Skoda has finally revealed the much-awaited Karoq SUV, a car that will replace the Yeti from Skoda’s global line-up. The Karoq is based on Volkswagen’s MQB platform, and apart from its design, we can see that the rest of the components are shared with other brands of the VW group, which are of VW Tiguan and the Seat Ateca.
The Karoq looks striking awesome on the exterior, having Skoda’s traditional butterfly grille and sharp design cues. The car looks light years ahead compared to the quirky looking Yeti, which never took-off well in India due to high price. The headlamps are inspired by the ‘Bohemian Glass Art’ and get full LED lights as optional. The clean and crisp lines look timeless, like other Skoda cars and also remind us of its cousin recently launched VW Tiguan.
The interiors sport a new dashboard theme with the infotainment system dominating it. The system is from Skoda’s modular infotainment matrix with features like Apple car play, Android Auto and Mirror K Compatible. This car will also have Skoda’s ‘VarioFlex’ rear seats as an option (which consists of 3 separate seats that can be individually adjusted or completely removed), and the Karoq is then converted into a van-like SUV with a luggage room of whopping 1,810 litres.
The engine options will consist of 2 petrol and 3 diesel options – a 115 PS/175 Nm 1.0-litre TSI 3-cyl petrol motor and a 150 PS/250 Nm 1.5-litre TSI 4-cyl petrol engine while diesel models will be offered with a new 115 PS/250 Nm 1.6-litre TDI 4-cyl turbodiesel; and a 2.0-litre TDI 4-cyl diesel mill comes in 2 states of tunes, 150 PS/340 Nm and 190 PS/400 Nm. The 190PS 2.0-litre TDI diesel only comes with a 7-speed DSG automatic transmission, while all other models can also be bought with a 6-speed manual gearbox.
The Karoq will compete with several global big sellers currently, when launched in India, it would take on the Hyundai Tucson, Honda CR-V, Volkswagen Tiguan and yet-to-be launched Jeep Compass. It will be launched in Europe first by the second half of 2017 where there has been growing demand for Skoda cars, then enter developing countries like India.
To read more on Skoda SUV, Click here
Also see: Škoda Auto confirms ‘Karoq’ name for Yeti-replacement
GALLERY: 2018 Skoda Karoq
