BUDGET DRIVE

If the Karoq Sportline is a bit rich for the budget, Skoda still has the 110TSI model available for a more digestible $32,990. The 2020 version of that car has a new 1.4litre four-cylinder turbo making 110kW of power and 250Nm of torque, matched to a new, more city-friendly conventional 8-speed auto.

It’s a more practical package than the 140 as it comes with Skoda’s VarioFlex seating arrangement, which allows you to turn the Karoq into a small van by removing all the rear seats.

It gets the same 8-inch touchscreen and digital driver display, as well as Apple CarPlay/ Android Auto, dual-zone climate control with rear air vents and adaptive cruise control.

As with the 140TSI there are option packs that add more luxury and driver assistance tech, taking you closer to $40,000 if you tick all the boxes. VW says the option packs represent a 40 per cent discount on what you’d pay for the individual items and there are further discounts if you buy more than one pack.

But disappointingly they contain safety equipment that is standard on rival SUVs, including blind-spot detection, lane-keep assist and rear cross-traffic alert.

On the road, the 110 TSI is focused more on comfort than speed. It’s not as accomplished as the Sportline through the bends and the auto is slower to react while the engine lacks the sportier model’s grunt.

Having said that, it has above-par shove off the mark and proved very frugal on test, as the eight-speed switched early to lower gears to keep consumption down.