[Aditya]

Mod Note: Our Skoda Slavia Review has been taken live at this link. Please continue the discussion over on the new thread. Thanks!

Skoda Slavia Preview

Introduction

Most of the segments in the Indian car market are now dominated by crossovers & SUVs, while sedans have been forced to play second fiddle. The Skoda-VW group is enhancing its presence in that body style with the Kushaq, Taigun, Tiguan, Kodiaq (2.0 TSI petrol expected soon) & more. But the group does remain a believer of sedans, with the Octavia & Superb both being continuously updated in segments where other brands have given up. Skoda believes the mid-size premium sedan market will grow by 138% from 2021-31. That's why the company has unveiled an all-new sedan, which will go on sale in 2022. Called the Slavia, this car is the company's second offering under its 'India 2.0' project. Interestingly, the name Slavia has been taken from the bicycle brand that Laurin and Klement introduced in 1896, just a year after the 'Laurin & Klement' company was founded.

Skoda's sales in India have been very poor, despite the brand being present here for 2 decades! With the India 2.0 project, the Skoda-VW group is hoping to increase its market share in the country to 5% by 2025. The Kushaq - its first product under this program, has already gone on to become Skoda's best-selling model and has helped the company post a triple-digit growth. With the Slavia, Skoda hopes to keep up the momentum.

When the Slavia goes on sale in the first quarter of 2022. Just like the Kushaq, it will be available in 3 trim levels - Active, Ambition and Style, with 2 turbo-petrol engine options - a 1.0 TSI with 6-speed MT and AT transmissions and a 1.5 TSI with a 6-speed MT and 7-speed DSG. Not offering a diesel will be a major handicap as the two best-selling sedans in the C2 segment (Honda City and Hyundai Verna) are available with diesel options.

Skoda Slavia Price & Brochure

The Slavia has been developed in India will be built in India with 95 per cent localisation, which (we hope) should allow Skoda to price it competitively.

The Slavia's official brochure can be downloaded here.

Exterior

Design & Styling

The Slavia's styling is unmistakably Skoda. It sports the familiar Skoda family face and the rear too has some resemblance to the 4th-gen Octavia, which was launched earlier this year. When it comes to size, it's larger than the 1st-gen Octavia and has similar dimensions to the Honda City. The Slavia gets coupe-like styling, LED daytime running lights, hexagonal LED headlamps, LED tail-lights and 16-inch alloy wheels. The vehicle will be available in 5 single-tone body colours.

Build Quality, Fit & Finish

The Slavia has a monocoque construction and is built on the MQB-A0-IN platform, which is a variant of the modular MQB platform adapted for the Indian market. The doors, bonnet & tail-gate don't feel as heavy as you'd expect in a European car. The doors make a bit of a clunky sound rather than a satisfying 'thud' on shutting. That said, they don't feel flimsy. There’s not much flex in the body panels and the car feels fairly well built. Overall fit & finish are just as you'd expect from a European car.

Wheels & Tyres

The Style variant gets funky 16" two-tone alloy wheels with 205/55 section tyres, which look proportionate to the metal on top. They fill up the wheel arches well. The Active variant gets 15" steel wheels with hubcaps, while the Ambition variant comes with 16" silver alloy wheels.

Ground Clearance

On paper, the Slavia has a ground clearance rating of 179 mm, which is healthy.

Safety

The Slavia is loaded with safety features such as 3-point seatbelts for all five occupants, 6 airbags, ESC, ABS, multi-collision brake, hill-hold, TPMS, ISOFIX child seat mounts, rear parking sensors, reversing camera, auto headlamps and auto wipers. The car is also equipped with XDS and XDS+, which is a part of the Electronic Differential System and improves the front wheel traction. It reacts when the load on the inner wheels is reduced while cornering and slows down the wheels under reduced load, preventing them from spinning.

Skoda claims that the car's safety systems have not only been tested for generic crash tests like homologation and the GNCAP @ 64 km/h front deformable barrier but are also designed and tested to work in crash scenarios based on internal VW standards. The side and curtain airbags have been designed to meet a crash scenario of side pole crash, which is higher than GNCAP standards. The curtain airbags offer head protection to the front as well as rear passengers. The Slavia has been designed to meet European pedestrian safety norms. Currently, the Indian regulatory requirements only mandate protection for lower leg & head impact; the Slavia will reduce upper leg injuries too.

Skoda Slavia Exterior Images

Front is unmistakably Skoda and bears resemblance to the Octavia:


The rear has clean-cut edges and loud "S K O D A" lettering. A smaller "Slavia" badge sits on the left:


Subtle cuts & creases run along the sides. This is a good-looking car:


Slavia measures 4,541 mm, 1,752 mm and 1,487 mm in L x W x H respectively, with a wheelbase of 2,651 mm. This makes it the widest car in the segment with the longest wheelbase. In fact, the length of the wheelbase is identical to the Kushaq, with which it shares the MQB-A0-IN platform:


Headlamp clusters consist of L-shaped LED daytime running lights, hexagonal LED modules for the low beam and main beam. They have many crystalline touches. Halogen fog lamps sit on the bumper just below the headlights and have black housings with honeycomb mesh detailing and glossy black borders:


L-shaped LED daytime running lights in action:


Signature butterfly front grille gets chrome lining all around and vertical slats with piano black inserts:


Front bumper features a wide air dam with a black honeycomb mesh grille. Front parking sensors are not available even on the higher variants:


The bonnet has a prominent crease line with a hump in the middle and raised sides:


Plastic underbody protection at the front does not stretch back a long way. However, the Slavia's ground clearance of 179 mm is more than its direct rivals:


Small aero flaps just ahead of the front wheels:


Front fenders house unique piano black inserts with chrome "SKODA" lettering:


ORVMs with integrated turn-indicators:


Chrome inserts have been provided on all door handles, with request sensors on both front doors:


Smart looking 16" dual-tone rims shod with 205/55 section rubber fill up the wheel wells. Lower variants get 15" rims:


Even the top-end Style variant does not get rear disc brakes:


Front & rear wheel wells get full plastic cladding:


A coupe-like design means that the roof design is round. The window line rises towards the rear and the roofline tapers, limiting the glass area. B-pillars are blacked out:


Just like the other cars in the segment, the Slavia does not get a panoramic sunroof. Instead, you get a regular unit, which is adequately sized:


Contrast black sharkfin antenna sits at the end of the roof section:


Split tail-lamp clusters feature crystalline details, C-shaped LED pilot and brake lamps, with halogen units for the turn-indicators and reversing lights:


Funky detailing on the side of the tail-lamp cluster:


Boot lid gets a prominent lip at the top:


Reversing camera is placed next to the electromagnetic boot release. Rear bumper has a slim chrome strip and a black insert with honeycomb mesh detailing and a slim reflector on either side. 3 parking sensors have been provided:


Twin exhaust pipes on the left:


Apart from the Tornado Red colour of the car pictured above, the Slavia is available in four other shades - Candy White, Brilliant Silver, Carbon Steel and Crystal Blue Here it is in the Crystal Blue shade, which along with the Tornado Red is exclusively offered in the Indian market:

[Aditya]

Interior

Cabin Design & Quality

The dual-tone black and beige dashboard is stylish & looks upmarket with liberal use of piano black at various places. A contrasting golden brown strip runs across, connecting the circular side a/c vents. There are no soft-touch plastics anywhere, yet the interiors feel well put together without any poorly finished areas easily visible. However, just like the Kushaq, you will find that the feel of some plastics in the cabin isn't as nice as what we've experienced in other Skoda cars.

While the driver’s seat doesn't get lumbar adjustment, it seems supportive enough. It can slide back far enough even for tall drivers to feel comfortable. The leather upholstery is of acceptable quality. The center console has a wide leather-wrapped armrest which can be slid forward for those needing the adjustment. It is placed at a comfortable height. The door pads too host leather-wrapped armrests which are useable.

On first impression, the ergonomics seem spot on with everything exactly where you would expect it to be, and within easy reach of the driver.

Cabin Storage

The cabin has a medium-sized glovebox, a storage compartment in the right of the steering wheel and a storage bin under the front armrest. Door pads get accommodating bottle holders and room for other items. Cupholders and cubby holes have been provided in the center console as well. Additionally, there is a spot on top of the dashboard to place a deity. The front seatbacks have deep pockets as well as smartphone holders for rear passengers to use. There is a ticket holder on the front windshield, while the Ambition variant gets a storage spot for sunglasses.

Air-Conditioning

The Ambition and Style variants get a "Climatronic" climate control unit with a touch control panel. Air vents have been provided at the rear as well. The Active variant gets a standard HVAC unit.

Features

Unique & Noteworthy Features

The Slavia comes with most of the necessary features (including a sunroof and touchscreen head-unit with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay). It also gets an 8" digital instrument cluster with a colour display, paddle shifters, ambient lighting, connected car technology, wireless phone charging, ventilated seats and a subwoofer for added bass.

Audio System & Sound Quality

The Active variant comes with a 7" touchscreen head-unit, while the Ambition and Style variants get a 10" touchscreen HU. The higher variants get Wireless SmartLink, which allows for smartphone mirroring. There is a "MySkoda Connect" smartphone app available as well through which navigation can be accessed. The coordinates are provided by a GPS tuner that has been pre-installed in the car. Downloads from the online app store (ICE gets some local apps as well). The system also features a dual tuner and Wi-Fi hotspot. In addition to MP3 and WMA, this system can play AAC and FLAC media files.

Sound is delivered through 8 speakers, an amplifier and a subwoofer. With more speakers than the Kushaq, we expect the audio quality of the system in the Slavia to be even better.

Rear Passengers

Rear Seat Comfort & Space

Ingress & egress are easy. However, the rear bench is placed rather low, which means you sit down in it. While the bench can accommodate three adults, like most cars today, it's more suitable for two adults and a child. A center armrest with two cupholders has been provided.

The cushioning and padding of the rear seats seems fine, but since the seat is placed on the lower side, taller occupants will find the under-thigh support inadequate. The backrest angle is comfortable and all 3 seats get adjustable headrests and 3-point seatbelts. The legroom is good. With the front seat set for my 5'10" driving position, I could sit behind with space to spare. However, the sloping roofline restricts headroom. Occupants over 6' in height might find it tight. Rear occupants get a/c vents and a couple of USB-C ports for charging their smartphones.

Boot Space

At 521-litres, luggage space is huge. In fact, the Slavia has the largest boot in its segment. The rear seat is split in a 60:40 ratio. Folding the backrests down gives the car a luggage capacity of 1,050 liters.

Skoda Slavia Interior Images

There are no soft-touch plastics used anywhere in the cabin, but it feels well built and nicely finished:


Golden brown strip stretches across the dashboard. It adds a bit of drama to the design, but it doesn't feel solid and sturdy:


High-quality two-spoke steering wheel with piano black and chrome inserts is identical to the Kushaq's. Ambition and Style variants get leather-wrapped steering. Both ATs have paddle shifters:


Sturdy lever for adjusting the steering wheel. It has both tilt and reach adjustment to help the driver find his / her perfect driving position:


Plastic paddle shifters feel sturdy:


Just like all other Skoda cars, the engine start/stop button is placed on the right side of the steering column:


Slavia comes with a digital cockpit. The instrument cluster gets digital temperature and fuel gauges. It also shows the time, outside temperature and distance-to-empty:


Driver can choose the information that is displayed by the instrument cluster:


Engine oil temperature can also be displayed:


"Skoda" lettering has been embossed on both sides of the instrument cluster:


Left light / indicator stalk also houses the cruise control options. Very busy! On the right is the wiper stalk. The Slavia is equipped with auto wipers:


Round a/c vents with a chrome border and silver inserts. Notice how the golden brown strip extends into the a/c vent:


Typical European headlamp and foglamp controls. The Slavia gets automatic headlamps. The all-black knob here looks too rudimentary & boring. It could have done with a silver metal highlight:


Useful storage compartment to the right of the steering. It comes with a cardholder:


Door pads are mostly black with a small beige portion, and piano black inserts around the chrome door handle:


Chrome door handle with a piano black insert around it:


Armrest is wrapped in leather:


Wide door pockets can hold a lot more than a 1-litre bottle:


A string has been provided to keep standing items in place:


Door sill is not wide. No scuff plates provided:


Leather upholstered seats with soft headrests are wide and supportive. Center armrest is useful:


Even the top variant does not get electrical adjustment. Lumbar adjustment is not provided either:


A close look at the perforated leather seat upholstery. Perforated material is mandatory for the seat's cooling function. The quality of materials used is good:


Center armrest has a soft leather cladding with white stitching. It is adjustable and placed at a comfortable height:


Seatbelts aren't adjustable for height:


The pedal area with a useable dead pedal:


IRVM gets a slim frame and the auto-dimming function:


Center fascia hosts a 10” floating touchscreen at the top. Piano black has been applied liberally:


A closer look at the ICE:


Driving statistics and vehicle status are displayed on this screen. Resolution is sharp:


The system supports some apps:


A/c vents get silver inserts on their flow direction controllers. Ambition and Style variants get a Climatronic climate control system with a touch control panel:


At the base of the center fascia is a storage compartment with a wireless smartphone charging pad:


Gear shifter looks upmarket with leather, chrome and shiny black inserts. The leather boot adds to that. Buttons for the idling start / stop system, central locking and ventilated seats are placed around the gear shifter:


Non-slip base for the cupholder in the center console. The driver can open a bottle placed here with one hand. 12V power socket in the small rectangular storage bin is located just ahead:


Center armrest has a storage compartment underneath:


Glovebox is medium-sized. :


It has a cardholder and cooling vent, but no illumination:


Sunvisors are economy-grade in design, yet they don’t feel flimsy. Driver-side unit merely gets a flap to hold tickets (no mirror or illumination), while passenger-side sun-visor gets a vanity mirror, but there's no cover or light provided:


Nifty ticket holder has been provided on the windshield:


Roof bezel holds two individual map lights, the sunroof controls and the Bluetooth mic:


Market-specific recessed area on top of the dashboard - could place a small idol of a deity here:


While dual front airbags are standard, the Slavia can be fitted with optional front side airbags and curtain airbags, taking the total number to 6:


Like other cars in the segment, the Slavia gets a regular sunroof. While the sunroof is operated electrically, the cover needs to be opened and closed manually:


Rear door pads have an identical theme to the front units. Two speakers are housed in each rear door pad:


Wide door pockets can hold a 1-litre bottle and other knick-knacks with ease:


Door sills are not wide making ingress & egress easier:


Rear seat is placed on the lower side. It has contours for support, while three 3-point seatbelts and 3 adjustable headrests and ISOFIX child seat mounting points have been provided. The seat is better for 2 adults and a kid (rather than 3 healthy adults). The middle area of the backrest protrudes (due to the armrest) and the seat base is elevated in the center as well:


Legroom is healthy and two 5'10" adults can sit one behind the other in comfort:


Top tether for the child seat (there are two of them):


The center armrest is positioned at a comfortable height. It is wide & soft, and comes with two cupholders:


Rear a/c vents with a pair of Type-C USB charging ports below:


Both front seats have deep seatback pockets and smartphone pockets for rear passengers to use. Very nifty!


Floor hump is wide and prominent. This coupled with the rear air-con means the middle passenger will prefer to put his feet on either side of the hump:


Rear cabin lamp is located right above the rear seats. It has two individual LED lights:


521L boot space is more than on rivals such as Honda City, Maruti Ciaz and Hyundai Verna. The loading lip is low and the mouth is wide. Boot lamp has been provided:


Huge boot can easily hold your vacation luggage:


Rear seats are split in a 60:40 ratio:


Folding the rear seat down gives you 1,050-litres of cargo capacity:


Spare is a 16" rim with a 205/55 section Ceat tyre. The subwoofer is located inside the spare wheel. Tools are housed in a Styrofoam casing inside the spare wheel well:


Boot lid gets partial cladding on the inside:

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line.

[nitkel]

No doubt that this car has potential, if priced well! But somehow can't shake off the feeling that the car already looks dated/old in those night shots! They could have knocked it out of the park with a hybrid version, as the rising fuel prices will surely play a part in our car buying decisions.

[speedfreak77]

A baby Skoda Octavia with a sunroof! I am not a fan of the sunroof but this will appeal to many young buyers. Especially the DSG will be choice of gearbox. Skoda have outdone themselves again and made an amazing car. Kudos to them!

Desperately waiting to TD the car, When I test drove the Kushaq 1.5L, I always thought that the same engine should have been in the Rapid and now we’re getting it in a better package. The new Skoda design language is appealing and if it goes like this, there will be a time where I just end up with all Skoda cars in my garage.

[__.gxr.__]

This is one gorgeous looking car. I love the fact that Skoda has given ample ground clearance for the Slavia. Yes, it does dampen the side-profile looks but in a country like ours where humps and potholes are all over the place, this factor is really important. Let's hope the Slavia will be able to revive the sedan segment.

[Shreyans_Jain]

Initial impressions are definitely positive. This car looks to match the City for space, while absolutely annihilate it in build quality, drivetrain and ride and handling. The key factor will be price. The key variant will be 1.0 automatic Ambition (mid variant). If it is as well equipped as on Kushaq and priced similarly, Škoda will have a winner at it hands. Hope they have learnt from the Octavia’s pricing debacle and come to the fight all guns blazing. City is running on past glories and is ripe for the taking. If Škoda can price Slavia about par with Kushaq, variant to variant, they can see consistent 4 digit monthly volumes.

[Smart_Fellaz]

Thanks for the detailed Preview!!
A typical Skoda in all aspects, though there are few apparent cost cuttings. Hopefully they price it competitively.

[Rajeevraj]

I liked the way it looks and seems well loaded with features and of course has a good engine+gearbox combination. The added ground clearance and a very large boot are significant advantages and can help bring sedans back in favor for those in 2 minds with respect to ground clearance.

Having said that, reading the review and looking at the internal pictures, seems to me that it would work best as a Rapid replacement and not a Rapid++ that can sit between where the Rapid was positioned and the Octavia. The interior color combination is not to my liking. would have been better to leave it all beige.

Definitely a great package, but personally just a little disappointed that it may not be a significant upgrade for an existing C Segment owner.

[M.Dua]

Absolutely smashing design, it speaks elegance, the cabin looks so fresh and clean, my sister drives the Skoda Rapid 1.6 petrol auto and i love the drive, i kept contemplating to pick one and replace the Glanza, having said the dated design and poor mileage on Rapid 1.6 held me back, though this car is a lot bigger in size but now i am in a position where i can replace Glanza with this one(of course it has to be priced right) and later in a couple of years replace my S60(10 year diesel rule in Delhi and no other reason whatsoever) with a SUV so i have the ideal Sedan and SUV combo.

[Sunderdeep]

Crisp Review as always!

Skoda Slavia is a class-looking car & perhaps the best looking in the segment. Sadly, it has the same set of quality issues as Kushaq including flimsy plastics, an exposed mechanism for the sunroof, no hood insulation, and an average selection of materials for the seats. This has taken USP away from Skoda already.

However, if Skoda will price it something near to the Honda City ensuring 1.5 TSI + DSG doesn't break the 18.50 lacs (ex-showroom) barrier, it will definitely do good numbers and may revoke this dead mid-size sedan segment.

Side Note - VW Virtus & Skoda Slavia can conquer this segment if priced well and have ATs in their base (Comfortline & Active) variants too.

[Reinhard]

Thanks for the quick review guys! looking forward to the full detailed drive report in future.

As for the car - well, this is the compact sedan (yes I still prefer the global segment nomenclature ) that I have liked after a long long time. I have not liked any sedan below the Octavia since decades now. They were all kind of "neither here nor there" and simply laid down the red carpet for compact SUVs. Vento TDI DSG perhaps was a small exception, but it had its own little shortcomings here and there.

But there is something about the Slavia. I am still not sure what it is. But I am just loving this car a lot. Hopefully will understand what it is, soon. If I were to buy a sedan right now below the Octavia - this would be it. Even if it means quite a big premium over the Verna-Ciaz-City trio, no problem. I never like petrol cars. I'm a diesel-head to the core. Yet - a 1.5 TSI MT would be something that I'd like to own. I surprised myself .

[Venkatesh]

Skoda Slavia 1.5-litre TSI Manual in Carbon Steel colour























Source : DDS Ravi

[prasanna.vps]

The car is definitely interesting, however certain features will stop it from being considered as a premium (Manual sunroof cover, no cover for vanity mirrors, no proper 12 V socket for rear).

Pricing will be key given the engine and transmission package is a good one, hope they do not price it above kushaq, in which case it might become a DOA. Fingers crossed!

[sunikkat]

Such an elegant car. With a budget of ~ 25 lakhs and petrol, I would have closed my eyes and gone for 1.5 MT / DSG. But would have also upsized to 17 inch wheels.
I am very confident this will drive well and will be a benchmark in ride and handling.
Though I liked the interiors I am sucker for soft touch plastics, and it’s a disappointment that all plastics are hard. But then cost cutting are required somewhere or other and as long as core characteristics are not compromised it would be a good buy.
Also what I did not like is the usage of chrome. Damn even the door handles are chrome, never remember seeing any ŠKODA with chrome door handles in the past. Guess it’s what market wants and spoils the otherwise classy looks