I have a 2018 1.5TSi manual gearbox Edition & I'm really not getting on with it now. I find that there seems to be a big hole in the throttle response around 1500-2000 rpm which makes smooth driving dificult when moving off as the engine feels like it bogs down. In Sport mode it's bad & in Eco it's horrible. Maybe it's my clutch action but I've never had this issue with previous vehicles & I'm wondering if I should have gone for a DSG box instead, although I read many complaints about that hesitating to pull away which was why I went manual. The engine as awhole doesn't have much low end torque but it's fine once the turbo is spinning.

Has anyone tried a re-map to overcome this issue? I'm not after more power & don't want to go faster, just to be able to drive smoothly.

Have a look in the performance section and any more recent replies to threads were pretty much the same question was asked about remapping 1.5 TSI ACT,s. ? Did your car have recall actions and software updates when these were being done? UK safety critical issue low torque, actual DVLA Recalls +Skoda supposed to contact keepers. ) not just Recall action or Skoda Secret Service Workshop actions. (Don't actually tell every keeper that might have got a dud !)

Edited 25 March, 20251 yr by Ootohere

On 25/03/2025 at 10:12, JS58 said:

I have a 2018 1.5TSi manual gearbox Edition & I'm really not getting on with it now. I find that there seems to be a big hole in the throttle response around 1500-2000 rpm which makes smooth driving dificult when moving off as the engine feels like it bogs down. In Sport mode it's bad & in Eco it's horrible. Maybe it's my clutch action but I've never had this issue with previous vehicles & I'm wondering if I should have gone for a DSG box instead, although I read many complaints about that hesitating to pull away which was why I went manual. The engine as awhole doesn't have much low end torque but it's fine once the turbo is spinning.

Has anyone tried a re-map to overcome this issue? I'm not after more power & don't want to go faster, just to be able to drive smoothly.

This might be a option - certainly improved driveability of my 2023 manual 1.5 TSi

Carista

Well I might be tempted by a one-off payment for the dongle but being tied to a monthly payment for the app that goes with it isn't really on. Thanks for replying though.

Have a look at OBDEleven https://obdeleven.com/products?carBrand=Skoda there's a one-click app

https://obdeleven.com/supported-vehicles?Skoda/Karoq/2018-2021/increased-engine-responsiveness

Carista and OBD11 are much the same, except the latter is a bit better. I love mine, but I only really use it for reading the car. I've used it on previous non-ODIS cars to long code and use the apps, and it works a treat.

Re remapping - I'm always wary of stuff like the RaceChip tuning boxes, let alone adaptations made through ODB11. My Octavia is a custom tune by a man with a laptop and a dyno - I couldn't recommend anything else, no matter if it's an RS6 or 1.0 Polo. It gives you the option to not only have the tune done for your engine, but also offer things like capping torque, etc.

Do be aware too of the limitations of your gearbox. A remap, of most sorts, can/will bring the torque in a bit sooner - however it will also increase the peak torque (unless it's capped by a custom tuner). The box in your car is an MQ200 I believe, which has a max torque rating of 250nm (which your engine already produces). There are lots of posts on EA211 groups about the clutches going on cars with more than this.

The EA211/EA211 EVO has always had issues. I had the 150ps 1.4 variant in my Leon FR and absolutely loved it - fantastic little engine, felt much larger than it was. I had a 2022 1.5 Golf as a courtesy car, and couldn't believe how rubbish the engine was, despite being 'so similar'. I bought my Octavia because of how nice the DQ200 in an Ibiza FR I had for a few weeks, and couldn't believe how terrible the same gearbox was in 2024 Leon/Arona courtesy cars. I don't remember the Golf being as bad as your Karoq, but then again it was a courtesy car - I pretty much got in, put my foot on the floor and left it there. Anyway...

i am planning on my 2020 1.5 tsi evo 150 turn off ACT and raise power to 170-175 ks and torque to 280-300 Nm.

my friend tuner says it is by stock not much tunable engine, small turbo, small intake, small coolant etc. he says its ECO engine, beside 2.0 tsi which you can get from stock to 180 ks to stage 1 remapping to 256 ks and 435 Nm of torque..

Edited 22 April, 20251 yr by imart143

What is the point of the ACT not functioning?

It makes no difference or nothing negative if the accelerator pedal is getting floored.

I find it strange how VAG can have this 1.5L lump behave so differently across the brands.

I bought an Audi A3 with this engine and a manual box back in 2019 as I could not source a Karoq at a sensible price ,and they were still bunny hopping at the time. The combination has been an absolute joy. It has now got we wondering if I should avoid the Karoq when I come to change next.

Colin

4 minutes ago, eribaMotters said:

I find it strange how VAG can have this 1.5L lump behave so differently across the brands.

I bought an Audi A3 with this engine and a manual box back in 2019 as I could not source a Karoq at a sensible price ,and they were still bunny hopping at the time. The combination has been an absolute joy. It has now got we wondering if I should avoid the Karoq when I come to change next.

Colin

As with everything, test drive them both. I personally don’t like much of the new stuff (everything aside, the steering lacks feel and is too light for my taste), but YMMV.