Second hand Karoq advice

[tolfree]

Hi I'm going to buy my first SE L Karoq in the next month or two, one of the earlier models from 2018-2020. I've read a couple of comments that the built in Satnav wasn't so good on the older models and just wondered if that's true, and if so whether it was improved from a certain year or has it stayed poor? I know that hooking up your phone is preferable but I do like the idea of not having to rely on always having to hook up a phone.

Also interested in any other changes over time, though the facelift model from 2022 is out of the question sadly. One minor change I saw was the badge on the rear was replaced by letters from 2019. Any other advice on changes much appreciated!

[SurreyJohn]

Regarding the sat nav, it was fixed mapping until the models went online.  There are ways to download new maps, copy over the registration file etc (other threads have process).  However any map is offline (no live traffic updates) unless you subscribe so most people just plug in phone and use google maps or Waze etc

 

SE-L spec had vast list of cost options, so need to check spec properly if there is something you can't do without.  Some car adverts just cut and paste standard spec which makes checking ads online rather unreliable for exact spec.

 

Spec has slightly changed over time, but in reality unless you are prepared to search vast area online then your budget will be main determinant.   But do initial research on autotrader, and other sites (some places only subscribe to cheaper websites so might not be on biggest), Skoda used website is not best by long way for quick comparison.

 

 

Edited 10 March by SurreyJohn

[daviemck2006]

I have an earlier one with the badge on the back and I prefer that although it's a very minor thing. I find my sat navigation is fine, subject to it not knowing newly made roads, streets etc. I love the car, but its drives slightly better on still 18 inch wheels but slightly wider ones on 235/50×18 instead of the 215/50×18 horrid bridgestones it came on. Its one of the comfiest, best quality vehicles I have ever driven. Mine is a 1.6tdi dsg, it does near 50mpg everywhere, and 30mpg towing the caravan. Great car.

[BTandSid]

We bought a 2020 Sportline last year that came (imho) on the awful 19in Bridgestones and I swapped them out for Michelin CrossClimate2s within the first month or so, changed the ride immeasurably.

As for the satnav the only issue I had initially was with the basic inputting of a destination postcode. Raising a query on the forum I was made aware that the selected postcode would in fact take me to the centre of the postcode. That’s fine for locations such as National Trust sites etc that would be marked on the map but a pita if needing to find say a property. Inputting a street address now resolves the issue, although I believe there are a few members living in more remote regions that don’t always have street names to go by. 
Apart from that, we’ve had no issues with the car. We came out of a Land Rover Freelander and so access and seating position were a consideration for us

[Gremlin170]

Avoid the 19” wheels unless you enjoy your teeth chattering.

[tolfree]

Thanks all for your thoughts.

 

So it sounds like there are no specific considerations related to the age of the Karoq that would help tip the balance: The Sat-nav didn't improve in a specific year, and regardless of age the wheels are likely to need upgrading.

 

Just a final check in - are there any changes that would mean going for a specific age of karoq other than the obvious general principle of newer is better where you can afford it, and as mentioned I won't be able to afford the facelifted model?

 

Many thanks.

[daviemck2006]

1 hour ago, tolfree said:

Thanks all for your thoughts.

 

So it sounds like there are no specific considerations related to the age of the Karoq that would help tip the balance: The Sat-nav didn't improve in a specific year, and regardless of age the wheels are likely to need upgrading.

 

Just a final check in - are there any changes that would mean going for a specific age of karoq other than the obvious general principle of newer is better where you can afford it, and as mentioned I won't be able to afford the facelifted model?

 

Many thanks.

Not necessarily the wheels needing changed. If it's on 18s wheels will be fine, just not with Bridgestone turzana tyres. I have vredestien winters on the standard wheels and size and they are fine. My other wheels are still 18s, slightly wider, Michelin on front, kormoran rear and they are fine. Just avoid Bridgestone summers. I do not know how their winters or ass seasons are.

[MickA]

I've experienced Bridgestones on two cars, they were pretty awful TBH on both. I probably wouldn't buy a car with those tyres on unless a was given a decent discount (unlikely) to get them changed. They are just tyres to dealers, so long as they are legal when the car is sold, they don't much bother.

[kodiaqsportline]

7 hours ago, tolfree said:

Just a final check in - are there any changes that would mean going for a specific age of karoq other than the obvious general principle of newer is better where you can afford it, and as mentioned I won't be able to afford the facelifted model?

 

Many thanks.

 

There's nothing specific other than sometime in 2020 it underwent a mild facelift.  It's all pretty minor stuff with the usual pro's and cons. There's no major change tho.

 

The pre-facelift SEL can be identified as it'll have a 3 spoke steering wheel with black thumb rollers for adjusting menus and volume etc. The post facelift will have a 2 spoke steering wheel with silver rollers for adjusting volume etc.

 

Post facelift cars will have a MIB3 infortainment system which means over-the-air updates. Yes it's newer and will have wireless Android Auto  / Carplay as opposed to wired on the earlier MIB2 systems. But I think everyone would agree MIB3 is more temperamental than the earlier MIB2 systems. The MIB3 only has USB-C type sockets whereas the pre-facelift only has USB-A sockets.

 

The other minor change is that the pre-FL model will retain it's settings whereas the Post-FL will not. For example, if you set the driving mode to 'Individual' on a pre-FL car, each time you turn on the ignition, it will default to it's previous setting - i.e. it'll retain 'individual' mode.  On the post-FL mode settings are always reset, that is if you select 'individual', the next time you start the car it'll default back to Normal and you'll have to reset the mode back to individual if that's what you want.  I find that a pain-in-the-butt to be honest but it's hardly a deal breaker. It seems the newer cars get, the more annoying they become.

 

All things being equal, I'd put up with those little pains and go for a facelift model myself.  

Edited 11 March by kodiaqsportline

[tolfree]

Thats really helpful thanks so much for all your thoughts. So it sounds like the verdict is there isn't much to choose between a 2018, 2019 and 2020 other than the age of the car.

 

Two last questions if you don't mind - engine and gearbox.

 

Our main journey is a 10 mile each way daily commute on an A road. Fuel efficiency is much more important than performance. My instinct is to go for the 1l petrol. I would have preferred the diesel but suspect our commute is too short to benefit from the diesel?

 

And I'm never much of a fan of automatic gearboxes but interested if there's a particular reason that should be considered?

 

If there's a thread I should read to save you repeating please signpost. Thanks so much all!

[Redboy]

My commute is 10 miles on A roads with one set of lights at mostly 50-55 mph, recently with around 43-46 mpg indicated,  which will improve slightly with warmer weather. On a 30 mile drive last weekend on A roads, keeping up with traffic, it was showing 51 mpg. After 30 years of manuals, my last 3 cars have been DSG and I am converted,  I can't fault their overall performance. Unlike my last Superb which had the oomph to sit in 7th unless urgent acceleration was required, the Karoq's DSG box  keeps it in 6th  on a light throttle at 50-55 and will drop down into 6th fairly easily on inclines. It's just an observation and is simply holding the car in the right gear, matching  economy/power requirement . When power is required urgently, i.e. kickdown,  my experience is that regardless of engine power, a DSG box hesitates and can go down too many gears. In the Karoq it's smoother and safer to pre-plan and flick down a gear or two using the paddles behind the steering wheel.  Finally beware the "smaller engines always equals better economy" mantra. My friend recently got a  23 plate 1.0 Fabia Monte Carlo DSG. It's very nice but its economy is definitely slightly worse than the 2020 Octavia 1.5 TSI which he traded in. I hope you get a reliable car and a good deal. 

[kodiaqsportline]

At that mileage I doubt any engine will be significantly more economical than another.

 

DSG?  The engines you're looking at all come with the same maintenance free DSG gearbox so in theory shouldn't cost any more to maintain than a manual. But 1: the car will be more expensive to buy and 2: cross your fingers nothing goes wrong with the DSG as they're expensive to repair. IMO it'd be wise to have a DSG under warranty which of course is an additional cost.

 

If anyone had costs near the top of their list of priorities, I'd recommend a 1.0 manual.

[tolfree]

I'm looking at one at the moment with 18" Braga Silver - Any comments on those specifically? I don't mind how they look but just conscious of some of the concerns of other wheels mentioned. Many thanks

[Schtum]

23 hours ago, kodiaqsportline said:

The other minor change is that the pre-FL model will retain it's settings whereas the Post-FL will not. For example, if you set the driving mode to 'Individual' on a pre-FL car, each time you turn on the ignition, it will default to it's previous setting - i.e. it'll retain 'individual' mode.  On the post-FL mode settings are always reset, that is if you select 'individual', the next time you start the car it'll default back to Normal and you'll have to reset the mode back to individual if that's what you want.  I find that a pain-in-the-butt to be honest but it's hardly a deal breaker. It seems the newer cars get, the more annoying they become.

 

 

I suspect that, if correct, that only applies to some pre Facelift cars.  It's certainly not the case on our late 2019 190 TDI SE L.   I suspect the cut off point for the changeover was the implementation of WLTP.

 

While I'm here, I'll briefly mount my personal hobby horse and suggest that if you're at all an enthusiastic driver, buy a 4x4 model , 

Edited 12 March by Schtum

[daviemck2006]

1 hour ago, tolfree said:

I'm looking at one at the moment with 18" Braga Silver - Any comments on those specifically? I don't mind how they look but just conscious of some of the concerns of other wheels mentioned. Many thanks

That wheels will be fine, the standard size tyres will be fine, as long as they are not Bridgestones.

[PedalBin]

On 11/03/2024 at 22:17, kodiaqsportline said:

 

 The other minor change is that the pre-FL model will retain it's settings whereas the Post-FL will not. For example, if you set the driving mode to 'Individual' on a pre-FL car, each time you turn on the ignition, it will default to it's previous setting - i.e. it'll retain 'individual' mode.  On the post-FL mode settings are always reset, that is if you select 'individual', the next time you start the car it'll default back to Normal and you'll have to reset the mode back to individual if that's what you want. 

  

I have a pre facelift model and it always resets the driving mode to "normal".  It's a little annoying but its now my of my start up routine, seat belt on press 'mode' button twice to select "individual" and off we go.  

 

I would agree with BTandSid that Cross Climate 2 tyres on 19" rims are excellent. The quietest and most comfortable ride I have ever had in car. Much better that my Yeti on 17" rims (also with Cross Climate 2). 

 

As others have said the Sat Nav no longer get travel updates so if you want to avoid traffic you need to plug your phone in (Pre Face lift) or connection wirelessly (Face lift) and use Waze or Google Maps. Obviously plugging your phone in means it charges as you drive so I would favour the pre Facelift model but it is splitting hairs really.   Oh the other thing is pre Facelift will have a Skoda badge on the back, the newer ones will have the letters S K O D A.  

 

Obviously price, condition, mileage, colour (if you are bothered) and what options you want (upgraded speakers, heated steering wheel, heated windscreen ,digital dashboard, etc) are key. Brilliant car and highly recommended. 

 

[tolfree]

Feedback from first viewing - almost right but priced a little bit higher than I think I'll get if I'm patient. I hadn't realised the reversible boot wasn't standard - I love that feature and definitely want it so is something I'll check in future cars, though I'm sure I could buy one second hand if not? I'll have a look through the forum about the upgraded speakers as hadn't clocked if this is something I should consider paying for, so any advice appreciated on that. Unfortunately I'm fairly picky about the colour so probably can't be too picky.

 

The car I saw was in a skoda approved garage (meadens in Chichester) - have to say I was impressed by how thorough their checks are before you take the car. I've always bought privately and although you obviously pay a premium, I can see the appeal of buying from one of the approved garages.

 

Thanks all for your help

[kodiaqsportline]

1 hour ago, PedalBin said:

As others have said the Sat Nav no longer get travel updates so if you want to avoid traffic you need to plug your phone in (Pre Face lift) or connection wirelessly (Face lift) and use Waze or Google Maps. Obviously plugging your phone in means it charges as you drive so I would favour the pre Facelift model but it is splitting hairs really

 

 

Perhaps I'm misunderstanding what you imply, but there's no either or,   you can still use USB to connect on facelift models if you so want.

[PedalBin]

8 hours ago, tolfree said:

I'll have a look through the forum about the upgraded speakers as hadn't clocked if this is something I should consider paying for, so any advice appreciated on that.

 

 

 

I have the Canton upgrade in my Karoq, it was one of my 'must haves'. As you will read on here some do not rate it at all however you have to remember it is a £800 upgrade so a relatively minor upgrade in Hi-Fi terms. It is not a £3500 Burmester upgrade you can get on a Porsche.

 

What you get is extra speakers, most obviously the centre speaker in the dash, replacing the storage box, a subwoofer in the boot which sits on the space saver spare wheel (so you get a spare wheel) and an amp under the front passenger. To my ears it is better than the standard system, much better than my previous Yeti. Really it depends on how you like to listen to your music, and, as with every Hi Fi, it is only as strong as it's weakness link. A low level source, e.g. poor quality mp3s will sound awful even on the finest system.

 

It took me a few weeks of fiddling with the settings to get the set up right for my taste and now it sounds great. A nice sounding thumping bass (not overdriven and booming) and a nice wide soundstage. The amp makes it more than loud enough for my ears and I have never wanted more volume. In my Yeti I maxed it out on a few albums and still wanted a bit more 'oomfph'. If you can try and listen to one car with Canton and one without, and trust your ears.

 

 

 

[PedalBin]

7 hours ago, kodiaqsportline said:

 

Perhaps I'm misunderstanding what you imply, but there's no either or,   you can still use USB to connect on facelift models if you so want.

Yupe, I was not clear. A Facelift model give you the option of USB or Blu Tooth, whereas the older modle it is USB connection only.