Czech the boxes

The successor of one of our all-time favourite SUVs has finally made it to India and we get behind the wheel of the Karoq to see if the mid-sized SUV can fill up the big boots of the Yeti while at the same time widening the appeal that the Yeti had!

- Yogendra Pratap

The Skoda Yeti had been one of our favourite SUVs because of its capability, its quirky character and unique looks, its build quality, great engines and most of all, its stamina. We had driven the car over 20,000km in one month across Europe and then another 20,000km in a year in India and had fallen in love with the Yeti. That it did not do exceptionally in the Indian market was because it was quite expensive for the size of vehicle it was, the in-cabin space was not great and with a full-size spare wheel, luggage space was also restricted. However there was no vehicle I would have picked over the Yeti to drive long distance in India and actually did lots of cross country trips in the SUV including the first three-country drive embarked on in India. Even though the mid-life facelift saw the Yeti lose some of its character, it was a great car to drive even when it was phased out in the country.

After the Yeti went out of production in 2017, we have had to wait three years for a successor but has it been worth the wait? The Karoq is based on the Volkswagen modular platform, MQB A1 and that has given the engineers a lot of flexibility to make the cabin roomier but the biggest change has come on the outside. Gone is the quirky front end, the rounded edges and the height that gave the Yeti such a unique character. The Karoq now follows the family look of Skoda SUVs and can be very easily mistaken to be a mini Kodiaq with a sharp and bolder front end, a lower stance, and a more planted look.

Full LED headlights are standard in the only variant that is currently for sale in India and with crystal elements harking at its Czech origins, the front looks more premium as well.