SKODA KAROQ 1.5 TSI DSG
SUV ticks more boxes than you might expect at this price point
Another week, another new crossover from the Volkswagen Group. Yet the Skoda Karoq, tested in the UK for the first time, manages to stand out thanks to both an impressive range of talents and some very attractive pricing.
Our test car was a Czech-registered left-hand drive model, but we’re told that the European ‘Style’ trim is almost identical to the spec of the tree-topping British ‘Edition’ when it gets here early next year.
It’s pretty well loaded with kit, including leather trim, a panoramic sunroof, a power-operated driver’s seat and an electric tailgate as standard, plus Skoda’s top-spec Columbus infotainment system. When powered, as here, by the 1.5-litre TSI petrol engine that Skoda reckons will be the biggest seller in the UK, it is set to cost a very competitive £28,410 when specified with the optional seven-speed DSG automatic gearbox.
The Karoq is not a car to set pulses racing, yet it does everything well enough to qualify as a serious allrounder. The interior offers generous space compared with those cramped rivals that have opted for coupé rooflines, with adult-sized space front and rear. The Varioflex rear seating – standard in Edition trim – gives impressive adaptability, with the ability to fold, slide or remove the three rear seats separately; in full psuedo-van configuration, there’s 1810 litres of space.
The driving experience is thoroughly easy-going, the 1.5-litre engine being tuned for torque and happiest when asked to deliver relaxed progress. It will rev to the 6000rpm redline when asked to do so, giving the Karoq a reasonable turn of speed. There’s also enough low-down urge to chirp the front tyres when pulling out of junctions thanks to the abrupt step-off of the twin-clutch gearbox but, once rolling, ratios are traded seamlessly.
Refinement is good apart from slight wind whistle from the tops of the doors, and ride quality impresses with well-damped compliance over choppy British tarmac, albeit wearing 18in wheels rather than the 19s that will come as standard with the Uk-spec Edition.
The Karoq is no performance car, but it’s not a dull one either, hanging on gamely to its modest limits and driving with a satisfying accuracy.