► Skoda Karoq replaces Yeti
► Official teasers revealed…
► …after we spied it undisguised
Rest in peace Skoda Yeti… long live the Skoda Karoq.
After the car was spied almost completely undisguised, Skoda has begun the slow trickle of official information ahead of the car’s proper reveal on 18 May.
Close-up details show off the Karoq’s angular LED headlights and rear lights, and the car’s widescreen infotainment system.
Check out our drive of a prototype Karoq here
But it’s lost all the Yeti’s originality!
Indeed it has. As CAR magazine has previously reported, Skoda is entering a new era of more conservative, VW-led design in this post-Dieselgate era. And, yes, the Yeti’s quirky individuality is sadly being dropped for a more Tiguan/Ateca-alike family clone from Volkswagen’s stable.
Remove the Ateca’s Spanish badges, pop a few neatly pressed Czech creases and it’s plain to see the Karoq’s lineage. Instead of a compact Nissan Juke rival, it’s now aimed squarely at the segment-leading Nissan Qashqai.
Our Skoda Kodiaq review
What does Skoda’s new Karoq name mean?
It’s a little complicated, but it stems from the larger Kodiaq. The natives call the supposedly friendly bear that the larger SUV gets its name from as ‘kaa-rak’, and that an arrow like the one seen on the Skoda badge is called a ‘roq’. Geddit? Karoq.
Okay… what else do we know?
The new Karoq will aim to be as practical, if not more than its VW Group counterparts. Skoda’s optional VarioFlex rear seats mean you can separately move around each of the three rear chairs or can be completely removed.
That makes the rear seating different (and more flexible) to the rear bench in the Seat Ateca. Boot space with the seats up can hit up to 521 litres, or reaches 1630 litres with the seats folded down. A grand total of 1810 litres is available if you pull out the rear chairs altogether.
Skoda Karoq: release date, prices
Skoda’s new mid-suze crossover will be fully revealed on 18 May, and will go on sale in the autumn.
Prices are expected to dip just below its VW Tiguan/Seat Ateca brethren; that points to a starting price in the UK around £18,000-19,000.
All our Skoda reviews