Skoda Karoq SE L 1.5 TSi 150PS – Review

By Liam Bird

You’ll have no doubt seen Skoda’s ad campaign for their new Kodiaq SUV, the one that constantly mentions Familying – whatever on earth that might be. Marketing types, eh, what will they come up with next?

The Skoda Kodiaq was one of two SUVs Skoda originally introduced in 2017 to replace the Yeti. A car of which CAR Magazine once wrote “If Carlsberg made cars…” I’m currently on my second Yeti. When, that is, I’m not driving other people’s cars. The Yeti does everything I ask of it: It drives like a hatchback, it seats 5 people, it provides more than enough ground clearance to cope with what passes for a road surface out here in The Far Unlit Unknown – more in fact than I ever needed – it fits nicely in the garage when I’m not using it. And it only costs £30 a year to tax. It is, as Skoda’s marketing types used to like to say, “Simply Clever”.

“Yeti-sized gap”

The other SUV Skoda brought out to plug that Yeti-sized gap in the market was the Karoq. Slightly smaller than the Kodiaq but perhaps bigger than the Yeti, the Karoq is now, globally, Skoda’s third best-selling vehicle. Only the Octavia and the Kamiq sell in greater numbers than the Karoq.

In typical Skoda fashion, the Karoq has been designed with practicality in mind. It will of course seat 5 in relative comfort – in the case of our press demonstrator on Microsuede upholstery no less! It’s got an elevated driving position, and a generously sized boot complete with reversible and washable liner.

There’s go-almost-anywhere ground clearance. And, the Karoq can be had with clutch-based four-wheel drive, although you’ll have to buy either the 2.0-litre diesel or the 2.0-litre petrol TSi with a seven-speed DSG transmission to get it. It’s the kind of car that you could just as easily tow your trailer with as you could park in the swankier parts of town. As all-rounders go, the Karoq takes some beating.

“Funkier headlamps”

What you won’t get, however, are any quirky looks. There are no big round fog-lamps this time around, no chunky black bumpers, and no faux aluminium cladding. The Karoq’s 2022 facelift added a bolder grille and some funkier headlamps. But overall the styling is altogether more conservative than that of Skoda SUVs that have gone before. The Karoq is altogether more discreet, more mature. And, dare one say it? More anonymous.

But that’s not to say by any means that it’s unattractive; the Karoq’s beauty, it soon proves, is far more than just skin deep.

There’s an ice-scraper that stores behind the fuel-filler cap (our car also came with optional heated windscreen and washer jets), there’s an umbrella that stores underneath the passenger seat, and there are adjustable brackets on the backs of front seats that are designed to hold tablet-like devices. Presumably they’re there to keep your little darlings amused. The glovebox is cooled. The door bins have been designed to hold a 1.5-litre bottle. There’s a removable LED boot-light which doubles as a rechargeable torch, and there’s a removable rubbish bin in the driver’s door.

“Pretty plush”

You also get a raft of other kit that includes stuff like tyre pressure monitoring, LED cornering front fog-lamps, keyless entry, an 8-inch touchscreen with DAB and Bluetooth, a rearview camera, myriad airbags, front assist radar and automatic braking and ESC – that’s electronic stability control – and a host of other acronyms there just isn’t space to list. You certainly won’t be left wanting for standard equipment.

The interior on-the-whole feels pretty plush, better in fact than some equally priced, and equally sized, VWs. Although, it must be said, albeit a minor niggle, the digital dash display, although very clear, is rather dull in its appearance. If you’re expecting an Audi-esque virtual cockpit think again.

You may also be left craving a little more driver involvement. Whereas Skoda’s first SUV was once described as “driving like a well-sorted hatch”, the Karoq drives, well, just like many a modern SUV.

Skoda lent us the 1.5 TSi petrol with a 6-speed manual ‘box and 148bhp, which is probably, engine-wise, the pick of the bunch. It’s smooth, relatively economical thanks to its ability to deactivate 2 of its cylinders when running under light loads. Over a week that saw us schlep to Sussex and back for the Goodwood Revival, never once did it feel sluggish or under-powered. Although, bizarrely, I did stall it more times than I would’ve liked. Ultimately the Karoq’s certainly been set-up for comfort rather than a speedy getaway.

“Practicality, durability and value”

The steering is a tad numb and there’s more body-roll than you might expect from something with predominately German underpinnings. Wind noise creeps in at motorway cruising speeds. And the Karoq can lose its easy-going composure when asked to traverse a bumpy British B-road. Perhaps that’s because only four-wheel drive Karoqs get multi-link rear suspension whereas front-drive only models have the less-advanced torsion beam setup, which, I’m reliably informed, also increases noise from the rear end of the chassis.

I suspect though, most Karoq owners probably won’t push their cars quite that hard, and instead they’ll be more interested and attracted towards practicality, durability, and value for money. All areas in which it can’t be argued the Karoq excels.

After a week in its company I’d happily live with the Karoq day-in, day-out for a whole lot longer; it does everything the Yeti did. But it feels plusher and more modern. I just wish Skoda had managed to inject it with a bit more personality – y’know, to help it ease even more easily into the family.

Skoda Karoq SE L 1.5 TSi 150PS
Engine: 1,498 cc, 4Cyl, 16V Petrol, turbo.
Transmission: 6 Speed Manual. Front wheel drive
Power: 148 bhp @ 5,000 rpm
Torque: 184 lbft @ 1,500 rpm
0-62mph: 8.9 sec
Max Speed: 130 mph
MPG: 46.9 – 45.2 (WLTP combined).
CO2: 137 – 142 g/km
Price: from £32,925 (as tested £39,260)