[StarrySky]

Hello Mr.Perera, congratulations on owning the Karoq. It is a very nice car and I hope it will serve you for many years!

[prasadathani]

Hello Mr Perera,
Was waiting for a review of the Karoq just didn't expect it to be this quick and this well-written. Your blackened chrome grill has convinced me to get it done on the Karoq that I am planning to buy. White colour car though and I am sure it will look good as well.

Congrats on a great buy and wish you many many happy miles on this car. Kudos on the car and the beautiful pictures that accompanied it.

[man_of_steel]

Well done Mr Perera on the review. Well written! Hope your dad has a very good time with the Karoq.

[Sanjay Halikar]

Congratulations Mr. Perera on your beautiful acquisition.

Love the way it looks and how it effortlessly exudes high build quality and workmanship. Reading your review was akin to having a virtual drive of the car. Brilliant photographs as well.

Happy Motoring!

[ashish2135]

Congratulations Mr. Perera! What an amazing car!
I have been eyeing these Skoda SUVs every since Kodiaq was launched.

Loved the Alloys on your Ecosport. With the addition of the vRS, this is wonderful garage you got yourself!

[Mr.Perera]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Congrats on the car. Looks like Trivandrum and I hope to see this black beauty on the road sometime.

Excellent pictures. They really give a better perspective of the interiors - and they do look a class above - compared to the T-Roc or even the Compass.

Thanks a lot ! Yes the photos were shot mostly near the Shankhumugham beach in Trivandrum. And yes, the interiors are definitely as good as what we see in the X1 or GLA !

Originally Posted by Sree

Congratulations on your purchase and for a wonderful review.
I waited a long time for the karoq to be launched and finally bought the Tiguan last year.
I know that the Tiguan is slightly bigger and has a bigger engine, but reading this review makes me doubt whether I should have waited more.
Enjoy.

Thanks Sree. We too checked out the Tiguan last year. Such a well built and wonderful car, since it had only a diesel powertrain we gave it a skip.

Originally Posted by moncar

Congratulations for the latest acquisition!
An excellent in-depth car review which could be labelled as “The complete Karoq guide for the Indian customer”.
Am curious to know about various driver assist features in the car viz lane assist / emergency brake assist/ blind spot monitor etc.
I am sure you will enjoy the Karoq for years to come as it a heart driven buy ticking most of the boxes right!

Thank you ! Sadly the Karoq doesn't come with lane assist and blind spot monitor. The emergency brake assist is a great feature, while reversing or slowly moving at parking speeds and you miss to see something like a motorcycle or a plant pot, the car automatically brakes when you go near it. Saved my vRS's rear bumper few times I must say ! The Karoq also has the same.

Originally Posted by Highh5

Stunning will be an under statement for this Czech beauty.
Any day, will love clean crisp straight lines rather than curves, and no one knows that better than Skoda.
Absolutely love your review and above all those drool worthy Panning shots of car.
You I think will be the first in India to own vRS along with Karoq now.

I'm definitely going to get some panning shots this weekend after watching your pics.
Enjoy your beauty Man !!

Thanks Man ! The vRS and the Karoq are surely great cars and I am super happy to have them in the garage. Both cars have so much character ! After these photos of the Karoq, me and my friend are planning some rolling shots of the vRS also in the coming days !

Originally Posted by ashvek3141

Congrats on your new steed Mr. Perera. The car is simply fantastic & so is your review. Superb detailing & the pics do equal justice to the car. Some great captures there!
Needless to say that you have some drool-worthy cars in your garage.

I just came across an instagram story by the Code6 Tuners, and seems like people have already started remapping their Karoq’s. I saw one in black from Trivandrum; is it your’s by any chance?

Oh, btw that rear camera washer is Simply Clever!

Wish you many miles in your Karoq.

Thanks a lot ! . And I must saw you have Hawk eyes ! The black Karoq you saw infact is mine itself we are still working on the map. both my Ecosport and vRS are currently running on Code6 tunes. The Karoq too didn't want to feel left out !

Originally Posted by mr_freakky

Congratulations Mr.Perera on acquiring the First Karoq of India. The car looks badass in this Magic black shade with the blackened out grille. Kudos to your friend for capturing such stunning pics. Happy miles. Keep Revving!!

Thanks a lot Mr Freakky !

Originally Posted by kovilkalai

Congratulations! Beautiful looking car. Permit me to offer my opinions on Skoda in general and this car specifically.

I am a former Skoda owner and I love the VW group designs (not Audis as much as VW & Skoda). There are four things that bug me about their cars:

1. Expensive to buy (you are the second largest car company in the world; just make stuff in India boss!)

2. Expensive to own (again... spare parts ridiculously expensive)

3. Painful to own (the legendary Skoda service)

4. Reliability - even with the 12-month service interval, I had more niggles in my Laura than the XUV500 and Hexa that I bought after that. Thank about that for a bit. I am not comparing the Skoda to a Toyota. I am comparing it to a Mahindra and a Tata

As for the design of the Karoq, I think the ideal length (for visual appeal) would be somewhere between the Kodiaq and Karoq. I have always felt that the Kodiaq is a tad too long. This one seems a wee bit short in the rear. Also, anyone else notice that the rear wheel arches look smaller? Interiors are fantastic.

Thanks kovilkala. I kind of disagree to few of your points. There are few cars like the new Rapid Rider and the previous Octavia vRS which are super value for money cars. The level of quality, driving dynamics and features they offer are definitely a class above. Also yes, the spares are expensive side, mainly because there is noticeable difference in their quality in any of the German cars. We do have a Ford and a Honda in the garage too. Both of them are super cheap to maintain, but every part on the Skodas feels solid and much better built. And currently the Skoda service has much much improved than before. I haven't faced any issues with them yet. I know many other previous Skoda owners who have had a nightmare with the brand, the same was the case with Ford long back. But owning cars from Ford and Skoda now, I can say both of them have improved their service part !

Originally Posted by mankuthimma

Congrats Mr. Perera ! Wishing you and your dad many years of enjoyable experience and great memories with the car!!

Very well written review accompanied by some of the best shots of the car from your friend. Loved the shot of the alloy wheels reflected in the pool of water !!

This car oozes premiumness inside out.. the most desirable car in the current market! Thanks to Skoda for bringing international car to our shores.. There are no signs of cost cutting at all.. appreciate the way Skoda has packed lil goodies like LED torch, umbrella, headlight washer.. even a rear camera washer.. simply clever !! these little tidbits shows how much the company loves its customers.. contrary to Japs/Koreans who cut down even on usable features in the name of cost cutting..

A lingering question about CBU cars like these.. maintenance.. how are the service centres equipped to handle maintenance of these imported cars ? Have they received some spare parts as part of CBU norms ? if not, what are the lead times in case of issues ? what were your own thoughts on maintaining it on a longer term ?

Thanks mankuthimma. I had a check with the service few weeks back and many of the replacement parts for the Karoq have already reached. The Karoq and the T-Roc are the torchbearers for this new 1.5L TSI engine, and by the looks of it there will be so many cars in the VW and Skoda group that are gonna get this same powerplant. Also since Skoda has a plan to manufacture the Karoq locally, I guess in the long run availability of the parts might not be a major issue.

Originally Posted by StarrySky

Hello Mr.Perera, congratulations on owning the Karoq. It is a very nice car and I hope it will serve you for many years!

Thanks a ton StarrySky.

Originally Posted by prasadathani

Hello Mr Perera,
Was waiting for a review of the Karoq just didn't expect it to be this quick and this well-written. Your blackened chrome grill has convinced me to get it done on the Karoq that I am planning to buy. White colour car though and I am sure it will look good as well.

Congrats on a great buy and wish you many many happy miles on this car. Kudos on the car and the beautiful pictures that accompanied it.

Thanks prasadathani. Waiting for your initial impression of your Karoq soon ! It is definitely a great buy !

Originally Posted by man_of_steel

Well done Mr Perera on the review. Well written! Hope your dad has a very good time with the Karoq.

Thank you Superman ! By the looks of it my dad will have a difficult time getting the keys of the Karoq from me !

Originally Posted by Sanjay Halikar

Congratulations Mr. Perera on your beautiful acquisition.

Love the way it looks and how it effortlessly exudes high build quality and workmanship. Reading your review was akin to having a virtual drive of the car. Brilliant photographs as well.

Happy Motoring!

Thanks a lot Sanjay !

Originally Posted by ashish2135

Congratulations Mr. Perera! What an amazing car!
I have been eyeing these Skoda SUVs every since Kodiaq was launched.

Loved the Alloys on your Ecosport. With the addition of the vRS, this is wonderful garage you got yourself!

Thanks Ashish ! I too am a big fan of those alloys ! Changing the alloys in the Ecosport was indeed a great decision !

[Turbospool83]

Congratulations Perera for this hot acquisition

The car looks absolutely stunning in black shade, yes I agree that this car is on the expensive side but it is still worth investing in it. it is a Keeper for sure

It is good to see Malayalam Skoda is trying its best. It's evident that they have come a long way from earlier days (Marikar Horror stories). I am happy with the service they provide for may Rapid for the last couple of years.

Wishing you & your loved ones unlimited safe & happy miles with the Karoq.
Stay safe.

[joe_lightspeed]

Hey Anand, i've seen the pictures and your posts of this car in the C-6 WhatsApp group since its delivery!

Lovely review and amazing photos!! congratulations on your latest acquisition Mr.perera!

Wishing you many more happy miles ahead!!

[Mr.Perera]

Originally Posted by Turbospool83

Congratulations Perera for this hot acquisition

The car looks absolutely stunning in black shade, yes I agree that this car is on the expensive side but it is still worth investing in it. it is a Keeper for sure

It is good to see Malayalam Skoda is trying its best. It's evident that they have come a long way from earlier days (Marikar Horror stories). I am happy with the service they provide for may Rapid for the last couple of years.

Wishing you & your loved ones unlimited safe & happy miles with the Karoq.
Stay safe.

Thanks a lot Turbospool ! Will see you around

Originally Posted by joe_lightspeed

Hey Anand, i've seen the pictures and your posts of this car in the C-6 WhatsApp group since its delivery!

Lovely review and amazing photos!! congratulations on your latest acquisition Mr.perera!

Wishing you many more happy miles ahead!!

Thanks a lot Joe !

[shibujp]

Congrats on your purchase and great review. To repeat the obvious - great pictures!

Originally Posted by Mr.Perera

Interiors

1. KIA Seltos DCT- This car generated a very big hype even before its launch. It ticked all the boxes and even had so many great features like ventilated seats, 360 degree camera etc. Even before the official price announcement we booked a GT Line with DCT gearbox. The sales associate assured us that after the official price announcement the deliveries will begin within a week itself. We planned things in such a way that my brother was coming home from the US for a month long vacation and we could take delivery during that time. But even after the price announcement the Trivandrum Kia dealer seemed unsure about delivery and kept on postponing the expected delivery date. They were unable to arrange a test drive car even after 1 month of booking. We got so disappointed and in the meantime my brother came and went back too. We then decided to cancel the booking since we were not at all happy with the Kia dealer in Trivandrum. After that we never wanted to go back to Kia again, a clear example of how a bad dealership experience ruined our perception about a new brand. And getting back the cancellation amount was another long story. Will post that some other time.

Too bad about the Seltos DCT. But I guess it is a usual experience when a mass manufacturer has a performance variant in their lineup. It's usually very hard to get a TD vehicle. When hunting for my Polo GT TDI, it took two months for VW to provide me a TD of the Polo 1.6 diesel. It's a no brainer to have a TD vehicle too since people buying that variant are doing so for the performance.

Originally Posted by Mr.Perera

11. As usual with Skoda we need to 'compulsorily' pay an extra of Rs 15,999 for their 'Essential Kit'. This kit includes items like floor mats, mud flaps, a waste bin, some nets for the boot, 2 cushions and headrest holder + coat hanger.

I can't rave enough about the VAG group mats. For me not even the 3D mats come close. The VAG ones are so well engineered as is evident from your pictures and provide excellent coverage too.

Looking forward to a review of the Code6 tune shortly. If I am not mistaken doesn't the gearbox have a maximum torque rating of 250 Nm that the engine is already tuned to? How is this going to be taken care of?

Drive on,
Shibu.

[Mr.Perera]

Originally Posted by shibujp

Congrats on your purchase and great review. To repeat the obvious - great pictures!



Too bad about the Seltos DCT. But I guess it is a usual experience when a mass manufacturer has a performance variant in their lineup. It's usually very hard to get a TD vehicle. When hunting for my Polo GT TDI, it took two months for VW to provide me a TD of the Polo 1.6 diesel. It's a no brainer to have a TD vehicle too since people buying that variant are doing so for the performance.



I can't rave enough about the VAG group mats. For me not even the 3D mats come close. The VAG ones are so well engineered as is evident from your pictures and provide excellent coverage too.

Looking forward to a review of the Code6 tune shortly. If I am not mistaken doesn't the gearbox have a maximum torque rating of 250 Nm that the engine is already tuned to? How is this going to be taken care of?

Drive on,
Shibu.

Thanks a lot. The experience I had with NCS Kia was very bad. They were super enthusiastic to get the booking amount from me. But afterwards the super enthusiastic sales associate, started hanging up my calls, stopped replying to my messages. What I felt was there was some sort of competition between the dealers regarding who gets the maximum number of bookings. They were like we need to hit 300 today, that will make us the third largest in South India n all. Customer satisfaction seemed not a priority for them. Dont think I'll ever go back to them. Also while booking they assured me if I cancel the booking, the next day itself they will refund the booking amount. But after cancelling, it took so many calls, escalations and 3 weeks for them to refund the amount. Whenever I used to call, the sales associate was like "I am with another customer and I'll call you later", and will hang up my call. When I called his manager he was like "Im in a meeting, Il call you later" and never called back. Have never had such an experience with any other dealer !

And yeah the mats are just too good ! It is undoubtedly the only good thing we got for the 16K we paid fo the 'Essential Kit' !

Regarding the remap, most reputed tuners do a TCU tune along with the ECU tune while remapping the VAG DSG cars. Cars like the VW Polo GTi, Octavia 1.8TSi also come with DQ200, and have exactly 250 Nm torque output. 250Nm limit is an electronically set limit if Im right for the DQ200, and with the TCU tune they increase the limit to 350 to 400 Nm so that the gearbox can handle the extra torque due to the ECU remap. Have seen stage 3 tuned cars with around 370 Nm torque running on the stock DQ200 gearbox. Im not sure if it will affect the long term reliability of the gearbox.

[drmohitg]

Congratulations on your new ride. That was an amazing review with pictures matching the official review standards. The car indeed looks great but sadly I feel is tad overpriced specially with the likes of Seltos and Creta into the play. Their top end variants are priced a cool 4L less. Nevertheless wishing you many happy miles with it.

[slayer23]

Mr. Perera - thanks for the great review! I must say this car is a treat to the eyes and oozes elegance! The proportions looks great and the interiors are absolutely stunning.

How's the space in the back? I am 6'4 and hence asking.

[123.rishabh]

Many Congratulations on your new prized possession, wishing you many happy miles with it.
Was curious to know, how effective is the rear camera washer ? Is it able to successfully clean the cam after a drive on our dirty wet roads ?

[Gixxy.danger]

Hello Mr. Perera!
Congratulations on acquiring a new garage buddy for the Octy v-RS. Skoda has a small yet a salivating line up in India currently. The CBU quality is exuberant and evident in the pictures. Never have I such a brilliant finish on black paint in India! Speaks volume about the international quality standards.

Kudos to your and father for listening to your instincts and heart and going for it even after they priced it pretty steeply.

Happy miles to you and your folks!