Bad Dad ’Roq
Goodbye Skoda Karoq
As the Karoq departs the
TG fleet, it’s time for me to wave goodbye and to deliver judgement on whether I’d give my hard-earned cash for the little Czech SUV. So I’ve decided to rate it against the three things I look for in a car. Which are: the ability to transport my family in a safe way, with enough space and be fun to drive.
Being a family car is what the Karoq does best. There’s plenty of handy touches like the door bin, umbrella and boot hooks going on, but the most important would be the Varioflex seating system where the rear seats slide, recline and fold forward independently, which is very useful if you have children of different ages.
Unfortunately the driving position is the one thing that would stop me buying this car. I got used to it but it was never comfortable for me on long journeys. The pedals are set too far into the cabin, and I couldn’t move the seat and steering wheel into a position where it worked for me. Get my feet comfy and the steering wheel was too far away and there wasn’t enough room behind for my lads’ feet. Or get the steering wheel right and room for a small human and then my ankle ached. In addition, the ride is too firm on these huge wheels, and it’s also not remotely interesting to drive. The parking sensors also went off with such regularity that it became a boy-who-criedwolf situation. I just didn’t trust them.
Whereas the old Yeti used to stand out from the crowd, the Karoq blends into the undeniably very smart and well-built small VAG SUV crowd. Verdict: a no from me.