UK Edition
Skoda Karoq review: straight to the top of the small SUV class
The Skoda Karoq is a replacement for the very popular Yeti, a compact SUV designed as a rival to the Nissan Qashqai and Seat Ateca, among others. It sits in one of the fastest growing parts of the new car market, and as ever with Skoda the aim is to stand out with a combination of sensible space, good value and clean, modern design.
In the latter regard it takes plenty of styling cues from the larger Skoda Kodiaq, a car which scored 9/10 in our full UK review. Let’s see if the Karoq fares as well.
Space 9/10
Varioflex rear seats work well
As with the Yeti, the Karoq features ‘Varioflex’ rear seats on SE L and Edition specifications (and optional on SE models). These are on runners so that you can trade what is a generous amount of legroom for rear boot space, and also feature reclining backrests and the ability to remove the seats altogether to create van-like loading space.
Even with the seats in place the Karoq’s boot is incredibly spacious, being slightly larger than you’ll find in the already commodious Seat Ateca, and thus significantly bigger than most other rivals. The wide opening and low loading lip make it easy to lift large items in too.
Head room for all passengers is excellent and in the front you’ll find several decent storage areas including a lidded compartment on top of the dashboard and even optional rubbish bins in the large door bins.
Comfort 10/10
Composed ride and quiet engines
The Karoq’s engines are familiar from other VW Group products. On the petrol front there’s a 1.0-litre three-cylinder unit with 113bhp, or a 1.5-litre four-cylinder with 148bhp, while the diesel line-up consists of a 1.6-litre with 113bhp or a 2.0-litre with 148bhp.
For the quietest drive you’ll want the 1.5 petrol, although in fairness none of the Karoq’s engines could be described as unruly, even if you do hear the occasional harsh note from the diesels.
However, it’s in the suspension setup that the Karoq really stands out from rivals, because this is very much a car that’s been set up for comfort. That is not to say it ever becomes wayward or unruly, rather that even on standard suspension and 18-inch wheels it deals admirably with bumpy British roads, helped by a good driving position and supportive seats. Compared with the Yeti that it replaces or the fairly firm ride of a Seat Ateca the Karoq feels very settled, even if there is bit of wind noise above 50mph.
Dashboard layout 8/10
Smaller touchscreen is easier to use
The Karoq is the first Skoda to be available with a version of the VW Group’s digital dial display in place of the analogue speedometer and rev counter, lending it a hi-tech feel. That said even standard dials are perfectly legible, and sit within a dashboard that will look and feel very familiar to anybody coming from another recent Skoda product. That is to say well built, restrained and very user-friendly.
The heater controls are located below the 8-inch infotainment system. This makes do without satnav on entry-level SE models, but does include full smartphone connectivity, so you can in theory use a mapping app from your phone instead. Upgrade to SE L and you do get Skoda’s own navigation system, while top-spec Edition models come with a 9.2-inch touchscreen that includes gesture control, but makes do without rotary dials for the volume or menu/zoom selection. In practice this actually makes it the more difficult of the two screen sizes to use.
Easy to drive 9/10
Good visibility and light controls
The large rear windows mean over the shoulder visibility isn’t nearly as bad as you might expect, but the high window line still means you rely on the (thankfully standard fit) rear parking sensors when reversing.
The large wing mirrors and high driving position also help you feel in control, and the steering, brakes, clutch and gearbox have a light but precise action.
All versions of the Karoq have enough power to overtake slower traffic, and a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox is offered as an alternative to the six-speed manual across the range. However, if you want the reassurance of four-wheel drive as well you’ll need to opt for the 2.0-litre diesel engine; the rest of the Karoq range is front-wheel drive only.
Fun to drive 7/10
Competent rather than fun
On the face of it the Karoq does everything you could ask of a high-riding SUV. The body doesn’t lean over too heavily in corners, the steering is decently weighted and there’s lots of grip, but still it doesn’t ever feel like much fun. Certainly a Seat Ateca is a more enjoyable car to drive on account of its eagerness to change direction.
For the fastest Karoq you’ll need the 1.5-litre petrol engine, which feels reasonably strong. Foot to the floor it’ll get off the line and to 62mph in a respectable 8.1 seconds, and it pulls well from a little under 2,000rpm. Even so, the Karoq still always feels that little bit too grown up to be a truly entertaining drive.
Reliability 8/10
Warranty could be better
Skoda consistently performs well in both reliability and customer satisfaction studies, as reflected in its third place finish in the 2017 JD Power UK Vehicle Dependability Study. And so while the Karoq is too new for any reliability issues to have come to light, Skoda’s recent record indicates you shouldn’t experience any problems.
The three-year, 60,000-mile warranty does however look lacklustre when compared with the likes of Renault’s four-year warranty, the five-year cover offered by Hyundai and Toyota or the seven years you get when buying a Kia.
Fuel economy 8/10
Good, if not quite a match for the best in class
Given that it uses mostly the same engines as the Seat Ateca it’s no surprise to find that the Karoq is similarly economical. The 1.6 diesel is the most frugal performer, returning 61.4mpg in the EU Combined test cycle. That’s still not as good as the leanest versions of the Nissan Qashqai or Renault Kadjar however, both of which returned in excess of 70mpg in the same tests.
The 1.0-litre petrol managed 53.3mpg and the 1.5 petrol 52.3mpg on the Combined cycle, the latter’s performance helped by being able to shut down two of its cylinders when not needed in order to save fuel. For reference, in real world driving we achieved between 40 and 44mpg from the 1.5 petrol, which is far from bad considering the size of the car and the performance on offer.
Affordability 8/10
Not cheap, but represents good value
While Skodas are clearly not as cheap to buy as was once the case, they do still tend to represent good value for money when you factor in the engines and equipment you get compared with the equivalent Volkswagen (the Tiguan in this case). And so while the starting price of the Karoq is higher than those of most rivals, that’s because Skoda has decided not to bring a very basic version into the UK. On a like-for-like basis it is actually priced at much the same level as the Ateca, which is to say slightly cheaper than a lot of rivals, and several thousand pounds less than a Tiguan.
Much like with the Yeti that it replaces there are already some tempting finance deals out there too (better even than for the Ateca), which reflect how well the Karoq is expected to retain its value over time.
Safety 9/10
All models feature autonomous emergency braking
The Karoq came away from Euro NCAP’s industry standard crash tests with a full five-star rating, helped by the inclusion of autonomous emergency braking on all models.
As you move up the range so extra safety features are introduced including adaptive cruise control (to hold a set distance from the car in front), lane assist (to nudge you back into your lane if you start to drift), traffic sign recognition (to give you a reminder of the speed limit) and blind spot detection (to monitor vehicles approaching from behind). In short, it offers everything you could reasonably expect from a car in this class.
Standard spec 10/10
Hard to find fault here
The entry-level Karoq SE has that 8-inch touchscreen, 17-inch alloy wheels, leather-covered steering wheel and gear lever, power folding wing mirrors, height adjustment for the driver and passenger seat, rear parking sensors and dual-zone climate control.
The next level up is SE Technology, which Skoda has designed with business users in mind. To that end it adds satnav, front parking sensors and adaptive cruise control. Go for an SE L meanwhile and your Karoq will come with 18-inch wheels, LED headlights, the Varioflex rear seats, keyless entry and go, a reversing camera and a Drive Select function that lets you put the car into Sport or Eco modes (although neither makes a huge difference).
The top-of-the-range Karoq Edition gets 19-inch wheels, the larger touchscreen with integrated WiFi, a panoramic sunroof, metallic paint, a wireless phone charger, powered bootlid and the full collection of active safety equipment as standard.
Our favourite version
1.5 TSI 150PS SE L, list price £22,225
Options you should add: Metallic paint (£575), space-saver spare wheel (£150), Varioflex rear seats (£450)
The verdict 9/10
The Skoda Karoq is an altogether grander and more polished SUV than the Yeti that it replaces, with a smooth ride and flexible interior that makes it a worthy rival to the best this class has to offer.
True, it might not be as cheap as Skodas once were, but don’t confuse that with a lack of value.
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*Lease price from list price shown in the article is correct as of 17/04/2018 and are based on 9months initial payment upfront. Prices exclude VAT and are subject to change. Ts and Cs and Arrangement Fees apply.