Skoda Karoq: Tops in terms of price and performance

Sat, 07 Apr, 2018 - 01:00

What? Another SUV? Well it is hard to avoid them these days, such is the growing ubiquity of the genre, but yes, this week we review another one of them. And this one is damn good too, writes Declan Colley.

Now, as we have been telling you in these columns since Volkswagen became embroiled in a scandal which has to date cost the company in the region of €18bn (and counting), a growing shift within the VW Group has seen much greater emphasis being placed on the importance of two of its elements.

Skoda and Seat, both formerly regarded as important but small elements in the future VW Group grand plan, have had much greater levels of responsibility placed on them since 2015, particularly when it came to returning profit for the parent company.

Seat had heretofore rarely returned any sort of a profit for its German paymasters, while Skoda had been very profitable, but was regarded as something of a lesser-order by the boys in Wolfsburg.

And then it all changed — quickly and without much warning. Suddenly the two minions were being told that their efforts were to attain a much greater level of significance within the group as a whole and they were therefore being given a whole lot more investment resources and a greater say in the sorts of vehicles they were allowed make.

Before 2015, there had been few plans from either company to get on the SUV bandwagon. Volkswagen, the VW Group told its subsidiaries, was far better placed to profit from making such vehicles. And then it was not.

Skoda and Seat had plenty of stuff on the drawing board — idealised musings, if you will — but nothing concrete. Months later they were busting production records to get four of them to the marketplace.

Skoda hit the ground first with the brilliant Kodiaq, followed swiftly by impressive Seat’s Ateca. Then came the ever-so-good Seat Arona and finally the Skoda Karoq.

Both companies each have another one ready to roll so — Seat has their version of the Kodiaq and Skoda has the small one coming along.

The first three of the above we’ve driven quite a lot of — in both petrol and diesel guises — and been terribly impressed by each of them.

Sure they are not all designed to do the same job or even appeal of the same people, but each is more meritorious that anyone might have thought – even those heads in Volkswagen. And look, both companies are now in profit and looking very healthy indeed.

The Karoq is the one we focus on this week. A truly excellent car from the Czechs, this is something which is going to sell in voluminous numbers. Although the tester was basked in a sort of battleship grey colour (Business Grey Metallic, officially) and almost completely anonymous in said duds, this is a good looking car. Just don’t get that grey.

As a package the Karoq is not only built to sell, but it is priced to sell as well. In normal two wheel drive, the VW Group’s great one litre turbo petrol and with basic kit, it will set you back some €27,717, while if you want to go all upmarket and hit the Karoq heights with the fully loaded two litre turbodiesel with DGS and 4x4 and a pile of goodies, it will cost just €37,765.

Now, you might remember that just a week ago we tried a similarly-sized Jaguar and while there is an entry model costing under forty grand, the actual tester we had was nearly £80,000.

That’s something of a price chasm between the two cars and when you think that there is not that much between them technologically or in engineering terms — just a badge.

Putting to one side the ugly spectre of badge snobbery, you’d have to think that the Czech machine is a hell of a lot more value for money than its Indian-owned British counterpart.

I could be accused of mixing things up here — premium compact SUV versus bargain-basement compact SUV — but the lines very often get blurred these days between one and another.

The bottom line is that if I was offered a 40,000 saving between one and the other of these cars, I have no doubt which I would be picking.

Ok, so the Skoda — as tested — was not a 4x4, but then the price comparison between the most basic and very Spartan two-wheel-drive Jag and the Karoq we drove, which was pretty fully loaded, was the bones of seven grand — meaning it is still the one I’d have.

Certainly not everything about the Skoda reeks of class and superiority, but it is a really excellent car to drive, boasts immense practicality, loads of kit and represents the sort of value for money so rarely offered by manufacturers these days.

The tester was fitted with the new VW Group 1.5 TSI turbocharged petrol engine with an output of some 150 bhp which in turn results in a 204km/h top speed and a 0-100km/h time of 8.1 seconds. Peak torque, interestingly, arrived between 1,500 and 3,500 rpm, while peak power is not achieved until between 5,000 and 6,000 rpm.

So, the engine is quite torquey and this gives it the demeanour of a competent rather than flashy performer and while you will be able to chirp the tyres when the lights turn green, you will not be exploding forth like a muzzle-flash.

That said — and allied with a six speed manual box — the engine will deliver smooth, predictable progress both around town and on the open road, but still has enough guts to get you out of a tricky spot when needed.

There are acceptable levels of benign understeer, as you might expect from a front wheel drive petrol turbo, but the Karoq delivered no unpleasant surprises in the handling department and was indeed as good as anything else I’ve tried in the class. The ride too was very acceptable, even when in load-carrying mode.

The car has an excellent interior and the padded plastics on the dashboard and surrounds lend an aura of classiness and the same could be said about some of the advanced electronics systems on offer.

The connectivity systems were excellently intuitive and worth noting is the adaptable but optional VarioFlex seating layout which is well worth having.

Skoda has been given an excellent opportunity to show what it can do within the confines of VW Group operations and the Kodiaq and now the Karoq, demonstrate quite clearly that the company is a lot more able than many have given it credit for.

This Karoq is already a class leader in terms of price, performance and practicality and it is also going to be a sales winner for a company that is really going places.