[StarrySky]

Our Skoda Karoq 1.6TDI Style DSG was delivered on 25th July 2018. The car is on a 3-year, 30000-km lease.



The Background
I was driving a Skoda Octavia from March 2015 onwards on a 3-year lease plan. So my lease was set to end in March 2018. The options at the end of the lease period were to extend the lease, order a new car, buy the car from the leasing company or give up car use altogether. The last two options were never considered. My company triggered the process to order a new car well in advance by early November 2017. I then asked for a quote for extending the lease by 6 months. As I was certain to cross the 30000-km limit within the original 3-year lease period itself, the only option was to go to the next higher mileage limit available - 45000km. So, the leasing rent turned out to be higher than I was already paying. It didn't make sense to me to continue driving a 3-year old car paying a higher lease rate. I was open to a higher (lease) budget for a car, but then it had to be a new car. Thus, it was decided to go for a new car.

Requirements:
1. Enough space for a nuclear family. Kids had plenty of room in the backseat of the Octavia. Something close to it was OK. The Octavia had loads of space in the boot. But, since our son no longer uses a stroller, reduced boot space was acceptable in the new car. In short, a car with as much room as the Octavia or even a bit less than the Octavia would be a good replacement. More space than Octavia was not really needed.

2. It had to be an automatic. Manual variants and cars lacking an AT option were not considered at all.

3. It had to have adaptive cruise control, either as standard or as an option. I used it extensively in the Octavia. Auto + Adaptive cruise was a convenience that I was in no mood to to give up.

4. The winters here made me consider the following features as essential:
(a) Heated rear seats - to keep the kids comfortable. I had added it to the Octavia as an option. Front seat heating was standard.
(b) Heated windscreen - I had it in the Octavia. Effort needed to clear the windscreen on winter mornings was just about a minute or two, that too sat comfortably inside the car.
(c) Heated steering wheel - this is a feature that was missing in Octavia and I absolutely wanted in the new car.

5. Blind Spot Detection - In winters, it would be dark when I am driving to and from work. Add a bit of snowfall to the mix and it is easy to miss cars in the adjacent lanes. Also, during the start and end of winter, the sun shines from a low angle, sometimes directly hitting the ORVM, making it difficult to spot cars in adjacent lanes. I have a habit of turning my head to check for cars before making any lane changes. I would continue to do the same, but the blind spot detection would be added insurance. However, this was a feature I was ready to compromise on, if it made a car I liked too expensive to lease.

While these were the main aspects I looked for, some aspects/features from the Octavia were implicitly expected, for eg:
- competent ride and handling
- engine-gearbox combo with acceptable performance
- front and rear parking sensors
- electrically adjustable/foldable ORVMs
- auto-dimming RVMs

You could say, I was spoilt by the creature comforts offered by the Octavia. However, I could also live without certain features which were available in Octavia, for eg:
- keyless entry/go (no big deal for me)
- dual-zone climate control (we never set different temperatures for the two zones in Octavia, so we would not miss this feature at all)
- adaptive headlights (good to have, not essential as my car use is mainly within the city)

All the cars in my budget range come with 5-star EuroNCAP rating and a minimum of 6 airbags, ABS, EBD and ESC. So I had no worries in the safety aspect.

The Contenders
We have an online tool which allows us to check the list of cars which can be ordered through my company and their leasing costs. I used to keep checking the tool from time to time. This meant that I always had a list of potential replacements in mind, from the"fantasy" stuff to the more practical.

Here are the cars that I seriously considered:

1. Mercedes C class: I had read that the C180d and C200d have Renault-sourced diesel engines. I thought if I wanted a Renault-engined car, then I would get a Renault. So if I were to get the C class, it had to be atleast the C220d. The other option was the hybrid version, but at the cost of boot space. The interior of the base version available here is quite drab, so it would have to be spruced up. In terms of my requirements, the Mercedes C220d surely ticked requirements #1 and #2. Requirements #3-#5 were available as options. But ticking the options list also meant driving up the cost.

2. Audi A4: Only the 2.0TDI was in consideration. Interior in the base version was much better-looking than in the C-class. The car in base trim was also cheaper to lease. Exactly like the C220d, the A4 ticked requirements #1 and #2, while #3-#5 were available as options. But Audi's packaging of options meant that the A4 configured to my specifications would cost nearly as much as the C220d to lease.

I checked out both the above cars at the showroom. Although both cars in base trim were within budget, the options to be added pushed them to the very limit of what was an acceptable budget. I was ready to compromise on requirement #5 to keep the costs within budget, but not the others. That plus the need to add more basic features like auto-dimming RVMs, electrically foldable ORVMs, front parking sensors etc also as options meant that the two cars went out of the list. I did not test drive either car.

3. Skoda Kodiaq: My wife has a preference for SUVs/compact SUVs. None were in budget the last time we were looking for a car. This time, the Kodiaq gave us hope. Being Skoda, I expected it to be reasonably priced and feature-loaded. It did not disappoint on either front. However, I couldn't find the Kodiaq in the list of cars that could be ordered. I then found that the CO2 emissions on all variants of Kodiaq go above the limit set by my company and hence the Kodiaq could not be ordered at all. This was a huge disappointment.

All of this happened in August-September 2017. By November, when it was time to order the car, the list contained only those that fell in budget:

4. Peugeot 3008: This is one compact SUV that was getting good reviews. Although I'm not a fan of the front, I have to admit that it has presence. I checked out the car in the showroom and was disappointed for two reasons. One, all reviews were going ga-ga over the dashboard design. I found the design to be good, but the quality of materials felt a step down from the Octavia. Two, I wasn't sure if heated rear seats were available. I confirmed from the salesman that they could not be added even as an option. With requirement #4 not satisfied, the car went out of the list.

5. Skoda Octavia: After the facelift, the MY18 cars were even more feature-loaded than mine. It satisfied all requirements. Most features I needed were standard. I was also quite happy with the Octavia I was using. What's more, with continuing popularity of Octavia (the best selling car in Finland), it was even cheaper to lease than in 2015. A brand new Octavia with even more features on a cheaper lease than my old Octavia - what's not to like? Nothing, except as they say "familiarity breeds contempt". The interior still looked almost the same as mine (except a bigger screen for the ICE), and this was a big turn-off. Not that I didn't like the interior, but I would've liked a bit more change in the interiors - just to give me the feeling that I am driving a new car. So Octavia went to the bottom of the list. If nothing else worked out, I decided I would get the Octavia. For me, it was the cannot-go-wrong option.

6. Opel Grandland X: This is the cousin of the Peugeot 3008 from the Opel stable. I checked out the car in the showroom. Interior quality felt better than in the Peugeot 3008, although nowhere near as stylish. It was quite loaded in terms of features and was cheaper to lease than the Peugeot 3008. It seemed to meet all requirements. However, I then found that both the heated steering and adaptive cruise control are controlled by the same button on the steering wheel, and choosing both features at the same time was not possible. Since the car could not satisfy one of the "mandatory" features (#3 and #4), it went out of the list.

7. VW Passat 1.6TDI: I was interested in the Passat even in 2014 when I chose the Octavia. The Passat was then out of budget. This time, it was within budget. I test drove the car and was very impressed with the ride. The 1.6TDI version has the same engine used in the Octavia (with a higher HP rating) and the same 7-speed DSG. The car felt slightly more eager than the Octavia. In terms of the interior ambiance, quality and the ride, it felt like exactly like a car from a segment above the Octavia. I took it on the same roads as I usually take in the Octavia and the difference in the ride and NVH was quite evident. It had even more space than Octavia and satisfied most of my feature requirements in standard specification. Blind-spot detection was an expensive option, but it was a feature I was ready to compromise on. However, my wife and daughter were not too keen on the Passat. Also, it was always there at the back of my mind that Passat is a larger car than Octavia and we don't need a larger car. Even so, I was very much in favour of getting a Passat.

And then, the Karoq happened.

[StarrySky]

The Skoda Karoq Style 1.6TDI DSG:
The Karoq was shown to the world in May 2017 and I had an eye on it from then. Once I learned that I won't be able to order a Kodiaq, I became even more interested in the Karoq. As I mentioned, my wife prefers SUV(-ish) cars, so she was also interested in the Karoq - the main reason why the Passat did not interest her.

Even though the car was launched in other markets, there was no information about the launch in Finland on the Skoda website. So, in November, I contacted the Skoda salesman whom I had interacted with when I leased the Octavia. He informed me that the price announcement of the Karoq will be on 17th November 2017. For me, the leasing cost was more important than the price itself. So he told me that he could contact the leasing company through his channels and get the approximate leasing cost on the same day itself. When the price was announced, the 1.6TDI Style DSG was priced almost exactly as I had expected (at a premium of about €4K compared to similarly spec-ed Octaiva) and had almost every feature I wanted as standard. However, the salesman could not get the leasing cost estimates. Anyway, the Karoq was not expected in the showrooms till mid-December. I did not want to order the car without even having seen it. So I decided to wait till the Karoq arrived in showrooms. About 10 days after the price announcement, the leasing costs were published in the online tool used by my company. But, even then, only the leasing costs for the 1.0TSI variants were in the tool. Leasing cost of the 1.6TDI variants was still guesswork.

In mid-December, I got information from a Finnish online forum that the Karoq was available in one of the showrooms near my home. I visited the showroom with family to check it out. For me, the impression after the first visit was slightly negative. I thought it looked too small from the outside. When I got inside, the feeling was reinforced. Driving an Octavia Combi, I was used to seeing the rear windshield far away when I looked in the IRVM. Now it seemed too close. I felt almost claustrophobic in the rear. The boot appeared to be too small. Maybe it was the Karoq, or maybe it was the lure of the Passat inside me. Anyway, the family found no deal-breakers with the Karoq and had already forgotten the Passat.

First look at the Karoq at the showroom:


A day later, the Skoda salesman I was in touch with informed me that the Karoq had arrived at the showroom where he worked. I went alone, to see the car, to try the front and back seats again and to try and adjust to the smaller volume inside. I was still not convinced after this visit. A couple of days later, I went to the showroom again with family. This time, the Karoq appeared more acceptable. All the issues from the first impression remained, but they seemed less of a problem. A day later, I went for a fourth time with two of my friends. This time, I left with a more positive impression of the Karoq. I thought the interior room would not be an issue for carrying kids around. The exterior size was not an issue - infact it was perfect by my stated requirements, being half a size smaller the Octavia in exterior dimensions, but still having enough room inside. Boot size was still a concern.

The salesman informed me that a TD could be arranged on the same day. I took a 1-hour TD of the car that evening. Impressions from the TD as well as from my visit to the showroom earlier that day have already been posted on the forum (http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ml#post4326659). The TD cleared up a couple of things: (1) Kids had enough room in the back. My daugther is about 5'2" now and growing fast. But even if she grows as tall as me or even a bit taller than me in 3 years, I felt she would not outgrow the rear seat of the Karoq. (2) Boot space was ok. It would not be an issue for shopping runs. An airport run to drop or pickup a couple of relatives or friends would also be OK. With that cleared up, I reluctantly let go off the Passat option and decided to order the Karoq.

Checking the boot space in the TD Karoq. There was enough space for 3 medium suitcases:


Engine Choice, Colour Choice and Optional Features:
Engine choice was easy. The company car policy favours cars with lower CO2 emissions. That meant choosing a diesel car and the 1.6TDI was the only choice as the 2.0TDI versions have CO2 values above the limit set by the company.

Skoda offers only one standard colour on the Karoq - Energy Blue. All other colours cost extra. This is a new blue shade, not available in the other cars. There were no display vehicles in this colour either. The few pictures of the Karoq in this color on the internet did not wow me. We decided to play it safe and go for one of the paid options. White was then the default choice - safe and cheap. I didn't want to pay extra for metallic shades, all of which cost about €400 more than white. So, the colour was decided - Candy White.

Now, the Style variant of the Karoq came with adaptive cruise control (requirement #3), blindspot detection (requirement #5) and heated steering wheel (part of requirement #4) as standard. So I was happy that I needed to add fewer options. I added the following optional features to the Karoq:

1. Winter Pack: This package includes remote-controlled engine heater, heated windscreen and floor mats
2. Heated Rear Seats
3. Family Pack: This pack includes electric child locks, leatherette front seat back (easy to clean in winter after kids get in with dirty boots) and double-sided boot mat.
4. Flat-folding front passenger seat: Since the Karoq is a shorter car than the Octavia and also lacks ski hatch, I added this option to carry long items if needed.
5. Triton-17" alloys: This is a no cost option, instead of the standard 17" Ratikon alloys.
6. Colour choice, as mentioned above

Uncertainties at ordering stage:
Uncertainty remained over delivery time and lease cost even when I was ready to order.

Unsurprisingly, waiting time was up to 5-6 months by the time I was ready to order. The lease arrangement on the Octavia allowed me to continue driving the car until the new one is delivered. So, delivery time was not much of a worry.

Leasing process was more complicated. Normally, the estimated leasing cost would be known before I put the order. But, the 1.6TDI version was not added to the tool and its leasing cost was not known. It was agreed with the company that I could order the car in the tool choosing the nearest variant available. Once the actual leasing cost became known, they would take my approval before going ahead. So, I had a chance to cancel the order if the cost turned out to be too high. With that cleared up, I put the order in the tool on Christmas Day 2017. Within a couple of days, the company contacted the dealer for the quote. Due to the rapport I had built with the salesman, he took a risk and placed the order with the factory on the same day itself to save some waiting time.

I was wondering if I rushed into ordering the Karoq. With the option of cancelling the car available, I thought it would be a good idea to take another long test drive. So I contacted the salesman and arranged a 2hr test drive. I drove the car for about 80km. I felt comfortable with the car and did not think of cancellation any further (of course, assuming it came within budget).


The actual leasing cost was known about a month after I placed the order and it turned out to be within budget. I then confirmed the order. Now there was nothing to do except wait.

Delivery Timeline:

25th December 2017: Order placed by me in the ordering tool

28th December 2017: Order placed by the salesperson with the company

18th January 2018: I received the applicable lease rate information and confirmed the order

Time flew by and soon it was March. The lease on the Octavia was getting over, but there was no sign of the Karoq.

26th March 2018: My friend had ordered a Karoq 1.6TDI Style DSG about a week after me with slightly different options. He got information at the end of March that his car would be built in Week 16. As I had ordered even before him, I asked the dealer about my order. He had no idea when it would be delivered.

18th April 2018: Another month flew by and in the middle of April, the dealer sent me a message that it seems there is a shortage of 17" Triton alloys and if I would like to change to the standard Ratikon alloys to see if things can be speeded up. I was skeptical. My friend had ordered his car with the same Triton alloys and it was already built!! I thought my order was probably held up for some other reason. I suspected the folding front seat option as I imagined it would not be the most popular option. I was in India at that time and put off making any changes till I got back to Finland.

8th May 2018: After I got back, I checked with the salesman again if the seats were the issue and not the alloys. I was ready to remove the folding seat option from the order, but I really liked the Triton alloys and did not want to change them. He said it's probably the alloys and not the seat. My parents had already planned to visit us during the summer and I really wanted to have the new car when they were here. Plus, I was racking up miles in the Octavia, which had already crossed the 30k-km limit on the lease. More kms meant more payment at the end of the lease. I felt pressured by these two factors and gave in. I asked him to change the alloy wheel choice to Ratikon.

21st May 2018: The salesman informed me that my car was scheduled to be built in Week 24 (June 10-16), so the delivery could be in July. The first bit of positive news that I received after the order!! Getting the car in July meant that my parents would be here during the delivery. Yay!!

19th June 2018: I mailed the salesman to enquire about the status and received an out-of-office reply. He was on summer vacation for a month. I was slightly disappointed that this was not informed to me earlier. Moreover, the alternate contact number that was mentioned in his mail wasn't working.

21st June 2018: I visited the showroom and asked about my order to another salesperson. He checked the status and informed me that the car was already built (phew!!), so I could expect it in another 4 weeks.

28th June 2018: I was getting impatient and made another trip to the showroom. This time, I talked to a third salesperson. I was informed that the car had reached Finland and was in queue to undergo pre-delivery checks (apparently, these checks were carried out by the importer). The dealership would receive the car after the checks. The delivery could take further 2 weeks or so. The delivery date was still not fixed at this time.

29th June 2018: Another salesman from the dealership called and finally fixed the date and time for delivery: 25th July 2018 at 16:00. I was happy to finally get a date for delivery, but unhappy that it would almost take another month to get the car. 25th December to 25th July - a waiting period of 7 months!

13th July 2018: I received a letter from the leasing company containing the authorization letter and even the registration number of the car.

25th July 2018: Car delivered!!

Of course, I had to return the Octavia before I could take delivery of the Karoq. According to the information at the leasing company's website, this could be done at the dealership itself. So I was all set to take delivery of the new car - or so I thought.

Last minute confusions and Delivery:

One day before the scheduled delivery date, I contacted the salesman (who had returned from vacation). I also contacted the leasing company to confirm the details about returning the Octavia.

The leasing company bowled a googly - the Octavia could not be returned at the dealership, but at a separate office about 40km away from my home. Moreover, this was at a remote place which meant in the best case, it would take me at least 2.5 hours to return the car and get back to the dealership using public transport.

Then the salesman delivered a sucker punch. He said he was just catching up with the delivery schedules of all the cars that he had ordered and discovered that my car was scheduled to arrive at the dealership only on the 26th. As I had already planned a vacation starting on the 26th, I would then not be able to take delivery for a few days. He said he can offer me a replacement car at his cost if I had already scheduled the return of my Octavia. I went to the dealership and met the salesman. He apologized profusely and said he felt really bad about it, especially as it was the 2nd car I was leasing through him and also because I already had to wait a long time for the car. He told me that he had asked the logistics company if it would be possible to deliver the car earlier to the dealership. All the pre-delivery checks are done elsewhere, so the dealership only takes about an hour to prepare the car for delivery. So, he said even if the car was delivered by early afternoon on the 25th, I could still take delivery on the same day as scheduled. Anyway, I arranged with him to loan me a Kodiaq in case the Karoq delivery is delayed. By the evening, he rang me up to inform that the Karoq would reach the dealership at night on Tuesday and I could take delivery on the 25th itself as scheduled.

Fortunately, on the 25th, returning the Octavia went smoother than expected and I reached the dealership early to receive the car. I had asked the salesman if the Karoq's winter tires would fit in the boot without folding down the seats. If they would fit, then I could take the kids or my parents with me and my wife for delivery. Unfortunately, he replied that he didn't think it would fit. So, it was planned that only my wife and I would go to the dealership to take delivery. When we reached the dealership, the salesman told me that all four tires had actually fit in the boot - but by then it was too late to bring the kids or parents to the dealership.

Rest of the delivery process was smooth. I had some minimal paperwork to sign, the salesman explained the new features not found in my Octavia and we were off. The Karoq was delivered with 72km on the odo and a bit more than half tank of fuel.

Ready to come along with us for a ride:

[StarrySky]

Karoq - Exterior

The front of the Karoq unsurprisingly bears a strong resemblance to that of the larger brother, the Skoda Kodiaq. The front grille with the chrome surround looks exactly like the one in the Kodiaq. There is still, however, enough to distinguish the two. The shape of the headlights is different, as are the shape of the foglamps. The design lines on the front bumper also differ. I like the fact that chrome usage is minimal. My main criticism about the Kodiaq's front is that it doesn't look very macho. I think the Karoq front is more aggressive, but again not macho. I think Seat has got the looks right with the Ateca.


The middle part of the grille houses the radar for the adaptive cruise control and auto emergency brake (or Front Assistant, as Skoda calls it):


Closer look at the headlamps and foglamps. The headlamps and foglamps are LED. The headlamps also feature adaptive lighting system (AFS).


The foglamps double up as cornering lights:


DRL is basically a straight line which looks similar to that of the Yeti. Probably the only exterior detail where Karoq reminds us of the car it replaced:


The DRL also doubles up as turning signal light:


Front and rear wheel wells get full cladding:


Front windscreen washer nozzles are neatly hidden:


Rain-sensor, light sensor and camera for lane-assist feature housed behind the rear-view mirror:


The 17" Ratikon alloys the car rides on:


Vertical slits in the wheel wells, like in big brother Kodiaq:


ORVMs with integrated turn signals. They are half a size larger than in the Octavia. The ORVMs are electrically adjustable and foldable. They can be configured to fold in/out when the car is locked/unlocked. I would've preferred if they fold out only when the ignition is switched on (as in for eg: Audi A3). This would avoid unnecessary folding out/in of the ORVMs if I open the car to put in or take out something.


The indicator for the blindspot detection is towards the top outside corner of the ORVM.


Party trick - Puddle lamps project the manufacturer's name on the floor:


Scruff pads are present at the front and rear. Only the front ones get the Karoq branding:


The outside door handles look the same as in the Octavia. The car has keyless entry/go (KESSY). Touching the depressed portion locks the car. The sensor to unlock the car is located on the inside of the door handle. To unlock the car, simply pull the door handle. There are no sensors on the rear doors.


Air deflectors in front of front and rear tires:


The side profile is similar to the Kodiaq, except the obvious shorter length. I like the chrome surround around the windows and the rear quarter glass. Note the slightly darkened side windows at the rear. This is a standard feature in the Style variant and above. The black cladding contributes to the SUV-look:


The rear three-quarter view. Just as in the Kodiaq, the character line continues to the rear and on to the hatch door.


A closer look at the tail lamp:


Make and model name badges are on the rear hatch. 4x4 models have an extra 4x4 badge as well. The rear windshield is also darkened.


The black plastic cladding on the sides continues to the rear and merges with the rear bumper. Exhaust tip is well-hidden.

The rear glass has black plastic borders, which continue downward from the spolier. The spolier houses the high-mounted stop lamp.

The rear-view camera is mounted above the number plate and is well-hidden.


The rear at night (low light, rather. Night starts pretty late these days). The C-shape of tail lamps continues with the Karoq as well:


Roof rails and the shark-fin antenna at the back. The rear windscreen washer nozzle is integrated into the high mounted stop lamp:


The fuel-filler cap has an ice-scraper:


Parting shot:

[StarrySky]

Interior - Front

The front door opens really wide:


The bottom of the door covers the door sill. This should keep the door sills relatively clean during rain and slush and help us avoid getting dirt on the pants while getting in and out of the car. This was an issue in the Octavia.


The doorpad has soft-touch material at the top (not too soft though) and also on the armrest. The rest of it has harder plastic. The doors are pretty heavy. Not surprising, when according to the specs available in Skoda website, the Karoq is more than 100kg heavier than the Octavia. There is no felt lining in the bottle holders, while my old Octavia had them. A bit of cost-cutting? Front doors also house reflectors.


The mirror and window controls are embedded on the armrest. Note the electric child locks (optional feature).


The thick A-pillars and the positioning of the ORVMs combine to create a blind spot. It's not a big issue, but certainly worse than in the Octavia:


The bottle holders can just about take a 1.5L bottle:


The front seat belt (holders) have felt lining.


The front seat. The seats lack any electric adjustment, but feature lumbar support adjustment on both front seats. Lack of electric adjustment for front seats also mean no memory settings for seats and ORVMs. The seats are quite supportive. They seem to be slightly narrower than in the Octavia, but hug the body better. The under-thigh support especially is better than in the Octavia. Levers for lumbar support adjustment and backrest recline adjustment can be seen in the picture. The seat fabric feels better in quality and good to the touch compared to the one in the Octavia. The front passenger seat has provision to fit a child seat.


The seat recline adjustment lever can also be used to fold the front passenger seat flat (optional feature):


Front seatbelts are height-adjustable:


The similarity with the Kodiaq continues to the interior as well. All black interiors are an option in the Karoq. The black veneer finish in the Kodiaq is missing here, indicating a more modest car. The silver insert helps to break up the monotony of the black dashboard. The LEDs for ambient lighting are housed beneath the silver inserts.


The buttons on the centre console. The layout is quite similar to the Kodiaq's. Compared to our old Octavia, the plastic looks shiny. I first thought it looked cheaper. However, all buttons feel good to touch and are in no way inferior to the ones we had in the Octavia. On the top row, the AC temperature displays are at the edges. The seat heating controls are next to the displays. The Karoq features dual-zone climate control. Clicking the SYNC button synchronizes the temperature setting on the passenger side to that of the driver side. The top half of the middle rotary dial houses the button for the (optional) front windshield heating system. To the left of the central rotary dial is the button to control the auxiliary heating. The bottom row houses the auto start/stop and front parking sensor toggle buttons.


Clicking the driver seat heating button brings up a small graphic on the infotainment system, which lets us control the seat and steering wheel heating. The 3 red bars indicate maximum heating. The heating can be controlled via the touch screen. The graphic comes up even if the infotainment system is turned off.


The DSG lever looks like the one in the Kodiaq. It feels quite nice to hold.


The buttons near the DSG lever are for various functions - Electronic Parking Brake, Auto Hold, Driving Mode Selection and ESC deactivation.


The armrest is wrapped in (fake?) leather and is wider than the one in Octavia. It feels really nice to the touch. The armrest is height-adjustable and can also be extended if we need to fully cover the storage space.


One of the clever Skoda solutions - the double-sided base for the storage under the armrest. One side has two cup-holders. They have some buttons built into the bottom, which help hold the bottles in place when you need to open them with one hand. The other side is plain. The base can be removed if needed to reveal a fairly large storage space. The storage space is larger than the one in the Octavia, thanks to the space liberated by the electronic parking brake.


A handy net on the passenger side to store some knick-knacks:


There is storage for a mobile phone, two USB slots and a 12V power outlet ahead of the gear lever. The storage area needs to be kept open if one is using the USB or 12v power outlet (which in my case is always as I have dash cam). I like to keep the storage space closed - hangover from Octavia days when my phone was usually in my pocket. However, since I use Android Auto quite often in the Karoq, the storage needs to be open anyway.


The steering is quite similar to the one I had in the Octavia, and identical to the one in the Kodiaq.


Buttons on the left are for the audio controls and voice control. The buttons on the right are for phone, bringing up and scrolling through the menus and for controlling the driver assist systems.


Pressing the driver assist system button on the steering wheel brings up the options on the MID:

[StarrySky]

Interior - Front (Continued)

The steering is adjustable for rake and reach.


The engine start button is where the ignition key would be in non-KESSY-equipped cars. I like it in this position (no doubt having been used to it in my old Octavia).


There are two stalks on the left side of the steering wheel. The top one controls the left/right indicators and the lights. All of the adaptive cruise control functions are on the bottom stalk. From Octavia experience, the ACC stalk is going to be one of the most used controls in the Karoq. The stalk on the right side of the steering wheel is for the front and rear wipers and windscreen washers.


The headlight/foglamp controls. Again, based on the experience from Octavia, this is going to be one of the least used controls. I leave it in 'Auto' all the time.


The meter console. The layout is quite similar to the Octavia, with a colour MFD in between the speedo and tachometers. In the picture on the console at night, the MID also indicates the key-linked user profile in use:



The 8" Bolero infotainment system, bordered by the vertical AC vents. The Style variant does not have navigation.


An extra storage space near the driver's knee:


The glovebox is of a good size and it is cooled and felt-lined. The SD card slot is also housed in the glovebox.


A second glovebox on the top of the dashboard. This one is too is felt-lined, but not cooled.


The Karoq also gets a grab handle on the centre console. It has soft plastics. It is a nice design element, and in my case it is useful to route the wire to the dashcam.


The bonnet release lever is one the side of the driver's footwell and the boot release is on the driver's doorpad.


The internal rear-view mirror is not large, but the view is alright:


A small extra pocket on the side of the front seats:


The sunvisors have mirrors on them and are illuminated as well:


The ceiling houses cabin lights and sunglass holder:


It also houses these buttons:


The SOS button is to make an emergency call in the case of an accident. If the force of the accident is above a certain threshold, then the car itself places the emergency call. Otherwise, the passengers can make the call using the button. The button with the spanner icon is to connect to the service center for repairs, to book appointments etc. The third button is to call the information service ("I had some light come on in the instrument cluster. What should I do?")

There are grab handles above all the doors:


There is also a removable garbage bin on the front door:

[StarrySky]

Interior - Rear:

The rear door opens wide, but the door itself is not too wide. There is definitely a smaller gap between the B-pillar and the seat base than in the Octavia. If the front passenger pushes his/her seat quite far back, then getting in and out of the rear seat will become difficult. If you use a child seat, it not too difficult to get it in. I don't have to shift the child seat between different cars, so it was a one-time job. If you use a rear-facing child seat, then you may have also have to push the front seats quite a bit forward.


As you might have noticed, the rear door is a part of the rear wheel arch as well. This piece of plastic keeps the dirt and dust kicked up by the rear tires from getting on the edges of the door:


The doorpads have no soft-touch plastics as in the front and no ambient lighting. The armrest on the doors have soft touch material:


They can hold also hold a 1.5-litre bottle:


The rear windows go almost all the way down:


A look at minimum and maximum legroom. If you adjust the front seat for maximum legroom in the rear, no one can occupy the front seat:


Compared to the Octavia, the interior rear volume seems less, and you would at first think the Karoq lacks space, but it is not so. Unless the front seat passengers push their seats way back, there is "enough" space for a person of my height, but not "ample" space (as in the Octavia). The higher seat position is definitely a plus in the Karoq. The seat themselves are comfortable, with acceptable under-thigh support for a person of my height (about 5'8"). Kids will be very comfortable here. The seatback is upright. It is not possible to recline the seats. The front seat back has storage pouches and is finished in leatherette. This is an optional feature. This makes the front seat back easier to clear after kids travel in the car during rain and snow. Here's a picture of me sitting behind with the driver's seat in my driving position. Note the AC vents under the front seats:


Here's a picture of me with the driver's seat pushed back to the maximum (but not reclined to the maximum). There's still about an inch of kneeroom left. If the driver also reclines the seat to the maximum, then my knees will be buried in the back of the front seat.


The under-thigh support available for an adult of my size:


All 3 rear passengers get 3-point seatbelts. Also, adjustable head restraints are available for all 3 rear seat passengers, although the range of adjustment for the middle passenger is not much. Both the outer seats have ISOFIX anchors. There is no rear-centre armrest and no ski-hatch. These are available only with the Varioflex seating, which is not standard on the Style variant. The armrest and especially the ski hatch is a miss compared to my old Octavia. It was immensely useful to put or get things in the boot from inside the car. Karoq loses some points on the practicality front here.


The transmission tunnel is tall and wide.


The footwells get slightly narrower near the transmission tunnel on either side. If the middle seat passenger is an adult (like me with shoe size: 44), he won't be able to keep his feet close to the tunnel and will have to jostle with the others for room in the footwell. So, although the seat is wide enough for 3 adults, I think resting the feet comfortably will be a challenge. Kids will be fine in the middle seat.


The rear AC vent. The (optional) rear seat heating buttons are underneath the vent. Three levels of heating can be chosen by repeatedly pressing the buttons.


Lifting the cover under the vent reveals a 12v power outlet, a 230v power outlet and a USB port:


The LED interior light at the rear:

[StarrySky]

Boot

The boot opening is square and wide. The space is square and practical, without protruding wheel wells. The boot volume at 521L is quite good for a car of this size. The boot is not as deep as in the Octavia. The result is that if you need to carry more than 2 medium-size suitcases, then atleast one needs to be put in vertical position. This also means the parcel shelf needs to be removed. Having been used to the Octavia's boot, this feels a bit of a compromise - however, one that I was fully aware of before booking. There is no retractable boot cover like in the Octavia. Instead there is an old-school parcel shelf, attached to the hatch door with strings. Nothing high tech here. The boot door is quite heavy, heavier than the one in Octavia.


There boot lip is quite prominent. Loading and unloading heavy items would be relatively difficult. Also note the Karoq-branded mat (double-sided):


Lack of spare wheel means that there is some more storage space available under the floor. It would've been nice if this bit of space could hold the parcel shelf in case it has to be removed to accomodate luggage, but no luck!


A bit of space beind the wheel wells. The Octavia, unsurprisingly, had a bit more space behind the wheel wells, which could hold larger items (I used to keep a 5L can of winshield washer liquid there). A boot light is also provided:


The 12v socket in the boot and the bootlight-cum-torch. Boot has a three bag hooks on the left hand side, but there none on the right as seen in the previous picture:


An useful feature - cargo fasteners that can be stuck on the boot floor to stop items from sliding around. When not in use, they can be folded up and stored in the side of the boot. Cargo nets are also provided.


Electric boot closure. The height to which the boot opens can be adjusted. If the boot is closing and something is in the way, it needs a fair bit of force to stop the closure action. Given that the boot door is heavy, a small kid standing in the way could easily get knocked down by the closing boot door, and then it could just continue closing trapping the kid under it. In the Octavia, the closure action stopped more easily if it encountered any obstacle. Not good from a safety perspective, especially given the heavy boot lid. The boot can also be opened and closed using the Virtual Pedal feature:


There is a prominent step in the boot when the rear seats are folded down. It won't be easy to slide heavy items in and out. There is no lever in the boot to fold the rear seats down, while the Octavia had them. To be fair, the deeper boot in Octavia meant that folding the rear seat without the lever would be very cumbersome, if you are at the rear of the car. This is not such an issue in the Karoq due to lesser boot depth.


The rear seats fold 60:40. With the front passenger seat folded down, the full length of the passenger cabin can be used to load long items.

[StarrySky]

In-car Entertainment

The Style variant of the Karoq has an 8-speaker system. I always play music when on the move and I want an option to play my favourite music. But I'm not really bothered about sound quality as long as there are no distortions. I hate playing loud music, so chances of distortion are less anyway. In the Karoq I have options to play the music from the radio, USB, phone via bluetooth, SD card and through Android Auto. There are no distortions of any kind at relatively lower volume settings. With this in mind, I am quite happy with the Karoq. I guess I must be one of the easiest guys to satisfy when it comes to music systems in cars.

Here are some of the settings that can be managed via the infotainment screen.

The MENU button brings up the main menu:


Various options for music. The RADIO button on the touchscreen brings up the radio menu and the MEDIA button brings up the option to choose the medium from where to play your music:


The PHONE button brings up the phone menu:


The connectivity options (Menu->SmartLink):


The CAR button (or Menu->Vehicle) brings up the vehicle data:


Pressing the Selection button on the vehicle data screen brings up different options. Or press the CAR button repeatedly to swap the screen between these options:


DriveGreen screen. It shows the "green-ness" in my driving for the last few minutes. The dot to the left of the leaf icon moves up or down based on how green the driving is at the time.


Pressing the Settings button on the vehicle data screen brings up vehicle settings menu:


The climate control settings (Menu->Air Conditioning):


The SETUP button (or Menu->Settings) brings up System menu:


Sound settings screen (Menu->Sound). This is probably the only time during the lease period when I'm going to enter this menu.


The VOICE button brings up the voice controls. There is also a shortcut button on the steering wheel to bring up this menu.

[StarrySky]

Features

The Style variant is the middle variant of the Karoq. However, I still find it quite feature-loaded. Here is a list of some of the features:

1. Safety equipment: The Karoq has 7 airbags as standard - dual front airbags, side curtain airbags, front side airbags and driver's knee airbag. In addition it has all (or most) safety tech with 3-letter acronyms - ABS, EBD, EDS, MSR, ASR, HBA, XDS, AEB - you get the drift..

2. LED lights: The Karoq features LED headlamps with adaptive lighting (AFS), LED foglamps with cornering function, LED DRLs and LED tail lamps. I haven't really driven the car in the dark at all, so I can't yet say how the lights perform in the dark.

3. Front Assist: This is the auto emergency braking feature. It is possible to set when the warning should be triggered - "Early", "Medium", "Late" or "Off".


4. Adaptive cruise control: I am a huge fan of this feature, having been used to this feature from the Octavia. The car can maintain speed as well as a safe distance from the car in front. It works equally well on highways and in city traffic. It is possible to adjust the distance maintained from the car in front. The options are "Very Far", "Far", "Medium", "Close" and "Very Close". The system does not recognize stationary vehicles - that is, if the system is not currently tracking any vehicles and the car approaches a traffic signal where there are some cars already stopped, then it does not recognize them. The Front Assist should kick in if I get too close to the car in front, but I haven't tested this.


5. Keyless entry/go (KESSY): The KESSY system allows keyless entry/go. To open the door, just pull the door handle. To lock the door, press your hand against the depressed portion on the door handle. The key needs to be inside the car in order to start it. The car does not shut down if the key is taken out when the engine is running, but it displays a message indicating that the key is not found.

6. Blind Spot Monitoring: The warning indicator for the blind spot detection system is on the outside top part of the ORVMs. The sensors for the system are located at the rear corners somewhere above the rear bumper. The warning comes on when a car is in the blindspot behind my car. Both driver and passenger side ORVMs get the blindspot indicator. The blindspot detection kicks in early enough. The indicator remains lit till the other car is adjacent to the front door. If the car in the adjacent lane is approaching fast, then the indication appears earlier. If the speed difference between my car and the approaching car is higher, then the indicator starts flashing. It starts flashing also if I try to move to the adjacent lane when a car is already in the blindspot. It would've been better to also have a warning beep in that case.


7. Rear Traffic Alert: The rear traffic alert system uses the same sensors as the blind spot monitoring system. If a vehicle is approaching from either side while the car is being reveresed, then the system can warn the driver. I experienced this on day 1 itself while reversing out of a parking place. From experience, the system can recognize not just cars, but even bicycles. The system can apply the brakes automatically if it detects that a collission is imminent. Thankfully, I haven't had to test this feature yet.

8. Emergency Assist: Emergency assist can bring the vehicle to a safe stop if the driver is unresponsive. If the driver doesn't touch the steering for a few seconds (about 15s or so when I tested), then MID shows a warning. If the driver does not resume steering even after repeated warnings, the vehicle automatically brakes sharply for a moment, to give a jolt. We tested the system up to this point in my friend's Karoq. If the driver still doesn't respond, the system should bring the car to a halt.

9. Lane Assist: The lane assist helps to prevent inadvertant lane crossings. If the turn indicator is on, then the system does not intervene at all while moving across lanes. If turn indicator is off, there is a mild opposite force applied on the steering when I get close to the lane marking. I can feel the steering tighten up as I steer. However, the system does not "forcefully" correct the steering when crossing lanes. The control remains with me.

10. Adaptive Lane Guidance: Adaptive lane guidance can steer the car to keep it within the lane markings. I have tried this at speeds of upto 100km/h and it works even when driving around smooth bends. Not sharp bends, though. There is no bouncing in the lane between the lane markings - the car holds its line pretty well. When the road curves, I can feel the system trying to steer the car to keep it within the lane, even when both my hands are on the steering wheel. It's a personal preference if every driver would like such intervention or not when they are driving. As of now, I plan to keep adaptive lane guidance on. With the hands off the steering wheel, it is a nice trick to show the kids - the steering wheel moving without me touching it. The fun lasts only a few seconds as the system detects that the hands are not on the steering wheel and gives a warning on the MID. Even if both my hands are on the steering wheel, but I hold it loose enough to let the system steer the car, the car gives a warning. The system has limitations in the current form. Clear lane markings on both sides of the vehicle are needed for the system to work. I have noticed that if on one side there are lane markings with a kerb on the other side, the system does not always recognize the kerb as a lane marking. It seems the system needs lane markings to be visible for a considerable distance for it to work. So, for eg:, going up a slope or bright sunlight beating down on the road can cause the system to lose the markings. There is an indication in the MID when the system is functioning (indicator on MID turns green, second picture below) and when it cannot recognize the lanes (indicator turns orange, first picture below). However, there is no warning beep when it changes from green to orange. So, you cannot blindly trust the car and take the hands off the steering wheel.


11. Traffic Jam Assist: This is an extension of the adaptive cruise control. In my previous car, the ACC system could bring the car to a complete halt if the car in front stopped. However, once fully stopped, I had to manually resume the ACC when the traffic started moving again. With the traffic jam assist, manual intervention is no longer needed, as long as the stop is short. But, if the start/stop system cuts off the engine, then the car does not start moving when the vehicle in front moves. The engine comes back to life when the car in front starts moving, but then I have to lightly press the accelerator or use the ACC stalk to resume.

12. Driving Mode Selection: There is a choice of 4 modes - Eco, Normal, Sport and Individual. Each mode has a few items like Steering, Drive, ACC, Lights and AC setting. In the Individual mode, each of these can be set individually to Eco/Normal/Sport.



13. Personalisation: Skoda has provided 3 keys with the Karoq and each can be assigned to a different user account in the car. The key can be linked to an account manually by pressing the Unlock button on the remote with the key inside the car. There is also an automatic option available, but I haven't tried this. Selected user account is displayed on the MID depending on which key is used to open the driver side door. Personalisation covers driving mode selection, lighting settings, infotainment system settings, AC settings, radio/media settings etc. As my car does not have electric seats or navigation, these are not part of personalisation settings in my car.


14. Auto Start/Stop: This feature can switch off the engine while waiting at traffic lights etc. The Octavia also had this feature and I rarely switched it off. Compared to the Octavia, the Karoq's system seems to be more aggressive. In the Octavia, the engine switched off only when the car had come to a complete stop. In the Karoq, the engine is switched off even when the car is rolling those last few inches before coming to a full stop.

15. Auto Hold: The auto hold system provides relief from keeping the foot on the brake while waiting at traffic stops. It took me about a week to get used to the system, as I always kept my foot on the brake when stopped. With the auto hold system enabled, the electric parking brake is automatically enabled when the ignition is switched off.


16. Reversing camera: The Karoq's camera has a pretty wide field of vision. The clarity is also decent, but nothing extra ordinary. The sun sets quite late here at this time of the year, so I don't yet know how well it performs in the dark. I am not quite used to the camera yet and find myself using "conventional methods" to reverse the car more often than not.


After driving through rain, rain drops can distort the view.


17. Virtual Pedal: This feature lets you open and close the boot by waving your foot under the rear bumper. As advised by the salesman, the trick is to stay around the centre of the rear bumper and just move the foot in the air forwards and backwards only - and not from side to side. This has worked every time so far.

18. Skoda Care Connect Services:There are 3 services offered - Proactive service, Emergency service and Remote Access. Proactive service lets us connect directly to our chosen service center for information, service, repairs etc. Emergency service connects to emergency services. Remote access service lets us check the status of the car from the Skoda Connect mobile app. Remote Access service is free only for the first year, while the other two are free till 2032. The first step to activate the services is to register ourselves at the Skoda Connect portal, providing the VIN number of the car. This process generates a PIN number, which has to be entered in the car from the infotainment screen (Menu->System->Skoda Connect).


The globe icon to the left of the time display in the infotainment screen indicates the status of the services. When the status is OK, the icon is white as seen in the pictures in the post above for In-Car Entertainment. Otherwise, the icon is red.

For the Remote Access, car parameters can be accessed via the Skoda Connect website or via Skoda Connect mobile app. Most of the information available is good to check a few times, but the novelty will soon ware off. Some of the functions are useful - checking the lock status (I am always unsure if I locked the car), controlling the auxiliary heating (with ability to program it) and checking vehicle location. The area and speed notification settings can be useful in case the car is given to a son/daughter or driver.



19. Infotainment system with Android Auto/MirrorLink/Apple CarPlay support: My favourite part about Android Auto is that it brings navigation to the infotainment screen and I don't have to carry my Garmin device for short trips. My son is a big fan of the satellite view shown by Google maps.

20. Small, but important features: Heated front seats + windscreen + rear seats + windshield washer nozzles, electrically adjustable, foldable and heated ORVMs, auto-dimming mirrors and electric child locks.

[StarrySky]

Living with the Karoq

First things first - ingress/egress is quite easy in the Karoq. The seats are at the right height for me and I don't have to climb up or bend down to enter the car. Exiting is similarly easy. I had a back ache a few days after I got the Karoq. I had a similar problem a while back and then it was a struggle to get in and out of the Octavia with the pain. This time it was much easier.

Finding a good driving position is easy as the seats have good travel range and the steering is adjustable for rake and reach. The buttons on the touch screen and central console are easy to reach.

The Karoq features the familiar 1.6TDI engine plus 7-speed DSG combination. Familiar, as I had the same engine-gearbox combination in my previous car. In the Karoq, the engine is rated at 116HP vs 105HP in the Octavia, with the peak power coming in a bit later at 3250rpm vs 3000rpm in the Octavia. The peak torque figure remains the same, but is availble for a wider range from 1500-3200rpm compared to 1500-2750rpm in the Octavia. The Karoq's engine is also EU6-compliant, whereas the Octavia's was stated to be EU5-compliant.



The Karoq sounds a bit different from the Octavia on startup. I can't describe in words how different, but it sounds different. On the move, it sounds just the same. The engine can be heard inside the cabin when on the move, especially during acceleration. But the noise is not disconcerting. Wind and tire noise seems to be at about the same level as in the Octavia, maybe marginally better. I guess it is the tire noise which is the main culprit as on some newly laid sections on the tarmac, the cabin becomes noticeably quieter.

When it comes to real world driving experience, one particular figure seems to make the most difference compared to the Octavia - 1441kg vs 1320kg. This difference does not seem to be due to any changes in the way the weight is calculated (with/without driver, with/without fuel etc). On paper, the pre-facelift Octavia that I was driving earlier and the Karoq have the same 0-100km/h time of 10.9s for the 1.6TDI engine (new Octavia's time is 10.2s). However, the Karoq does not feel as eager as the Octavia. I had a heart-in-the-mouth moment on Day 1 when I was trying to enter a round about from a standstill. The Karoq was not as quick as I anticipated and the gap in the traffic closed much faster than I would've liked. I was in the Normal driving mode with ACC set to Sport and everything else set to Normal. The Sport mode improves the situation, but holds lower gears for longer, which is not what I prefer in most everyday driving situations. It also affects NVH and FE negatively. So I think I will just adjust to the behaviour in Normal mode. Or perhaps the better solution is just to switch the DSG to "S" mode when a quick getaway is needed. I have to say that after driving the Karoq for more than 1000km now, I am more used its acceleration from standstill.

When on the move the DSG is very smooth and upshifts are not perceptible. In Normal mode, upshifts happen at around 1900rpm. Under harder acceleration, the shifts are delayed a bit further upto about 2300rpm. It seems to me that the Karoq in the Normal driving mode holds on to the higher gears a bit longer before downshifting. For eg:, when going up a slope with ACC engaged, I feel the DSG is waiting a little bit more compared to the Octavia to downshift. It feels like the car is getting bogged down. The downshift occurs with the RPM around 1300, after which the Karoq gets a move on. Maybe, there is some change done to DSG logic in the interest of FE. Or maybe it is just the additional weight of the Karoq making the difference. Either way, it makes me want to change a gear down manually. DSG paddles would've been convenient in this situation. I did not opt for them as I didn't face many everyday driving situations in the Octavia where I felt like changing gears myself. I wish I had opted for those DSG paddles in the Karoq!!

I have also tried the Eco mode for some time. For my usual commute, the driving experience is largely similar to Normal mode - it's basically just under a 20km drive at 60-80km/h for most of the time and without much braking and accelerating. Upshifts happen at around 1500rpm, if I accelerate in a relaxed manner. If I push the A-pedal harder, shifts are delayed till around 1900rpm. The Eco mode also affects the cornering lights (they don't work in Eco mode) and AC (works at lower efficiency). When I switch to Eco mode, the engaged gear display in the MID changes to E1, E2 etc. However, if the car is turned off and then on again, the Drive setting in the Eco mode is set to Normal instead of Eco, with the other settings remaining in Eco mode. I can see this in the engaged gear display, which changes back to D1, D2 etc even though the car is in Eco mode. Manually selecting the Eco mode again changes the Drive also to Eco mode. The Eco mode allows coasting when the foot is off A and B pedals. While coasting, an ECO icon is displayed on the MID and the engaged gear display changes to just E. I had developed a habit of coasting to a stop in the Octavia. That doesn't work well in Eco mode due to lack of engine braking. For me, it seems to be better to have the Drive setting in Normal mode.

The steering is well-weighted and has good response in Normal and Eco modes. I am quite comfortable with this setting as this was how the Octavia's steering behaved. In this setting, the steering is light during parking and weighs up enough at higher speeds. Switching to Sport driving mode reduces the power steering and more weight is felt on the steering. It reminds me of my old Punto's steering. In this mode, the steering stays relatively heavy at parking speeds as well. I wouldn't want to use this mode at parking speeds. I wonder what prevents Skoda from making the steering light at lower speeds even in Sports mode.

The brakes are very good and bring the car to a halt quickly. They seem to have more bite than in Octavia, but then the last time I drove the Octavia, it had done nearly 39000km on the original set of brake pads.

The Karoq rides on bigger wheels than my old Octavia, but rides better. Ride is better in both city speeds and near 3-digit speeds. The suspension works quietly unlike in the Octavia. The handling is good too. There are a few curving exit/entry ramps on my regular route which I used to enjoy taking in the Octavia. I have to admit I have been a bit circumspect in the Karoq on those exit/entry ramps during the early days with the car. But still, the Karoq can take those same curves at the same speeds as in the Octavia. That is the good part. However, the body roll is more compared to the Octavia on the same curves at the same speeds. So, even though I'm confident in the car's capabilities, family does not really appreciate taking those curves the same way as before. Lane changes at 80-100km/h are devoid of any drama. Stability in a straight line is also rock solid at 100km/h. I haven't yet got a chance to take my Karoq to the speed limit here (120km/h), but I did take the TD car to those speeds and it was well-behaved.

The Auto Start/Stop stops the engine even earlier than in the Octavia. In fact, it stops when the foot is on the brake and the car is rolling those last few inches before coming to a complete stop. Sometimes, this becomes an issue as I may be just slowing down for a car in front of me to take a turn or just adjusting my speed to enter a round about at the right moment. The car switches back on immediately if I take my foot off the brake and there is no big delay in getting away, but Auto start/stop serves no real purpose by cutting in so early. It leads to unnecessary stopping and starting of the engine.

The different technologies working together in the Karoq takes some getting used to. One example is the Auto Hold. I like this feature. But, Auto Hold working with the Auto Start/Stop is a bit tricky. Without the Auto Hold in the Octavia, the engine restarted when I moved my foot off the brake, and then the small delay in me then pressing the accelerator was enough for the car to be ready to go. With Auto Hold, I need to press the accelerator gently once to restart the engine and then a second time to get going. If I make the second accelerator input fast, then the car starts moving with a slight jerk. If I just keep the accelerator pressed, the car restarts and then starts off with a jerk. I need to take it a bit slow with the second input to ensure a smooth getaway. So, it's either a smooth or a fast getaway, not both together. Hopefully, this situation will improve as I get more familiar with the Karoq.

A second example is the Traffic Jam Assistant. It works quite well on its own. But, when I am stopped behind someone and Auto start/stop has cut in and the car in front starts moving, the system only restarts the car, but doesn't start moving. Trouble is that the car is restarted only after the car in front has moved some distance. So when starting off, the car revvs unnecessarily hard as it tries to accelerate to the set speed, only to slow down again due to the car in front. The solution is then to manually restart the car and enable ACC by a tap on the accelerator just as the lights turn green. No problem, but that's not Traffic Assistant doing the work, that's me!

Blind spots are a bigger issue in the Karoq than in the Octavia. Although I don't have any exact measurements, it seems the Karoq's windows are smaller and the ORVMs are larger. These two factors together creates an obstruction at the base of the A-pillar, around the area where the ORVM is attached to the door. I need to peek 2-3 times either side of the A-pillar to be really sure that there is nothing in the blind spot. When I join a main road, I need to leave a larger clearance on the driver side as I can't really see where the kerb is until I'm well into the turn. I have tried to adjust the seating position, but it hasn't really helped. This is something I had noticed during the TD, so it wasn't a total surprise.

As the Octavia lacked the auto tilt feature of the passenger side ORVM when the car is put in reverse gear, I had to manually adjust the mirror (which is then a pain to adjust back to the original position) or just plain guess where the kerb is while parking. I once kerbed the alloys when I guessed wrong. Although the Karoq also lacks the auto tilt feature in the ORVM, the reversing camera takes the guessing out of the picture. It is a boon when it comes to parallel parking.

Mileage: My first full tank in the Karoq was good enough to cover 748km and at the subsequent refuelling, the Karoq took in 42.91L of diesel. That gives a real-world mileage of 17.41km/L. The AC usage was around 95%. The mileage is lower than the Octavia, as expected. In the same conditions, I would expect the Octavia to give atleast 20km/L. However, this was just the first tankful with the car having done less than 1000km when I refuelled. There was also a bit of idling when I was trying out the different things with the car. So I expect this to go up a bit. The MID showed a mileage of 19.1km/L, so the percentage error in the MID remains almost the same as in the Octavia.

To conclude, here are my likes and dislikes so far:

Likes:
+ Exactly what a city SUV should be, with enough interior space for a nuclear family and a smaller footprint making it easier to park.
+ Very European build quality and good interior quality
+ Feature-loaded. Feature list can put some luxury cars to shame
+ Easy ingress/egress
+ Mature ride and safe handling
+ 5-star EuroNCAP safety rating. 7 airbags and a host of safety tech included as standard.

Dislikes:
- Missing rear centre armrest and ski-hatch
- Big step in the boot with the rear seats folded down reduces practicality
- Auto start/stop cuts in too early
- Some rough edges when different technologies work together with Auto start/stop

Thank you for your patience in reading through this report. I now have a renewed respect for our official reviews and appreciate how much time and effort our Mods put into the official reviews. I promise to never complain that an official review is late

A couple of parting shots:

[Gannu_1]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

Dude, what a review! Congrats on owning yet another first on Team BHP! Loved reading your ownership report on the Octavia Combi.

The Kodiaq's younger sibling picks up all the right bits from the Yeti. I love Skoda's current design language - it's all sharp creases and chiseled bits everywhere. I hope it is headed to India soon enough. Wonder when we'll be able to customise our rides beyond seat covers, floor mats, chrome additions and aftermarket music systems!

As for the auto start/stop tech, I am sure you can disable it using VCDS but it may fiddle with the emissions certifications where you reside. Do check.

Good luck man! 5 stars for the review.

[StarrySky]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

Dude, what a review! Congrats on owning yet another first on Team BHP! Loved reading your ownership report on the Octavia Combi.

Thank you!

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

As for the auto start/stop tech, I am sure you can disable it using VCDS but it may fiddle with the emissions certifications where you reside. Do check.

The car is on a lease and I am quite sure making unauthorized changes will be a violation of the lease contract

Easier way to disable is via the button on the center console, but I have to do it each time the ignition is turned on. I don't have a problem with the feature per se. What irritates me most is that the engine turns off too soon. In the Octavia, I could prevent the start/stop from cutting in by controlling the pressure on the brake pedal. So, for eg:, when a quick get away is needed like at a round about, I could keep the engine on. It didn't work every time, but more often than not. It doesn't work in the Karoq - at least not so far. But I won't give up, I will learn how to do it

[naveen.raju]

Man! That review was mega! TBHP mods can now refer this while they review the car .

Good choice of vehicles (Octy Combi and now this). Now eagerly waiting to see what's coming after 3 years.

Like always, do keep the thread updated.

[itwasntme]

Amazing Pro-Am review! Only a matter of time before the Mods ask you to do an Official one :-)

However intrigued by this statement of yours:

As the Octavia lacked the auto tilt feature of the passenger side ORVM when the car is put in reverse gear, I had to manually adjust the mirror (which is then a pain to adjust back to the original position) or just plain guess where the kerb is while parking. I once kerbed the alloys when I guessed wrong.

I have this feature in my MY16 Octavia by ticking the relevant box in the MFD and physically keeping the mirror adjustment knob in the L position. Once you move back into D and cross ~20 km/hr, it automatically moves back the left mirror back into the normal position.

[Keynote]

Fantastic review! This one had all the essence of an official review, so kudos . It will be a sight to behold if the Indian version of Karoq gets atleast 50% of the safety and convenient features as standard.

Congratulations on your new steed and wishing you miles of happiness