Have been seriously looking at getting a new Karoq later this year and working out the pennies, and a 1.5 DSG 150PS Edition with a few options seems very realistic. Having sat in one yesterday though, there are a couple of things I'd like to ask. I know some of these might be very premature as deliverers of the Karoq are probably pretty thin on the ground at present, but I'll give it a go none the less.

 

1. Anyone have any idea of what the 1.5 TSI 150PS with DSG, will return (very approximately) fuel wise. I'll be coming from a MK7 Golf GTD DSG, which on a good run can get into the high fifties / low sixties, but to work and back during the week (through town), I'm only averaging around 42-44mpg (which isn't too bad considering the power on tap) and the time of year (very cold and winter diesel). I know the Karoq petrol will get no where near that, and I'm fine with that, but would like to know if mid forties would be possible on a run, and mid thirties around the houses ?

 

2. I know this is very personal, but about the only thing I didn't like on the demonstrator yesterday was the silly "SKODA" projection lights on the floor when the front doors were opened. I'd much rather prefer just a plain white light to illuminate the floor. Anyone know if another model in the Skoda line-up uses the same housing shape and projects a standard floodlight and if this could just be swapped ? Also, whilst I'm at it, I noticed that the Red door light reflectors in the lower edges don't illuminate. It's a mod I did on the Golf to have active door warning lights (front and rear) and I love them. Is this a fairly easy mod do you think on a Karoq ?

 

3. I've not had a test drive yet (will later this year), but can anyone who has driven an edition model comment on the ride quality on the standard 19" Crater alloys. My GTD has 19" alloys however I specced DCC (dynamic chassis control) and the comfort mode setting for the dampers is really great for the UK roads. I notice that DCC isn't an option for the Karoq in the UK, so was wondering if the ride is very firm, or would I not miss having DCC ?

 

4. A very minor points this, but when I went from my previous MK5 Golf and Scirocco to the MK7 Golf platform, I noticed that VW had removed the feature for looking up your phone contacts in the central DIS screen in the instrument panel by using the steering wheel buttons. Instead they force you to take your eyes off the road and use menus presses on the infotainment screen to search for a control. Not very initiative or safe in my mind. I know I can use voice control but it's not 100% accurate. Does anyone know if the phone book can be called up on the instrument screen as before.

 

5. Finally, pretty much all the photo's I've seen on line show at least 2 USB sockets in the front "ashtray" area and one in the rear centre console for rear passengers under a small flap. However on the demo car, there was just one USB socket at the front, and nothing at the back. Is this standard for all UK Karoq's (even with the optional Canton audio system), or can you spec more ?

 

Sorry for so many questions but this would be my first ever Skoda after over 10 years with Volkswagen, and am quite excited as the prospect.

Edited 25 January, 20188 yr by Sootchucker

Test drove an Edition last week. Happy with the ride over the usual poor UK roads.

I'm fairly sure that DCC and the Digital cluster are due this year (week 22? May?). Source: This forum...

 

 

These are not guaranteed for may, I spoke to a main dealer this morning while I was ordering my karoq and she said Skoda don't tell them anything.

 

It could be that he did know but didn't want to give us an opportunity to 'wait a while' in case he lost the sale, I have no way of knowing either way.

True not guaranteed... however the Seat Ateca has both DCC and the digital cockpit are now available so it stands to reason that the Karoq will get them sooner rather than later. Built in the same factory and all that... hoping so because May is when I'm hoping to swap out my Yeti!

think clear from business strategy why would Skoda introduce such improvements so early

 

this will happen probably during model refresh or at least a year apart 

Well Im not waiting for the digital dash as I want my Karoq ASAP.   

On 25/01/2018 at 08:50, Sootchucker said:

 

4. A very minor points this, but when I went from my previous MK5 Golf and Scirocco to the MK7 Golf platform, I noticed that VW had removed the feature for looking up your phone contacts in the central DIS screen in the instrument panel by using the steering wheel buttons. Instead they force you to take your eyes off the road and use menus presses on the infotainment screen to search for a control. Not very initiative or safe in my mind. I know I can use voice control but it's not 100% accurate. Does anyone know if the phone book can be called up on the instrument screen as before.

 

5. Finally, pretty much all the photo's I've seen on line show at least 2 USB sockets in the front "ashtray" area and one in the rear centre console for rear passengers under a small flap. However on the demo car, there was just one USB socket at the front, and nothing at the back. Is this standard for all UK Karoq's (even with the optional Canton audio system), or can you spec more ?

 

 

4. On the phone book, the Colombus seems to pull up the last call list by default on the maxidot screen, and you can scroll through that with the steering wheel buttons. I can't work out how to access the phone book through the steering wheel controls.

 

5. I've got one USB and a 12V at the front, another 12V in the back and a third 12v in the boot.  Entirely different to the pics in the manual which seem to suggest as you say more USBs  in the front and in the back. I don't have the Canton system, but I did spec the RSE (reat seat entertainment) extra, which I thought might add rear USBs - but which clearly doesn't.

Wonder what specification level you need to get the 2 USB's at the front and one in the rear, or is this just something that Skoda UK don't offer for the UK market ?. My current Golf (2016 GTD) has 2 USB sockets (one in the cubby forward of the gear lever, and one in the centre armrest box (jumbo box in Skoda speak), and I find them invaluable. One (in the rear armrest box) is nearly always connected to a phone running Android Auto for my Spotify / Tune in Radio etc., and the other is then free for my wife or passenger charging their phone using the front spare USB socket. Only one data connection is allowed at any time, so my phone has to be plugged in first, then the second USB socket just reverts to power only.

Edited 1 February, 20188 yr by Sootchucker

I've been looking at a few different Golfs recently and it appeared to me that adding the wireless phone charging option also added the 2 USB ports in the front (for the Golf that is). It may be a similar story for the Karoq but I've not seen anything to support that. 

But as the Karoq Edition apparently has the wireless charging pad as standard equipment, shouldn't that mean that Edition models have 2 USB ports ? Certainly the Edition I looked at in a dealership a week or so ago only had one (at the front) and none at the back ?

Ah, wasn't aware of that. My theory doesn't hold water in that case!

The configurator on the Czech Skoda website included an option (the one with "Jumbo Box" in the title) which has a picture of USB + 12V in the rear. Guess it's another option not (yet?) available for UK spec cars.

2 hours ago, terrapin said:

The configurator on the Czech Skoda website included an option (the one with "Jumbo Box" in the title) which has a picture of USB + 12V in the rear. Guess it's another option not (yet?) available for UK spec cars.

Škoda do it all the time. In some markets the space below the rear passenger air vents on the MKII Octy had a plug socket, or pop out cup holders, both of which were far more useful than  the practically useless drawer we got in the UK.  

I agree reducing the USB sockets to just one for the UK market is rather cheapskate, when 2 USBs are standard across the rest of Europe. Here's a picture from the Irish site:

 

What is more confusing, when I went to the dealers yesterday I pointed out to the wife that the edition there had the charger box sitting to the right and the usb to the left, a mirror of what is in the brochures. 

28 minutes ago, Karman said:

What is more confusing, when I went to the dealers yesterday I pointed out to the wife that the edition there had the charger box sitting to the right and the usb to the left, a mirror of what is in the brochures. 

That's because the photos are often left hand drive vehicles.

3 hours ago, Arkaig said:

I agree reducing the USB sockets to just one for the UK market is rather cheapskate, when 2 USBs are standard across the rest of Europe. Here's a picture from the Irish site:

 

Just an FYI T but the Irish models actually only come with the single USB as per the UK

7 minutes ago, Ricey7000 said:

Just an FYI T but the Irish models actually only come with the single USB as per the UK

 

Well done - sorry about that, I wasn't aware - the pic was taken direct from Skoda.ie website.

I test drove an SE L (18" wheels) and an Edition (19" wheels) and they were both similarly comfortable, even more so than my 2012 Fabia Elegance with 15" wheels. I've ordered the Edition Karoq. I asked the dealer about the USB sockets and he said we only get one USB for the UK, and none in the back. My guess is that if you price up an Irish or European Karoq Edition you might have to add some of the extras that already come standard in the UK Edition so the UK model might be better value. (Although I may have read that the Irish Edition comes with the Canton Sound System which I had to pay £550 extra for in the UK).  And I believe the irish Edition has 18" wheels not 19" as here. Swings and roundabouts.

 

I actually like the "Skoda" projection lights but each to their own I suppose.

On 25/01/2018 at 20:30, philipashby said:

True not guaranteed... however the Seat Ateca has both DCC and the digital cockpit are now available so it stands to reason that the Karoq will get them sooner rather than later. Built in the same factory and all that... hoping so because May is when I'm hoping to swap out my Yeti!

 

The digital cockpit/instrument panel is now showing as an option on the Czech configurator, so it'll not be long now till available to order in the UK

 

About £312

For just over £300, not bad (obviously might be a more expensive option when it comes to the UK). If they could retrofit it for that price I'd be tempted!

1 hour ago, cjrp said:

For just over £300, not bad (obviously might be a more expensive option when it comes to the UK). If they could retrofit it for that price I'd be tempted!

 

I doubt any Skoda dealer will be authorised to offer a retrofit, and certainly not at that price.

 

However for someone with VCDS and some technical ability, it certainly is possible to retrofit in a Karoq, but the cost would probably be some £1,400 assuming the "normal" speedometer was scratch-free and in tip-top condition able to be sold for around £350. The list price of a digital speedo is c£1,800, whereas a "normal" one is c£1,400.. 

You reckon it would be that much for the part? You can get the equivalent Tiguan display for £350 from the Czech Republic (http://www.cars-equipment.com/en/shop/instrument-clusters/oem-5na920791a-instrument-clusters-virtual-cockpit/ - no guarantee that the website isn't dodgy/that the part ever arrives). I guess the other question is whether the necessary wiring is even installed in existing models.