[Mr.Perera]

Originally Posted by prasadathani

I took delivery of the Karoq day before yesterday and since the SA did not provide me good discount in Bangalore I ended up taking the car from Pune who gave me a good enough discount on the Karoq.

Yayy, congrats Prasad ! Definitely a worthy upgrade to your Yeti ! Did you sell the Yeti ?

Originally Posted by prasadathani

Planning to get the grill done in matte black (courtesy Mr. Perera). You will pics on his ownership review. Also planning to get the SKODA and KAROQ letter done in matte black as per the picture attached.

Will try and post a better review once I get the work done and attach the pictures.

did you get the grill done in black ? was it a paintjob or a vinyl wrap ? I am not a fan of painting since I had done painting on my Ecosport grill and after few month I can see small parts of the paint chipping off revealing the chrome behind. But the vinyl wrap that I did on my vRS and Karoq's grill has been holding up really well. Just make sure you get it done from a reputed sticker chap and ask him to use good quality vinyl.
Also like adi_petrolhead mentioned I would suggest you to get the Skoda emblem from the new Superb Sportline and remove the Karoq badging. Im also thinking of doing the same !

Originally Posted by adi_petrolhead

Unfortunately the entire rear bumper and the front bumper skirt has to be painted from scratch. The side mouldings on the doors can also be painted. If one goes to the dealer paint shop, I'm guessing this transformation will cost around INR 40-50K. But the end result could be really nice on a clean white car.
Not a critic of the white-black combo bumpers' rugged look, but I prefer painted bumpers on any car. The black plastic also tends to dull with time.

Well I too had plans to paint my bumpers black and match the body colour. Took the car to a paint booth owned by a friend of mine. But sadly he suggested me not to paint it. Since the bumper material is not smooth and pretty rough if we paint on it, it wont have a smooth finish and will look more like an orange peel. Also if we put putty on it make it smooth and then paint it, later if we get a small knock from some other vehicle the paint in that area will crack. Since I heard all this from him I dropped the plan.

Originally Posted by cpabhijit

Like Parth mentioned, all TD vehicles are at 40psi. Delivery is also at 40psi. It makes the ride really bumpy. I dropped it to 32 as soon as I got it and the ride has been very comfortable. It handles bad patches well and transmits very little inside the cabin.

Rear sun blinds and ventilated seats are a miss. Powered tailgate is a big miss in my view. Though, I don't know if competition has it. T-Roc doesn't have it, either.

Oh yes, even I remember my car had around 40PSi when I took delivery. Went and reduced it to 32PSi. Since the windows have a very good tint from the factory I don't miss sunblinds that much. Also the beige seats dont get too much hot so neither I miss ventilated seats. But powered tailgate, I miss it every time ! Skoda should seriously consider adding that feature to the car if they plan to make the car in India later on.

[Mr.Perera]

Snow Grate Removed from Airbox
Since the Karoq is a CBU, and has been made for the European markets there is a snow grate placed inside the Airfilter box which prevents the entry of snow inside the engine.
Apparently the vRS 245 that also came as the CBU has the same snow grate and most owners are removing it. So curiously I opened to find if we have the same in the Karoq too.
I opened the airfilter box cover by removing the 8 flower type screws, pulled out the stock air filter and found the snow grate inside.







Firstly there is no way my Karoq is going to see snow in its life in the hot and rainy weather here in Kerala ! Secondly the grate looks like it is very restrictive and will block a good amount of air entering. Removing the snow grate will make sure the car breathes well and more air enters the engine without the restrication. Have heard some vRS 245 owners saying that removing the grate will slightly improve the initial response. I didn't feel any major change though, but no harm in removing something thats of no use.

[prasadathani]

Originally Posted by Mr.Perera

Yayy, congrats Prasad ! Definitely a worthy upgrade to your Yeti ! Did you sell the Yeti ?

Hey Mr Perera - Yes I did sell the Yeti. Got around 4.00 lakhs for it. Had run 190,000 kms in 6 years. Maybe I still do miss the 2.0 litre engine which was a gem.

Regarding the wrap or the paint - I am looking at both options. Mostly will get it done next month.

Thanks for all the help with your ownership review.

[adi_petrolhead]

Originally Posted by Mr.Perera

I opened the airfilter box cover by removing the 8 flower type screws, pulled out the stock air filter and found the snow grate inside.

Have heard some vRS 245 owners saying that removing the grate will slightly improve the initial response. I didn't feel any major change though, but no harm in removing something thats of no use.

The snow-grate is present in mostly all Skoda/VW cars be it CBU or CKD.
Even I jumped the bandwagon and did this to my 7 year old lady in black. Did not prove any useful, in the process had dropped the screw driver in the engine bay, had to fish it out by completely removing the air box and squeezing my arm all the way to the base tray

Seriously, it doesn't make any difference what so ever. Rather leave it in if you plan to drive to Leh or some place at a later day. People on youtube are raving about it, how it makes initial pick up better. But there are others too, asking us to stop ripping apart the airbox as it doesn't help!

[Parth Oomphy]

Recently I found out about a feature called Manoeuvre braking whereby Karoq automatically brakes when you’re going to hit something while at low speeds or parking.

Real life incident: While driving, I picked up my phone just for a second (I have realised that I shouldn’t be doing that, so I’ll take care next time) and didn’t realise that the car in front of me has applied brakes & I was about to hit it but car automatically applied brakes. It was so sudden & firm that I thought I have crashed into the car ahead. But there was no reaction from the car driver or anybody around me and then I realised the car stopped itself just in time (I could feel the brake pedal was completely pressed itself & it had become as hard as rock).



Then I thought to try it deliberately & this time in reverse mode. So while in “R” mode, I went very close to my other car just about to hit it when the car applied the brakes itself.

Disclaimer: I must warn you guys here that before testing this yourself, remember that car only applies the brakes when it reaches way too close to the other car or if your car detects you're moving too fast to the obstacle. Then there’s a sudden full press of the brake pedal automatically (just before crashing). So it can be quite unnerving to test, remember that.

I know this is something we shouldn’t rely on and we should ourselves be attentive while driving. But it’s a very good safety feature nonetheless & it really saved my car from crashing. So I thought to highlight this feature & inform other Karoq owners who probably have not known about this till now (as this feature is found deep in the car settings).

I think while comparing this car to something like Creta/Seltos, Harrier, Compass, etc., we should also mention and talk about such small but useful features which make a huge difference in real life scenarios.

[tristis2008]

Originally Posted by Parth Oomphy

Recently I found out about a feature called Manoeuvre braking whereby.

Parth, take care man. You could have placed a cardboard to check and not another car!! If you go very slowly it won't work. By the way manoeuvre braking was noted in T Roc thread.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/showthread.php?p=4837069

[Parth Oomphy]

Side by Side look of Karoq & Harrier: Beauty & the Beast combo!











I Hope you guys get some idea regarding the real life size difference between the two

[kushal.b110]

Took delivery of my quartz gray Karoq earlier this week. I haven't been able to drive it much due to my busy schedule. Sharing a few pictures now, will be posting an ownership review after spending more time with the car.

[cpabhijit]

Originally Posted by kushal.b110

Took delivery of my quartz gray Karoq earlier this week. I haven't been able to drive it much due to my busy schedule. Sharing a few pictures now, will be posting an ownership review after spending more time with the car.

Awesome, congrats! Hope you have a great time with the car.

[Mr.Perera]

Originally Posted by adi_petrolhead

The snow-grate is present in mostly all Skoda/VW cars be it CBU or CKD.

Seriously, it doesn't make any difference what so ever. Rather leave it in if you plan to drive to Leh or some place at a later day. People on Youtube are raving about it, how it makes initial pick up better. But there are others too, asking us to stop ripping apart the airbox as it doesn't help!

I completely agree. I did not find any much difference in the PICKUP ! Btw I am sure the car will never see snow. Also it was a lazy Sunday and I was missing my tools, so thought of doing something really unnecessary !

Originally Posted by Parth Oomphy

Recently I found out about a feature called Manoeuvre braking whereby Karoq automatically brakes when you’re going to hit something while at low speeds or parking.

Hi Parth, even the Octavia and the Kodiaq has the same feature. If Im right even the T-Roc gets it. I too have faced this many times and it saved my vRS's bumper from getting demolished few times. BUT ! I had faced few very bad experiences too. That too in the Karoq. Since this feature works with the parking sensors and if the sensor detects anything on the path it applies brake automatically. Few weeks back when I was driving the Karoq around my farm, the road had few tall grass in the middle at around the height of the number plate, Normally I just drive over them without any harm to the car, but since the sensors thought the grass to be some obstacle and I was going around 30kmph speed the car braked suddenly ! None of us expected it and my wife and daughter sitting behind got pushed towards the front pretty badly. After that I made sure to switch off the Manoeuvre braking everytime I go there.

Originally Posted by kushal.b110

Took delivery of my quartz gray Karoq earlier this week. I haven't been able to drive it much due to my busy schedule. Sharing a few pictures now, will be posting an ownership review after spending more time with the car.

Congrats Kushal ! The car looks wonderful. Actually the grey colour suits the car really well.

[Mr.Perera]

After removing the Snow Grate on a lazy Sunday and finding out that it didn't give the enough BOOST that others raved about () the next Sunday was a bit more productive. My friend Vishnu Shaji gave a call saying he got an OBDeleven Pro tool. For people who don't know about the OBDeleven tool, it is a small adapter type tool that plugs into the OBD port in VAG cars. It pairs with your phone and with the OBDeleven app you can scan for errors and clear them, also do codings and it has preinstalled apps where you can add some new features. The below video will give a better idea.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uA8y5Yiy7wc

And with the OBDeleven long coding I added the following features. Tried it first on my vRS and then did on the Karoq. The Karoq has more features that can be unlocked compared to the vRS.

1. Added Off road view in the MID. This gives steering angle, compass and an altimeter in the display.


(this image was taken from the internet, since I was so lazy to go take a photo of it in my car)


2. Enabled Skoda Surround and Virtual Subwoofer in the Sound Settings. This gives a bit more surround sound & subwoofer like effect while playing music.


3. Added information like Fuel Refuel Quantity and Lap timer in the Virtual Cockpit Driving data menu. Former isn't that accurate and latter is useful for clocking time taken to reach office from home daily !



4. And my favourite , enabled Scandinavian DRL mode and the 'Headlight Eyelashes' to always ON. The Scandinavian DRL is a feature where the tail lights are also always ON with the DRL. The reason why I did that is because I love the LED tail lights in the Karoq and this feature makes it ON all the time and shows off that beautiful red LED lights. While coding you can even set values like the Brightness level of the tail lights which from 0-120.



Also one thing I like in the headlight are those vertical slashes which Skoda calls Eyelashes. But sadly they don't light up when the DRL is ON. They only light up when the headlights are ON and the lights are set to Park mode. Enabling the Eyelashes ON made sure that they are ON all the time.





You can see in the second pic that the headlights have been fogging up inside. Even after a slight rain drive the headlight fogs up. Will be taking the car to Skoda Service for an oil change next week, will check with them regarding this.

There are so many things that can be done with the OBDeleven tool if you have some knowledge about the codings. Things like throttle sensitivity, blinking intervals of indicators, traction control settings etc can be adjusted with this tool. BUT ! Always make sure to take a backup of the previous settings before you make any new changes. If anything goes Kaput, you will have a very difficult time. Hence I did not play around with any of the major electronics or engine settings. Also if you want to understand more on how these coding were done or have an OBD tool and wish to do these, please DM me. I will share you the codes.


Also another update. Got my first puncture in the Karoq ! A small screw was the culprit. Got it plugged myself. And while removing the wheel, I found out the stock alloys are made by Borbet and are made in Germany.




Did some minor off roading on the way to our farm in the Karoq and the car held up pretty well. My Ecosport normally scrapes the plastic flap under the front bumper at some points on this route but the Karoq didn't have any issue and climbed comfortably.

[click]

Originally Posted by Mr.Perera

4. And my favourite , enabled Scandinavian DRL mode and the 'Headlight Eyelashes' to always ON. The Scandinavian DRL is a feature where the tail lights are also always ON with the DRL. The reason why I did that is because I love the LED tail lights in the Karoq and this feature makes it ON all the time and shows off that beautiful red LED lights. While coding you can even set values like the Brightness level of the tail lights which from 0-120.

I get the aesthetic appeal of showcasing the taillight shape when it is lit, but this could be dangerous while driving as it will confuse the car behind on your braking. I particularly would appreciate if the taillights light up only when the driver presses the brake pedal. Kind of reminds me of cars switching on emergency lights whenever it rains or they get in to a tunnel.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by Mr.Perera

You can see in the second pic that the headlights have been fogging up inside. Even after a slight rain drive the headlight fogs up. Will be taking the car to Skoda Service for an oil change next week, will check with them regarding this.

Do check with them but this is now common in the newer Skoda's with LED. The Octavia and Kodiaq also have plenty of condensation and Skoda confirmed this is normal for allowing some amount of ventilation. Due to the ventilation they do indeed fog up.

The reason is because LED's run much cooler than HID or halogen and hence there isn't enough heat to prevent the condensation.

However don't ask me why other brands LED's don't fog up vs Skoda and VW cause I don't have the answer for that

[Mr.Perera]

Originally Posted by click

I get the aesthetic appeal of showcasing the taillight shape when it is lit, but this could be dangerous while driving as it will confuse the car behind on your braking. I particularly would appreciate if the taillights light up only when the driver presses the brake pedal. Kind of reminds me of cars switching on emergency lights whenever it rains or they get in to a tunnel.

I understand your point. This is as same as putting the lights in park mode and driving. While applying the brake the tail lights come in full brightness with the high mount stop light also ON. Will see for few days and if it causes any concern will revert it back to stock.

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Do check with them but this is now common in the newer Skoda's with LED. The Octavia and Kodiaq also have plenty of condensation and Skoda confirmed this is normal for allowing some amount of ventilation. Due to the ventilation they do indeed fog up.

The reason is because LED's run much cooler than HID or halogen and hence there isn't enough heat to prevent the condensation.

However don't ask me why other brands LED's don't fog up vs Skoda and VW cause I don't have the answer for that

Lol, well my Octavia also has this issue. But the Karoq fogs up more compared to the Octy. In the Octy I see just a slight film of condensation, but in the Karoq I see bigger droplets of water at times.

[Brishti]

Originally Posted by Mr.Perera

I understand your point. This is as same as putting the lights in park mode and driving. While applying the brake the tail lights come in full brightness with the high mount stop light also ON. Will see for few days and if it causes any concern will revert it back to stock. .

I use the same in my Octavia and finding a way to enable it in Seltos too. Till now "1+ years" it has caused no issues and as you said the braking lights are not fully powered.