[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Skoda Slavia rendered by SRK -

Looks spot-on IMHO, and this should be exactly what to expect, except that there will be a clear signature chrome window line as in the Kushaq.



Source

[ron178]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Looks spot-on IMHO, and this should be exactly what to expect, except that there will be a clear signature chrome window line as in the Kushaq.

Interesting, though that seems like a Latin American-market Volkswagen Virtus with the front end of the camouflaged Slavia. One thing I'm not very clear about is whether the quarter panel near the C-pillar area will indeed be a quarter panel or whether it will be a quarter glass like the VW Virtus. They seem to have used that to differentiate the Chinese market SAIC-Volkswagen T-Cross and the Indian Taigun, and I thought there was a chance they would use something similar to distinguish the Slavia from the (existing) VW Virtus. The official sketches of the Slavia don't make it very clear.

I think the existing Virtus looks great but I would appreciate it if they used a slightly different design for the Indian-market products.

[nitkel]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Skoda Slavia rendered by SRK -
Looks spot-on IMHO, and this should be exactly what to expect, except that there will be a clear signature chrome window line as in the Kushaq.
[/ATTACH]

The render looks really good and I hope Skoda doesn't go overboard with chrome on this car! If the interiors are better than the Kushaq (still, I expect quite a few shared bits to save on costs), then this car will definitely sell even at a small premium (+1-1.5 lakhs) over the City.

[McLaren Rulez]

Originally Posted by Aditya

The cars we drove did not have their final suspension settings dialled in

It looks like you drove on some rough roads. What did the ground clearance feel like? Is it better than the current Rapid?

[hiren.sharma]

Originally Posted by K.grg

IMHO it's a bold and welcome move by Skoda to still bet on sedans. If there is a car manufacturer, who can revive sedans, it has to be Skoda in current times. Though SUVs give a different benefit of driving, when it comes to spirited driving, sedans always give a high IMHO.

I couldn't agree more. I somehow find Skoda cars sexier than their siblings and rival brands. Even their earlier SUV (Yeti) handled like a sedan.

The price will definitely be above Kushaq. But I just hope, Skoda doesn't play cheap like it did with Kushaq (bad plastic quality interiors) but rather keep it true to its DNA.

[ashish2nd]

Hello everyone,

Season's greetings. Yesterday (6th November), I was driving back to Pune at around 8 PM IST. Nearby to Khed shivapur toll plaza on Pune - Bangalore highway (towards Pune), we spotted a left hand drive sedan being tested. It was heavily camouflaged, as usual.
I suspect it was Skoda Slavia, left hand drive. I tried to drive closure to it but couldn't figure out the manufacturer. Any leads ?

Sorry for the bad image quality. Most of the pics are clicked by my 9 year old daughter (she is also a car enthusiast) at a driving speed of almost 80 KMPH.

Thanks and regards
ashish2nd

[ron178]

Here's my rather juvenile render of the Slavia's side profile. This was just something to while away time, I didn't intend to post it when I started (which explains the immature outlines on the door handles and the shark-fin antenna), but my 'render' based on a camouflaged version has begun to look somewhat believable, in my opinion. This is assuming the C-pillar houses a plastic quarter panel and not a quarter glass, so it might really look very different.

Credit for original picture: PowerDrift's review

On an unrelated note, I have a request to the Team-BHP representative who reviews the 'Series 0' Slavia on the 18th of this month - could you please get a close-up shot of the ISOFIX anchorages?

I couldn't help but notice that the ISOFIX anchorages on the 'Series 0' Kushaq reviewed on 18 March were different from the final production version. Considering that the Slavia has been tested by Global NCAP, I can only hope that series production has started and that version has been tested by Global NCAP, because evaluation of the labelling of ISOFIX anchorages does play a role in the Child Occupant Protection score.

For reference, here are the anchorages in the two versions of the Kushaq:

The 'Series 0' version seems to have the type of anchorages where the child seat mounts must be pushed into a gap in the seat fabric. The ISOFIX labels seem to have been affixed to tags on the seat seams, and there is no i-Size logo.


The Kushaq from series production has prominent contrasting ISOFIX anchorages, labelled in a contrasting font and clearly displaying the i-Size logo indicating that the car has now been approved to fit all i-Size(UNECE R129)-approved child seats without having to check fitment (these child seats are also apparently tested to better standards than R44-approved seats, including side impact protection). Very few mass-market cars have i-Size approved anchorages, and I believe only some Suzukis, Toyotas and Volkswagen Group's entire range (if the PQ25 products have really been discontinued) have them.


I don't know whether this approval of the anchorages was done between 18 March and the start of Kushaq production, but I am not sure of the reason for the difference and I hope the version of the Slavia selected by Global NCAP is representative of series production. It seems like a small difference but the static vehicle-based evaluation should be fair which is why it is important that either Global NCAP gets a production car (something they claim to ensure during voluntary testing), or the 'Series 0' car is identical to the production car.

On another unrelated note, I hope Škoda aggressively markets safety for the Slavia. With the Kushaq there were quite a few misses in this area, like the initially missing safety equipment on the automatic-gearbox trims, and not capitalising on certain segment firsts like multi-collision brakes, i-Size anchorages (though the S-Cross has those too) and rear seatbelt pretensioners, if the updated brochure is to be trusted (consumers weren't even sure whether it had front seatbelt pretensioners). Manufacturers have recently proven that contrary to popular opinion, safety does sell. The Slavia could be the first C-segment sedan in India to be crash-tested.

[ron178]

Originally Posted by ashish2nd

I suspect it was Skoda Slavia, left hand drive. I tried to drive closure to it but couldn't figure out the manufacturer. Any leads?

Interesting. I think it could be a left-hand drive Volkswagen Virtus (most likely the upcoming one and not the existing one) which, I believe, might also replace the existing Virtus in left hand-drive markets like Latin America (because Volkswagen keeps claiming the new MQB A0-IN products will be exported to other developing markets including Latin America).

There have been spy shots of left hand-drive VW Taiguns with T-Cross badging and I expect something similar for the sedan, except that the names are rumoured to be common in this case. I think these products might not make it to Russia because both VW and Škoda have developed separate sedans for their market, though there is a possibility these will be positioned above/below those.

I'm waiting to see if these export cars get the driver assistance systems required for a good score in Latin NCAP's new Safety Assist box. Unless Škoda tries to mitigate pressure from similarly priced SUVs, or to have a differentiator for the Slavia from the Kushaq, I don't expect to see these on the Indian car despite Škoda claiming that the Slavia will get a 'host of driver assistance systems' (which I think will be limited only to ABS, seatbelt reminders, ESC and multi-collision brakes for india). Just as well, because many of the other systems have to be tuned very differently for India. The official preview images of the Taigun indicated the presence of ADAS which means that the export-spec car might get it, and since the sedans are (I assume) designed based on the Mk6 VW Polo, I think there is a very real possibility of the export cars getting ADAS.

[Venkatesh]

New Slavia will be bigger than first generation Octavia.

[volkman10]

ACI renders the Slavia:

[Lalitha Venkat]

Originally Posted by TheWanderer

Not sure why a lot of members here consider generating high volume as the primary aim of any car manufacturer gly.

VW/Skoda is not and was never a luxury brand. The investment that they have made in India for their 2.0 vision is around 8k crores. All the talk of localization is mainly to drive volumes. VW's strategy is not use the CBU route for the Indian market like the luxury brands. The historical sales numbers would have given an optical illusion of luxury. They make cars with good driving dynamics and give the user a reasonable feel of European cars albeit at more affordable prices. Not sure for other brands, VW has spelt out its strategy to capture 5% of market share with in 2025 as its vision. So volumes are what they will need for that

[tsi_niks1989]

Zac Hollis just shared the interior sketches of the Slavia, it looks premium compared to Kushaq. Digital cockpit looks like the one in Karoq and above cars and not like Taigun which also is a plus.

[volkman10]

From the Press release:

Interieur sketches provide glimpses of the ŠKODA SLAVIA A distinctive element are the embossed ŠKODA wordmarks on the sides of the cockpit binnacle. The digital instrument cluster’s display can be seen behind the two-spoke multifunction steering wheel.

Underneath this touchscreen display measuring up to 10 inches on the diagonal is a character line referencing the silhouette of the ŠKODA grille. It also serves as a hand rest when operating the display.

free-standing infotainment display that will also be the main eye-catcher in the cabin of the new ŠKODA SLAVIA

[CEF_Beasts]

The interior is very similar to the Octavia! Octavia was already facing cannibalisation from its own sibling Superb and the discounted A4, the Slavia will just add to that list.

Originally Posted by abhi9044

Skoda Slavia Spotted at a dealer yard in Aurangabad. The rear profile looks so good. I think the B pillars should have been blackened out.

https://www.Youtube.com/watch?v=Qli3...nel=AaplaAryan

This is the Superb, not Slavia!

[roadlover1705]

I had booked the Kushaq 1.5 MT Style after TDing all cars in the segment and almost all were disappointing - I’ll write a detailed post on these experiences soon. Looking at the Slavia and considering it looks better packed offering than Kushaq I’m in two minds about cancelling the booking until I get a better look at the Slavia.

Request your valuable guidance. The Kushaq is ready in the stockyard but I’ve not given a go ahead to the bank yet. Help me!