[Arjun Reddy]

Well, the SUV space is really hot. Karoq will be a perfect vehicle to launch in India. If priced right and Skoda do not go the Tiguan and Kodiaq route, it should bring in decent numbers for Skoda.

By the way, watermarked photos from ACI as well in the same parking lot.:LOL:

[volkman10]

Skoda Karoq review,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvQ5PI8VDxA

[volkman10]

Skoda Karoq, EURO NCAP tested, gets 5 star rating,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9th5kvwfzs

[TusharK]

The Skoda Karoq has received a 5 star safety rating in the European New Car Assessment Program (Euro NCAP) crash tests. The Karoq scored 93% for adult occupant safety and 79% for child safety. It scored 73% in pedestrian safety tests and 58% for its on-board safety features.



According to Euro NCAP, the Karoq's passenger compartment remains stable in the frontal offset test and offers good protection to its occupants. In the full-width rigid barrier test, protection of both the front occupants was found to be good, while rear passenger protection was rated as marginal. It performed well in the side barrier test and side pole test as well. The seats and headrests offered good protection against whiplash injuries.



The car used for the evaluation was a Karoq Ambition powered by a 1.6-litre diesel engine. The SUV weighs 1,365 kg. The Euro-spec Karoq comes equipped with front, knee and side airbags, seatbelts with pretensioners and load limiters, a seatbelt reminder and ISOFIX child seat mounts. The car comes with autonomous emergency braking system (AEB), which can detect pedestrians and other obstacles. According to Euro NCAP, this system performed as expected.

The Karoq is also offered with a lane assist system. However, it was not present in the test car.

Source: Euro NCAP

[motorworks]

One thing is for sure, when Skoda or VW brings these cats to India, they are true to the standards that they set elsewhere and hence safety features present in the car would be as good as anywhere. But the flip side is the cost, of Kodiaq was priced above 35L, I cannot see the Karoq selling for less than 27L.

[jaganpec2002]

Originally Posted by motorworks

I cannot see the Karoq selling for less than 27L.

Yes they maintain the standard in pricing as well.

[Sheel]

Just that they exceed the parameters as far as service experience and inflating the bill goes.

If they take these aspects seriously as well, I don’t see why should I not buy a Euro.

[RavenAvi]

So, this was the reason why this particular Skoda Karoq unit (bearing number plate 4SH 6405) had landed in India - as a designated official pace car for WeLoveCycling.com.

Watch from 0:45 onwards:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldxDb8a1NxU

[StarrySky]

I had a short drive in the Karoq today. I had the car with me for only an hour, and there was only just enough time for a trip home from the showroom and back. I drove the Karoq Style 2.0 TDI 150HP 4x4. This is probably what can be expected in India as well.

- Ingress/egress is easier (compared to my Octavia)
- Seating position is higher, but not as high as to need any big effort to step in to the car. For comparison, I remember the Jeep Compass requiring more of a climb than Karoq (the only time I sat in a Compass was almost 6 months back).
- If you are familiar with Octavia controls like me, you will feel at home behind the wheel from the moment you get in. Within a couple of minutes of driving, I was comfortable enough to try a bit of hands-free driving with the lane assistant keeping the car in lane, even taking small bends on the road.
- Feels very car like to drive. I had no issues switching from and to Octavia.
- Visibility towards the front is very good, less so towards the back. The RVMs are all of a decent size.
- Interior quality is good, all surfaces which anyone would touch in normal use feel good.
- Sound insulation seems to be a bit better than in Octavia.
- Seats are comfortable, front and back. Front seat has better under-thigh support than in Octavia. At the rear, it is about the same as Octavia.
- 3 at the back will be a tight fit.
- Reduced volume of the passenger compartment compared to the Octavia is very evident (especially with my Octavia being the Combi version)
- That being said, there was enough space for me to sit being me I am nearly 5'8" tall. When a friend of mine who is 5'11" adjusted the driving seat to his liking (which was quite far back from the steering wheel), there was barely enough space for another friend of my height directly behind him. He was not able to sit without his knees touching the front seat. Getting in/out in this position was also difficult.
- Boot is 521L, and it can take 3 medium-sized checked luggage pieces with space left for a couple of smaller bags (verified this at home), but only with the parcel shelf taken out. But the difference with Octavia(610L) feels big in real life, as I could just throw the same pieces of luggage in the Octavia's boot and it would just swallow all of it without fuss!
- I drove only in "Normal" mode and "Sport" mode. Steering weighs up noticeably in "Sport" mode. DSG also moves to "S" mode and holds gears for much longer. As my drive was mostly in urban areas, with a bit of traffic around, this didn't work so well. Better to keep "Sport" mode to the highways. Good thing is Karoq allows personalisation, so it may be possible to have "Sport" mode steering with "Normal" mode gearbox setting (I didn't have time to try this).
- However, in normal mode, DSG seemed slightly circumspect, and I didn't make as quick progress as I expected (considering Karoq version I drove had almost 50% more power and 30% more torque compared to my Octavia). On my way back from the showroom, my Octavia felt more sprightly. Or maybe, it was just me being circumspect driving a TD car.

From what I remember from my limited time with Jeep Compass, Karoq is a roomier car. It will probably also come loaded with features. So, I don't think Karoq in India is going to be priced near the Compass. As a side note, here in Finland, the top-spec Exclusive trim of Karoq (2.0TDI 150HP, DSG, 4x4) is priced right in the middle of Tiguan Comfortline and Highline with the same engine/gearbox combo. Going by the Kodiaq spec in India, it is quite close to the Exclusive trim available here. If the same holds true for Karoq, expect it to be priced near Tiguan Highline.

[84.monsoon]

Thanks for the comprehensive mini review.
It is a vehicle that can either be a big deal for Skoda or a damp sqib, depending on how they price it. Skoda would be missing a big opportunity to become a serious volume player in the growing SUV segment if they resort to the same old puritan, outrageous and theoretical pricing strategy we have seen for the last 4-5 launches from Volkswagen and Skoda.

It may make sense in the engineering minds of top management - as to how the family of cars should sit paying respects to each other in pricing hierarchy, but who cares? The buyer gives two hoots about what the group top management thinks in terms of how worthy are their cars and how blasphemous it is for a country management to go on a pricing adventure.

There are plenty of capable competitors around here, like the Compass and Tucson and more are coming. If Skoda can take a chance once in their life and variant/cost/margin engineer this car to compete with the Compass, they can stand up and be counted in the Indian market. Otherwise, well, Skoda, you can continue to lie down and sleep with your Koraq, no one will even notice.

[motorworks]

Tiguan, Kodiaq and Karoq..what sense does it make for Skoda and VW to have all these 3 overpriced cars is India when that segment volume itself is so minuscule? Let's face it, except the Fortuner no other car commands volumes. So if they did price the Kodiaq at par with the fortuner then it would have made some business sense, but the Kodiaq is more expensive!
And they have a 5 seater in the Tiguan, so what good can the Karoq do in the same price territory?

[StarrySky]

Skoda expands Karoq production to a second factory due to demand (link).

High demand in Europe could mean Karoq launch in India is delayed and there will probably be high waiting times when it is eventually launched (depends on pricing as well).

Already here in Finland waiting time of upto 6 months is quoted. It could conceivably go upto 8-10 months waiting time as the Kodiaq had at one time during the initial months of its launch. And it's not just for the Karoq, but for it's cousin Seat Ateca as well. A friend of mine has a colleague who booked the Ateca in the summer of 2017 and is still awaiting delivery (sometime in March).

[volkman10]

Skoda KAROQ confirmed for India launch in 2019 ?

In the next 12 to 18 months, says Ashutosh Dixit who heads the sales, service and marketing division at Skoda India.

Link

[nidhinsarath]

Oh! That’s not a good news to me. I was actually waiting for karoq’s launch and I thought it will happen in mid 2018. Now I should decide between rapid dsg and compass diesel auto.

[volkman10]

Skoda Karoq Sportline Debuts With More Powerful Petrol Engine.

Karoq Sportline on display in October during the Paris Motor Show.


This version of the compact crossover can be had with a 2.0 TSI delivering 190 horsepower.

It’s not the sole engine offering as the Karoq Sportline can also be equipped with the familiar 1.5 TSI rated at 150 hp (110 kW) or the hugely popular 2.0 TDI offered in two states of tune: 150 hp and 190 hp. Depending on your pick, Skoda will sell you the newest member of the Karoq lineup with either a six-speed manual or a seven-speed automatic transmission. Cheaper versions will be stuck with a front-wheel-drive layout, but reach deeper into your pockets and the Czech marque will reward you with AWD.

Source: