[Guna]

Originally Posted by 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.

Hyundai need not consciously pitch it against Karoq but customers would. Both cars are similarly sized and spec'd and one is costing 10 lakhs more. Only factor that goes against Hyundai is the looks and may be interior feel. Normal customer is not bothered about the slight edge Karoq provides in Handling.
If Verna competes with Rapid, Elantra with Octavia, I don't see why Creta is not a direct competition to the Karoq, even-though Karoq competes with Tuscon (which is half size bigger) in terms of 'pricing'.

[cpabhijit]

Does the Karoq have ACT? It is not mentioned anywhere on their website, whereas it features prominently on the T-Roc's spec sheet.

[AamodB]

Originally Posted by cpabhijit

Does the Karoq have ACT? It is not mentioned anywhere on their website, whereas it features prominently on the T-Roc's spec sheet.

It has the same 1.5 TSI EVO as the T-Roc and has ACT. The brochure mentions it as seen in the screenshot below.

[cpabhijit]

Originally Posted by AamodB

It has the same 1.5 TSI EVO as the T-Roc and has ACT. The brochure mentions it as seen in the screenshot below.

Ok great. Thanks for the clarification. So what have you decided on? I'm torn between the awesome exterior of the t-roc and the classy interiors of the karoq. Plus the additional 5L !!! but the poor interior quality of the t-roc is becoming hard to overlook.

[AamodB]

Originally Posted by cpabhijit

Ok great. Thanks for the clarification. So what have you decided on? I'm torn between the awesome exterior of the t-roc and the classy interiors of the karoq. Plus the additional 5L !!!

We'll be visiting the Skoda showroom today to take a test drive so we'll decide after that. The interiors look like they're leagues ahead of the T-Roc and while not as svelte as the T-Roc, it is still a very good looking SUV. The more I read and watch reviews of the Karoq, the more I am convinced to spend the extra 5L.

Originally Posted by cpabhijit

...but the poor interior quality of the t-roc is becoming hard to overlook.

I wholeheartedly agree. I just can't convince myself to spend 23L for interiors on par with my WagonR lol. We'll probably be going ahead with the Karoq

[Timothy]

Originally Posted by 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).

Korean cars have come a long way since the time they used to unbashedly copy the design of German cars. But in terms of build quality and overall aesthetics you cannot compare the two brands.
Hyundai offers decent quality and tremendous value for money, which is what their target market segment wants. Size of the car & engine alone do not decide customers choice. There are many factors that come in to play when deciding on a car as often what a person drives is a reflection of their personality and aspiration and a brand whom they connect with.
Koreans generally have had very limited success in the upper segment in the past in India. This is just my view point, rest ofcourse......

[AamodB]

We visited the Skoda showroom to take a look at the Karoq and decide between it and the T-Roc. Unfortunately the test drive car wasn't available and we've asked for a test drive this weekend. I'll post my thoughts on how it drives and some more pictures soon.

The showroom did have a display car in Lava Blue (pictures below). The colour looks amazing and we'll probably be going ahead with the Karoq in this colour. As someone had mentioned earlier, the interiors really are a revelation compared to the T-Roc. The car feels two segments above the T-Roc in terms of size and interior quality. The Karoq gets everything right the T-Roc gets right (they are mechanically identical after all) and it also gets everything right that the T-Roc doesn't.

While it is overpriced by a couple of lakhs, the car offers more VFM as compared to its VW sibling. It feels premium as it should at this price and the experience of being in and around the car is sure to put a smile on your face. It seems as if VW offers a car so grossly overpriced that it makes the Karoq seem like a sensible decision at 29L on-road Delhi. In my opinion it is by far the best of the three new VAG India 2.0 launches by a fair margin.

There isn't much more I can say that Mr. Perera hasn't already said in his initial ownership review and I look forward to joining him in the Karoq owner's club

[hydraulicsteer]

Originally Posted by AamodB

It seems as if VW offers a car so grossly overpriced that it makes the Karoq seem like a sensible decision at 29L on-road Delhi. In my opinion it is by far the best of the three new VAG India 2.0 launches by a fair margin.

No doubt, Karoq looks smashing inside out. Only fly is the price.Paying a 3 million bucks for this, you might start feeling short changed too soon once the initial euphoria of owning a premium looking vehicle settles in. For a perspective, we get a 4x2 Isuzu MU-X Auto at the same price here in Delhi. But then to each his own. Cheers.

[Iyencar]

Do people percieve the Karoq’s interiors to be more luxurious than it is only because they have just seen the T-Roc and mentally it becomes a comparison between two CBUs? Or is it truly luxurious even if the T-Roc was nowhere in the picture? I find the Octavia very luxurious even without having experienced the Altis or Elantra just before sitting in it, whereas the Rapid to me is similar to the competition. In this segment, Seltos is no laggard when it comes to the wow factor in the cabin IMO, but all interior comparisons are to the almost similarly priced T-Roc.

[AamodB]

Originally Posted by hydraulicsteer

No doubt, Karoq looks smashing inside out. For a perspective, we get a 4x2 Isuzu MU-X Auto at the same price here in Delhi. But then to each his own. Cheers.

The MU-X and Karoq while similarly priced are two different segments for two very different customers. A similar situation can be seen with the Wrangler vs say the Evoque. Bothe are similarly priced but target customers on two ends of the spectrum.

The Isuzu is more of a rugged workhorse in the Fortuner/ Endeavour segment which give precedence to off-road ability than a luxurious cabin experience. The Karoq on the other hand can only be compared to the Compass/Tiguan and maybe the CR-V. The Skoda as compared to the MU-X also offers more premium interiors with the addition of a relatively "upmarket" brand .

Originally Posted by Iyencar

Do people percieve the Karoq’s interiors to be more luxurious than it is only because they have just seen the T-Roc and mentally it becomes a comparison between two CBUs?

I think a bit of both to be honest. The Karoq does genuinely have luxurious interiors and would be on par (maybe marginally better) as compared to its only current competition, the Compass. I would personally say it is would be more along the lines of your Octavia vs Altis comparison.

The sibling comparison is inevitable. The cars do share roughly the same segment internationally and are identical for the most part. But the couple of things the Karoq does better (interiors and size) makes it a much more compelling package. The Compass and Karoq are a different league and the T-Roc can at best be compared to the previous gen Creta. The T-Roc doesn't make sense for anyone who intends to use it as the primary family car. One really needs to be in love with the T-Roc's design to overlook the sad state of affairs inside.

[cpabhijit]

Test drove the Karoq today. The car looks quite good on the outside but the deciding factor is inside. The interiors are very well made and look and feel premium. Like someone said in an earlier post, the wow factor maybe because we compare it with the T-Roc which is such a let down. Nonetheless, it has everything that I would expect and some more.

The car was very quiet. I felt that it doesn't like to be pushed. It didn't seem eager like my GT does. And sitting in this car, I wasn't eager either. Mr Perera's take that it is a very relaxed engine for a relaxed drive is bang on. So is his point about some hesitation in the gearbox shifting. In my GT, over the last 7 years, I've never felt it hesitate. In this car, there was a gap between my expectation and what it wanted to do, a couple of times. Maybe I should adjust my expectations and everything will be fine.

The lane assist/driver assist features of the T-Roc are not available here. Unsure about how useful those would be in India.

Will be checking out the Blue color this evening and mostly will go ahead with this purchase.

[self_driven]

Originally Posted by AamodB

The showroom did have a display car in Lava Blue (pictures below)

Damn! That Rally Green Octavia on display just doesn't let me focus on the Karoq

[Timothy]

Originally Posted by self_driven

Damn! That Rally Green Octavia on display just doesn't let me focus on the Karoq

Way to go !! Straight from the Heart !!

[Mr.Perera]

Originally Posted by hemlock

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

If Im right except the new Rapid, all other VW and Skoda cars come with Android Auto and Apple car play by default. Anyday I would pick Android auto over inbuilt Navigation because I am so used to Google maps !

Originally Posted by AamodB

We visited the Skoda showroom to take a look at the Karoq and decide between it and the T-Roc. Unfortunately the test drive car wasn't available and we've asked for a test drive this weekend. I'll post my thoughts on how it drives and some more pictures soon.

The showroom did have a display car in Lava Blue (pictures below). The colour looks amazing and we'll probably be going ahead with the Karoq in this colour. As someone had mentioned earlier, the interiors really are a revelation compared to the T-Roc. The car feels two segments above the T-Roc in terms of size and interior quality. The Karoq gets everything right the T-Roc gets right (they are mechanically identical after all) and it also gets everything right that the T-Roc doesn't.

While it is overpriced by a couple of lakhs, the car offers more VFM as compared to its VW sibling. It feels premium as it should at this price and the experience of being in and around the car is sure to put a smile on your face. It seems as if VW offers a car so grossly overpriced that it makes the Karoq seem like a sensible decision at 29L on-road Delhi. In my opinion it is by far the best of the three new VAG India 2.0 launches by a fair margin.

There isn't much more I can say that Mr. Perera hasn't already said in his initial ownership review and I look forward to joining him in the Karoq owner's club

Infact a great decision Aamod ! It has been around 2 years, we went and saw almost all cars around 20-35 lakhs price range. The feel good factor we got from the Karoq was not there in any of the other cars we saw. The Karoq everyday brings a smile on my face, and everyone who got inside the car say this is one of the best interiors they have ever been into. A friend of mine who owns a 2016 Audi Q3 admits the Karoq feels more luxurious than his Audi. By the way Lava Blue was one of our favourite colour, we had a tough time deciding between Blue and Black, but since our black car had already reached, we went with it since we could wait more for the blue car car to arrive. Waiting for your initial ownership review on your new Karoq !

Originally Posted by hydraulicsteer

No doubt, Karoq looks smashing inside out. Only fly is the price.Paying a 3 million bucks for this, you might start feeling short changed too soon once the initial euphoria of owning a premium looking vehicle settles in. For a perspective, we get a 4x2 Isuzu MU-X Auto at the same price here in Delhi. But then to each his own. Cheers.

Hi Hydraulicsteer. Both Karoq and the MU-X are 2 different segments. In 2018 I bought a Ford Endeavour 2.2. It looked like a good value for money car for me. My primary use was daily driving to office and occasional weekend outings with my family. The Endeavour was a great car, but I had a very tough time parking the car at work, also taking the behemoth on small by lanes was another difficult task. Before buying I thought I would take the car off roading , but I never got the opportunity to take the car on any serious off roading. For all these reasons I sold off the Endeavour after one year of use. Not that it is a bad car, but it was not the car for my use. But on the other hand, I am super convinced with the Karoq. The perfect car for my use. We currently have a wide range of cars to choose from, there is a car for everybody's specific need !

Originally Posted by Iyencar

Do people percieve the Karoq’s interiors to be more luxurious than it is only because they have just seen the T-Roc and mentally it becomes a comparison between two CBUs? Or is it truly luxurious even if the T-Roc was nowhere in the picture? I find the Octavia very luxurious even without having experienced the Altis or Elantra just before sitting in it, whereas the Rapid to me is similar to the competition. In this segment, Seltos is no laggard when it comes to the wow factor in the cabin IMO, but all interior comparisons are to the almost similarly priced T-Roc.

I must say the interiors of the Karoq feels as good as the other luxury compact SUVs available around the 40 lakhs price range. Like I said before a friend of mine who owns a Q3 says the Karoq is leaps ahead when it comes to interior quality and feeling of luxury.

Originally Posted by cpabhijit

Test drove the Karoq today. The car looks quite good on the outside but the deciding factor is inside. The interiors are very well made and look and feel premium. Like someone said in an earlier post, the wow factor maybe because we compare it with the T-Roc which is such a let down. Nonetheless, it has everything that I would expect and some more.

The car was very quiet. I felt that it doesn't like to be pushed. It didn't seem eager like my GT does. And sitting in this car, I wasn't eager either. Mr Perera's take that it is a very relaxed engine for a relaxed drive is bang on. So is his point about some hesitation in the gearbox shifting. In my GT, over the last 7 years, I've never felt it hesitate. In this car, there was a gap between my expectation and what it wanted to do, a couple of times. Maybe I should adjust my expectations and everything will be fine.

The lane assist/driver assist features of the T-Roc are not available here. Unsure about how useful those would be in India.

Will be checking out the Blue color this evening and mostly will go ahead with this purchase.

You have made a great decision ! And I have a sweet surprise for you The initial lag or delay which I felt in the gearbox has reduced drastically ! After around 600 kms in the ODO i started feeling a noticeable change in the engine response. The car doesn't feel restricted like before. I am guessing the TCU took its sweet time to learn and adapt to the driving style. Its not just me, but a friend of mine who had driven my car few weeks back mentioned the gearbox to be bit slow, but after he took the car for a spin yesterday he too came and told me the car feels much livelier now. I am hoping the technical experts could comment more on this, but there is a noticeable change, now the gear shifts are as good as on my vRS !

Originally Posted by self_driven

Damn! That Rally Green Octavia on display just doesn't let me focus on the Karoq

Originally Posted by Timothy

Way to go !! Straight from the Heart !!

have never seen anything so flashy on the road like that green vRS! Such a wonderful shade without doubt !

[ashvek3141]

Originally Posted by self_driven

Damn! That Rally Green Octavia on display just doesn't let me focus on the Karoq

Well you definitely need to see one in a flesh on road!! Trust me, there’s nothing like this one! Pure Demon.