croquemonsieur

So is Sportage, Ateca, Kuga, Kamiq, Tucson, Countryman, CX30 & Cupra Formentor among the SUVs, small to large. The test score was about halfway down the rankings, Kamiq lowest in the list of recommeneded cars. Cars had to have at least 3 blobs out of 4 reliability rating up to 4 years old and a sufficiently large sample base - delving into the detailed reviews on the internet the Karoq had over 200 responses but that included cars over 4yrs old. The Karoq wasn't among the best in this regard, though I've had no problems to speak of in my 6yr old 1.0 TSI DSG. They did have some concerns about the ride (1.5 model) but wheel size not mentioned. The latest VAG diesel engines are said to be a bit too noisy too, but note road and wind noise are decribed as modest. 'Which' do say some daft things though, commenting that the economy was disappointing when compared with a much newer model Golf - what do they expect. It seems average amongst it's SUV peers. I note that the Kuga was said to have a rather hard ride. The Karoq is described as a large SUV whereas in a further article on EVs it describes the Elroq as a small EV SUV - I'm pretty sure it's larger than the Karoq - another annoying example of 'Which' inconsistencies - why do I still subscribe????? They do like the Elroq very much though, at £30,000 starting price, it's 2nd from the top behind a £90,000 Merc EQS. I was interested to read what they thought of the ride, which they liked, but it seems they tried one with DCC. Reviews elsewhere generally seem to say the car without DCC has a rather hard ride. They had praised the Karoq for visibilty but not so much the Elroq. I sat in an Elroq when my car was being serviced last week and it does have a very attractive interior and exterior - to my mind looks better than the Enyaq. I also much prefer the new front end styling to the rather awkward looking front of the original Enyaq (and all Skodas of that era frankly, including the newer Karoqs). The Enyaq is still pretty high up in this Which EV comparison list mind you. Finally just to mention an item that appeared on BBC breakfast TV yesterday. Nature bites back -Someone with a VW campervan has had her car engine bay attacked by rats twice. Apparently the cause is VWs well intentioned aim to reduce the amount of plastics and use more natural materials, but the soya base top cating of wiring and tubes seems to be attractive to rodents. This incident isn't a one off case either. I wonder if my 2019 Karoq uses such materials - so far no problem, but we get plenty of rodents of all shapes & sizes round our way, opposite Epping Forest.

I assume you're talking about the shock absorbers. A year ago my car passed the MOT but the certificate noted there was some misting from one front shock absorber. I asked the dealer who service the car about this and he said said I might need to havee the fronts replaced in a year's time - i.e. about now. I commented about this on this forum last year and several people here reassured me that misting is fairly normal and not a sign they are about to fail. It turned out to be good advice, as I've just had my car MOT'd (by a local independent test centre, not as previously through the dealer) and they said the misting was still minimal and nothing to worry about and the shock absorbers could last for a good few years yet. The dealer last year had also further noted that the rear brakes seemed to be wearing and I should be prepared for their replacement soon (but MOT hadn't commented on this). Again people here said that this was unlikely and sure enough, the recent MOT testers said that the brakes front and back were nowhere near worn enough for the need to be replaced. Some slight scoring on the discs but nothing to worry about. They said that in their experience many dealers of all carf makes like to replace brakes well before this becomes necessary. Out of interest, the recent MOT testers said the engine emissions were extremely low, below the limit by a factor of 10 or 100. I wish I'd paid more attention and taken in which emissions they were referring to. Car is a 1.0 DSG 6 years old done almost 39,000 miles. So came away from the test centre in a good mood.

Re ACC, if my maths is right, that's a 6% overread. My 2019 Karoq overreads by 4% - Acc, speedo & economy which I think was the norm for Karoqs of that age, so I set to 73mph for an actual 70mph. My Yeti used to overread by 10% on the speedo, as did my previous SAAB 9-5 (basically a Vauxhall with a posh body), but my BMW 523 reading was much closer to the truth.

Chills - true, there's an optimum level of driver assistance, too much and you stop taking an interest in the road, but too little and unless on a rural A road, surrounded with scenery, with nice sweeping bends and not too much traffic - driving at it's most enjoyable, possible even with a manual car - things soon becomes frustrating and tiring and you (well I) begin to lose concentration. When in a stream of traffic, I find I'm still watching 6-20 or more cars ahead of me and sometimes notch the speed setting down gradually 1mph at a time if I think I might soon have to slow. Without ACC I don't think I was quite so attentive. Additionally constantly having to manually change gear on a longish journey, with it's accompanying cramp in my left leg, is a tedium I was so glad to escape from, years ago when I went automatic. So for me, I reckon that ACC takes me nearer that optimum level of assistance for staying alert. With the sort of distance my ACC maintains to the car in front with ACC set at default (this distance increases as the road speed increases), I wouldn't have had any trouble slowing sufficiently if for some reason the ACC failed in that fast decelerating situation I described, but it has never let me down in such a situation. Maybe though that's a good reason for not resetting ACC to reduce the distance to car in front and make it faster acting. The only trouble with the default setting is that it encourages cars to move into my lane in front of me - but I try not to get annoyed and ACC helps here (in staying calm) - I don't own the fast or any other lane and other drivers have as much right to use it as me. Exkiwi - interesting to read a positive (but seemingly minority) view on lane assist. To satisfy my curiosity, I would have had it on my car, if I'd had the choice, just to make up my own mind.

Yet more on ACC I'm afraid. Joining the M25 yesterday at 6:30am, traffic already building up, I gradually made my way over to the fast lane with ACC on. The speed of the line traffic of traffic was typically varying between 50-70mph, changing by the minute and without ACC I would have found the journey quite tyring and irritating. Finding I can trust the ACC to work in most situations, I definitely was able to concentrate more on the traffic events happening around me (e.g.motorbike zooming up fast between me and the adjacent lane with very little space to spare). At one instant the lane speed suddenly dropped to below 30mph and of course the ACC, already logged on to the car in front, reacted instantaneously, much faster than I would have done. So I'm sticking to my guns - I like ACC. A pity it can't disengage/recognise a vehicle faster as is desirable - I believe Volvos do this better.

Paws4Thot -- Another Quirk.... I was indicating that ACC isn't perfect - that delay in unlocking from a car in front, but particularly recognising a new car that has just cut you up, means that it can't be depended upon to make all the driving decisions for you. And so I don't let it take over and that is a good thing, but I find it just helps to make my driving a bit more relaxing and enjoyable. It's up to the individual, if you don't like it, turn it off if you can. I used to find simple CC much more frustrating, particularly in heavy traffic and I do find that ACC despite it's quirks, for me makes motorway driving overall less wearing and I remain more alert for longer.

Correction first sentence should start.... I have the old model of ACCt

I have the old model of lane assist which doesn't detect speed limits, bends etc., but I think you can switch off these more recent extra facilities, which is possibly a good thing (hopefully staying reset when you switch off the engine). I actually really like my older style ACC and wouldn't buy another car without it, but I do let it influence my driving style to a certain extent, to accommodate how it works. It can be annoying if you don't adapt, as it is a bit slow to unlock from a slower car in front, when pulling out too late on a motorway. It then puts on the brakes just at the worst time, as you note. Solution pull out in plenty of time, giving the system time to disengage. Thus it encourages anticipation, never a bad thing. That early pulling out can annoy motorists in the fast lane exceeding the speed limit, who might have been able to nip past otherwise, but sod those law breakers, why should I worry about them. As a last resort, if you do leave it too late when pulling out, put your foot on the throttle until the system sorts itself out. There's a little car symbol that comes on the screen in front of you, when ACC detects a car in front and conversely you know when it has disengaged when that symbol goes away. Another quirk - it is also slow to pick up a new car appearing in front of you, i.e. someone who cuts you up, so you do have to stay alert - again maybe no bad thing. You can adjust the sensitivity and some people like the fast setting - allows you to get closer to car in front, without the system recognising it (but then does brake faster) and accelerates faster once it unlocks from that car when overtaking. They say overall in practice, it does lead to less unnecessary braking. I did use it for a while and I recall I generally concurred, but it gets set to default at dealer servicing and these days I don't get round to resetting, maybe I should try that again. There are other useful things to note about how it operates, but I've already gone on too long. I find ACC makes long motorway journeys more relaxing and less tiring, yet keeps me more attentive of road conditions. It took a while for me to adjust, not using it at first on the busy M25, but no problem even there, now, I just go with the flow. It has malfunctioned twice in really heavy rain, simply turning itself off with some warnings, so it failed safe, but otherwise I find it totally dependable. However, you'll find quite a few here who much prefer simple cruise control, but I just don't agree, ACC is safer. Never tried lane assist (would like to), but more people criticize that than they do ACC.

You may not like it, but as well as the mentioned higher profile AW tyres, I found there was mileage in damping down fibre board removeable shelf behind the rear seats. I did write up on this a few years ago and I don't think any of you sensible people tried doing the same - I first fitted timber stiffeners to the underside, but found further damping on top of the shelf with heavy mats reduced noise further, noticeably improving on low frequency thrumming and i think this + the wheel tyre change effected most improvement. I also stuck a few commercial noise self adhesive damping pads to the boot metal sub-floor area and ensured the spare wheel, sitting on thin felt type material, was tightly fastened down to that metal floor. Also some extra mats to the boot floor sitting on the spare tyre. I no doubt added significant weight to the car in the process, but I do find road noise tiring & for me it was worth doing. No work done to the engine area and I still find the 1.0 remarkably quiet, once on the move & warmed up, in spite of the reduced road noise. I thought this source might have been brought into greater prominence. Tthe only slight new noise I did become aware of, was a mild wind rustle around the door mirrors on motorways, which was clearly masked rather more before, but this is much less annoying than road noise. I usually only have the air-con fan on the lowest quiet setting as noisy fans also annoy me. I find this works OK up to reasonably hot temperatures, but may turn it up on extreme days.

Recently stayed at my sister in law's in Norfolk and was eager to ride in her hubbies 2018 3.0 diesel XJ that has only done 24,000miles. The original XJ6 was developed particulaly with comfort in mind and was expecting his modern XJ to upstage my modest 2019 1.0 SE Tech DSG Karoq. Beautiful interior, real posh, made my Karoq felt quite utilitarian alongside, but then I tend to treat cars more as a van and worry less about cosmetics. Once on the move I was struck by the Jag's restless (but quiet) ride, although the car did cope with broken road surfaces without much thumping or thrumming and possibly bettered the Karoq in this regard. Another thing I noticed was the stop/start and the engine producing quite a pronounced shake to the car body, much more so than my petrol 1.0. The diesel is quiet when moving, though I reckon my 1.0 engine and my car generally is a touch quieter, but I have taken extra measures to improve this aspect. So I looked up some reviews and it is noted that this last XJ was set up for sporting driving - better than the Merc S-Type here, but ride is not as good as a result, even though it is air suspension and I think active ride, a la DCC. Coming home in the Karoq initially on the same road, the ride in my car was substantially more relaxed, with little of that bobbing up & down evident, but I was more aware of the contrast with broken road surfaces. Of course the Jag has superb acceleration with a 0-60 time getting on for half my car's - you really feel being pushed back into the seat from all that torque - fun for the driver, but after a few times being impressed, it was really rather wearing as a passenger, that + the fast cornering my brother in law likes doing and already noted rather restless ride. A 0-60 of 11.0 secs in an Auto suits me fine - used to be considered fast - enough umph for the occasional overtake and for hills - I'd only drive faster & probably more dangerously otherwise - so no hate mail please. Also noticed that with the low down seating position, the Jag seemed to be going quite fast at say 50mph, compared with the Karoq and it's elevated seating providing a seemingly more relaxed gait at the same speed. You can't fit 16" wheels with high profile AW tyres on the Jag, like I've changed to, but still came away feeling rather smug about my car.

SaintViking. 10 yrs ago, when looking for my previous car, which ended up being a Yeti, I tried a Golf SV and did like it, including the ride which was better than the Yeti (but preferred latter's higher seating position) + I would have had to wait ages for the SV delivery. Also tried a BMW 200 Active Tourer small diesel with sports suspension & low profile tyres - nice looking, but I thought it was a pretty awful car, mainly the ride, bump thump & steering, but the engine was noisy too - however, reviews later said that that was the worst version of the car and best to go for the petrol with highest profile tyres on 17" wheels. I would be interested to learn how you think the SV compares with the Karoq, particularly for ride & road noise. I half suspect the SV might be a bit better over ridges / broken road surfaces, but don't know.

Back to OP's first message about the pedals being too high, as I've noted a few times before, my main issue with the pedals is there's no place to rest your right foot, when using the cruise control, and particularly ACC in my case (which I love) (DSG car). I frequently find myself driving for considerable periods of time on motorways without touching the throttle and tuck my foot partially under the pedals, which is not ideal. The VW T-Roc has it sorted, with the pedals slightly more to the left (actually more central with respect to steering) and a foot rest to the right of the throttle on the wheel arch. I keep wondering whether to have the pedals altered (possibly lowered a bit too), but I've put up with it for almost 6 years now.

As I said in my first paragraph yesterday, I can't find a way to switch my old style ACC to plain old ordinary dumb Cruise Control and I don't think anyone else on Briskoda has found a way either. But I'd never want to do this anyway, as I'm very fond of ACC in my Karoq. Regarding Predictive Cruise Control PCC (sticking with the original name for clarity, even though it now may also have been renamed ACC), I thought I read somewhere that PCC could be switched to old style ACC, but possibly not to plain ordinary Cruise Control as well. However I've not tried any car with 'PC. I found the following threads that mention 'PCC', but I'm not now sure they actually answer the 'how' part of your question. 'PCC' seems to have been around for a couple of years. Has there been a suggestion here in an earlier thread that more recent cars have removed the facility of allowing you to switch 'PCC' to old style ACC, but I'm not clear on this without trying a recent car with 'PCC' - maybe a dealer is the best place to clarify. https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/501032-karoq-sel-incoming/ Jan 2022 https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/502614-potential-purchase-of-20-tsi-sportline/ Mar 2022 https://www.briskoda.net/forums/forum/364-skoda-karoq/page/3/ June 2024

Mistac, I only have ACC but that's what I understood from messages a year or 2 ago. I don't actually know for sure, nor if possible, actually how to 'downgrade' Predictive CC to ACC. This may have been explained in those earlier messages. I'll try looking later on.

Regarding ACC, the old style ACC, like in my 2019 Karoq, can't be downgraded to simple cruise control as far as I'm aware. The new style ACC that was maybe going to be called Predictive Cruise Control at one time and that incorporated extra functions like slowing down for bends etc. can however be switcheable to the old style ACC.

I suppose it appeals to the modernist concept in me of doing more with less.

I don't know, mine is quite good on hills, and it is quite hilly round here - one passenger I had last year commented on how torquey the engine seemed to be, as we were climbing one of the steep hills nearby. The only thing to say is that the 1.0 DSG seems to want to stay in as higher gear as possible, for as long as possible, but pulling the shifter into Sport position easily sorts that out. I find getting the engine a little above 2000rpm, then makes hills no problem, nor is overtaking, but I rarely drive flat out. Long hauls up steeper motorway inclines at 70mph and the car sails up very comfortably in 7th. I do recall a few year ago driving over one of the steep passes in Derbyshire Peak District with my Aunt and a car full of shopping, powering round the many bends and quite enjoying the experience. My car is always half full with someone or something or other, but I must admit, I've never tried really steep hills with 5 up plus all their luggage, so then yes, a 1.5 or even 2.0 is likely desirable.

I was told I bought the last 1.0 DSG (SE Tech) to be delivered to UK, that was at the end of July 2019. Agree with most comments, a very nice car (if not perfect - what car is?) with plenty enough performance for me and CAR magazine noted it was the quietest of all the Karoqs they drove - engine is very quiet. From what some people have said in the past, it may not be any more economical than the 1.5, but it still has impressively low petrol consumption. I aim to keep mine as long as reliability holds out / petrol remains readily available / it remains viable in cities as regards emissions / or I'm still able to keep driving into increasing old age.

Interesting what you say about the ride, logiclee. I do find my Karoq SE ride generally comfortable, but a little rubbery on broken roads, though effect was lessened when I changed from 17" Bridgestone shod to 16" wheels with AW tyres 18 months ago. However, even before that wheel/tyre change, it was never anything like as bad on potholes (repaired or otherwise), as my previous Yeti. Also, on just bumpy, but not broken roads, that I know used to cause my former Yeti to bounce around rather too uncomfortably, the Karoq is quite noticeably smoother. In fact the ride is overall probably better than most cars I've previously owned. The Yeti was rather good on hump back bridges taken a bit too fast though - not tried in the Karoq. Is this rubbery character Ii mentioned at the start, the second bounce that you refer to? Maybe the following Koni special-Active shockers in this earlier post provides an answer, if I can get them for the Karoq. I may have to replace front oners soon anyway. https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/522198-self-adjusting-shock-absorbers/ Posted 22 March, 2024 I wonder whether it would be worth considering these Koni special active shockers when my 4.5+yr Karoq 1.0 dampers begin to wear. I'm hoping they might further smooth out the ride over broken road surfaces. However, they seem to work more on the rebound than the initial compression bump, according to a graph I saw on Amazon. Reviews though suggest they do seem to improve the ride on a range of cars. https://www.koniuk.co.uk/products/special-active https://balancemotorsport.co.uk/suspension/shock-absorbers-dampers/koni

Another red Karoq, mine's metallic red 1.0 DSG SE Tech Karoq 5.5 yrs old from new and a pretty good story really but only do just over 6000mls per annum. Engine is very very quiet save maybe for a slight agricultural roughness starting from standstill particularly from cold + very slight drone around 1700rpm when working hard uphill. Performance more than adequate for my needs, though admittedly I pull the changer into sport mode for overtaking, due to the high geared character of the car. It's really good on motorways, accelerating from 70-80mph in 7th no fuss. I don't need a racing car and let's face it, does anybody? DSG helps alot here extracting surprising performance and economy from the tiny 1.0 engine in a biggish car. Only DSG downside is moving off quickly from standstill - conventional autos do this better. I'm a great ACC fan as I've said before. Easy to drive and good visibility - I had a rear camera fitted at the start too - invaluable. Been trouble free, though had warnings about a front damper and rear discs at the last service. Niggles -- Pedals offset to right, so no resting place for right foot on those long, pedal less, motorway drives that ACC encourages. VW T-Rock does this properly. -- Changed wipers to Bosch soon after buying, so no longer a niggle. -- Ride pretty good except way it thumps & jerks over road ridges. Changing from Bridgestones on 17" wheels, to all weather tyres on 16" helped substantially, though still no Jag XJ6. -- Some road noise - having the solid rear parcel shelf helps but batten stiffening on underside + weighting with mats really reduced this alot + some bitumen pads on boot metal floor + wheel tyre change noted above. -- Seat could do with more adjustment for my long legs (need an extra cushion) and don't like front tipping down as seat moves back. -- Silly plastic tables fixed to back of front seats. -- Rear seat too low on non removeable seat version, like mine.

I'm glad I traded in my 1.2 DSG Yeti for a 1.0 DSG Karoq. There was a lot to like about the Yeti, packaging - all that interior room in such a short car, unique appearance, great visibility, nice seats and compact size making for easy driving and parking. I was very impressed with the 1.2 DSG Yeti combination too for economy, smoothness, quietness and performance (I could never go back to a manual - the occasionally drive of a courtesy manual car reminds me how archaic they seem now). However the 1.0 DSG in the Karoq provides even more impressive economy, smoothness, quietness and performance except maybe for a slight roughness moving from standstill, particularly when cold. The thing that made me want to sell the Yeti earlier than I would normally was the very rubbery firm ride and rather too much road noise, even after changing wheels to 16" from 17" and going for Michelin Cross Climates. The 17" shod (now 16" with Hankook AW tyres) Karoq is a distinct improvement in this regard (but I wasn't very impressed with a 19" shod 4x4 version I'd tried earlier). I was surprised how compact the Karoq still feels and visibilty is still very good, even if both of these aren't quite in the same league as for the Yeti. Also wanted to use the opportunity to take on board as much modern technology as I could get and which I haven't regretted, like electronic brake, autohold, stop start, tyre pressure warning, sat nav, phone connection, rear view camera and most of all ACC Adaptive Cruise Control, the latter a must for me in any future car. Pity I couldn't get DCC or Area View in 2019.

Just to put in good word for ACC, previously I've had cars with just normal CC and my Karoq is the first with ACC and I wouldn't now buy any car without it. Sure, it only recognises the car immediately in front + traffic in the iadjacent right hand lane, but I find it overall makes it easier for me to think about traffic further ahead and behind and I now anticipate and take corrective action more than I used to, leading to a smoother driving experience. I also feel more relaxed at the end of a long journey. Maybe it just suits my particular driving style, but I used to find normal CC frustrating when not being able to maintain a constant speed in busy motorway traffic situations, with all that annoying brake and throttle footwork + having to switch CC on again. I admit ACC's not perfect, being slow to recognise a vehicle that suddenly cuts you up in front & too slow to let loose a vehicle in front when you pull out to overtake - so I pull out earlier wherever possible, which is safer anyway. Overall ACC is a substantial upgrade over CC as far as I'm concerned, but clearly doesn't suit everyone.

A while after buying my Karoq MY2019, I tried the supplied tyre inflater and it blew a fuse straight awat. I contacted my local Skoda dealer in Walthamstow - on a Saturday afternoon and they said come round, there and then. I hadn't used them before but they replaced the inflator with what seemed to be an Audi model. They also replaced the fuse while they were at it - all FOC. Fuse has never blown since on using the replacement inflator. It looks like this might not be an isolated problem with the original supplied unit. Also, I was so impressed with the dealer, I've used them ever since - maybe one or 2 nidggles but overall I'm staying with them. I hadn't actually bought the car from them, as I didn't know they existed at the time.

Maybe these sensors should be fitted with mini windscreen wipers to make them dependable in all weathers - for autonomous cars at least!!!!!!!!

Yes Ootohere - no drama when it happened, I think there was a ping & the car began to gradually slow down. so failed safe. Last Tuesday roads weren't slippery, so my foot soon got car back up to 70mph. sussamb - I think the message that came up did say sensor failure, but I suppose that is a bit misleading. In fact the message did actually make me do a double take when it first happened... did it mean a trip to the garage, or even car is 5.5yrs old and electronics beginning to get unreliable... so time for a new car... should I go EV... etc. etc. until I thought things through. While wafting along the motorway, you have time to chew these things over in your mind.