[Venkatesh]

First Drive review by Evo India

https://youtu.be/fJdpoKHS_Ko

[shibujp]

I had a test drive of the Karoq today. Here are my impressions.

The quality is the first thing that hits you when you enter the Karoq. Everything is put together so well and has a built to last feeling. I spent a few minutes oggling at the map light for the rear bench. I have no clue how effective it would be but the integration is just superb. The button and the light simply flow into each other. And the shade of the button is very well matched with that of the roof liner. A bit on the roof liner. It's a dark gray shade and I like it. These kind of attention to detail simply abound through the Skoda. Everything is sharply styled. The plastics lower down look a bit rough and less impressive. I liked the electric seat adjustment which made it quite easy to find a good driving position.

The gearbox is impressive and it gels very well with the 1.5 TSI. My previous experience with the DSG was in the Polo 1.2 which left me wanting more and my current favorite remains the TC gearbox of the 1.6 diesel Verna that seemed to read my mind. But this runs it close. In my test drive, I never once felt the gearbox out of sync. It hits the ton effortlessly and handles variable speeds without fumbling around ratios. I used the paddle shifters too and they were superb. I am not a big fan of manual shifting in automatic gearboxes using the gear lever. The paddle shifters should be a standard feature if the manufacturer is providing a manual option for an auto gearbox. In the Karoq i felt going up and down the GB easy-peasy. Especially the option to engine brake by shifting down. Sport mode feels a bit to jerky at low speeds and bumper to bumper traffic. Better to keep it in the standard mode in such situations.

I also drove down a narrow back alley and the car did not feel bulky or too wide. The ride quality over ruts were quite good. I feel the handling to be a good balance of comfort and handling. The back seats were quite comfortable and spacious to me. There was quite a bit of legroom behind the drivers seat adjusted to my position. You don't feel cramped like the Compass. However the high central tunnel means that the middle seat is not too comfortable. So essential traveling 5 up may not be a comfortable option for the middle passenger.

A simply clever Skoda feature that hit the spot was the height adjustable arm rest. Top marks to that. The rest have already been discussed; the magnetic torch, the umbrella under the seat, the plethora of hooks in the boot.

However the prices are a bit steep at 31 lakhs on road here at Trivandrum. If you ask me it is around 5 lakhs too much given that there are so many other options available - the Harrier, the Seltos and the Creta and they are quite good products each of which have USPs that appeal to me. Tough decision unless you are a real stickler for quality that the quality differential between the Creta/Seltos and the Karoq really matters. However it's an excellent product from Skoda and they have the right approach. The 2.0 TSI though would have sealed the deal at this price no questions asked!

Drive on,
Shibu.

[Mr.Perera]

Originally Posted by shinuak

Congrats Mr. Perera and family !, The post looked familiar, the car looked familiar (from the photos which I saw on whatsapp) and finally the faces also looked very very familiar , thats when I realized that you are on Team BHP now. Was privy to all the news from your brother and felt happy for the fact that uncle was the first person to own the Karoq in Tvm. Congrats once again, and we will catch up once am at Trivandrum, post all the lockdown blues to take a real look at the car.

Well this is a big surprise ! Thanks a lot . Sure ,let's catch up next time you come to Trivandrum. If I'm right, its been atleast 5 years since we saw each other ! Hope all of you are doing good in Bangalore.

[GeeTee TSI]

Checked out the Karoq at TAFE Access Skoda, MG Road on 20th June. The sales staff was very courteous without being pushy and I liked that a lot

Some observations from the showroom walk around (no test drive taken)

• Front seats are thick, comfortable and extremely supportive, deep footwell along with range of adjustments helped me reach a good driving position (for my 180cm frame) without needing to encroach into the rear too much
  
• Rear door aperture is much wider than the T-Roc (which I had checked out only the week before) and ingress is easy enough to plop into the seat from standing position. Rear seats are very comfortable, with good legroom for my front seat setting and rear bench is quite wide to accommodate 3 (limited only by the central tunnel)
  
• Sense of airiness all around thanks to a low enough window line, large windows coupled with rear quarter glass (without even coming to the panoramic sunroof). The upholstery shade along with the light top part of the dash adds to the same. Lower part of the door pads are in sensible black trim at the same time
  
• Practicality and features built into the boot are really unique, boot fixings which attach by Velcro to the boot floor are supplied as standard. Dropping down the rear seats using levers from the boot works beautifully but it is not a full flat floor with seats folded (possibly due to non adjustable boot floor). Spare is a full size wheel tyre combination (albeit steel wheels)
  
• Excellent fit and finish with soft touch plastics abound in the front, although rear door plastics did not seem so. Most storage cubbies in the dash were felt-lined. The engine start button placement felt odd at the steering column (where one would normally slot the key). Features like Auto dimming ORVMs with automatic drop down feature for the left mirror during reverse felt quite premium at this price point even

In short, the Karoq felt like all the car one would ever need

[shibujp]

Originally Posted by GeeTee TSI

The engine start button placement felt odd at the steering column (where one would normally slot the key).

I think it is logical for someone who is used to start using the good old key. But I too felt it out of place since I use a start/stop button as well. My hand automatically went to the dashboard searching either side of the steering column till the sales person told me it's on the column.

Drive on,
Shibu

[moncar]

Originally Posted by GeeTee TSI

Checked out the Karoq at TAFE Access Skoda, MG Road on 20th June. The sales staff was very courteous without being pushy and I liked that a lot
In short, the Karoq felt like all the car one would ever need

Since you had checked out the T-roc earlier it would be interesting to know whether the larger size and a few additional features would justify a near 6 lac on road pricing difference between the two. Since both cars share the same engine and DSG box it would be nice to know to what extent both differ in driving experience . Am thinking of going in for a T-roc as it looks more VFM despite the Karoq scoring high on the luxury feel quotient . Both being CBU with excellent build quality as reported in initial impressions is a further levelling point. Eagerly awaiting test drive reports of both from BHPians !

Mod Note - Please quote ONLY the relevant bits of a post. Quoting a full, long post inconveniences our mobile readers. Thanks!

[GeeTee TSI]

Originally Posted by moncar

Since you had checked out the T-roc earlier it would be interesting to know whether the larger size and a few additional features would justify a near 6 lac on road pricing difference between the two.

I have not driven either of them, only checked them out in the showroom (although I guess their driving experience should not be as diverse as their cabins )

In my opinion, the T-Roc rear seat experience is marginally better than the Polo whereas it was a revelation in the Karoq. In other aspects Karoq is comparable or marginally better than the T-Roc.

[ysomani]

Originally Posted by moncar

Since you had checked out the T-roc earlier it would be interesting to know whether the larger size and a few additional features would justify a near 6 lac on road pricing difference between the two. Since both cars share the same engine and DSG box it would be nice to know to what extent both differ in driving experience . Am thinking of going in for a T-roc as it looks more VFM despite the Karoq scoring high on the luxury feel quotient . Both being CBU with excellent build quality as reported in initial impressions is a further levelling point. Eagerly awaiting test drive reports of both from BHPians !

I took test drive of Karoq couple of days back and saw T Roc yesterday. Following are the key differences:
- Powered driver seat
- Cruise Control - SA mentioned Its not there in T Roc, not sure if its true
- Interiors - huge difference here. Karoq is far ahead in quality
- space and comfort in the back seat - Karoq is far more Spacious than T Roc. Both in terms of leg room and headroom. Didn’t check the width though. Even with open sunroof, T roc looks very small. guess even the sunroof is smaller in proportion to the cabin size for T Roc
- Boot space - Huge difference here. KAroq looks at least 50% bigger.
- Overall SA experience was much better with Karoq. The SA had all tha answers except for the reason for not giving independent suspension
- there are other things like ambient lighting, the infotainment system layout etc which are way more premium in Karoq. Not absolutely must for me.

Few features from T Roc which are missing in Karoq are:
- SOS call function - SA mentioned it will be functional in India. He had no clue about the other two buttons next to SOS button.
- SA confirmed that T Roc comes with independent back suspension.
Guess it has been discussed multiple times that Karoq is a superior car. However, the 5 lakh premium is too high in my view. Anything around 22.5 to 23 and it would have been game over for T Roc. Not sure about the volumes for Karoq at this price in given scenario.
On T Roc, the SA said they are already overbooked and are taking bookings for the next lot without giving any timeline commitments.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by ysomani

- SA confirmed that T Roc comes with independent back suspension.
Guess it has been discussed multiple times that Karoq is a superior car

The SA is 100% wrong. You can see the T-ROC thread with photos that the suspension is a single torsion beam and the VW website has been updated with this as well.

Neither the T-Roc nor the KAroq get multi link rear suspension.

[tristis2008]

Originally Posted by Mr.Perera

All smiles ! Welcoming the new member to the family.

Hey congratulations. I would like to know the following :

1. I presume it has built in Navigation system. Which maps are provided ?
2. Is Lane assist feature enabled in Karoq ?
3. Is Blindspot warning enabled ?

Thanks.

[Mr.Perera]

Originally Posted by tristis2008

Hey congratulations. I would like to know the following :

1. I presume it has built in Navigation system. Which maps are provided ?
2. Is Lane assist feature enabled in Karoq ?
3. Is Blindspot warning enabled ?

Thanks.

Hi.
1. I got the Navigation SD card from the Service last week. The box says the card works with Octavia, Karoq n and all. But sadly after putting the card, the system couldn't read the card. When I checked the same with the service staff, I was told that this card needs a software update to work on the Karoq. They said they will inform me once the new software comes. Also since the system supports Android auto and Apple car play I am happy with it. Even in my Octavia I have never used the inbuilt navigation, always relied on Google Maps through Android Auto.

2 & 3. Both these features are not there in the Karoq.

[Timothy]

Originally Posted by tristis2008

Hey congratulations. I would like to know the following :

1. I presume it has built in Navigation system. Which maps are provided ?
2. Is Lane assist feature enabled in Karoq ?
3. Is Blindspot warning enabled ?

Thanks.

On my Octavia 1.8Tsi L&K the navigation map is from Map My India and is pretty detailed, the only thing is that it is not real time like Google maps. You just need to feed in the destination location and it guides you but does not give alternate routes in case of heavy traffic.

However I always have the inbuilt map displayed on the virtual cockpit, it looks classy and one is able to figure out which area of the city, he/she is travelling through at anytime. The built in navigation maps on the Virtual display are really quite handy and I hardly ever feel the need to use google maps. This works just perfect, at least for me .

[Mr.Perera]

Originally Posted by Timothy

However I always have the inbuilt map displayed on the virtual cockpit, it looks classy and one is able to figure out which area of the city, he/she is travelling through at anytime. The built in navigation maps on the Virtual display are really quite handy and I hardly ever feel the need to use google maps. This works just perfect, at least for me .

Yes, in all videos and photos of the Skoda Virtual cockpit I saw, I found the one with the maps in between look super cool ! But without the SD card what can I do. I was so happy to get the SD card from them, but when I put it in SD card slot 2, nothing was happening
I went to service and gave back the card, waiting for them to update it to the new software and give.

[fhdowntheline]

Here is a question: Shouldn't Hyundai be pitching the petrol Tucson against the Karoq as it comes at a slightly lower price point? From a performance perspective, Karoq may have the edge, but no one is going to drive these cars at 150kph throughout. At the most, the Karoq can out-accelerate the Tucson in the 40-100 or 20-80 roll on acceleration, but thats about it.
For a lower price point, the Tucson offers similar or better levels of cabin comfort and slightly higher ground clearance (for that much additional bad-road-drivability).

[hemlock]

Originally Posted by Mr.Perera

Hi.
1. I got the Navigation SD card from the Service last week. The box says the card works with Octavia, Karoq n and all. But sadly after putting the card, the system couldn't read the card. When I checked the same with the service staff, I was told that this card needs a software update to work on the Karoq. They said they will inform me once the new software comes. Also since the system supports Android auto and Apple car play I am happy with it. Even in my Octavia I have never used the inbuilt navigation, always relied on Google Maps through Android Auto.

2 & 3. Both these features are not there in the Karoq.

Interestingly the brochure does not even talk about Android Auto and Apple Carplay. Good to see that the car actually has it