March (it was already on its way to the UK as dealer stock) when it was dockside at Emden awaiting a ship. It arrived in Grimsby 14 days later on 18 March. It arrived in London 10 days later on 28 March. So I reckon your Scala might be with the dealer within two to three weeks. Hang on a bit and you will get a 2023 registration, which for the sake of a few extra days' wait will be a good thing.