Skoda has launched the Karoq in India for a price of Rs 24.99 lakh. Its comes as a CBU in a single fully-loaded trim with a sole powertrain option but it is way more expensive than the VW T-Roc and Jeep Compass at its price.
After a lot of anticipation and delays, Skoda has finally launched the Karoq SUV in India. The Skoda Karoq has been launched in India for a price of Rs 24.99 lakh (ex-showroom). Its available in a single fully loaded trim and comes with just one powertrain option. The Karoq comes to India as a CBU under the 2500 import car rule without the manufacturer needing to homologate the car. The Karoq is essentially a five-seater mid-size SUV that sits below the Kodiaq in Skoda’s lineup and is a follow up of the Skoda Yeti.
The Skoda Karoq is a handsome looking car. In essence, it looks like a smaller version of the Kodiaq SUV. And that’s a great thing because we have always liked the design of the Kodiaq. You get the typical Skoda styling elements like the butterfly grille and sleek LED headlamps which also look like a smaller version of the ones on the Kodiaq. Keeping up with the trend in the mid-size SUV space, the Karoq also gets a split headlamp setup. The design is otherwise pretty neat and understated but it still looks very stylish and contemporary. The rear gets C-shaped LED tail lamps and the 17-inch multi-spoke wheels and black body cladding all around completes the look.
Just like the exterior, the interiors of the Karoq look pretty similar to the ones on the Kodiaq. In fact, the steering wheel, the infotainment system and the climate control knobs seem to be directly lifted from its elder sibling. Additionally however, the Karoq gets a fully-digital instrument cluster which is a very neat touch. Overall, the interiors have a very premium feel, something customers would really appreciate in this segment. As its available in just a single trim, Skoda has kitted the car to the brim.
It gets features such as a panoramic electric sunroof, an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment, configurable ambient lighting, 12-way electrically adjustable driver seat, dual-zone climate control, full LED headlamps, cruise control, auto headlamps and wipers and stone beige Leather seats. Safety features will include nine airbags, rear parking camera, ABS with EBD, Parktronic system(Advanced Parking Aid), electronic stability control (ESC) and Tyre Pressure Monitoring System.
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Under the hood, the Skoda Karoq gets a sole 1.5L TSI four-cylinder petrol engine option. The engine has been tuned to produce 150bhp and 250Nm of peak torque. The engine comes solely mated to a 7-speed DSG gearbox with power being sent to the front wheels only. The engine even features cylinder deactivation technology which shuts off two cylinders when you don’t require it to aid fuel economy. This is also the same powertrain that’s offered on the Volkswagen T-Roc in the exact same spec of tune. Just like Volkswagen, Skoda does not have any plans of introducing a diesel engine on the Karoq any time soon at least.
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The newly launched Skoda Karoq will rival the likes of the Jeep Compass and the Volkswagen T-Roc. The Karoq is literally the sister car of the T-Roc. However, its quite more expensive than the latter. Volkswagen launched the T-Roc for a price of Rs 19.99 lakh earlier this year. Even the petrol-automatic versions of the Jeep Compass are priced between Rs 19.69-21.92 lakh. The price for the Skoda Karoq is quite higher than its immediate rivals. It remains to be seen how the market reacts for the Skoda Karoq.