FIRST LOOK - SKODA KAROQ

If the Kodiaq’s too much SUV for you, the Karoq’s got you covered

With Skoda in the driver’s seat for the VW Group brands in India, expect a developed-for-India model next year. It’ll be a mid-size SUV, around the size of the Kamiq, underpinned by the MQB A0 IN platform, a lower cost set-up that should make sure the cars that eventually get built on it stay competitive. For now, we have the fully imported Karoq to bridge the gap between Skoda’s Rapid and the Kodiaq, and it represents Skoda’s most affordable SUV, at least till the localised version of the Kamiq arrives.

The front-wheel-drive Karoq, however, is also a replacement for the Yeti in a way, and a scaled-down version of the 7-seater Kodiaq in more ways than one. And while we would ideally have had first impressions of the 1.5-litre TSI petrol Karoq for you, we’ve been on lockdown with the rest of the country. So we’ll reminisce about the finer points of the diesel Karoq we drove in and around Skoda’s hometown in the Czech Republic previously, in a spec that’s otherwise quite similar to the CBU Karoq yet to be launched.