RapidPaul

I don't think the facelift is any bigger inside. The extra length is caused by the redesigned bumpers, which have apparently improved the drag coefficient and therefore fuel economy.

So they should. Absolutely shameful behaviour.

I'm 6' 4" with a 35" inside leg. The Karoq is ok for me - certainly no worse than the Octavia it replaced. A Superb would have more driver leg room, but you sit more upright in the Karoq. I find the seats very supportive.

I was finally able to collect my car on Wednesday. Props to Marshall Skoda Northampton as they managed to prep it very quickly once they received it. I ordered the car on 30 July and was originally given a build week in October and target delivery in December. The build week quickly slipped to November before reverting to 'order accepted by the factory' with no build week. Just before Christmas I was allocated build week 08 and that proved to be final. I can't fault the dealership - they performed a service and MOT on my Octavia FOC due to the extended wait. Just before handover they re-valued the Octavia to release a big chunk of extra equity for me too. For all of you waiting for cars, I hope you have some good news soon.

I finally took delivery if my SE Drive on Wednesday. Went out for a proper drive today and am very pleased. It feels like a nice upgrade from our Mk.III Octavia. The family love it too, which is good!

Latest update: my car arrived at the port in the UK (Grimsby) on Monday evening and has been assigned a registration number by the dealer. If it helps anyone else waiting for their car, that means it has taken around 8 days from arrival at Emden to arrival at Grimsby. The dealer says it should arrive at the dealership within a few days and presumably they will need about a week for the PDI, depending on what else is going on. Transport from the factory to the UK has been quicker than I anticipated. Perhaps that's down to the slowdown in production meaning there are fewer cars coming through and so they aren't sitting around at the docks.

Update: I called the dealer on Friday to check progress as my car was supposed to be built this week. Result: no change to status, car not showing as built. I was told not to worry as the car could still be built over the weekend. Had a call this morning, the car is apparently now at the exit port and released to go on the ship. I can't understand how all that has happened in 48 hours - more likely there was a delay in the system being updated. Still, 7 months after I ordered it, it seems my car exists and is on the way. I just have to hope the ship isn't ultimately owned by a Russian pension fund or anything! 😆

Skoda are still value-orientated (as opposed to price-orientated) but they are slowly shifting their offer away from where it was 10-15 years ago. The number of £30k+ cars in the range is testament to that. No doubt each unit is more profitable (especially when customers tick all the options) but you still have to sell the cars. I guess the thing Skoda have to keep an eye on is how crowded their target market is becoming and how electrification is going to shake things up. If you want to start selling cars in the £30-£40k range, consumer expectations are going to be very different. Skoda have traditionally done well in the customer satisfaction surveys, but that could change if some of the customers who are just pleased to have a practical, functional car and don't care much for age move to Dacia, MG etc., While customers who would previously have had a BMW or Mercedes decide to give the brand a try.

I'm not sure how the price of the new model stacks up in other countries, but it's not looking great for UK customers. The entry level Karoq with metallic paint now starts at £26,620 OTR. The Ateca is available from £25,140 with all metallic paint colours as no cost options. It will be interesting to see what discounts are available, but I wouldn't pay a £1500 premium for the Karoq over the Ateca, which is arguably a bit better looking. It's odd as the equivalent Seat is usually a little bit more expensive than Skoda, i.e. Ibiza > Fabia, Arona > Kamiq, although the Tarraco is a bit cheaper than the Kodiaq, once paint is accounted for.

I was quoted 5 months when I ordered last summer (ordered 30 July, est. handover 31 December) so that's not too bad. My car still hasn't been built, but will hopefully be on the way by the end of this month.

I don't get it. The Karoq range now starts at £25,950 instead of £23,675, an increase of £2,275 or a shade under 10%. No doubt the new SE Drive will be comparably well-equipped, but the lack of an SE model is troubling for those who still see Skoda as a go-to manufacturer for affordable everyday cars. Clearly Skoda UK feel there is no market for a comparitively basic spec in the UK, unlike Germany, Czechia, etc. Mind you, the Seat Ateca starts at £25,140 and includes free metalic paint. I know where my money would go if I was looking to place an order today.

It seems the Karoq has finally been removed from the UK configurator. It was there last week, so perhaps an announcement about UK orders for the facelifted model is imminent?

My first Skoda was a GF prefix and I knew it was ex-rental when I purchased it. The usual tell-tale sign of an ex-rental is that it will find its way back into the trade at around 12 months old and with about 20k on the clock (also if the numberplate has a little 'Budget Car Rental' logo!). In fairness, it was faultless for the time I owned it. Always best to ask the dealer about the history and then you have all the facts.

My last two Skodas (and presumably my next one when it's finally delivered) have been K plates, as have my wife's last 3 Fiats. That's because we live in Northampton. There will be thousands of cars similarly purchased and registered, so definitely not 'almost certainly' ex VAG cars. The only way to be sure is to check the V5.

It could be ex-rental. Not especially unusual for them to be moved on after 12 months. The logbook should reveal if this is the case.