Are you buying a Skoda Karoq? You will regret it next year

Skoda Karok. Half a year and 20 thousand. km. We have tested this car quite intensively, but thanks to this, there are no more secrets for us. Here is the result of our test.

Skoda Karok 1.5 TSI DSG is another car we tested in the long distance formula. For 6 months and almost 20 thousand. km, we have studied it well enough and now we can quite share the final conclusions.

But let's start with a configuration reminder. Karoq had a 1.5 TSI engine with 150 hp under the hood, front-wheel drive and a 7-speed automatic transmission. We had 250 Nm of torque available from 1300 to 3500 rpm. Acceleration to 100 km / h, according to the catalog, is 8,6 seconds.

The test vehicle was equipped with 19-inch wheels, Varioflex seats and a Canton audio system. At our disposal were such systems as: active cruise control up to 210 km / h, Lane Assist, Blind Spot Detect, Traffic Jam Assist and Emergency Assist. The interior was brightly upholstered in genuine leather and eco-leather. The price of such a complete set is about 150 thousand. zloty.

The distance traveled is visible in the interior

Okay, you can't quite see the distance you've covered, but it definitely doesn't look as good as new. This is what we expected - the light upholstery of the driver's seat darkened in some places, but it can be cleaned with confidence.

The cars in our newsroom usually travel a lot and travel from photos to records to measurements of acceleration, fuel consumption and the like. So we can conclude that in our operation these marks on light upholstery could appear faster, but…

If you're looking for upholstery that lasts longer, black leather is the way to go.

Skoda Karoq works here

The Skoda Karoq 1.5 TSI engine turned out to be very economical. It all depends on how we drive. Fuel consumption is also affected by the roads we drive on. Actual combustion rates - on typical roads in undeveloped terrain - range from 5 to 6 liters per 100 km. When we drive on the highway, fuel consumption increases slightly, ranging from 9 to 10 liters per 100 km. On the other hand, when driving in the urban cycle, we can say that 8-9 l / 100 km is a real value.

A full video on fuel consumption measurement can be found here.

The Varioflex seats offer a lot of configuration options - we really liked them. The trunk with a capacity of 521 liters allows you to carry a lot of things, which is very useful when transporting equipment. Skoda has also thought about a safety net that separates the luggage compartment when the center seat is folded down or removed.

How are things with the multimedia system? The Columbus system with a large screen works flawlessly and has never - in these six months - never stopped. Navigation often helped us avoid traffic jams. It calculates alternative routes quite well, and at the same time saves our time, because we do not have to spend it in traffic jams. Navigation works very well, especially in the rest of Europe.

Android Auto and Apple CarPlay work fine. And it was in Karoqu that we learned how convenient it is to connect to smartphones through these systems. In principle, it does not require any adjustment, and we always have a live view of the traffic situation on the maps - if we do not believe the live readings of the navigation built into the Skoda system.

These things could be done better

There is no such thing as a perfect car, so the Karoq must have had its downsides. So what did we not like about the Skoda Karoq?

Let's start with the engine. Power for a dynamic ride is quite enough, but the DSG gearbox sometimes did not find its place. This was mainly felt during a trip to Croatia, where the route ran along mountain roads. Karoq, wanting to reduce fuel consumption, chose higher gears, and after a while was forced to reduce them. It was tiresome.

If you want to go fast, it also takes some time to engage D-gear. So, we press on the gas harder and ... hit the back of the head on the headrest, because that's when the moment hit the wheels. It's not always easy to move smoothly without jerking the acceleration too much.

It's a bit noisy on the freeways inside, but that was probably hard to avoid. It's still an SUV that puts up more air resistance. It's mostly air resistance that we hear - the engine is quiet even at highway speeds.

Inside, there may be problems with cup holders. Perhaps this is too far-sighted, but they seem rather superficial. If you have a habit of carrying open water in a holder, it would be good to give up this habit in Karoku.

In our configuration, the 19-inch wheels looked very good, but from the driver's or passenger's seat, it's not so cool anymore. Tires have a very low profile - 40%, and therefore we lose a lot of comfort. The bumps and speed bumps were too heavy for an SUV. We definitely recommend the 18s.

The last point concerns not so much what could have been done better, but ... what could not have been done at all. In the past, the advantage of cars was a lamp in the doors, which illuminated the space underfoot when exiting. Now, more and more often, such lamps are being replaced by drawing a pattern on the asphalt, in this case the Skoda logo. We don't like Karok for some reason, but maybe it's just a matter of taste.

Summation

We drove 20 6 kilometers in a Skoda Karoq. km per month, which - taking into account the mileage restrictions in leasing agreements or in the Skoda subscription - amounts to a year, or even two years of operation.

However, the high intensity of this test made it possible to check whether such operation would be in a year, i.e. those same 20 thousand km, we would still like it the way it was at the time of purchase. And we have to admit that yes - what we consider to be shortcomings does not seem to affect the overall assessment.

Skoda Karoq it is a comfortable car for short and long trips, a very interesting proposition for families. Especially with the 1.5 TSI engine. Definitely without 19 inch wheels. This is perhaps the only element that you can regret a year after purchase.