Motoring: Skoda’s sparkling small SUV,
As We accelerate into the New Year, some lucky people will be taking delivery of the latest SUV from the name that’s seen arguably the biggest turnaround in a generation. Arriving on British driveways from mid-January will be the new skoda Karoq SUV. this family friendly, flexible five- seater looks and acts the business both inside and out and is a joy to drive, with a bold and stylish exterior and a smart, but unfussy, interior with tasteful lighting.
the Czech company’s renaissance since the collapse of the soviet bloc nearly 30 years ago, when it was acquired by Volkswagen, has been stunning. today it vacuums up all manner of awards.
the Karoq, named after an indigenous Alaskan tribe, is the smart successor to the successful Yeti off-roader. it’s the smaller sibling of the Kodiaq 4x4, which takes its name from the island home of the Karoq people.
prices start at £20,875 for the se, one of three trim levels. the se L model costs from £23 £23,165 and the top-of-the-range edition model is priced from £27,110.
Alloy wheels, privacy glass, Led rear lights, dual- zone climate control, front assist, pedestrian monitor and driver fatigue sensor are standard features fitted across the range.
i drove the range- topping edition in fetching emerald Green metallic paint, powered by a 1.5 litre tsi 150 bhp sevenspeed automatic petrol engine.
sitting on 19-in alloy wheels, it’s a smooth and engaging drive and nimble around town with light steering. it can go from rest to 62 mph in 8.6 seconds with a top speed of 126 mph. it claims fuel efficiency of 50.4mpg and Co2 emissions of 127g/km. other engine options are a 1- litre petrol, and two 1.6 and 2-litre diesel injection variants.
the car is safe, too, recently achieving the top 5-star score in the EuroNCAP crash tests.