Skoda Karoq

The Yeti’s replacement is in our garage

The Yeti is dead! Long live the Karoq. We loved the Yeti at TG Towers. I remember the original concept; I loved the Tonka-toy looks and bug-eyed front end. It screamed utility.

So we welcome the Karoq with cautious optimism. Has it retained the soul of its predecessor? First impressions say not – it looks a VW Group copy-and-paste job – but maybe it’ll surprise me once I know it.

Our car is a top-of-the-range Edition spec, which comes packed with stuf. The choice features for me are the 19in Crater alloys that look so much better than any other wheels available, smart green metallic paint, a huge 9.2in touchscreen, chrome roof rails, electric boot, LED adaptive headlights and a panoramic sunroof.

Options we’ve gone for include the family pack (£120), which includes rear heat-insulated glass to stop the kids overheating, a double-sided boot mat and rubbish bin. The other option of note is a front passenger seat ISOFIX (£35). Essential? I’ll report back what’s worth having later, but the one thing my kids liked more than any other were the fold-out tables on the seat-backs. Easily pleased, my two.

We’ve got the peppy 1.5-litre petrol with DSG powering us along, and on my frst drive I noted that the relationship between throttle input and ’box is inconsistent, so sometimes we lurch away with a nod of the head. Not ideal. Let’s see if that loosens up with some miles.

I need to fnd out what a Karoq is now. Sounds like a Moroccan footballer to me.