Skoda KAROQ will make its debut this December
SKODA Ireland have revealed full details of the eagerly-anticipated KAROQ , the second model in the brand’s SUV offensive.
The SKODA KAROQ will make its debut this December and starts at just €27,715 for the very well-equipped Ambition model. New technologies including a digital information display and a new 1.5 TSI petrol engine will be featured for the first time in a SKODA.
The KAROQ sits just below its bigger brother, the KODIAQ, in the SKODA line-up, giving customers all the space, functionality and simply clever features that are synonymous with the brand.
The KAROQ offers exceptional space and functionality for five people, with the SKODA Design language clear to see.
From its aggressive stance and off-road character to its LED lighting, use of high-quality materials and precise workmanship, the KAROQ makes a great first impression.
The positive impressions continue when you discover the optional Vario-Flex seats that can be adjusted forward and back, folded or completely removed, allowing for the boot capacity to be increased to a cavernous 1,810 litres if required, as well as the umbrella beneath the passenger seat and the optional electric tailgate.
From a dimensions point-of-view it is larger than the Yeti, which it replaces, 160mm longer, 48mm wider and the boot capacity increasing by 105 litres. Despite this, the KAROQ is actually 13kg lighter than the outgoing Yeti.
New technologies including driver-assistance systems and full LED headlights are featured and – for the first time in a SKODA – a digital instrument panel, which allows the driver to dynamically view numerous pieces of information at a touch of a button.
The KAROQ comes with a choice of four engine variants ranging from 116 HP to 150 BHP with three DSG offerings as well as a 150hp 4X4. The top navigation systems, Columbus and Amundsen, also offer a Wi-Fi hotspot and an optional LTE module is available for the Columbus system for on board WIFI. A wireless phone charger can also be added to the KAROQ removing any smart phone battery life anxiety.
The Ambition trim comes standard with 17” Ratikon alloys, 8” touch screen Bolero radio, 2-zone Climatronic air-conditioning, rear parking sensors, Smart Link+ and chrome roof rails and window surrounds. The Style trim adds 18” Mytikas alloys, 9.2” Columbus touch screen Sat Nav, Sim card slot for SKODA Connect, rear view camera, DAB radio and Keyless Entry with Start/Stop button. Your daily drive could become a source of income, and even help you to make new friends, with an innovative app that fills empty car seats and, connects like-minded drivers and riders based on location and route.
The idea, from French-based start-up Zify, is among three winning apps from Ford’s Make It Driveable AppLink challenge – each receiving €10,000 and an opportunity to work further with Ford.
Also selected was Acast, which offers podcast streams tailored to the driver’s commute, interests and time of day; and RouteValet, which brings multi-modal private and public transportation into one journey-planning app.
‘For the smart cities of tomorrow we need smarter vehicles, and these three winning apps could each play a role in simplifying our future commutes, making them more enjoyable and even enabling drivers to generate an income from journeys they would be making anyway,’ said Abraham Philip, manager, Connected Vehicle and Services, Ford of Europe, at the awards ceremony held in the Gustav Eiffel Salon, at the Eiffel Tower, in Paris.
Ford’s SYNC connectivity system enables drivers to voice-control smartphone apps from the driver’s seat and to access them using a touchscreen. For the challenge, Ford received more than 70 applications from European mobility, telematics, parking, productivity and entertainment start-ups; with the 20 that were shortlisted already offering in-market applications and solutions and the potential to be fast-tracked for use with Ford vehicles.
Ford has run app challenges in Berlin, Dublin and Tel Aviv, and provides software and technology to the app developer community through the SYNC AppLink Developer Program – with more than 15,000 registered users. The free SYNC Emulator software enables developers to create and test apps for compatibility with the automaker’s connectivity system – without needing to access an actual vehicle.