Skoda catches up with massive demand

The Karoq is another winner for Skoda and the company’s ascent to greatness is only merely underlined here, writes Declan Colley

Sat, 09 Jun, 2018 - 01:00

The Karoq is another winner for Skoda and the company’s ascent to greatness is only merely underlined here, writes Declan Colley

VERY often here in Ireland, a car is released by a manufacturer or distributor which has the undoubted potential to sell by the shedload.

Sometimes, however, there are a variety of reasons why self-same manufacturer or distributor simply cannot fulfil the demand for the car during the hugely important period when it is still “a hot thing”.

Oftentimes said vehicle is such a huge hit across its target market that the makers cannot match manufacturing to demand as they ramp up to full tilt. On other occasions, right-hand drive production comes well behind left-hand drive because demand for the former is always going to be smaller than the latter.

On other occasions the car simply arrives too late in the year of its launch to be ready for sale in intended markets early in the following year. And, in markets such as Ireland where the registration regime means there is a twice yearly peak in sales, if the timing of the arrival of the cars does not coincide with either of these peak sales points, then punters and dealers alike are left scrambling.

Sadly for Skoda, they have had two such incidents in recent years, first with the wildly successful Kodiaq SUV and this year with the Karoq compact SUV. Indeed the Irish arm of the Czech firm was left to deal with something of a perfect storm in the case of both vehicles.

The Karoq and the Kodiaq were both instant hits across Europe, so the immediate focus was on fulfilling demand from the left-hand drive hoards. That being the case, we right-hand drive markets simply had to sit back and wait for deliveries to arrive.

Even then, the bigger markets always get preference and in these cases Skoda Ireland probably had to wait their precarious turn while their colleagues in the UK sold what versions they could get. In such cases punters can get vexed, at least until supply catches up with demand.

In the case of the Kodiaq, things ramped up pretty quickly and RHD supplies eventually evened out by the middle of the year after the car was officially launched.

So too with the Karoq which, after being launched in the middle of last year, is only now reaching Irish dealers in required numbers.

But let me assure you, it was worth the wait. Back in April we tested the truly excellent 1.5 TSI petrol version of the Karoq (in normal 2x4 guise) and this week we get our mitts on the even better 2.0 TDI DSG Auto 4x4.

I know we have been accused in these columns of having a serious problem with all Skoda products and I will admit to same. The problem, in as few words as possible, is simply that we love them too much. And the Karoq is no exception.

As a nominal replacement for the wonderful Yeti in the compact SUV segment (although not really, as a more Yeti-like small SUV, for now called the Vision X, was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year and is expected into production soon) the Karoq has been an instant critical and commercial success, so much so that that the supply problems outlined above have been very much in play.

But it is here now in all its glory and all model variants, and selling out quicker than Ed Sheeran tickets.

The diesel 4x4 we try this week is truly the berries in term of price, ability, comfort and practicality.

Although the divisive issue of badge snobbery has largely been eradicated by Skoda at this point, there are those, including my dear wife among others, who will never let go of their premium brands.

By now, however, Skoda has, through a combination of sexy pricing, excellent specifications and the sheer quality of the product, persuaded huge amounts of buyers of the merit of their product.

And this particular one has plenty of merit.

The diesel version we try here has the same output — 150bhp — as the excellent petrol also on offer, it will appeal to those drivers rightly unconvinced by the whole ‘diesel is deadly’ argument who want bomb-proof reliability, massive mileage returns, low running costs, and a big bite of style, practicality, and comfort to top things off.

This Karoq offers all of that, not to mention the serious workmanlike qualities afforded by Skoda’s excellent 4x4 system.

One word of criticism I would throw at the car — and this is nit-picking of a high order — is that Skoda’s choice of colours for the Karoq are distinctly disappointing and, having gone through the 14 different paints on offer, there are only three that would be allowed in the driveway chez Colley: Brilliant silver, quartz grey, and energy blue.

Others such as emerald green and magnetic brown are not something you’d like to encounter when nursing a serious hangover and most of the other options aren’t great either.

THAT aside, there are few, if any, criticisms of the Karoq on offer from this quarter. It is lovely to drive anywhere and it is worth noting that this particular model benefits from having multi-link rear suspension rather than the torsion bar deployed elsewhere across the range and this does add greatly to the ride comfort.

All the necessary infotainment gizmology is on hand too and the intuitive easiness which even a tech dolt like me could operate it, is pleasing indeed.

The handling is spot-on too and this means that comfort levels are very high. That is underlined by the sheer amount of room on offer, along with Skoda’s clever packaging and the amount of storage cubbies on offer.

The optional Varioflex seating system is a must- have gem as it ramps up practicality no end. Cargo space is also massive, especially when the rear seats are folded or removed altogether.

Performance is not a pre-requisite, being middle-of-the-road respectable rather than anything else, but the 200km/h top speed , the 8.4-second 0-100km/h, the 5.2 l/100km (54mpg) consumption rate, and the emission figure of 132 g/km all add up to an effective package.

Some may point out that the performance of the petrol variant (what with its active cylinder technology) is better and the consumption rate not much worse, but drivers who know their stuff will revel in the fact that the diesel offers way more useable torque and the upgraded suspension adds greatly to the package.

All told then, the Karoq is another winner for Skoda and the company’s ascent to greatness is only merely underlined here.

By now too they have the supplies necessary to keep the public happy, so get out there and check this out. It really is impressive.