As I understand, quite a few people buying Karoq 4x4 in the UK neither go for the smallest (17") alloy wheels, nor change to the winter tyres in winter.

 

I live in the Baltics, where we can have lots of snow and ice any time from November to March in the entire country, and winter tyres are compulsory during that period. There are no questions about using smaller wheels for a better grip, too.

 

Yet, many people still drive with 2wd, and they do just fine. Even on the freeways and country roads. And the temperature is 15-25° during the rest of the year, from April to October.

 

The thing with Karoq is, that it doesn't look like a big car. It's neither long, nor very tall.

 

Could 17" wheels with winter tyres be just enough for it, if there are no plans to use it for any towing? But the countryside roads might be used in winter conditions.

 

The reasons to go with Karoq 2wd:

 

- More responsive / agile / fun to drive

- More boot space (fits a full size spare wheel under the boot floor)

- Lower weight and fuel consumption

- Lower complexity of the car (one thing less to break)

 

It would be interesting to know, if anyone went for this setup (2wd + 17" + winter tyres) instead of 4wd in the area with a lot of snow and ice in winter, and do they regret it.

 

Edited 29 December, 20187 yr by Guest

Welcome.

?

What do you drive now when it is snowy?

 

One reason to go FWD (2 wd) and Winter tyres is the simplicity and no need for Haldex Service every 48,000 km / 3 years. 

Lower fuel use possibly. 

Lower purchase price.

I used to drive Peugeot 206, which was ok in the city (with the streets being taken a good care of in winter), but didn't give me a lot of confidence to venture into the all-white countryside during winter.

 

 

I assume, that Karoq would be a much more suitable car even in 2wd.

 

The question is, would 4wd give more than it takes away, when such conditions last for up to 12-16 weeks per year:

 

 

And the rest of the year is like:

 

Edited 29 December, 20187 yr by Guest

Living in the Southern Finland. In winter time we have nowadays wet, slush, snow, ice etc. The roads are plowed or not, can be 20cm snow. Have had only 2wd cars, never big troubles and in winter time always winter tyres (no spikes in 20 years). When have Skodas, then in Yeti there were 16" as in recent Octavia, in forth coming Karoq will have 17", expecting no problems. If you stuck, the reason is behind the steering wheel.

Thanks, that's reassuring.

 

I think I need to pay more attention to the trends in Finland, Sweden and Norway than in the UK, where 4wd might be necessary for cars with all-season tyres and large wheels. I believe there are even people who drive with summer tyres all year round and still buy a 4x4 in that part of Europe.

 

I went for a walk this snowy afternoon and noticed two Karoqs parked in the city center, just a few streets away from each other.

 

The first one was with 2wd and 16" wheels. The second one was with 4wd and 19" wheels.

 

Then I found a review from Czech Republic with these two exact setups compared in similar winter conditions:

 

 

So, 2wd and 16" wheels seems to be enough for winter roads, but 4wd can even tow on ice.

 

That a kind of confirms carwow.co.uk's recommendations for Karoq ("Four-wheel drive is only worth going for if you’re going to use your Karoq for towing.").

 

I wonder, if 17" would do much worse than 16" with 2wd on snow and ice.

Edited 29 December, 20187 yr by Guest

In my case, when I'm considering 4x4, it's not only about the amount of snow, but also about the inclines that I know I'll have to deal with.

That's a good point.

 

Do you mean something like in this video:

 

 

There is nothing like that in my entire country, which is completely flat.

 

But I would still like to be able to go on a ski trip in Central Europe in my Karoq.

 

It means that a 2wd could severely limit my vacation options in winter, which is no good.

 

On the other hand, I believe there are plenty of 2wd cars running through all the roads in Austria and Switzerland even in winter.

 

And Karoq is essentially a Golf with a higher clearance. It has the same width, length, and weight. And even the same engines.

 

If you think about it this way: are there many road-connected places in Europe that a 2wd Golf cannot reach?

 

Actually, Volkswagen Golf was the most sold car in Austria in 2018.

Edited 29 December, 20187 yr by Guest

If your country is flat, in my opinion good winter tires should be all you need.

 

You might want to get snow chains/socks for the couple of times per year when you go skiing...

 

I've only owned 2WD cars with Continental winter tires (TS 800, TS 830 P, TS 850, TS 850 P, TS 860) and I've never needed to use snow chains, even when driving to the Alps...

Thanks.

 

Your profile says "Location: Switzerland".

 

And that sums it all up.

Edited 29 December, 20187 yr by Guest

Interestingly, even Škoda's winter ads in Czech Republic show Karoq with 2wd and 16" alloy wheels:

 

 

 

So, my conclusion is that 4wd with compact crossover SUVs is only worth it when towing, off-roading, or using all-season tyres in the regions with little snow, but lots of rain.

I agree, in UK unless you live on a remote hill road, or tow there is no point in the 4x4

 

However the factory fit summer tyres are not suitable for 365 days /year use in UK.  Quite simply spinning 4 wheels on snow (easily done with summer tyres), is worst than having 2wd with winter (or winter biased all seasons)

 

 

 

No one in UK carries snow chains (except those visiting ski resorts), so the smaller wheels suitable for chains are irrelevant to vast majority 

 

When I think about it, if I lived in a more remote area, I would prefer Kodiaq 4wd for larger space and better road presence.

 

Karoq 4wd might still be useful in Netherlands, Belgium, Nothern France, Ireland and the UK – which see wet roads all year round, but no winter tyres.

Edited 30 December, 20187 yr by Guest

It seems that 2wd + 17" wheels are recommended even by Irish reviewers for the best comfort and ride quality:

 

"If you want four-wheel drive (although why would you in a car like this?) then you have to opt for the 2.0-litre diesel engine which can only be had in the more expensive ‘Style’ trim. However, it can be had with a six-speed manual gearbox (from €35,765).

 

If you are considering the four-wheel drive option, just be aware that it does bump up the weight of the car and this can be felt out on the road. Even without four-wheel drive the Karoq has decent front wheel grip and feels nice and planted.

 

And speaking of wheels, stick with the smaller 17-inch alloys to improve the ride comfort. The 18-inch wheels do look better, but the ride suffers a little due to the low profile."

 

https://www.thejournal.ie/skoda-karoq-review-4141953-Jul2018/

 

The Telegraph confirms the same in its long-term review of Škoda Karoq:

 

"As mentioned in our last report, a door seal had become detached on our long-term Karoq and it went back for a bit of titivation. In its place came a diesel 4x4 version, which gave me a chance to compare and contrast, particularly as I had several long journeys planned.

 

Within 50 yards, however, the extra weight (186kg) of the diesel engine and all-wheel-drive gubbins is immediately apparent, giving the suspension lots more to do and challenging the damping. The Haldex-clutch type 4x4 system works gently all the time, but its main effect is to dull the feedback and alacrity of the steering, as well a providing a drag on the engine."

 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/features/skoda-karoq-smallest-czech-suv-long-term-test/

 

I might just have to settle with 16" Castor wheels for winter, as they are problably what the designers of Škoda Karoq would use themselves on the snowy mountain roads of Czech Republic.

 

"4x4" for the car of the size of Golf seems to be mostly used for marketing in the UK.

 

What Škoda Karoq 1.5 TSI 4x2 provides then in comparison to Volkswagen Golf (on which it is based): a higher ground clearance, a larger interior space, an increased level of safety, and even a place for a full-size spare wheel.

Edited 30 December, 20187 yr by Guest

Give me 2WD and a good set of winter tyres on 16" or 17" wheels any day, over a 4x4 with 19" or 20" summer tyres.

 

If you can afford it, or justify it, get the 4x4 with some nice looking alloys for the summer, and a second set of smaller steel or alloy wheels fitted with winter tyres for the colder months.

 

I did this for a few years, but after a few mild winters here in England I've sold the winter wheels and tyres and now run a set of premium all-season tyres all year.

3 hours ago, onvo said:

"4x4" for the car of the size of Golf seems to be mostly used for marketing in the UK.

 

 

Of course, location matters, but if you need 4x4 for more traction on snow, small car size doesn't help.

 

Edited 30 December, 20187 yr by agedbriar

Didn’t think 2wd plus winter tyres would be this much better than 4wd summer. But the braking is the biggest difference. That’s what will save your life. 

 

 

Of course, location matters, but if you need 4x4 for more traction on snow, small car size doesn't help.

Really? I've always found that small 4x4 cars like the Fiat Panda and Suzuki Jimny do very well in the snow.

2 hours ago, FordFocusDriver said:

Really? I've always found that small 4x4 cars like the Fiat Panda and Suzuki Jimny do very well in the snow.

True, and so do larger 4x4 cars, e.g. Octavia. Just any car, I'm sure , has better traction on snow in the 4x4 variant, compared to its 2x4 variant.

Where small car size (on its own) is an advantage, is off-road proper.

 

In fact, I commented on the statement: " "4x4" for the car of the size of Golf seems to be mostly used for marketing in the UK."

My point is, that if 4x4 is overkill for winter road conditions in the UK, it is regardless of car size.

 

 

Edited 5 January, 20197 yr by agedbriar

^^^ Parts of the UK are quite far north, parts of the UK can get quite snowy which is why there are plenty driving quatro's / haldex, x-drives, 4 matics, AWD's / 4x4's 

because even if there are only 7 days of bad snow on roads they might need to get places and not all just drive on 'Main Roads' or even public roads.

 

When a call goes out for 'volunteers with 4x4's'  they are not looking for some low passenger car with fwd and winter tyres or even some low SUV / Crossover with Part Time AWD 

and the less ability than an old 2 wd Fiesta / Panda etc on snow tyres.

 

Skoda adding plastic tat to models and not actually improving the cars ability, giving more clearance etc and just making them look 'Lets go offroading' 

is just ridiculous.

A 'Scoutline' Fabia is taking the pith.  They need to get on with a Hybrid and get electric motor drive to the rear wheels.

 

The 'Motor Sport' / rallying success is from Fabias in the past decades and in the showrooms the customers can only get 110ps with FWD.

They sin all the Motorsport heritage and success guff, and spend millions in rallying.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited 6 January, 20197 yr by Skoffski

The Scout, to some, looks better though, which on its own is enough for them to sell more.

 

This is all the manufacturers care about.

 

If it still gets stuck in the snow, who cares? Certainly not the dealer that made his commission from the sale.

 

Those that really rely on sufficient traction to survive i.e. those in remote locations are unlikely to be driving anything from VAG.

"Scout" seems to be mostly about the looks, because one can get most of the options as extras with the standard trim. It's also hard to understand, how 19" alloy wheels and a panoramic sunroof can help Karoq off-road. If anything, I think they make it worse.

 

The only things I can't find as extras with the standard trim are reinforcements of the front and rear wheel arches, and a higher ground clearance.

Edited 6 January, 20197 yr by Guest

Hey, regards from Baltics,

Driving in LTU with 2wd, 17"wheels, Continental tyres, so far it's stable, feels safe, and had no situation where I needed to have 4x4.

Edited 8 January, 20197 yr by phd_agne

I believe 4x4 represents the safer option for my particular driving style:  

 

 

Everyone faces their own driving conditions that either call for 4x4 or make it overkill.

 

In my instance, the main reason I want 4x4 traction on one of the family cars, is a 20m slope from the garage to the road. Whenever someone has an important appointment on an early winter morning, it sure will snow during the night. 

 

It's just impossible to generalize.

On 10/01/2019 at 21:58, agedbriar said:

It's just impossible to generalize.

 

I think it might be possible after reading this entire thread.

 

Škoda Karoq with 16-17" wheels and winter tyres might still require 4x4 under these conditions: going up & down steep slopes, off-roading, or towing.