Skoda Kylaq First Drive Review: Dynamic Czech Mate [Video]
India is now Skoda’s biggest market outside of Europe. India also happens to be the 3rd largest market for the Czech automaker. However, Skoda finds itself in a precarious position in India as its cars account for less than 2 % of total sales. Not so cool, for a brand that’s been here for nearly 25 years. Clearly, Skoda needs to shift gears and begin doing big volumes. Enter the Kylaq – the car that Skoda is betting big on, both for India and export markets.
We got behind the wheel of the Kylaq sub-4 meter compact SUV at Goa recently, and here’s our first drive impressions of Skoda’s most affordable car.
What is it?
A handsome-looking baby-Kushaq, if you will. The Kylaq is essentially a scaled down version of the Skoda Kushaq, but a SUV that actually looks more imposing than the Kushaq, especially from the front end thanks to the high-set bonnet and the overall width.
Yes, the Kylaq’s bonnet is taller than that of the Kushaq. In fact, the Kylaq is slightly taller, measuring 1,619 mm to the Kushaq’s 1,612 mm height. And it’s a full 23 mm wider than the Kushaq (1,783 mm vs 1,760 mm). This gives the Kylaq better presence when viewed from up front, and even from the profile, where the shorter wheelbase (2,566 mm vs 2,651 mm), body cladding and 17 inch wheels, give it a distinct SUV look.
It’s only from the rear that the Kylaq looks a little underwhelming. It’s almost as though the designers ran out of budget, or perhaps intentionally decided to make the Kylaq look less premium than the Kushaq. In fact, the chiseled tail gate looks nicer on the lower trims of the Kylaq as there’s no cladding running across the width.
Paint quality? Top notch. Shut lines: Even. Build? Sturdy. Well, the Kylaq even outscored every other sub-4 meter ICE (internal combustion engined) SUV at the Bharat NCAP crash test. Net-net, the Kylaq looks very much like a Skoda, and if I may add, quite premium for the price at which it sells.
Let’s get into the car now, shall we?
You literally walk into the Kylaq, whose height is set between a hatchback and a full sized SUV like say the Scorpio (that you’d generally climb into). The doors open wide and getting in and out is a breeze. Once inside, you’ll notice that the steering wheel is a two spoke unit – the kinds that more expensive Skodas get. Nice touch there.
Settling into a comfortable driving position is very easy – the steering adjusts for both rake and reach, and the driver’s seat is 6-way power adjustable. Clever. Well, the seat’s ventilated, too. And this configuration – 6 way adjustability and ventilation comes standard even for the front passenger’s seat. Neat.
With the seat set to the highest position, the edges of the sculpted bonnet were visible, which means you can actually squeeze the Kylaq into really tight spaces confidently.
Cabin experience
The seats are leather clad, and comfortable. The dashboard has a mix of grey, off white, shiny olive and black elements that come together nicely. Material feel and quality is acceptable. The plastics are hard, and seem designed to last.
The dashboard itself isn’t very deep – again good for outward visibility. What we particularly liked was the Bamboo cloth finish for the dashboard surface above the glove box, which happens to get a cooling function.
The driver gets a fully-digital TFT display for the speedometer, tachometer and other bits while there’s a 10 inch touchscreen in the middle of the dashboard.
The touchscreen, which is similar to the one on the Kushaq, offer wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and has the usual stuff such as the radio, navigation and the works. Sound quality from the onboard speakers is decent. The touchscreen also beams out the reverse camera feed. Video quality is sub-par.
As for space, the moment you enter the Kylaq and seat yourself, it becomes apparent that the cabin is quite narrow. While this is fine at the front, space is quite tight at the rear. The Kylaq has adequate space for four adults, two at front and two at the rear.
The transmission tunnel and rear AC vents further intrude into the overall space.
Three people at the rear will be an uncomfortable experience since the cabin is quite narrow. Leg room and knee room was adequate for us, measuring 5 foot 7 and 5 foot 10. For taller folks, Skoda has scooped out the roof to ensure adequate headroom.
As for the boot, Skoda claims a best-in-segment 446 liters but this is when capacity is measured up to the roof. Actual space is 360 liters, which is better than most rivals in the segment but by no means the best in the segment. To sum it up, don’t buy the Kylaq for space, buy it for the driving experience.
Air conditioning!
Adequate! Even in January, Goa was sweltering, and the AC in the Kylaq did a fair job in getting the cabin to cooler temperatures. The AC is not a chiller like in say a Tata or a Mahindra car but does manage to cool down the cabin reasonably well. It helps that the glass area is not really large, and also the fact that the cabin is quite compact.
What it drives like…
We drove the automatic version first. Since it’s the top-end trim, there’s a start-stop button placed exactly where you’d expect to insert the key in – on the right hand side of the steering column. Thumbing it, the triple cylinder 1 liter turbo petrol engine with 115 Bhp-178 Nm comes to life with a smooth, quiet idle. Vibrations at idle are almost non-existent and you’d be hard pressed to guess that it’s a triple.
The gear shifter on the automatic is your standard unit that most automatic cars get. You have park, neutral, drive and reverse vertically stacked, in that order. Putting the car in drive automatically releases the electric parking brake, and the Kylaq smoothly glides ahead. The automatic gearbox is a six speed unit, sourced from AISIN, and is one of the smoothest units around.
Drive it with a light foot, and you’ll hardly register the gears shifting. Even when you decide to go pedal to metal, the gear shifts are really smooth and seamless. The way the engine and gearbox are in-sync is something to be experienced to be believed. It’s that good. And if you’re somebody who wants to take manual control, there are paddle shifters behind the steering wheel, which let you row up and down the gears
The triple cylinder engine, thanks to the 6 speed gearbox, remains in the meat of the powerband, and progress is quite rapid. The Kylaq picks up speeds quite well, and hits the 100 Kph mark in about 11 seconds. That’s more than adequate performance for everyday use. What you’ll notice though when really revving up the engine is the drone it produces.
It’s after say 4,000 rpm when you’ll know that this is a triple cylinder engine you’re driving. There’s no insulation under the bonnet, and this is also a reason why the engine note filters through into the cabin. It’s a nice soundtrack though. The fact that the engine is refined right up to the redline of about 6,200 rpm, revving the Kylaq up to extract the best performance is something that is an enjoyable experience.
While Skoda offers Sport Mode on the Kylaq Automatic, which frankly felt almost the same as the regular mode. It didn’t make much of a difference in the way the car responded except for a slightly sharper throttle response. The gearbox holds each gear for slightly longer in Sport mode. That’re pretty much it. Overall, the Kylaq, despite being lighter than the Kushaq, doesn’t feel quicker. For context, we were driving around with four adults in the car, which meant almost a full load.
Where the Kylaq really shines is in the ride and handling departments. The ride has an element of stiffness at lower speed, and gets more pliant as speeds rise. But at no point did the Kylaq feel uncomfortably stiff. If we had to describe the ride in one word, it would be acceptable. Handling is where the Kylaq came into its own. It’s possibly the best handling sub-4 meter compact SUV in India.
Turn in was sharp, the steering weighed up very nicely. High speed stability was impressive as well, and the Kylaq managed expansion joints and changes in road surfaces quite well.
Around the bends, the Kylaq’s body roll was very well controlled but you do realize that this is a tall car with 189 mm of ground clearance in the sharper corners. All in all, it was one involving drive!
Driving the manual!
The Kylaq’s other gearbox option is a 6 speed manual that we sampled after experiencing the automatic. Right off the bat, the clutch is what’s immediately noticeable. While the travel is long, it helped that the bite point was right at the top, making it feel like a short travel clutch. No complaints really.
The gearshifts were quite slick and positive. Again, no complaints. It helps that the anti-stall kicks in and keeps the revs up. So, slowing down to a crawl and making U-Turns in second gear are quite easy.
While the automatic gearbox kept the motor in the torque band, in the manual, the driver has to do that. It now becomes evident that the motor is not the torquiest units around, and really needs to be revved to make the car move.
Even for quick overtakes, coming a gear or two down is critical. It’s the nature of most small capacity triple cylinder engines, and this turbo petrol unit is no different. Want progress? Keep the revs up! And if you that, fuel efficiency is going to dip quickly. Want great mileage? Drive gently. There’s no middle ground really, especially with small capacity turbo petrols.
Braking
The Kylaq gets disc brakes up front and drums at the rear. Braking is sharp and effective. The car comes to a halt without drama. Pedal feel is good and progressive. You won’t miss disc brakes at the rear.
Safety
6 airbags, ABS, EBD, Hill Hold Control (HHC), Traction Control System (TCS), Motor Slip Regulation (MSR), Roll Over Protection, Tyre Pressure Monitoring System, High Speed Alerts, Central Locking, Seatbelt pretensioners and reminders are the various safety features on offer.
A five star BNCAP crash test safety rating makes the Kylaq a top choice for buyers seeking a sturdy car.
Verdict
The Skoda Kylaq comes across as a fun and involving little SUV that feels well-built, with a host of clever features that makes it a practical choice for those looking to seat four adults in comfort. The sharp pricing (starts at Rs. 7.99 lakh) is the cherry on the cake.
And If we had to choose, the automatic is clearly the pick. The gearbox is really a gem, and really complements the engine, or rather makes sure that the engine is spinning right in the torque band. Also, it has Sport mode that the manual doesn’t.