My previous vehicles were from Japanese and Korean brands and I can certainly feel the difference.
BHPian pk1972 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
Driven 200 kms in a week and below are my initial impressions. Will do an ownership review once I spend a couple of months with the car.
Good
- Beautiful inside out. Attracts a lot of attention especially the Lava blue during the day. Everything you touch inside is soft and nice to touch / use. This car defines “Value Luxury” for what it offers at the price point.
- Car drives very well – this is my first German car and I can feel the difference to my earlier cars (Japanese & Korean). Everything is screwed together well, no rattles, squeaks and glides over good roads. The engine is fantastic and I have almost stopped looking at what gear the car is in – the DSG does its job so well.
- Have driven only inside the town and the ride quality is very good and comfortable (in Normal mode). Only opportunity to stretch beyond 80kmph was on Bengaluru airport road earlier today. Promptly was flagged down by traffic cops and paid a fine of Rs.1000. As per them, I was doing 97 kmph and I did not feel the speed.
- The digital cockpit is awesome and everything is customizable. Found my favorite for now.
- Infotainment works well – Apple CarPlay connected in under a minute and works very well. The audio is really good and I am enjoying hearing all my collections one after the other.
- Seats, mirrors, lighting etc. adjusted and I feel very comfortable with the same.
- 360-deg camera is very useful. I have kept the sensor sensitivity to “Medium” and it shows other objects coming near while driving. The beeps can get annoying but very useful in tight spots.
- Have kept the lights on “Auto” and let the car do its own thing. Have not faced any issues so far and works as intended – good brightness and range in the city.
- Getting 8.5 kmpl till now with 150/200 kms in the city with moderate to heavy traffic. I am using Shell V Power petrol.
Not so good/things yet to figure out
- Climate control – the last 2-3 days have been hot (as per Bengaluru standards). The auto climate control makes the re-circulation off and effectiveness is very low. You will melt by the time the auto catches up with the cooling you want. I am keeping it in manual and adjusting the blowers till I am comfortable and then switching it to auto. My earlier car Creta (1st Gen) did a stellar job with auto AC.
- Infotainment is tiny and pre-historic. At this price point, definitely needs to be updated.
- User manual is common for all models and I am not sure what my car is equipped with many times. Lots of trial & error.
- The car does feel BIG. My test drive was on outer ring road which is reasonably wide but you will feel the size on regular city roads.
Overall very happy with the car and happy with the choice I made especially at this price point. If you do not care for brand snob value and can tolerate Skoda & their ways of running their business, this will be a compelling option to consider.
Now the big question and will appreciate members’ thoughts – Should I do PPF or should I just do detailing once in 6 months? PPF costs for Xcel without the roof is approximately Rs.1.5 lacs.
Here’s what BHPian Jangra had to say about the matter:
Congratulations on your purchase and wish you many happy miles.
I haven’t bothered about PPF but do not feel strongly against it. I just did not want to spend the cost of a full repainting job to protect the paint. But each to its own. I’m getting my car cleaner to clean with my microfibre cloths under my supervision once a week. And I’m taking care of the interior cleaning process. I find it therapeutic.
Here’s what BHPian BalaSNKL had to say about the matter:
Congrats and all the best.
I am waiting for mine and will get it hopefully by May. After considering the pluses and minuses, I am convinced to go for PPF. Will most probably go for LLUMAR Valor, which combines paint protection and ceramic benefits.
Keyword: 2022 Skoda Kodiaq: Owner's initial impressions of his first German car