I do need to change my lovely (but aged) 2010 Fabia 1.6tdi so went looking for a year old 1.5tsi DSG SEL, found a nice one at a local dealer but when looking at the finance side of things, it worked out similar to buy a brand new one (via Carwow prices) due to the Skoda contribution and the lower APR on a PCP. So here i am, about to order a Smokey Silver 1.5tsi DSG SEL, but i have never ordered a new car before so am a bit ' giddy ' on what to add in options..... The spare wheel is a given and frankly so is the variable boot floor, but what else should i consider ?

Do you actually need a variable floor or are you just wanting to level out the big step when the rear seats are folded?

There are huge numbers of unregistered cars in the dealer network with significant discounts, especially if you're prepared to travel to buy. I got £8k off the list price for the same spec this time last year, but no idea how that would translate on finance. Look at Autotrader as the same cars are listed cheaper there than via Skoda's web site.

If you want extras then probably better buying a Sportline. Simply adding the matrix headlights to an SEL takes it to nearly the same price as a Sportline, especially as the metallic paint is £680 on an SEL & FOC on a Sportline. Of course that's also a lot more to go wrong if you're planning on keeping it long term.

Edited 21 June21 Jun by Rbz5416

LED matrix headlights are very useful and impressive. Dynamic Chassis Control, when in Comfort mode, helps tame the UK's dreadful potholes. To me and my wife (on her second Karoq) these are the outstanding features. We do not miss the variable boot floor.

We bought a Sportline last month, six months old with 2,500 miles, from a Skoda dealer. We paid £13,000 less than list price. If you can raise the money elsewhere, discounts like that make it hard to justify a brand-new car or a PCP deal on one.

Conversations with dealers have confirmed that new and nearly-new cars sell on almost wholly separate sales streams. I'm told that 90% of new Skoda buyers take PCP, while 90% of nearly-new buyers pay cash and get a far lower price. One reason list prices are huge these days is that many PCP buyers are not much concerned with list price, only with deposit and monthly payment. Skoda will of course be delighted to sell a new car, but they can't sell enough of them and have to provide the alternative nearly-new stream to run alongside it.

Interesting, i don't want a Sportsline because most of the stuff they have i am not too bothered about, i also like the trays on the back seats which i cannot spec on a Sportsline. I can raise the cash elsewhere and had not really thought of the dealer registered stuff, the Carwow price for an SEL DSG in 1.5 (incl of metallic and RFL/1st Reg fee ) is £30,300 which i thought was reasonably good for a car which i can spec myself, I have just had a look at autotrader, and although they are cheaper, they are only a few grand cheaper than what i can get a brand new one for (and that's also with a few thousand miles on) and for a 1.0 not a 1.5. I agree that going off the RRP it looks a huge saving, but brand new with the first reg fee and rfl paid..... its just at £30k with Carwow, and i pick my colour and can add a few extras, that the ones on auto trader do not appear to have. I will keep looking but at the moment i am not seeing it. I will drop the boot floor though, i do just want it to level the floor when transporting larger items (which is not often). The matrix lights i can miss but i do fancy the ambient light pack and maybe the Canton.

Edited 21 June21 Jun by Hudson1

The question over the variable floor is because I was adamant I wanted one & passed on several vehicles until I found one. But it was just to remove the step over the back seats. I subsequently found that if you buy or spec the 16" spare wheel, this effectively also raises the floor. While the variable floor does allow a little more space, it limits the spare to the ultra skinny 18".

That is a good price for a factory order but I paid £28.3k including metallic, spare wheel & variable floor for an unregistered car. If you can find a pre-reg that will save you an additional £595 on the first year road tax.

9 hours ago, Hudson1 said:

I have just had a look at autotrader, and although they are cheaper, they are only a few grand cheaper than what i can get a brand new one for (and that's also with a few thousand miles on) and for a 1.0 not a 1.5

Five new 1.5 DSG cars here for £28k.

Whatever you do, beware of options tipping over the £40k retail threshold for £600pa VED.

Our dealer grabbed me the other day when taking our (wife's really) Karoq for service.

In round numbers he was offering SEL for £30K and Sportline for £32K.

I knew ours had dropped a lot in value - we bought it at 18mths old at the height of the Covid shortages, but for it to lose £14K in 3yrs is just horrible. As the car only does a few K miles per year I could lease one for less but wife doesn't fancy doing that.

To my mind changing from one SEL to another doesn't give us anything, Sportline was nice, but I dread living with 19" diamond cut wheels. Sales guy said they'll be fine with DCC - but that just seems OTT on a Karoq. I'm nervous of the sunroof too - love them, but VW Group roofs have a habit of leaking or rattling, or both.

Snag is my wife has got the idea of having a new car into her head and I've no idea what else we could look at - Karoq is such a perfect size, she won't even consider Tiguan as "too big".

1 hour ago, Rory said:

.. for it to lose £14K in 3yrs is just horrible.

The one we just bought (as per my post above) lost £13k in six months. Fortunately we bought it after that.

1 hour ago, mumpsim said:

The one we just bought (as per my post above) lost £13k in six months. Fortunately we bought it after that.

Actually so did ours (almost), although we didn't crystalise that loss. When we got the Karoq leadtime on new orders was 9mths. The dealer ordered one in our name but didn't take a deposit. They said (verbal) we could change for £6K. The bottom then promptly fell out of the market and the new one arrived 4 months later. The dealer called and said they couldn't do the deal as ours had lost £12K. 😒

I supposed if you want to spin it positively, the car has only lost £2K since then (2.5yrs)!

It what comes of buying a car in a bit of a panic. It was that experience which put me into "nope" mode when the salesman grabbed us.

Another thing I'm not sure about - is there going to a new Karoq? Salesman said it's done now, there won't be a new one. But the internet suggests there is another one coming, although the info is all a bit vague.

10 minutes ago, Rory said:

Another thing I'm not sure about - is there going to a new Karoq? Salesman said it's done now, there won't be a new one. But the internet suggests there is another one coming, although the info is all a bit vague.

See this from May: https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/539119-demise-of-the-karoq/

A hybrid seems possible, but there may be more recent or more definite information,

We bought a new 1.5 sportsline DSG 9 months ago. my comments are: my wife likes the sunroof but I am aware of the leak problems, we never actually open it but good for bird watching; the 19" wheels are ok with the DCC in comfort mode but very vunerable to curbing, I hate them; I have become aware that the 2.0 DSG is much more reliable; just back from driving in northern Spain and did not use the comfort mode, not needed as the roads are so smooth even in the Picos mountains, same in most of France; the matrix headlights are fantastic and easy to change the dipping when abroad, I hate to think of the cost if they go wrong.

I have a 22 plate Karoq 1.5tsi DSG SEL. You have picked a good spec already with the SEL IMO, like you said, you have most of what you wanted. I added a heated windscreen which is great - fast screen demist/defrost. And no filament wires on show. Now you have to have the package along with heated rear seats, not quite so good. As you say, spare wheel - any wheel, is a must. If you intend to keep it, the 5 year or 4 year manufacturers warranty?

5 hours ago, Chris49 said:

the matrix headlights are fantastic and easy to change the dipping when abroad, I hate to think of the cost if they go wrong.

I’ve seen posts saying a replacement headlight unit is around £900. It seems the indicator LEDs can fail and thus require a replacement headlight. Luckily they are covered by the 3 yr and the All -in-1 warranty.

1 hour ago, OldKaroq said:

I have a 22 plate Karoq 1.5tsi DSG SEL. You have picked a good spec already with the SEL IMO, like you said, you have most of what you wanted. I added a heated windscreen which is great - fast screen demist/defrost. And no filament wires on show. Now you have to have the package along with heated rear seats, not quite so good. As you say, spare wheel - any wheel, is a must. If you intend to keep it, the 5 year or 4 year manufacturers warranty?

On my 2025 Sportsline the heating elements are visible. In fact when I had a cracked screen in Feb. AutoGlass asked me to photograph it as they said my car did not have one. This delayed the fitting by one week, then it took Skoda 4 weeks to get one. I think there was a change of screen a couple of years ago and the later one you can see the wires. However, they are not distracting unlike my wife Fiesta which can be bad in certain sunlight.

2 hours ago, Chris49 said:

On my 2025 Sportsline the heating elements are visible. In fact when I had a cracked screen in Feb. AutoGlass asked me to photograph it as they said my car did not have one. This delayed the fitting by one week, then it took Skoda 4 weeks to get one. I think there was a change of screen a couple of years ago and the later one you can see the wires. However, they are not distracting unlike my wife Fiesta which can be bad in certain sunlight.

My 25 sportline also has these too!

Im really surprised by this! I had expected the copper conductive element to have superseded the wired screen. I had a windscreen chip about 3 years ago which was successfully repaired, but it did not effect the heated screen.

OK if it's not as distracting as the older type. I can't remember which car I had at the time, but my eyes were always trying to focus on the screen not the road ahead... 😳

11 hours ago, OldKaroq said:

Im really surprised by this! I had expected the copper conductive element to have superseded the wired screen. I had a windscreen chip about 3 years ago which was successfully repaired, but it did not effect the heated screen.

OK if it's not as distracting as the older type. I can't remember which car I had at the time, but my eyes were always trying to focus on the screen not the road ahead... 😳

I wear variofocals and can see it all the time, but I'm used to it now and just look through it.

My Karoq SEL is standard other than a spare wheel. Personally, if I was speccing one from factory order, I would go for variable boot floor, winter package plus,ambient light package and safety package. I've always found that the standard sound systems in Skodas to be very good so the Canton would not be on my list.

Its always a personal chuice when choosing what to have but if I changed my Karoq for new I would bite the bullet and get what I wanted even though as said , there are some great bargains to be had at the moment.

11 hours ago, don_kiddik said:

I wear variofocals and can see it all the time, but I'm used to it now and just look through it.

My wife has ordered a new Kamiq with the heated screen, due next month. I never thought to ask about which type of heated screen it has. So it will be the filament one Im thinking. Grrr. Oh well, not the end of the world. (I also wear varifocals, but my wife doesn't. She may not notice!)

My wife wears varifocals and does not notice them.

Last time I had a heated screen was in 1990 on a Sierra Ghia. Soon got used to the elements & didn't find them distracting.

Given that was 36 years ago, I find it staggering that it's not a standard fitment across every manufacturer/model, given the safety implications. But I may be prejudiced as my mother was wiped out by a "letterbox" merchant. ☹️