[Behemoth]

I was also quite shocked by the price and had been expecting an ex-showroom of 20-21 only. At this price even a Skoda fan like me (having owned the Skoda Yeti for 7 years and the Skoda Laura now for 8 years) will not consider the Karoq. Given the current market conditions , It will turn out to be a dud at this price point. I guess the problem lies in it being a CBU import instead of a CKD and the duties have made it overpriced for the market. If the Karoq were brought in as CKD they could have managed to sell at 18-19 lacs which would have been a good price. At the current price it makes no sense at all. If I were to spend 28 lacs for the Karoq Onroad (that too for a petrol engine) I would probably add 10 more and get an X1 instead.
The prices of the Rapid and Superb announced today are still good value for money but the Karoq price makes no sense!
To give another comparison, the Nissan Kicks with a 1.3 Turbo petrol engine with CVT auto transmission comes for approx 14 lacs ex showroom. While it may not have the bells and whistles, it meets most of the functional parameters that the Karoq does (except the 9 airbags). The new Hyundai Creta (polarizing looks aside!) Has almost all the features of the Karoq while being a cool 9 lacs cheaper and that too with a Diesel Auto combination which delivers great mileage too.

[Fury]

I dont understand. Why the 5 lakh premium over the T-Roc? Essentially, they are the same cars, using the same platform and engine (probably rolling off the same assembly line too). How much can cosmetic features really justify such a huge premium for essentially the same car? I expected a premium of max 1.5 lakhs over the T-Roc but this is just too much to justify. Really disappointed.

[Paleo]

Kodiaq is missing from the Skoda website; guess its the BS6 delay

[Vid6639]

For anyone looking at differences between T-ROC and Karoq:

1. T-ROC hard dash plastics vs Karoq soft touch plastics on dash and front door top portion
2. T-ROC has manual seat adjust vs Karoq that has electric driver seat with memory (passenger is manual)
3. T-ROC has slightly less space than the Karoq at the back.
4. T-ROC has 6 airbags vs 9 in the Karoq

Above are the biggest differences.

Both cars have the same 1.5TSI engine with same 7 speed DSG and front wheel drive. Rear suspension is most likely same as well but considering not many are ready to accept that T-ROC cant have multilink, will wait for confirmation.

[Peregrine]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

For anyone looking at differences between T-ROC and Karoq:

1. T-ROC hard dash plastics vs Karoq soft touch plastics on dash and front door top portion
2. T-ROC has manual seat adjust vs Karoq that has electric driver seat with memory (passenger is manual)
3. T-ROC has slightly less space than the Karoq at the back.
4. T-ROC has 6 airbags vs 9 in the Karoq

Above are the biggest differences.

Both cars have the same 1.5TSI engine with same 7 speed DSG and front wheel drive. Rear suspension is most likely same as well but considering not many are ready to accept that T-ROC cant have multilink, will wait for confirmation.

I know I am going against the prevailing sentiment on this thread, but looking at these differences I am wondering if it's really such a huge problem that Karoq is priced at a 5L premium. It's probably a size bigger than T-roc, so why should that factor not justify additional premium. There are other safety (number of airbags), and cosmetic features (soft touch vs hard touch), and maybe other small features that we're not considering. When you add these up, maybe the 5L extra is not such a bad sounding deal. Perhaps the real problem here is that the T-roc itself seems to be overpriced, and that's making the Karoq pricing look really bad

[tristis2008]

Karoq pricing has suddenly made T Roc "value for money". May be that's the strategy!

[GeeTee TSI]

T-Roc will always be at a lower price point than a similarly specified Karoq, even more so if the Karoq is specified to a higher trim/equipment level (which is the case here). In most overseas reviews, I can't quite recollect the T-Roc pitted against the Karoq as a competitor at all, for all that we know they share platforms and drivetrains.

Hate to say this, but a relatively higher spec Karoq priced close to a T-Roc was just a pipe dream

[Timothy]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

I'm really shocked at the pricing. I was expecting this to cover up sales from the Octavia but this is well above the Octavia pricing for a smaller car, smaller engine.

What's more it is priced identical to the last rupee as the Jeep compass Limited Plus 4x4 AT. The Jeep is 2.0L diesel with AWD, ZF9, rear independent suspension and has the sunroof, powered driver seats. Pretty much matches it in features and space as well.

The Karoq is smaller and only FWD with a rear torsion beam. It loses a lot of features vs the Octavia.

No Canton audio, no electric tail gate, no vario flex rear seats (that means the rear seats don't even recline). The passenger seat isn't powered (Octavia had that even in Onyx edition!). They have seriously cut features on the Karoq for the price.
5L more gets you a superb!

Couldn't agree more with your assessment. The Octavia 1.8 Tsi L&K that I picked up in Jan. this year for 25L (OTR) suddenly seems incredible value for money. I was just thinking the same that, stretch by 3.2 L and get a Honda CRV or by 5L & get a Superb with 2.0L Tsi & DQ381.

Everyone expected the Karoq to be priced higher than T-Roc by a couple of Lacs but definitely not by 5L. It is a really good looking and an enticing vehicle, however Skoda will have to resort to offering discounts at dealer level if they want this vehicle to be a success.

[Nithesh_M]

Originally Posted by shibujp

A strategy at work here?

Drive on,
Shibu

Probably. Maybe VW will let Skoda run the roost in the lower segments while Skoda will make VW's higher segment car like T Roc look like VFM.

Let us wait to see how the Kamiq is priced against the T Cross?(Honestly this Ekta Kapooresque naming of Ts and Ks is more confusing than Seltos variants)

[sidhnik]

Disappointed at the pricing to say the least. This will push a lot of people in the market for a premium SUV towards the Seltos/ Creta top end variants. Also, there is not much hope left from the yet unreleased VW Taigun in terms of premiumness, looking at how basic the interiors of T-Roc look.

[Ravi_chd]

Originally Posted by akash.1318

You should forget Karoq (not really a replacement to Octavia at any price point, in my opinion) and consider the Superb. Better even, wait for the next gen Octavia (hopefully by the end of 2021 )

+1. Exactly my thoughts too. I’m okay with spending 25 Lakhs although, I must admit that’s kind of my upper limit, but not on a Karoq.

The next generation Octavia has been the one I wanted but I didn’t want to wait out another 18 months - and even that’s not sure.

Also, considering the pricing of the Karoq, I’m not sure anymore of the pricing of the Octavia.

[Annibaddh]

Yeah, given the way cars are being priced right now, I don't want to buy a car anymore. My ageing Vento will have to live on for at least a few more years and I'll replace it with a Toyota. If I have to pay for an overpriced car, might as well buy a Toyota and use it for 20 years.

[vickyP]

Well the Karoq is overpriced for sure - but then what is not? Honestly, the true ideal spot for the Karoq's single variant was to be at max where Octavia 1.8 TSI L&K left at, i.e., 23.59L ex-showroom. It may would not have justified the price completely, but then there are factors that made it similar to Octavia L&K or thereabouts (with some misses as well).

However, the pricing at around 23.59L would have been more sensible considering multiple factors such as:

1. It is an SUV! We Indians love it & support it for some weird reason. Well, not all that 'weird' - but being an SUV, helps in pulling more customers than what a sedan can no matter how good!
2. It is a CBU - so was expected to be priced higher than expectations. There is no volume game that can help the cost of importing either. May be if it is CKD in the future, we can see cost benefits - meanwhile SKODA gauges the market reaction.
3. It has some of the bells & whistles that make it an overall good experience such as Virtual Cockpit, Panoramic Sunroof, Electric parking brakes, ambient lighting and then some.
4. It certainly looks like a mini-Kodiaq, which for the new owners isnt a bad thing at all; I havent seen it in person but it sure seems to be well sized.
5. 17 inch rims - with a good design.
6. Not sure if the Active Cylinder Technology adds to the cost - Audi A3 & A4 had it on their 1.4 TSI.
7. The front seats with extended base sure feel comfy!

Having said so, I am more than glad having gone ahead with the Octavia 1.8 TSI L&K in Dec 2019.

[Jaggu]

Car manufacturers are wary that non-commuter car sales are going to come down big time, at least in the short to medium term, and are pricing the products to rake in more profit than volumes.

I haven't gone in detail through the specifications or the features but look wise my vote is for this compared to the whale of a Kodiaq

[arindambasu13]

Car prices seem to be skyrocketing each moment. More so these Euro brands which seem to think no end of themselves and have no hesitation in bunging in a few lakhs in the price in the name of Euro build quality and what not. Yes, being a CBU, I expected it to be expensive but this price on the road in Bangalore would be close to 30 lakhs. What a absolute joke.