CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK
Skoda’s new compact SUV resembles its Kodiaq big brother in many ways and that’s a good thing, argues Matt Allan
The Skoda Yeti and Kodiaq were two of my favourite cars of last year. The Yeti, despite some flaws was a characterful utilitarian compact SUV while the Kodiaq simply nailed its blend of space, practicality, comfort and value better than any rival.
Now we’ve got the Karoq, which is a sort of amalgamation of the two.
Despite the Yeti’s continued appeal it didn’t fit with Skoda’s brand direction and was also getting long in the tooth. The Karoq aims to address that by taking a different approach.
From the outside Skoda’s departure from the Yeti is obvious. That car’s boxy, individual looks have been replaced by a shape that looks like a shrunken Kodiaq.that’ s not a bad thing— the bold, sharp lines look good — but the fun appearance was one of the Yeti’s big draws.
Bigger than the yeti, thekaroq is roughly Qashqai sized and priced, looking to take on the Nissan and Seat’s Ateca in the C-SUV segment.
Two of the Yeti’s biggest problems were a poor driving position and some lowish-rent cabin materials. Both issues have been thoroughly sorted with the Karoq.
For a start, the driving position and visibility are excellent. You sit high in comfortable, supportive seats and visibility all around is great.
The interior follows the Skoda pattern of logical layout and high-quality construction. Even SE spec cars get squishy dash tops as well as a pleasantly high-grade mix of high-gloss plastic and metallic details.
As good as the cabin is, our test car suffered from tyre roar from its 19-inch wheels. The ride also felt stiff at times but cars with smaller wheels don’t seem to suffer either problem.
Those issues aside, the Karoq is a great drive. The steering is nicely balanced and body control is impressively flat.
Unlike the large SUV sector, thekaroq’ s class is all about petrol andSkoda’ s148bhp 1.5- litre is expected to be the best-seller. It’s a great fit – quiet, smooth and packing plenty of punch. The fact that cylinder deactivation allows it to offer realworld economy in the mid-40s is a bonus.
Thekaroq is available in three trims: SE SE L and Edition.
Priced from £20,875, the SE has plenty of equipment, including 17-inch alloys, dualzone climate control, cruise control, front assist with pedestrian detection and autonomouscity bra king, and an eight inch media screen. Further up the range come bigger wheels, sat nav, panoramic roof, leather seats and bigger media screens.
It might seem dismissive to describe the Karoq as looking and feeling like a scaled-down Kodiaq but it’s not meant that way. The Karoq has all the qualities of its big brother— sharp design, solid construction, space and comfort — but in a more compact package. Given how well the Kodiaq has done it’ s hard not to imagine the Karoq following suit.
“Two of the Yeti’s biggest problems were a poor driving position and some lowish-rent cabin materials. Both issues have been thoroughly sorted with the Karoq”