The all new Skoda Karoq launched at Rs 24.99 lakhs

From the cold tips of the mountains, the Skoda Yeti would be looking at the Karoq, almost with a sense of pride. The Karoq joins the Skoda range of cars as a successor of the Yeti, and it is everything what the Yeti was, but naturally it has grown in size, has become more technologically equipped and has a bolder road presence than its predecessor. However, in spite of doing well in the looks, features and powertrain department, Skoda seem to have botched the pricing, and that could end up haunting them in the future. Let us read into what the new Karoq has to offer.

The exteriors of the Karoq

The Karoq will be sitting under the mammoth sized Kodiaq and you can see the similarity between the 2, the Karoq shares that aggressive yet elegant exterior with the Kodiaq and I quite particularly like that. On the front end you would see the LED headlamps along with which are present the ‘eyelash’ styled LED daytime running lights. Right below the headlamps are the trapezoid shaped fog lamps on whose side are present headlamp washers, and together, the headlamps and fog lamps look quite handsome.

The grill between the headlamps is very ‘Skoda’ and that is a good thing, as for the rear, the Karoq has a set of wraparound ‘C’ shaped LED tail lights. The window frames get chrome ascents, the roof rails have a silver metallic shade and the wheels sport a fantastic set of 17 inch dual tone alloy wheels. A panoramic electric sunroof (with bounce-back system), which seems to be the requirement in any premium priced suv is also offered on the Karoq. All in all, the Karoq has neat and sharp lines, is very well built, looks handsome, thus making the vehicle look quite solid.

The interiors of the Karoq

Once you enter the cabin of the Karoq, it feels very plush and yet tidy, and if you have been in other Skoda vehicles, this would feel like a familiar space to be. The bits which would be straightaway observed are the 3 spoke steering wheel, a digital instrument cluster which houses the ‘Virtual Cockpit’, and a 8.0 inch touchscreen infotainment system.

The interiors make use of a beige and black colour combination which portrays a very upmarket feel, the seats employ a stone beige leather upholstery, the steering wheel and the gearbox shifter also are leather wrapped. Furthermore, the A/C vents use silver inserts and pedals are made of aluminium, which would look and feel quite sporty. Apart from this, the Karoq a dual zone climate control system, ambient lightning with multiple colour options, LED spot lamps, electronically adjustable driver seat with memory function and many other other convenient features.

The powertrain of the Karoq

As there is only variant on offer, only 1 engine will be available and that is the 1.5 litre turbo petrol engine which produces 150 ps and 250 nm of torque. This engine is coupled with a 7 speed automatic dual clutch transmission, and Skoda claims that the Karoq has a top speed of 202 km/hr. Something which will surely be missed is a 4×4 offering, I hope in the future Skoda has plans on offering an All-Wheel-Drive variant of the Karoq.

The safety equipment of the Karoq

The Karoq has an extensive safety kit comprising of features such as 9 airbags, ABS (Anti Lock Braking System) with EBD (Electronic Brake-force Distribution), ESC (Electronic Stability Control), Cruise Control, Hill Start Assist, front and rear parking sensors, a rear parking camera and TPM (Tyre Pressure Monitoring).

Colors, price and rivals of the Karoq

The Karoq will be available in 6 different shades, namely, Candy White, Magnetic Brown, Lava Blue (which is my personal favourite shade on the Karoq), Quartz Grey, Brilliant Silver and Magic Black.

With a steep pricing of 24.99 lakhs (ex-showroom), sales could be difficult to get by, but then again, the vehicle is a CBU which explains the expensive pricing of the vehicle. Vehicles like the Jeep Compass, Hyundai Tucson, Volkswagen T-Roc would be its direct rivals, but I feel the need to mention that even the Tata Harrier and MG Hector could make the life of the Karoq difficult.