2020 Skoda Karoq India review, test drive

Skoda’s Yeti, you possibly loved it or you just didn’t get it. Downright quirky in some places, good in others, and especially built to stand out from the crowd, the Yeti polarised belief, correct down the middle. Me? I just loved it. The nose, with its rally car or truck-like location lamp integrated into the bumper, looked cool I loved the informal fashion in which the Yeti felt at house on broken roadways, and then there was the simple fact that it experienced a enormous affinity for corners. It wasn’t well suited to staying chauffeur-pushed all around in, it didn’t come with an automated gearbox – a offer breaker for many – and then there was  the simple fact that all other SUVs in  its class have been a bit even larger. So it lacked mass attractiveness.

Electronic instrument panel is crisp, apparent and legible.

This is mostly why, when it came to the Karoq – its replacement, if not its non secular successor – Skoda decided to observe the straight and slim. Quirkiness isn’t shown large in its listing of need to-have attributes when it arrives to planning and, much more importantly, promoting a mass sector car or truck in substantial numbers. So the Karoq, as a final result, is an SUV that feels as straight-laced and controversy-free as they come. 

Three-piece suit, with hiking boots

Now while it could be quick on shock worth, Skoda’s newborn Kodiaq is not quick on attraction. Confident, the design and style isn’t in your face, and for ‘bling’, the Karoq is almost certainly lifeless last. But is it devoid of character? No way. It has an uncomplicated-going and relaxed attractiveness that only will get stronger the much more you glance at the car or truck. And then there is a harmony to the design and style which is scarce. Even the proportions are just best. Viewed side on, the nose is just the correct sizing. I enjoy the fashion in which the substantial squared wheel arches include muscle mass, how the carefully tapering glass house performs well, and that the roof fits nice and sung.

Touchscreen isn’t pretty major, but the high quality is tremendous.

Skoda’s origami-like cuts and creases all around the nose and tail also include masses of character. Performing alongside the crystalline headlights and tail-lights, they make for an intriguing interaction between mild and shade. And, all around the front, those little secondary lamps that give it a large-cheekbone glance are properly done. Interestingly, there is no winged arrow emblem at the rear, just ‘Skoda’ spelt nice and substantial.

Even though the Karoq will initially be imported, and it will be highly-priced for its sizing and class Skoda has the solution of assembling it in this article later. What helps make this achievable is that the SUV, like the the vast majority of Skoda and VW vehicles these days, is designed on VW’s flexible MQB platform. This suggests it will get a strong and rough floorpan, a subtle steering technique, and a pretty stiff chassis which is great for journey and managing, and, of system, basic safety. This car or truck, nevertheless, doesn’t have 4-wheel generate, and as a final result, like the lower-spec Octavias, will get only a non-impartial rear suspension. Skoda would say it is just intelligent but is it? 

Front seats are run and pretty comfy.

Just about the correct sizing

Simply just intelligent is also what arrives to mind when you glance inside of the boot of the Karoq. There’s stuff in this article you really don’t uncover anywhere else, all of which are truly valuable. There’s the magnet-geared up, rechargeable LED torch, there are Velcro-coated angled brackets you can repair on the boot floor to avoid luggage from flying all around, and a different nice touch is that Skoda has saved the backlink to Yeti, by providing the exact same boot rails and sliding hooks. Just enjoy the way you can transform the hooks down and lock them in spot where ever you want. Boot space, at 521 litres, is also plenty, and then there is the simple fact that the rear seats can be folded if you need to have much more space.

With its significant 2.6m-prolonged wheelbase, space in the rear of the cabin is also great. For the history, the Karoq is 4,382mm prolonged, which helps make it a lot larger than the not too long ago released VW T-Roc  at 4,234mm. The backrest is a  bit upright, but, apart from that, seat top is great, as is thigh guidance. What’s nice is that you really don’t experience hemmed in at the rear, and this is partly owing to the enormous sunroof. It is truly worth noting that the Karoq is broader than even the Tiguan Allspace.

Rear seat convenience is great. Legroom and headroom are adequate.

The spot to be in the Karoq, nevertheless, is up front. It’s in this article that the rough construct of the Skoda and its high quality of resources genuinely shine. All over again, the design and style of the sprint will not get your focus but the much more time you invest with the Karoq, the much more you get what it is all about. Everything you touch, for case in point, is superbly designed, virtually all the resources have a quality experience, and Skoda designers have extra to the attractiveness of the cabin by lining all which is crucial with plenty of large-high quality chrome. There’s some all around the vents, the centre console mixes piano black and chrome superbly, and the highlights carry on throughout to the steering wheel and doorpads as well.

Gear lever isn’t as well-designed as relaxation of the cabin.

Also extraordinary is the rough construct of the sprint, and the fashion in which the comfortable black best spills onto the lighter colored lower bit is special. I specifically like the get handles that are designed into the centre console, and I consider the large-high quality, slick touchscreen and electronic instrument panel go superbly jointly. In simple fact, the functionality of the monitor is superb. The screen is crisp, it responds right away, and the program is so intuitive, you seldom have to 2nd guess. And with temper lights that can be customised to suit your flavor, the cabin will get a carry way too.

The only bit that sort of seems out of spot is the basic-looking equipment selector.

I have still left the finest bit for last. With the added bolstering, best cushioning, and enough lateral guidance, the front seats are just remarkable. So cozy, you can invest hours in them and move out as fresh as a daisy.

Clever cupholders in central console get grip at foundation.

Neat, tidy and entertaining

With a 150hp TSI petrol below the hood and a 7-speed twin-clutch automated, the Karoq is uncomplicated to generate at a relaxed pace. Unlike some of the TSI petrols that enjoy to spin rapidly, this prolonged-stroke engine is tuned much more for torque. Happiest when pushed between 2,000 and 4,500rpm, the engine has plenty of urge and pulling power, even if all you use is 50 %-throttle. And while the engine is obviously turbocharged, the boost arrives in so smoothly, you need to have to fork out focus to recognize the changeover stage. This helps make it well-suited for city visitors. And what also fits properly in this article is the twin-clutch gearbox. Yes, at periods, the DSG does pause inordinately when the engine is at reduced speed, and, at periods, it shifts abruptly. Nonetheless, all matters thought of, the Karoq feels correct at house in the town, with much more than more than enough grunt to overtake slower visitors very easily.

 Winding the engine harder, all the way to the redline, delivers stronger thrust, and then the Karoq feels rapid. Pushed flat out in opposition to the clock, the SUV normally takes 10.03sec to achieve one hundred, and maintain onto the pedal for 25.16sec and you will be performing 160kph. This, nevertheless, isn’t between the finest TSI engines, specifically at large speed. It feels strained past 4,500rpm, and it will get a bit boomy around the redline way too. So, except if you genuinely want to extract max general performance, it is finest pushed in a much more relaxed fashion.

Handling is neat and tidy, but only up to a stage.

Skoda’s suspension options generally seem to get the job done well in India. And it is no various in this article. The journey high quality is specifically extraordinary. The roadways in this article in Pawna are a patchwork of pretty great, not so great and downright very poor, but the Karoq just rolls about them, silently, smoothly, and with no way too considerably movement of the cabin. There’s a suppleness you seldom uncover in an SUV of this sizing and class, and what provides to the calm is that the Karoq is properly insulated from the outside earth.

It is also nice and mild to generate in the town. The steering is fluid, smooth, and uncomplicated to twirl, you can faucet the equipment lever into ‘Drive’ with a deft flick of your still left hand, and given that pedal effort is also fantastically calibrated, even a full day behind the wheel of the Karoq is unlikely to tire you out.   

The Karoq is entertaining to generate as well. It dives into corners with enthusiasm, the steering is direct and rapid, and given that there is much more than a bit of experience and opinions, driving it on a winding street can be entertaining. What plays a contributing role is  that, at medium speeds, it is nice and composed. Drive harder, nevertheless, and the Karoq quickly operates out of grip, specifically at the front. Human body roll will increase, and the the moment neat and tidy dynamics bit by bit commence to unravel.

Functionality is strong but the one.five TSi doesn’t like to rev large.

Worthy of the stretch?

Relaxed on the inside of, well designed, and nice to generate, Skoda’s Karoq is an SUV that obviously ticks a lot of boxes. The properly designed inside is entire of high quality resources, the driver’s seats are pretty comfy, the engine, gearbox and steering make driving it easy, and it even rides superbly. Yes, it is missing package like wi-fi charging and cooled seats, a bit much more space in the rear would have been nice, and given that it is an import expected to be priced all around Rs 24 lakh, it isn’t exactly low cost. Even now, if you are looking for a much more inexpensive, much more entertaining-to-generate Kodiaq, with no the rear seats that is, this is exactly what the physician ordered.

Also see:

Skoda Karoq video evaluate