Karoq’s good but not the best Yeti

The first significant motoring event of the year is the joint Autosport and Performance Car show at the NEC on January 11-14. One of the attractions is Roborace, the world’s first driverless racing competition. The autonomous cars have a top speed of over 200mph thanks to their four 300kw electric motors. Sorry to be a Luddite but I see no appeal in this whatsoever. Surely it’s just high-speed Scalextric racing? I’ve actually seen a Roboracer in action – the firm behind the idea had one at the Paris Formula E race last year. It crashed itself. IT’S goodbye to the outgoing Skoda Yeti, but a warm welcome to the new Karoq.

I liked the fact the Yeti was a bit different.

Spacious, practical, available with four-wheel drive, it had all the genes of an SUV but with more personality.

And although the Karoq is a sound car, it’s very much in the mould of virtually every other SUV on our roads, and certainly the latest newcomers from Kia, Hyundai and others.

Like a vast number of other Volkswagen group cars from the Golf to the Audi TT, the Karoq is built using the MQB platform.

It’s a bigger motor in every dimension compared to the Yeti and its precise creases and tidy lines are like a recently dry cleaned and pressed suit.

Skoda loaned us our test car for the whole Christmas and New Year period so I’ve done a lot of miles in it and now know the Karoq very well.

Manufacturers tend to give us the most expensive version to test unless they’re strongly persuaded to do otherwise. But the good Skoda Karoq SE four-door crossover

1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol, 150bhp 8.6sec 51.4mpg

news is that our Karoq is the basic SE model (below the SE-L and Edition).

A few options had been added to our car but apart from the overly pricey metallic paint, they were fairly good value. Of the kit added, I’d personally have the sat nav and full-size spare wheel.

Under the bonnet is VW’S 1.5-litre TSI petrol engine. Smooth and quiet, it seamlessly cuts down