Why did you buy a Karoq/SUV?

[MarcusKaroq]

Just wondered what made people buy a Karoq or a similar car of that size? 

 

Obviously SUV’s in general are getting really popular but I see so many people in a big car by themselves or not even having a young family.  So a bit of a random one but thought It would be interesting to see and read whilst I wait for mine. 

 

My reason is because we need a bigger car for our young family and we both suffer from some forms of back pain so getting young children in my car can be a pain. Also a much bigger boot is required for buggy and luggage for the long haul trips. 

Edited 30 March, 2018 by MarcusKaroq

[Karman]

I am retiring soon so I decided we need one to put the dogs in the boot, (now they have to be on the back seat), so we can drive off to where we fancy for days or weekends away and the dogs are safer and more comfortable in the boot, and it’s far easier to clean the boot. Also like you my back is giving me problems after a serious accident some time ago and getting out of my Leon is starting to get difficult.

Edited 30 March, 2018 by Karman

[TheRoq]

I’ve had Qashqai’s since 2012. I like the raised driving position and its easy to put a bike in the back.

The only problem is having to fold down all the seats and the boot is not actually that big in them.

With the Karoq I can put a bike in upright, I tried it for size after the test drive.

[Englando]

For me I wanted something as efficient as the Octavia with the ride height of an SUV (after previously owning a Qashqai and XC90) with good quality feeling, decent ride and highest safety features for the family. Also needed good boot space for driving holidays. 

 

Looked at every SUV below 30k and was settling on the Kodiaq as I could get a petrol 4x4.  But the other half wanted something smaller so thankfully the Karoq had just been released.  It ticks all the boxes and more except 4x4 petrol. I'll just get smaller wheels with winter tyres fitted in Autumn. 

 

 

[sexdrugskaroqnroll]

We needed a practical car. Currently I have a MKIII TT and Mrs a Yaris, neither have much space. We’d like to do some UK trips as well, and while I don’t mind a longhaul in my car, it’s not universally popular option in the household. 

 

Final nail for the Yaris for me was I drove it to the airport recently and it just doesn’t feel very solid, the acceleration is woeful as well. She drives 40 mins on the motorway everyday and I thought she needed something a bit stronger to do the journey in. In addition she wanted an auto - getting caught in traffic a lot, she prefers the idea of that. 

The family may grow at some point too, we’re early 30s so these things get spoken about! Karoq should provide all the space/comfort required for that.  

[sexdrugskaroqnroll]

10 minutes ago, Englando said:

 

Looked at every SUV below 30k and was settling on the Kodiaq as I could get a petrol 4x4.  But the other half wanted something smaller so thankfully the Karoq had just been released.  It ticks all the boxes and more except 4x4 petrol. I'll just get smaller wheels with winter tyres fitted in Autumn. 

 

 

Had a similar issue. I loved the kodiaq but it was deemed too large. Looked at Ateca, Tiguan, CHR and very briefly but quickly dismissed Tucson and Kadjar. Then we started negotiation on a Qashqai, but couldn’t come to a landing. I was a bit concerned the infotainment was already dated on that one, so was relieved when they launched the Karoq as it seemed to fit the bill and moved on from the Nissan. 

[nickfrog]

As a family car a small 2wd SUV is unbeatable for our needs for a variety of reasons. Practically, shorter than estates, tall tyre sidewalls, high driving position etc.

 

After a QQ and a Tiguan we chose the Karoq purely on price as they're all more or less the same functionally. £5k over 2 years for a 1.5 SE Tech is ridiculous. 

[Bowdie]

We bought ours because we liked the ride height of our Yeti and 2 4x4's made sense. We live in a remote area about 1000 ft above sea level so weather isn't always that great. Traded in our Octavia, but quickly missed the space that the Octavia offered. Karoq is a bit bigger than the Yeti, but nothing like as big as the Octavia. We've now traded in the Yeti for an Octavia Scout. Both me and the missus have retired, kids have left home, but now we have grand kids so nothing really changes.

[westie38]

Came from a Ford Kuga to the Kodiaq. Originally it was going to be either another Kuga or a CX5. The Kuga hasn't moved on enough technically or in looks to justify spending such an amount of cash. The CX5 was much better, but on the day I was going for a test drive in the Mazda, I found the Karoq on Autotrader, both in Grimsby. Had a good test drive in both, but it was the Skoda which won me over, both in looks and tech features.

[Janse]

For some time I wanted a SUV because of the raised driving position and height - especially when driving in on bad gravel roads in Norway or Denmark when I'm going fishing. We've very satisfied with our Skodas (Fabia Combi and Citigo), so when the Karoq was introduced my interest was caught. AFter reading a lot of tests, especially from the German ADAC (on Kajdar, Quashqai, Tiguan, Kuga, CX5 Honda HRV etc) and test driving there was no doubt. You got value for money, great comfort, qualtiy and space if you choose the Karoq.

[George1468]

My reason is the ride height it's getting hard for my other half to get in and out she keeps hitting her head don't think it's a bad thing   My superb is so big it's a pain to park in car parks as long as I can get my fishing kit in I'm happy  

[Kainey54]

We've had SUVs for the last 16 years - six RAV4's in a row!

 

I fancied something different this time. My wife bought a Fabia a month ago (which we both love) and we saw the Karoq and Kodiaq in the showroom.

I was extremely impressed and I was dithering between them both, but eventually came down for the Karoq, and ordered one a couple of weeks ago.

 

We love SUVs for their practicality. We have a dog and go on walking holidays a lot, and they're easy just to sling the dog and walking gear in the back. Plus we like the  high driving position.

[olly_shaw]

I wanted:

• Family car
• Something fast
• Petrol with ACT
• More tech
• Automatic (I think they enable the tech)

The test drive of the Karoq was amazing. The tech in the car was also fantastic. So there we go. A car I can get everyone in that can do 0-60 in 8.6 seconds :-)

 

[MarcusKaroq]

22 minutes ago, olly_shaw said:

I wanted:

• Family car
• Something fast
• Petrol with ACT
• More tech
• Automatic (I think they enable the tech)

The test drive of the Karoq was amazing. The tech in the car was also fantastic. So there we go. A car I can get everyone in that can do 0-60 in 8.6 seconds :-)

 

 

Possilbly quicker with a box 

[OldKaroq]

The Karoq ticks almost all of my boxes.

Ride height /driving position. I slide into the car, neither get up nor down, perfect!

Then petrol engine/DSG combo.

Suspension set up - many cars ride too hard nowadays.

SE L spec - everything I needed + nothing I didn't, except for heated screen and heated steering wheel.

Also I like the under-stated slightly angular body with largish windows. 

 

[olly_shaw]

On 01/04/2018 at 12:36, MarcusKaroq said:

 

Possilbly quicker with a box 

 

Although... DSGs do have launch control. I can't see any numbers for it on the Karoq. But Mat thinks it's faster for the kodiak. I might wait a few months (years) before burning up the new car to try it out though ! 

 

Edited 2 April, 2018 by olly_shaw

[MarcusKaroq]

1 hour ago, olly_shaw said:

 

Although... DSGs do have launch control. I can't see any numbers for it on the Karoq. But Mat thinks it's faster for the kodiak. I might wait a few months (years) before burning up the new car to try it out though ! 

 

 

Interesting to see, I wonder if anyone has had a go yet in the Karoq...unless we have a volunteer  

[Macdemon]

Kitten and I chose the Karoq for the raised ride height, options available and the specs within the individual ranges  

[P6bJOHN]

I wanted a Yeti replacement, raised seating, DSG gearbox, petrol, and I got a good lease deal offered last November when I wandered into Simpsons Preston. As most modern cars are domestic consumables to me the Kuroq ticked what few boxes I had.

If I want fun I'll take out my Mk1 Escort, or cruise in my Mk1 Golf Cabriolet, I'm a bit lot of a Luddite.

[Luckypants]

My company lease car was coming to an end, so we looked around for a better replacement. The current LEON is my first 2WD vehicle in 15 years and I missed that extra go in snow. As my wife's job changed involving a commute down small lanes 4x4 was deemed necessary again. The Karoq ticked that box, practical and dog friendly, large enough boot for my bike etc. We already liked the DSG gearbox so were drawn to VAG cars. The spec of the Karoq was almost perfect in SE-L trim so that got our vote. Looking forwards to seeing if it lives up to expectations.

[smallslam]

My last car was my first SUV.  I considered one for the higher driving position and ease of getting in and out.  The Kuga drove pretty much like a car and since I was coming from sports suspension didn't feel too firm.  Audio upgrades were rare then and the Titanium cam with a reasonable Sony DAB system as standard.  I then found a car with convenience and appearance packs giving me all the options I wanted that was less than a year old and 30% off list price and bought it.

 

This time, I wanted another SUV for similar reasons.  The Karoq has good reviews, very little significant negative comment and seems decent value for the specifications.  The DSG box and the 1.5 petrol engine are good.  The cabin is better than many and it has a good balance between ride and road holding.  The SEL had most of the options I wanted.

 

Also, everything else had something I didn't like:

• Ateca - didn't really like the cabin in SE (Tech) trim.  The basic seats weren't brilliant - the FR seats were fine but I didn't want an even firmer ride.  And they have stopped taking order for 1.4TSi and no sign yet of the 1.5.
• Tiguan - a bit expensive with the options I want and my wife wasn't that comfortable.
• CX-5 I really liked, but we both have bad backs and need lumbar support in both seats - it's not available in the passenger seat even on the top-of-the-range model.
• 3008 also has no passenger lumbar support, ride is too soft, unconvinced by doing everything through the touch screen, not totally convinced by small steering wheel.
• The newer Kuga I sort-of-liked, but it is getting old, the cabin isn't great and the Infotainment is poor.
• Q3 too old and still quite expensive.  Tempted by X1, but it would have been an extra 5-6K for similar spec and I was concerned by BMW recent reliability / customer satisfaction surveys.
• Others eliminated based on reviews and/or owner comments.

The Karoq isn't perfect.  I would have bought an Edition if I could have chosen 18 inch wheels and kept the part leather seats (and possibly also deleted the sunroof).  I wanted the Columbus for a better DAC/amplifier, but it is a silly price for an upgrade of a perfectly good Infotainment system.  In general, the options that are standard on the Edition are priced very highly (compared to say ACC which is good value at £300).  The trays in the back should be optional.  Ideally, the rear seats should slide back 2 or 3 more inches - I'm not sure if there is a technical reason why they can't.  However, it's a good car and I am looking forward to getting it .. it's a long wait!

[prokaryotic]

We have been driving small manual car all our life our present Toyota yaris after 9 years have done only 19k miles, still going strong but after my retiremenent and spinal surgery was in search of a comfortable car with good lumbar support and stress free driving tried several midrange compact suv, ruled out kia not much choice in petrol range, tried Peugeot 3008 cosmetically looked good but felt no comfort in driving, Toyota CHR poor driving position for my disability, than tried Seat ateaca, almost bought it and saw advert for new quashqi, was tempted wit qaushqai’s propilot version which may probably come out in October, accidentally saw Karok you tube, and found no negative reviews went for test drive was instantly impressed with lumbar support and ease of driving and in my perception adaptive cruise control and traffic jam control will make driving stress free for my old ge, shopped around with nearest three dealers and managed to get around £2100 discount on cash price for Skoda karok edition DSG ,business grey with black leather upholstery drive assist pack, park assist , light assist, heated screen and spare tire, now matter of patiently waiting for delivery date !

[Gabi4]

I was looking for a car with the following must characteristics:

- 4x4

- a reasonable ground clearance

- automatic gearbox

- quiet cabine

- confortable seats

- Android Auto/Carplay

- electric trunk

- rear view camera

- good for city, but also a good cruiser

- 0-100 in less than 10s

 

The following cars were in the short list, but I cut them because of various reasons:

-  Mazda CX5: nice and quiet, but it's lazy, with 11s to 100, and doesn't have Android Auto/Carplay

- new Insigna: it's the car I liked most how was driving, but its lenght does not fit very well in the town.

- Kia Sportage: this is the car fighted with Karoq in the final. Even if it was cheaper with 4000E and had a huge warranty, it lose because of a noisy cabine and a not confortable driving position.

 

And Karoq was love at the first sight. I chose it because it's a good looking car, it offers a lot of technology and it fulfilled most of the requirements. Bonus: i could choose heated windscreen and LED headlights.

So, I configured and almost finished the order for a Karoq 4x4, DSG, 2.0 TDI + many options. What is missing are leather/sport seats, sunroof, self parking, VarioFlex, navigation.

 

 

 

Edited 27 April, 2018 by Gabi4

[LBFS]

I've been the only driver in our house for 10 years despite the fact my partner can drive. 

 

She had never driven an auto until we hired a Rav4 abroad and she got the driving bug overnight. It was then that we agreed on an SUV (something I'd been avoiding) with an auto box. 

 

Many of the Japanese cars don't have the right feel in the cabin - I think that's just my taste though. The Kuga which you see loads of just isn't anywhere near where it should be in terms of quality and tech (someone mentioned above) and despite the cool looks of the Peugeot 3008 there's just something nagging me about it being a Peugeot! 

 

VAG cars are my thing. The Ateca doesn't have a great looking cabin, the Q3 is seriously dated now and the Tiguan with what we want is too pricey. 

 

We managed to bag an 1.5tsi Edition in black 2 weeks ago which we pick up on Monday. I'd have rather specced one myself, but just wasn't prepared to wait for '6 months at least' for a car. We were given the en-route black, then told it wasn't available but they had a silver one on its way. The silver doesn't look anywhere near as nice, so we said we weren't interested and the black one became available again! Amazing. 

 

Anyway, looking forward to collection on Monday! 

[darock]

I was tired of Renaults. A higher driving position for upward mobility at the traffic lights.  

A friend and the C0² French tax convinced me that automatic gearbox was the way to go. 

I choose Lava Blue (Quartz Grey a close second), 1.5 TSI DSG7, beige leather, amundsen,

sunroof and many options. Will cost me 31k€, order next week.

I did not select lane, traffic, and parking assistances. cba.

Buying from Spain, I won't get heated windscreen and washers. No biggie in Brittany.

I don't have a family but I travel with some comrades every now and then.

I will definitely drive blablacar once I get it. Nowhere near soon, 7-8 months from now.

 

The Mazda CX-5 was my first choice, I liked the design more and the reviews are raving.

Cherry red and dark mica blue are gorgeous, fun to drive. But I'm obese, 165 kg atm, 4XL.

In the CX-5, I didn't know where to rest my left arm. Not enough room.

My right knee is weak since I tripped badly one day. It was hurting after 10 minutes.

The CO2 tax is atmospheric like the 150ch 2.0L engine, 3100-3800€ here.

4.58m was a tad too long.

 

The Karoq was my second choice after much catching up with car literature.

After test driving, the karoq is comfortable and spacious enough for me, not a given.

It is not overly long, I live in a town center, and it is manoeuvrable enough.

I lost half the points from driving without the seat belt on: not having to struggle with length and position is a BIG plus.

Unlike the Cx-5, the window is not too high to rest my arm on it. But there isn't much knee room left behind me.

Visibility is better than the cx-5, but not on par with my former Scenic. Stylish dark glass.

The Karoq is less expensive than the Cx-5, 5000€, has larger sunroof, better infotainment, less problematic to service.

Design-wise, I like the front view, the back admittedly less so. Overall, the karoq looks grow on me. 

I like the karoq more than the siblings tiguan and ateca, and most other compact SUVs.

The only contenders are the Cx-5 and the 3008, I think.

Sadly the VW choice of colours is underwhelming: fifty shades of grey.