Is the Skoda Kylaq the cream of the sub-four-metre compact sport utility vehicle (SUV) crop? Can it cream its opponents and rise to the top? We drive it in Goa.
Story: Jim Gorde
Photography: Sanjay Raikar
A good car gets good reviews. A great car also gets good reviews and finds more takers from word-of-mouth and repeat clientele of the brand. The sub-four-metre segment has been a busy arena with all sorts of gladiators attempting to dominate it. However, one notable name was missing, a VW Group offering was not present for the longest time but, with the Skoda Kylaq, that void has now been filled, and quite successfully, we may add.
We’ve already driven the camo’ed cars and had a static experience of the Skoda Kylaq but the actual drive experience of the production cars was pending. Until now.
The Skoda Kylaq measures 3,995 millimetres long and has a 2,566-mm wheelbase, the latter just 85 mm shorter than that of the larger Kushaq. It is also 23 mm wider than the Kushaq and 29 kilograms lighter than it, though based on the same MQB-A0-IN platform, and those are both very good things.
The styling is signature Skoda with the sleek new front end positioning LED daytime lights over the headlamps and a smart, moustache-like grille binding them together. The lines are clean and smooth and what particularly got my attention is the power-dome sculpted bonnet—makes it appear that the 60 TSI V8 would slip right in and stay snug under there—but it only holds the three-cylinder 1.0 TSI turbo-petrol with an old American V8-like 115 hp. Unlike the camo cars from earlier, we had full-colour versions this time, with the manual in Tornado Red and the automatic in Olive Gold, a Kylaq-exclusive shade—of green, let’s be honest. The skid-plates, 17-inch alloy wheels and roof-rails, and the overall proportions, in fact, look modern and appealing. Either way, it looks both suave and stunning at the same time. Squint a bit and your left brain may even generate what appears to be a Fabia Scout that joined the gym after seeing the Kodiaq. Well done, Skoda!
Inside, the cabin of the Skoda Kylaq has an air of quality with the use of what appears to be a mix of plastic, metal, and sustainable materials. There is plenty of space and overall ergonomics are great. Controls fall into place easily and the 10.1-inch high-res touchscreen satisfies the tech-savvy user with the Skoda Play App Store access included. The screen is crisp and clear with a smooth, tablet-like touch response. The 8.0-inch driver cockpit adds to the ease of accessing all the necessary car-related information. The steering wheel is similar to that of the Kushaq and has a bunch of controls and scrollers for easy access to settings for audio and communication. And the front seats are ventilated. Much to be happy about in Goa.
Get going and the planted feel and robust build quality of the Skoda Kylaq become evident immediately. That weighty, planted, and sure-footed feel, combined with the agility of a smaller car, is what the segment seems to have been missing all this while. The ride quality is excellent. Where other cars, including the segment leaders, have a stray bounce over an undulation or sudden change in road surface, there is none of that here. The compression is soft and the rebound is calibrated well, making for better stability in a straight line over all sorts of road surfaces as well as sharper cornering when a bend is to be dealt with. The steering wheel weighting is also just right with a fair amount of feedback.
What’s also commendable is the potential of the engine. Its tractability is excellent and the acceleration is strong throughout the rev-range. This 1.0 TSI engine did an admirable job of lugging the larger and heavier Kushaq around rather briskly and, here in the Skoda Kylaq, it feels even better. The peak 115 hp comes in at 5,000 rpm, but that’s not the most important figure. It’s the usable torque which kicks in strong and makes its presence felt sooner rather than later. The Kylaq can accelerate from 30 km/h in fourth gear with the surge building up from as low as 1,200 rpm before the peak 178 Nm arrives with authority past 1,700 rpm. The exhaust note is sonorous, too, and, once closer to the red-line at peak power revs, the turbo whistle is audible as well. And the efficiency? Through it all, we saw the higher side of 15 km/l.