Hello all

 

Have been reading the forum for a few weeks now, after making a deposit on a lease Karoq for some pre-built cars that were on order for a lease company.

 

It was supposedly not ready until the end of February, but just had a call just now to say it's been registered and ready for delivery in the next week to ten days. The supplying dealership appears to be in the East Anglia area, so transport will be needed up here to NE Scotland.

 

We were just looking for a reasonably well specced car to be a 2nd, or perhaps even a 3rd car, and after much ado trying to get a new model Golf R ordered to replace my previous Arteon, I decided to go to the complete opposite end of the performance spectrum & get a Karoq instead.

 

It will be on a short 2 year lease, and the prices through the lease company were very competitive. I'm not all silly though....I have an older Porsche Boxster 2.7 for fun, but that doesn't always create a best impression when going out to see clients!!

 

The specs were already fixed, so just went for one of the cheaper ones

 

• 1.5 TSI petrol DSG
• SEL specification
• 19" Crater wheels were the only added option by the lease company
• Energy Blue, with black microfibre seats

 

I have a December 2020 registered Tiguan 1.5 Elegance, so very familiar with the engine & drivetrain - the Karoq will just be a little lower on spec doing without stuff like Adaptive Cruise, matrix LEDs, digital dash, panoramic sunroof and the like, but with the hassles VW have had with predictive cruise control on my last Arteon, the Tiguan and what was going to be my Golf R, going a notch more basic is probably not a bad thing

 

The Tiguan rides on 235/50R19 tyres and the Karoq will be 225/40R19, so the Karoq might be little less comfortable...we'll see.

 

Will have a look for a suitable dog guard but don't want to be drilling or cutting into trim, which I believe the genuine Skoda dog guard requires - is that true?

 

 

Welcome to the forum!

 

But the above reads like you are lowering yourself into the realms of Skoda Karoq ownership? 🤔

Not at all - just a realisation that all the latest tech isn't always what it's cracked up to be, and looking forward to a solid & dependable daily driver

 

Looked at the Kodiaq a few years ago, but it was just too big for what we needed - Karoq seems just right.

Ah ok. From my own experience this is exactly what you will be getting! Even including BMW 330d,s my Karoq is just about the best car I have ever owned and fits all my criteria.

Phope, what sort of trouble did you have with your Arteon & tiguan predictive  / adaptive cruise controls.  My 2.5yr old Karoq 1.0 SE Tec DSG has adaptive cruise control and no problems so far (only done 16,000miles though due to pandemic).  However, one does have to be aware of its foibles  :--

 

1).  Once it's locked on to a car in front, it seems to reluctant to let go, so when pulling out to overtake on a motorway, unless I do this early, which I now usually remember to do, I have to have foot ready to use the throttle, in order to override the car wanting to slow down & not let me past.

 

2).  It's slow to lock on to a new car that has cut me up and dodged out in front of me - bad driving for sure, but it does happen occasionally, particularly on the M25.

 

So I have to anticipate, which is no bad thing and I find I can sometimes drive many 10s of motorway miles without needing to touch brake or throttle, even in moderately busy traffic - wouldn't be without it.  I believe Volvos cope better with issue 1 though (according to recent comparison review with an Audi Q I saw, but don't remember the details).

 

I can see that it would be even better in a Left Hand Drive car as the foot rest is then be ideally placed for the right foot.  Never quite sure what to do with my right foot in the RHD car, as there's not enough space to the side of the throttle to rest it, maybe I should have the pedals altered (moved to left) to create more room there.

 

 

The problems with both weren't so much with the Adaptive Cruise Control; instead it was the Predictive Cruise Control element of ACC where it attempts to regulate speed according to GPS and road sign recognition

 

In the Arteon with a MIB2 head unit, it used to recognise UK 70mph roads as 60 mph on an inconsistent basis...so you'd be driving along at 70mph, then the car would automatically brake to 60mph for no reason - it has been put down to errors in the mapping data. Looking at maps where it happened, sometimes there was no reason, and other examples could be where perhaps a road crossed over another, for example a 70mph dual carriageway with a 60mph local road going underneath it.

 

I never got to the root of the problem before selling the car in May 2021 - software updates to the head unit didn't resolve it, but I hear the very latest mapping data has been fixed

 

The Tiguan has the latest MIB3 head unit, and it has had a few issues too, that are also affecting the latest Golf, Octavia, SEAT Leon and Cupra Formentor. Suddenly, the car will think it is in a left hand drive country and start displaying car speeds/road signs in kilometres per hour. The predictive cruise would also then recognise 70mph as 70kmh...and start slamming on the brakes!

 

It would also start thinking it was in a left hand drive country, and ACC stopped you from overtaking in the correct lane - the dash photos here are from the Tiguan that I showed the dealer to prove it was happening

 

For some reason, the adaptive cruise control and LED matrix lighting also threw a wobbly back in September, with the result that dynamic high beam stopped working and cruise just failed completely

 

It was all fixed back in September with a dealer installed software upgrade from software version 0270 to 0278, plus new software for the OCU, online connectivity unit after automatic map updates stopped working

 

The latest Golf, Octavia, Leon and Formentor all have similar issues at the moment...which are only now just beginning to get fixed

 

 

 

On 13/01/2022 at 17:58, phope said:

... a realisation that all the latest tech isn't always what it's cracked up to be, and looking forward to a solid & dependable daily driver

 

 

I'm sure you'll be happy with it.

I've moved to a Karoq from a nicely-specced Audi and don't miss it. There's more than enough tech on the Karoq for me.

Completely agree with OP. I've always said that some tech on cars answer questions nobody asked and end up being too smart for their own good. We have an Edition which really didn't need much else, but when when changing my previous Skoda to the Kodiaq, I ignored several options which in theory sound great but in practice, I really hated. My previous car was a Skoda ex-promotional vehicle so had nearly every option box ticked. I added six options on the Kodiaq but only two of them were carried over from the old car.

 

My only concern with OP's spec would be the colour - poverty blue, a zero cost option.  Being an Aberdonian though, I can understand that decision.  

8 minutes ago, kodiaqsportline said:

Completely agree with OP. I've always said that some tech on cars answer questions nobody asked and end up being too smart for their own good. We have an Edition which really didn't need much else, but when when changing my previous Skoda to the Kodiaq, I ignored several options which in theory sound great but in practice, I really hated. My previous car was a Skoda ex-promotional vehicle so had nearly every option box ticked. I added six options on the Kodiaq but only two of them were carried over from the old car.

 

My only concern with OP's spec would be the colour - poverty blue, a zero cost option.  Being an Aberdonian though, I can understand that decision.  

 

Don't get me wrong - the tech is great when it is working - the LED matrix lighting system on the Tiguan is just unbelievably good, and the Travel Assist function where it can break and semi-steer into corners /junctions is pretty impressive.

 

The "value" spec blue isn't that bad.....I imagine Stonehaven beach in February will make it look just like this

 

Hi All,

          I have just bought a 2018 2.0 TDI 4X4 SEL trim to replace an ageing discovery 3.

I agree with all the posts regarding the Karoq.

It is an outstanding car, the trim and seats are excellent for a mid trim model, and the lack of high end features radar etc are probably a blessing in the long term as discussed above.

Its driving modes give a range of performance and economy to suit most needs.

Features like easily removable rear seats make it a great utility vehicle, or big boys toy transporter.

 

Regards

 

Bob

20 minutes ago, 1BobM said:

Hi All,

          I have just bought a 2018 2.0 TDI 4X4 SEL trim to replace an ageing discovery 3.

I agree with all the posts regarding the Karoq.

It is an outstanding car, the trim and seats are excellent for a mid trim model, and the lack of high end features radar etc are probably a blessing in the long term as discussed above.

Its driving modes give a range of performance and economy to suit most needs.

Features like easily removable rear seats make it a great utility vehicle, or big boys toy transporter.

 

Regards

 

Bob

I have same model, same year but DSG.

Great car never had a problem ( ooww dear what have I said ) it replaced my 64 reg Octy Scout DSG which was the best car I have owned and apart from the power difference the Karoq is better with more practical seating and better spec.

Well, mine should be arriving on the 28th January - fingers crossed.

A few observations about using ACC on my Karoq:

 

• Adaptive cruise in Eco mode on the motorway seems downright dangerous. Last week I used ACC to deal with slow moving traffic on the the motorway. When the congestion cleared, everyone around me accelerated normally backup to 70 from about 40 and the Karoq started to resume accelerating to 70 at a dying snails pace. I had to knock it out of Eco to get the car behaving normally. I probably won't ever bother with Eco mode ever again.
• I've driven hundreds of thousands of miles over 25 years or so, mainly on the motorway and I've always tried to maintain a fluid driving style when on the motorway, and staying out of 'clusters' of cars travelling together. What I've noticed with ACC (and this is likely general, not a slur on the VAG ACC) that it causes you to be at the mercy of other poor drivers and middle lane hoggers. So someone else's 70 is actually 64mph in reality, so you end up disabling acc and moving around them. Plus you tend to be in convoy in a cluster much more often, which I am not particularly comfortable with.
• If someone pulls into your maintained gap and are travelling much slower, the car brakes a bit more sharpish than I would have and you are also hoping that the person who is hanging off your bumper behind notices when you automatically slow down.

On the plus side, ACC saved our skin when the car had only done 17 miles - there was a 5 car pile up in front of us on the M5 due to low sun and people driving too closely together. The car picked up the rapid decrease in distance to the car in front and slowed us a good second quicker than I probably would have, even with the highest gap setting on the ACC. 

Edited 19 January, 20224 yr by Seymansey

I was out and about in our Tiguan today, and was making full use of the ACC and predictive cruise control

 

When combined with the sat nav mapping data, it can be extremely effective - I'd selected my destination, and the car was aware of traffic delays, pre-selecting speeds for corners, braking automatically for junctions, and keeping pace with other traffic.

 

For a good 20-30 miles, I didn't have to even touch the brakes or accelerator whilst it adjusted to the corners, junctions and roads. It made for effortless, if somewhat dull, driving.

 

All very slick, but it doesn't take much for things to fall over....an incorrectly positioned road sign, or someone pulling sharply into your lane can cause sudden acceleration or braking.

 

Work in progress clearly  

 

 

On 13/01/2022 at 19:41, phope said:

The Tiguan has the latest MIB3 head unit, and it has had a few issues too, that are also affecting the latest Golf, Octavia, SEAT Leon and Cupra Formentor. Suddenly, the car will think it is in a left hand drive country and start displaying car speeds/road signs in kilometres per hour. The predictive cruise would also then recognise 70mph as 70kmh...and start slamming on the brakes!

 

It would also start thinking it was in a left hand drive country, and ACC stopped you from overtaking in the correct lane - the dash photos here are from the Tiguan that I showed the dealer to prove it was happening

 

For some reason, the adaptive cruise control and LED matrix lighting also threw a wobbly back in September, with the result that dynamic high beam stopped working and cruise just failed completely

 

It was all fixed back in September with a dealer installed software upgrade from software version 0270 to 0278, plus new software for the OCU, online connectivity unit after automatic map updates stopped working

 

The latest Golf, Octavia, Leon and Formentor all have similar issues at the moment...which are only now just beginning to get fixed

 

 

 

 

The latter fault also affects Karoqs with the MIB3 infotainment system. 

 

I was getting speed limits displayed in KPH intermittently until my first service, and twice my headlights were reset for driving on the right (I very seldom use cruise control so haven;t seen the undertaking error). But after commenting on it my car was updated to 0276 software, and the fault hasn't reappeared to date.

 

Chris 

2 hours ago, Seymansey said:

A few observations about using ACC on my Karoq:

 

• Adaptive cruise in Eco mode on the motorway seems downright dangerous. Last week I used ACC to deal with slow moving traffic on the the motorway. When the congestion cleared, everyone around me accelerated normally backup to 70 from about 40 and the Karoq started to resume accelerating to 70 at a dying snails pace. I had to knock it out of Eco to get the car behaving normally. I probably won't ever bother with Eco mode ever again.
• I've driven hundreds of thousands of miles over 25 years or so, mainly on the motorway and I've always tried to maintain a fluid driving style when on the motorway, and staying out of 'clusters' of cars travelling together. What I've noticed with ACC (and this is likely general, not a slur on the VAG ACC) that it causes you to be at the mercy of other poor drivers and middle lane hoggers. So someone else's 70 is actually 64mph in reality, so you end up disabling acc and moving around them. Plus you tend to be in convoy in a cluster much more often, which I am not particularly comfortable with.
• If someone pulls into your maintained gap and are travelling much slower, the car brakes a bit more sharpish than I would have and you are also hoping that the person who is hanging off your bumper behind notices when you automatically slow down.

On the plus side, ACC saved our skin when the car had only done 17 miles - there was a 5 car pile up in front of us on the M5 due to low sun and people driving too closely together. The car picked up the rapid decrease in distance to the car in front and slowed us a good second quicker than I probably would have, even with the highest gap setting on the ACC. 

 

There's a menu setting that will adjust how quickly the ACC will accelerate the car, which think will override the Eco drive mode.

 

Car was delivered this morning on a transporter - arrived with 8 miles on the clock and in immaculate condition - transport driver was a great guy.

 

Haven't driven it yet, but I can't imagine it will be anything other than what I expect

 

Set up the Skoda Connect and user profile, and am letting it download a couple of minor software updates - it already seems to be on a higher version 0302 for the main software from the factory. Will take it for a drive later, but for now, it can sit beside the Boxster

 

First modification already....the Skoda washer funnel cap swapped in  

 

 

Interesting that you're on software level 0302, as mine was updated by my dealer to 0276 (as the latest available) last December. 

 

But your navigation database seems seriously out of date from the factory! My car was delivered with 19.11 in November 2020, then updated itself to 20.9 in March 2021, 21.2 in April 2021, and 21.9 in November 2021! (It should update itself as it realises there's an update available, and will presumably just jump up to 21.9 at least once you start driving it.) 

I didn't realise SE-L's were still being shipped with crator alloys. Top tip especially if it's a leased car - be careful with them because on the std factory tyres, those rims mark very easily.

 

Will be interesting to see what you think of it. I'd always placed VW that wee bit above Skoda in touchy-feel trim quality department but felt the exact opposite with the Karoq v Tiguan. I was quite disappointed with the quality of the Tiguan - felt it had that "built-to-a-price" feel about it.

1 hour ago, CJJE said:

Interesting that you're on software level 0302, as mine was updated by my dealer to 0276 (as the latest available) last December. 

 

But your navigation database seems seriously out of date from the factory! My car was delivered with 19.11 in November 2020, then updated itself to 20.9 in March 2021, 21.2 in April 2021, and 21.9 in November 2021! (It should update itself as it realises there's an update available, and will presumably just jump up to 21.9 at least once you start driving it.) 

 

It's already jumped to 21.11 (2021 Nov) all by itself within a few hours.

6 hours ago, phope said:

Car was delivered this morning on a transporter - arrived with 8 miles on the clock and in immaculate condition - transport driver was a great guy.

 

Haven't driven it yet, but I can't imagine it will be anything other than what I expect

 

 

 

 

Nice one. Gotta love that new car feeling.....  : )  

Lovely Boxster, @phope! I would like one too! Congrats for the Karoq too!

On 28/01/2022 at 17:05, phope said:

 

It's already jumped to 21.11 (2021 Nov) all by itself within a few hours.

Just checked mine... the navigation database is now at 21.11 too!

1 hour ago, CJJE said:

Just checked mine... the navigation database is now at 21.11 too!

 

I have the latest database, but as I have posted before, there are at least 2 railway stations which should be in Norfolk/Suffolk that appear on my map as in South Dorset. Anyone any idea how I can inform someone to get this corrected?

7 minutes ago, Routemaster1461 said:

 

I have the latest database, but as I have posted before, there are at least 2 railway stations which should be in Norfolk/Suffolk that appear on my map as in South Dorset. Anyone any idea how I can inform someone to get this corrected?

 

https://updateportal.skoda-auto.com and go into Map Creator to report faults/errors