Need a car that I will drive 5000 miles/8000 km per year in Eastern Europe 80% of the time on highways at speeds 75mph/110-120kmph.

Now the Octavia is great but on the few occasions (2-3 times per month) when I will go to the city center the extra 30cm of length will be harder to park also it will probably have 1-1.5L more fuel consumption as if I go for the Octavia I am going for the 2.0L as I want a ~8 sec to 100kmph for easier highway joining which the 1.0L Octavia (I can get a 2017 one for only 11k euros) won't do.

The thing is for my budget of 15-16k euros I can get a 1.5TSI 2022 Scala at 100,000km under warranty until mid 27 or a 2018 Octavia 2.0 diesel at 150,000km out of warranty and I prefer the newer car (Scala) . For that amount I can get a 21 Corolla hatch under warranty until 2031 with 1.8/140hp, but I am afraid it will be not as quiet, planted or as stable as the Scala and it is at 150,000km. So I have made up my mind at 90% the question is is the 15-16k for the Scala overpriced?

Also is my choice of petrol good I know diesel is more fuel efficient on the highway but my 2-3 time of months of driving in the city might be clustered in the beginning of that month and I might leave the car not driven for 2-3 weeks at a time.

As your only doing 5000 miles per year the diesel would be slightly more economical but I doubt there would be that much difference in cost yearly on fuel as at moment petrol is a good bit cheaper. I have had Octavia 1.9tdi and 1.6tdi and get around 60mpg on long runs. Find the 1.6tdi as it has dpf struggles and tends to dpf regen fairly regularly if it doesnt get a decent run every few weeks.

Was parked beside a Scala the other day and its a nice looking car. Didnt seem that much smaller than my estate so should be equally good on long runs and as you say perhaps easier around city. Have also found that my 1.6tdi is not emission zone compliant which is a problem if I go to one of the larger cities in Scotland. The Scala being under waranty and being 4 years younger and 50k less miles seems the way to go. As for price I am not sure.

Alasdair

On 12/10/2026 at 15:19, banana-milkshake-26 said:

I prefer the newFor that amount I can get a 21 Corolla hatch under warranty until 2031 with 1.8/140hp

On a 21 plate the Corolla will only have 122hp with the 1.8 and gen 4 hybrid running gear. From 23 plate it’ll be much improved in many ways inc 140hp, gen 5 hybrid, better infotainment CarPlay etc… Do you have the Suzuki Swace in your country? - which is a Corolla TS in drag, frequently cheaper, better spec but didn’t have low profile tyres (quieter!). I find my 24 plate relaxed on a run , even on a motorway. It frequently drops to electric only - especially in roadworks. You don’t “hear “ the engine come and go.

However the 1.5 engine is a lively beast in the Scala and should be pretty relaxed on a long run. Can’t comment re other noises.

hi, I just moved from a Seat Leon FR130 to a Scala 150 SE with DSG

The cars are about the same size externally, internally the Scala cabin is a bit smaller, but the boot is larger, which works for me. The controls are more reminiscent of my 2016 Leon FR 150, as is the power. Maybe the handling is'nt as sharp, but that's down to tyres mostly.

The Scala is a softer ride and with D mode is an easy motorway cruiser.

Price , a bit more than your budget, but not much, 6500 miles, <1 year ex demonstrator. Took me while to find it, still would have preferred a manual, but it seems they are no longer around

also tried a 1.5 Monte Carlo trim, much sharper, but nearly 50% more on price for similar age