• Choice of high-tech petrol and diesel engines
• Mid-spec choices offer enough performance
• Base 1.0-litre TSI can feel breathless

Petrol engines

The Skoda Karoq is available with three petrol engines: a three-cylinder 1.0-litre, a four-cylinder 1.5 litre and a four-cylinder 2.0-litre. Each is badged TSI Evo, meaning they’re all turbocharged.

The entry-level 1.0-litre 116hp petrol is refined and perfectly capable around town. However, it struggle on motorways and during overtaking manoeuvres. If you’ll be regularly loading up the car with passengers and luggage or doing lots of long journeys, it’s probably best to avoid this one.

The 150hp 1.5-litre petrol is far punchier, offering noticeably better acceleration both off the line and in-gear. Plus, with cylinder deactivation technology to complement its extra muscle, it’s hardly any less efficient in the real-world. We’ve easily achieved over 40mpg with the engine. In all, it’s a good place to start if you’re planning to switch away from diesel.

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The range-topping 190hp 2.0-litre engine is only available in Sportline Edition trim. It’s also the only engine to come as standard with a seven-speed DSG automatic transmission and four-wheel drive. Every other Karoq has front-wheel drive and a six-speed manual gearbox as standard, though DSG is optional on all but the 1.0-litre TSI.

We found the automatic version can be quite lazy to drive. In his long-term test, our reviewer Percy Lawman said of the transmission: ‘This is one car you have to take your time in, queue patiently and relax at junctions. There’s a split-second between pulling away, pressing the throttle a touch harder and getting away. Initially I thought I might have left the drive mode in Eco, but no, it’s in ‘Normal’. To compensate, I’m finding myself selecting ‘Sport’ mode and using the paddleshifters to change gear.’

Learn to drive around the gearbox and the 190hp Karoq is a fast, comfortable car. The engine’s power is accompanied by a throaty growl that’s just enough to remind you you’re driving something a little more special. Percy added on his Sportline: ‘Once it gets going, the Karoq shifts plenty quick enough in Normal and Sport mode. There’s a bit more engine noise in Sport mode, as you’d expect, but the ride is notably quiet.’

Diesel engines

The Karoq is now only available with one diesel engine. It’s the Volkswagen’s omnipresent 150hp 2.0-litre four-cylinder unit mated to a seven-speed gearbox and four-wheel drive system. There used to be a less powerful, front-wheel drive version of the same engine but Skoda axed it.

The 150hp diesel is a touch noisier than you might want, but its performance more than compensates for the noise. It isn’t a rocketship, but you get loads of low-down grunt – and the fact the engine now comes as standard with four-wheel drive makes it default choice if you’re planning on using the Karoq as a tow car. And yes, we know diesels are now immensely unfashionable, but this one will still deliver far stronger fuel economy than any of the petrol-powered Karoqs on the motorway.

What’s it like to drive?

• Sharp handling sacrificed in the pursuit of comfort
• Still perfectly stable and grippy on all roads
• Off-road ability will almost certainly exceed customers’ needs

Despite sharing a platform (and many mechanical components) with the SEAT Ateca, the Skoda Karoq feels significantly different to drive. Rather than go down the route of making the car feel sharp and ‘sporty’, Skoda has engineered the Karoq to be soft and comfortable. This makes it great over long distances, thanks in large part to suspension that effortlessly soaks up bumpy and broken surfaces.

That’s not to say it isn’t nice or even fun to drive, it just has a rather more relaxed way of doing things. The steering for example, while accurate and well-weighted, isn’t particularly sharp or communicative – though you can option ‘progressive steering’ if you do want to liven things up a bit, while Dynamic Chassis Control gives you variable suspension with a choice of settings.

In normal driving conditions, the Karoq flows nicely from corner to corner and, despite its relatively large size, is easy to pilot through narrow city streets and tight turns. Push faster into corners and you’ll start to notice the body of the car roll, although never to the extent where it feels wayward or unsafe.

Grip levels are about average for a car in this class, and – once you do run out of purchase – there’s just enough feel in the steering wheel to let you know the front of the car is beginning to run wide of the intended line. The Karoq’s off-roading credentials should be more than enough for the vast majority of customers, with hill-descent control and an off-road drive mode fitted as standard on 4x4 models.