Skoda hasn't been a budget brand anymore for a while now. Take the Karoq SUV for example, one of the many SUV's available nowadays.
If you get the 1.5-litre TSI and check a lot of boxes on the options list, the price suddenly gets above €40.000.
That means it's in the same price range as the Volvo XC40, a true premium SUV. But, does that make it a serious alternative?
When it comes to space, the answer would be yes. When I get behind myself in the Karoq,
there's more than enough leg- and headroom.
In the back of the Volvo XC40, the seating is about the same. Despite the car being bigger from the outside,
the leg- and headroom is comparable. What does make a difference however, is what's behind me.
If the rear seats are up in the Volvo, it fits 460 litres of luggage space.
If I fold them down, that amount increases to 1.300 litres. That's less than in the Karoq though,
because with the rear seats up, it'll fit 521 litres and if you fold them down, it'll go beyond 1.600 litres.
That's quite a lot more, so there's a point for the Skoda.
Also, it comes with all kinds of smart trinkets. An ice scratcher behind the fuel filler cap,
a small torch in the back and other Skoda 'Simply Clever'-stuff.
Ergonomically speaking, it's all good as well. I wouldn't go with the most expensive satnav system however,
because even though it looks better, it has less hotkeys which isn't as ergonomic.
Other than that, there's nothing to complain about. It's no premium experience however.
And how different is that in this Volvo? You can immediately tell it's a premium car.
It has a bigger satnav which is quicker as well, it looks better, the finishing is just of another level,
and it features all kinds of design tricks. Take the map of Göteborg in the dashboard strip,
a little Swedish flag on the passenger seat... It just all looks a little more fun.
Also, very clever, there's a small hook in the glove compartment, so you can hang you bag if you need to.
There's smart luggage system in here... It's all very clever, but not as simple.
Despite its appearance, the Skoda Karoq is one of the many Volkswagen Group-SUV's based on the MQB-platform.
That's good news for a couple of reasons. First of all, the space.
All of the MQB-SUV's are incredibly spacious on the inside, and this is no exception.
Second, it's able to use all of the technology from the Volkswagen Group, including the TSI-engines.
Those are very pleasant machines. Especially this 1.5-litre TSI 4-cylinder,
which produces 150 horsepower and 250 Nm of torque. It also has cylinder deactivation.
That means that when you're not asking a lot of the engine, the middle two cylinders shut down.
The remaining two will have to work harder, but they'll do so more efficiently,
which theoretically results in a lower fuel consumption. However, you don't even notice the cylinders deactivating.
Sometimes an Eco-light will light up in the instrument cluster, which means the system is active, but other than that,
you won't notice a thing. And that might be the strong point of the TSI-engine.
It does quite a lot of work, 250 Nm of torque is a lot, but it produces that at 1.500 RPM,
which means it can easily get going from lower revs. It might level out in higher revs, but the work will be done by then.
It's an engine which can easily produce the required power, and it's connected to a lightning quick 7-speed DSG-transmission,
so when it comes to the drivetrain, there's nothing to worry about. It's nice and quick.
However, compared with the newest generation of fully automatic gearboxes, the DSG can be a little rough at driving away.
When you're reversing for example. Combined with the start-stop system,
it can feel a little less fluent than a fully automatic gearbox in a traffic jam or something,
but other than that, there's nothing to complain about.
The drive itself then. Skoda has clearly chosen for comfort.
Skoda has been positioned as the comfortable brother in the Volkswagen Group. That means it heaves a little,
the steering isn't incredibly direct, but as a compromise; you won't lose contact with the road surface.
It's almost like an air mattress.
If the Karoq is an air mattress though, this is an air mattress with a duck down mattress on top,
floating in a pool, filled with jam.
It's incredibly comfortable, this XC40. It's almost soggy.
If you hit an imperfection or a speed bump, you can feel the energy evaporate in the dampers.
That's something Volvo has been doing for years, and it just works in this XC40.
It's an incredibly comfortable car, the insulation is phenomenal. You can feel things getting processed,
but because the isolation is better than in the Karoq, you don't hear as much of it.
The tires are bigger as well, so yeah. It all melts together to a cushion-like whole, and that's very nice.
And if you accidentally throw it through a corner too hard, you'll notice the limit won't be much further than in the Karoq.
However, you won't be looking for the limit in this car, because it's clearly not meant to be driven on the limit.
But there's nothing wrong with it, because it's nice and comfortable, it has a nice trim, and it just feels more refined than the Karoq.
It's all good. Then, the drivetrain. That's when I get less positive.
It's a 1.5-litre 3-cylinder, affiliated to the 4-cylinders we already know,
and it's the first time we're driving it. At first, there's not a lot wrong with it.
It does take longer to achieve its maximum torque than Volkswagen's 4-cylinder,
but for a 3-cylinder, it's very well insulated. You can hear it sometimes, especially when turning it on and off,
but it doesn't get annoying. That's good. However, this car weighs 200 kg more than the Karoq,
and that's a lot. That means the engines has to work harder and because the torque kicks in a little later,
it all feels like the XC40 can barely keep up. The Karoq isn't that much quicker,
but it does give you the feeling there's something left in the engine. In this XC40 however, you're always pushing the 3-cylinders.
You constantly get the impression you have to scrape the bottom of the barrel. That isn't helped by the clearly whistling turbo.
When you're travelling on the motorway with cruise control, whenever the road rises for any gradient, it starts whistling.
That might be fun in the beginning, but it will lose its charm very quickly.
Also, it's not available with an automatic gearbox, but the manual gearbox is very pleasant to use.
Funny enough, it's pretty sporty as well. Short strokes and it clicks into gear.
So, the gearbox itself is very good, but it can't save the drivetrain anymore.
Finally, there's the price. The Skoda is almost €43.000 like it stands there, but it will be finished then.
It only needs leather upholstery, but other than that, it has electrically adjustable seats,
full LED-lighting, heated seats, a comprehensive satnav system, just about everything is on here.
Including all of the safety systems. This Volvo starts at €40.000, but this version costs over €49.000.
It doesn't have active safety systems, it doesn't have a panoramic roof, it doesn't have electrically adjustable seats...
So it's the true premium thought. Paying more for less, and that's not necessarily a bad thing...
if 'less' has better finishing and it just of a higher level. Some features on here are on that higher level,
take the interior finishing and the refinement of the chassis for example. However, when it comes to the space...
and the drivetrain, they aren't top notch. And they should be for this kind of money...