Skoda Octavia Rs 0-100 Time
Nico Sadiq
The Skoda Octavia vRS has always been a bit of a favourite at evo India because of the best of both worlds combo of being super fun and practical at the same time. The Octavia vRS gets a 2-litre turbocharged petrol engine which makes 241bhp and 370Nm of torque making it an absolute weapon. As mentioned, it can do the 0-100kmph in just 6.6 seconds and has a top speed of 250kmph. Mind you, it achieves all these numbers while offering seating to a family of four and a spacious boot for their luggage.
The small-medium SUV category is, in the words of Zoolander's Mugatu, so hot right now. Once upon atime, people loved hatchbacks, and then, due to whatever popular pressure, they traded these up forelevated hatchbacks. This means, look left, look right, there's a crossover waiting to be driven.
I chanced upon one Skoda Karoq recently, the post-facelift edition, powered by a 1.5 TSI engine,with cylinder deactivation, front-wheel drive, six-speed manual transmission, and SE L trim level. With150 HP and 250 Nm of torque, and a 0-100 km/h figure of 9.7 seconds, it's not the speediest vehicle outthere, but it promises a good balance of velocity and entertainment. Well, let's explore.
The Karoq is a pretty car. At first, it looks a bit bulky, but then you start to appreciate itscurves. It looks rather stylish, even though the rear end is somewhat bland and generic, like most carsbuilt in the last three or four years. Then again, even small SUVs are pretty large by any standard,and they all come with layers of safety equipment that beef up their appearance.
The Energy Blue color adds a sophisticated, sporty feel, making the Karoq appear faster than itactually is. Hint, it is fast, we're just talking about the impression of fast-er. This is somethingthe predecessor, Yeti, never quite had, or at least not as much. The wheelscould be bigger. The 215/55 R17 set is decent, but I think the Karoq would benefit from 18-inch or19-inch rims. Again, this seems to be a rather recent trend, possibly due to the whole "green" drama,but newer car models seem to have smaller and narrower tire profiles, which can arguably somewhatreduce fuel consumption and improve comfort on bumpier roads at the cost of aesthetics and grip,although a good driver can compensate for any level of tire profile fuel savings through sheerskill.
Like all Skodas, the level of standard equipment is extremely generous. You get a great mix ofpractical and fun, and you don't need to sell your kidneys to be able to enjoy the vehicle. Regardlessof what you choose, the Karoq comes with alloy wheels, rooftop rails, and no-cost metallic paint. Inthis particular case, with the SE L trim, the Karoq had cruise control, proper built-in sat nav(and not some smartphone mirroring nonsense), heated seats, and partial leather cover for said seats,with a beautiful checkered stitching pattern.
The interior is spotless. Beautiful, classy, simple. The infotainment system isn't huge, which isgood, and you get real buttons for the dual-zone climate and radio/media. Another major bonus sellingpoint in Skoda's favor, because I absolutely detest all-touch controls for vital driving functions. Thisis a modern car that does not compromise on modern technologies, and yet, it does not compromise onintelligence and ergonomics, either.
The seats are excellent, with tons of lumbar support, and they hug and hold and caress you just so.The slightly elevated driving position is fantastic, and there's ample room, back and front. Arguably,the weakest point here would be the 2/1 rear-bench split, but you can order a set of optional Varioflexslidable and individually foldable rear seats. The luggage area is reasonably large, and fairly deep.It also comes with lots of neat accessories, like pockets and hooks, which you don't often (freely) seein other cars.
I really enjoyed sitting inside the Karoq. It gave me hope that the future isn't all one oversizedcheap tablet, and that cars can still be practical without any propaganda and guilt infused into thedesign. The lack of a hybrid powerplant is a major bonus for me, too.
This is the one aspect of my four-day road test that surprised me the most. The Karoq exceeded allof my expectations, on all levels. I thought it would be a carbon copy of the VW T-Roc, with which it shares the chassis, and which Itested a couple of years back. True, we're talking two different cars, two different engine types andsizes, but they both had 150 HP and manual six-speed transmission. And they are completelydifferent.
In comparison, the Karoq handled better. More specifically, it was livelier, with a more responsivebody, throttle and in-between-higher-gears acceleration. It still wobbled and swayed through tightercorners at higher speed, but it never gave the impression of excessive weight and wind susceptibilitylike the T-Roc. I drove the Karoq at its home turf, in Czechia, on highways, urban roads, and throughcities, and the it did exceptionally well. The clutch is soft, the brake precise, the steering a bitsterile but otherwise quite all right. Most importantly, the slew of safety systems did not constantlypester and annoy me like in the T-Roc.
The Karoq did not try to steer-correct me through corners, there were no annoying pinging noisesfrom this or that module, which actually distract you rather than improve your "safety". Then again,most of the artificial safety systems are designed for the common grunt in mind (who shouldn't actuallybe driving at all) rather than people who treat driving as a serious responsibility. However,given the presence of the safety systems, they worked with me, rather than against me.
The worst the Skoda did was give me various "eco" suggestions - like shift down below 1350 rpm,shift up here, use your brakes like this, etc. These were shown as text popups on the dashboard. Now,these are still quite annoying and useless, because when one is driving, their eyes should be on theroad, not reading text off the dashboard. The pervasiveness of the smartphone technology in oureveryday lives, alas, is to be blamed for this, as ordinary people constantly feel the need to"interact" with something, including their car while driving. A dangerous combo, hence the safetysystems. Finally, there's the simply question of could vs should. The fact there's enough infotainmentsystem memory to hold a bit more code is no reason to develop software just for the sake ofit.
Back to driving. The Karoq drives well. The engine note is pleasing, when you can hear it, as thecabin isolation is solid. You won't notice the cylinder deactivation system kicking in and out asneeded. If you need to overtake with haste, yes, you do need to cog down a notch or two, but wayless often than say with the 2.0 TDI T-Roc. On twisty, hilly roads, it carried itself with pride, andyou don't have to worry too much about gear changes, although you kind of want to. The gear leverhas bolt-like precision.
Even the electronic parking brake was okay. I hate the technology, but when executed well, I canonly mildly grumble. Indeed, somehow, be it the position of the button, be it whatever, the one inKaroq annoyed me less than with the counterparts.
The Karoq handled the road challenges with flair. And then, the fuel consumption was about 6-7 l/100km, which is reasonable, given my somewhat more aggressive driving regime, lots of aircon, plenty ofpeople and luggage inside, and the chaotic nature of Czechs roads; you get these "sudden" highwayjams before any major junction, where standard, smoothly flowing traffic goes to a crawl in an instant.Then, a bit farther down the road you see the entire right lane lined with truck after truck, forkilometers on end. Such is life.
Without overhyping it, this seems like the perfect all-around car for an everyday family. It haseverything, including a solid dose of fun. You can potentially go for the 190HP Evo 4x4 version, withthe Sportline trim and DSG transmission, if you want a bit more oomph. But beside that, you get areasonably affordable car with tons of goodies, great looks and comfort, and solid drivingcharacteristics. I knew there'd be a dependable outcome from this review, but I didn't expect to bemildly amazed.
The best part about Karoq is that it does not try to impress. It's a vehicle designed with utility,function and efficiency in mind. And perhaps, the Skodas need to be a little bit conservative so theydon't outshine the more expensive brethren in the group, the VWs and the Audis, hence alsopossibly the lack of even more powerful engines. But even so, the Karoq does exceptionally well. I'dhave to say 10/10. Should I ever decide to go for an SUV as my primary car, I will be most stronglyinclined to get myself one of these. And we're done.
High-end motorcycle touring is still an extremely niche segment in India that very few manufacturers have presence in. With the growing breed of travel enthusiasts though, the tourers are just starting to arrive. Having brought most of its performance line up in the country, Kawasaki was due to bring in the Versys to the market and so it did earlier this year.
Nothing short of mesmerising on several counts, MotorBeam decided to do a 700 kms tour to understand the capabilities of this Japanese offering with an aim to answer the questions of the litre-class performance lovers who have sport touring on their mind.
With the 2015 update, the Kawasaki Versys 1000 LT is more in-line with the company's family design. The newly styled dual headlamps are quintessentially Kawasaki, holding a strong appeal on the bike. The tall profile boasts of a healthy road presence and at no point does the design feel overdone with the lines neatly tucked in. Right from grab rails to the saddle mounts and LED tail light, the balanced design at the rear ensures a functional design that appeals to the eye. Quality on the Versys 1000 feels top notch and gives you confidence that the bike will be able to take a beating or two.
Similar to other Kawasaki offerings, you get an analog tachometer and LCD unit displaying the odometer, trip meter, average fuel consumption, range, fuel gauge, temperature, thermometer and clock. All the other tell-tale lights are located on the top.