THROUGH THE RANGE
Which trim level might suit you?
THIS two-wheel-drive 1.5 TSI manual powertrain option is available in SE and SE L specifications. Go for the former and, with a £2,500 deposit and on the same terms as its rivals, it will set you back £326 per month, helped by a £1,450 contribution up front from Skoda.
SE trim brings a decent level of smartphone connectivity, with Android Auto and Apple Carplay allowing you to use your mobile’s nav. Also included as standard are climate and cruise control, parking sensors, AEB and 17-inch alloys.
The SE L model we tested comes well equipped, as we’ve seen, and will cost you £360 per month on the same PCP finance deal. Higher-spec Edition, Scout and Sportline versions of the Karoq aren’t available as a two-wheel-drive manual. Our choice: Karoq 1.5 TSI 150 SE L
Citroen C5 Aircross
THE Connect Nav system in the C5 Aircross will be familiar to anyone who has spent time in a PSA product recently. That means the eight-inch touchscreen’s graphics are sharp enough and there’s good functionality with sat-nav, Carplay and Android Auto, plus a built-in dash cam that’ll help if you’re involved in an accident.
However, the system isn’t flawless. The screen can be slow to respond to inputs and because the climate controls are part of the infotainment package, you need to come out of the nav programme, say, and go into the climate controls to adjust the temperature or fan speed.
The row of touch-sensitive buttons below the screen also isn’t as satisfying to use as the piano key-style buttons in the Peugeot 3008 that uses a similar infotainment system. But the basic level of technology offered here is good, even if it’s outshone by both rivals.
Kia Sportage
8” Touchscreen Nav Standard Key features: Smartphone connectivity EDITION 25 spec comes with an eight-inch touchscreen as standard. Although the 2 trim in our pictures shows a seven-inch unit, the graphics and interface are just the same, so the resolution is as high, it’s as easy to use and the set-up is identical, only displayed on a smaller panel. It responds quickly and the functionality offered is good.
Carplay and Android Auto are standard, so connectivity is decent, while built-in sat-nav with traffic info is also included, as are local search and weather updates.
Fundamentally, the infotainment is good and logical to operate. The tile-based menu icons are easy to use and (mostly) match the Skoda for their straightforward functionality. A few processes have one too many steps, but the real drawback is that the Sportage range doesn’t get a digital dash option, while this trim level doesn’t feature wireless phone charging, even as an extra.
Skoda Karoq
A FEW prods and presses of the Skoda’s eight-inch Amundsen touchscreen infotainment system is all it takes to reveal it’s the best of this bunch. SE L trim offers built-in sat-nav, like its rivals, while Apple Carplay and Android Auto also feature if you’d prefer to use your smartphone for navigation and other functions. Both connectivity programmes work well.
The Karoq’s higher- resolution display helps; the only drawbacks are that the glossy screen can sometimes make it hard to see in bright light and easily picks up fingerprints. But it is the quickest unit to register your inputs and it responds swiftly. There’s little delay, unlike in the Citroen, which we found very frustrating.
You also get a Wifi hotspot, voice control and one year’s online info services subscription, while the option of a £450 digital dash has improved this system further.