Living with a.... Skoda Karoq (Final report)

Living with a... Skoda Karoq

The roads seem full of Skoda SUVs these days, so when we took delivery of this Karoq we thought we’d find out what all the fuss is about. Firstly, it’s the mid-sized option in Skoda’s petrol-powered SUV line-up, sitting above the Kamiq and below the Kodiaq. On first glance it’s affordable, spacious and perfectly pitched towards those that want a no-nonsense family car. But what’s it like to live with?
Skip to: Month 1 - Less haste, more speed Month 2 - Potholing Month 3 - Scraping by Month 4 - Giving it the boot Month 5 - Not to be sneezed at

Skoda makes three different SUVs ending in the letter ‘q’, the Kamiq, Karoq and Kodiaq representing small, medium and large, though the names are a little confusing. But when our Karoq arrives it definitely stands out, especially thanks to that lovely Velvet Red Metallic paint job, a £1,045 option. That specific colour, by the way, is one of two ‘exclusive’ colours, the other being Phoenix Orange Metallic.
We really like the looks. It doesn’t get a ton of attention on the road, but it’s certainly smart enough. This mid-life facelift model has undergone some discreet exterior touch ups, including a wider grille, updated bumpers, and new LED lights at the front and rear. This car is specced with the SE – L trim level, which means 18-inch wheels, a larger rear spoiler and chrome roof rails, all of which elevates the looks over the entry-level SE model. A range of petrol and diesel variants are available, ours is fitted with the most powerful petrol engine, the 1.5-litre TSI, producing 148 horsepower and 250Nm of torque. The interior layout is as we’ve come to expect from Skoda, and bears resemblance to its Volkswagen group cousins. We’re big fans of the dashboard layout, which makes the car easy to interact with. The physical climate control buttons are glove compatible in the winter while you wait for the heated steering wheel to warm up. Heated front seats, a reversing camera and Apple Carplay and Android Auto compatibility makes the Karoq a comfortable place to hang out. Last year we tested the electric Enyaq for a few months, and the memory of that instant torque and throttle response is still fresh in the mind. In comparison, our Karoq seems a little sluggish, despite boasting that top-line engine. 62mph can be reached in 8.8 seconds, but in normal use the manual gearbox and lack of power off-boost means you must take care to stay in the correct gear. It’s not dreadful, but following our smooth time with the Enyaq, I’d be tempted to opt for the auto to save rowing up and down the box. Back to top

We’ve split our time doing lots of urban trips broken up by longer trips across country roads. Around town the Karoq benefits a high seating position, meaning you don’t feel as intimidated by huge vehicles around you. It’s also quite a boxy car, which gives you a feeling being protected. Parking is easy, too. The image quality on the rear view camera is a little sub-par, but it works well enough, especially alongside the parking sensors.
On country roads, the driving position helps you peep over hedgerows, which is handy for spotting cyclists or people on horseback. The ride quality can’t be faulted - this car isn’t fitted with the adaptive dampers that more expensive cars benefit from, but it soaks up potholes and speedbumps with ease. It also feels light and agile. In the back, rear seat passengers might feel a bit like they’ve sat inside a small plane. Plastic tray tables with pop out cupholders fold out from the backs of the front seats, and a set of slightly plasticky phone holders allow you to watch videos handsfree (we’d suggest the Auto Trader YouTube channel). The viewing experience isn’t completely natural, a phone screen is pretty small at this distance, but the entertainment should distract you from the fact that, other than heating vents, there isn’t much in the way of creature comforts back here. After spending more time in the car, especially on flowing B-roads, I’ll retract my previous criticism about the power of the 1.5L engine. It’s still not the fastest, but if you floor it and keep the revs high you’ll be well on your way. Back to top

Good news: someone’s taught us how to use the famous Skoda ice-scraper properly! Apparently we were doing it wrong (using the wrong edge). We’ve mastered the other clever features though. There’s a clip for displaying parking tickets on the windscreen, which seems a bit pointless, but keeps your dashboard from looking messy. There’s a secret under-seat umbrella and smart, reversible cupholders in the centre console. There’s even a small portable trash bin that fits in the door pocket!
On the subject of that ice scraper it’s a useful too. We’ve woken up to many frosty mornings over the winter months, and the scraper is far more effective than using a credit card. This time of year really puts the durability or our long termers to the test, too, and the Karoq’s faring well. The materials in the boot and on the rear seats have coped well with muddy shoes, wet bags and heavy loads. Plastics are hard wearing and the half-leather seats feel tough. Although the boot isn’t very deep, it’s wide enough to ensure awkward sized items fit without much of a struggle. We’ve been clocking up some heavy motorway miles, and the Karoq always returns respectable economy figures, with mpg typically in the mid 40s. In fact, it seems to return roughtly 40mpg regardless of how you drive. The seats are comfortable, road noise is low and the infotainment is easy to use - it’s a good long distance cruiser. However, when you do need to refuel, you may need to wrestle with the fuel flap – it doesn’t like opening up. According to the forums this is a relatively common issue, a result of some poorly shaped plastic in the latch. I’ve found a strong thump usually releases it. Back to top

This month we mostly found ourselves just appreciating the clever way the Karoq has been put together. It’s fairly cheap, considering, but it’s obvious that a lot of thought has been put into building this car, with a view to making owners' and passengers' lives easy. Case in point, that boot. We had to do an obligatory tip run this month, and even though the vehicle itself isn’t enormous, the sheer quantity of cardboard and old recyclables it’s able to swallow is nothing short of impressive.
The boot capacity is a highly respectable 521 litres, and has plenty of hooks and partitions to keep your items from sloshing about. The entire rear bench folds down as you might expect, but although the load area isn’t totally flat (there’s always a lip when the seats are folded) the seats can also fold upwards towards the front seats, which then does give a totally flat load area. If you want even more room you can actually remove the seats entirely, turning your Karoq into a van. You can even remove the middle seat alone ,which leaves a gap for longer items, or remove one of the outer rear seats by themselves. Another area where the Karoq impresses is in the fact it has an actual spare wheel, with a temporary space saver that you can swap in should you get a flat tyre. There’s also a pucture repair kit, naturally, but having a physical spare wheel is a real plus. It’s genuinely impressive and gives you a level of flexibility that most cars can’t match in this area. Back to top

We’re discovering some pretty cool features that make the Karoq a joy to live with - features that aren’t even available on many high end cars. On the centre console below the main screen is a logo marked “Air Care” and this, it seems, might be a bit of a game changer for people who suffer from allergies.
Not many of us here suffer badly, but we are prone to the odd bout of itchy eyes or throat - although not in this Skoda. The reason, it seems is that the Air Care system can monitor air quality and if this dips below a permitted level, it automatically activates the air recirculation feature, thereby stopping as much external air from coming inside the cabin. The car also has cabin air filters that capture fine dust particles and absorb odours. Pretty handy, because apparently a sneeze can leave a driver travelling at 30mph blinded for around 30 metres. Credit has to go to Skoda for using physical buttons for the majority of its in-car functions, too. Whilst most cars (including Skoda’s own electric Enyaq) utilise large touch screens to activate simple functions, which can be difficult to fathom when on the move) the Karoq has dedicated physical buttons and knobs for things like the volume, heated seats and climate control. There are also lots of easy to use buttons on the steering wheel, giving you quick at-a-glance access to volume controls, heated steering and more. We really wish more manufacturers would follow a similar path.