Skoda Slavia 1.0 TSI review: Solid, safe and comfortable new sedan

Sedans are what Skoda does best. This is evident from the first generation Octavia, which established Skoda 20 years ago as a premium brand in India, the best in its class Superb, which has ruled its place over the years, and of course, The mainstream Rapid, which has been the bread-and-butter model for the company. SUVs have come and gone and so have hatchbacks, but it is the traditional three-box sedan that has been the backbone of Skoda's range in India.

This is why the importance of the Slavia, Skoda's latest sedan offering, cannot be underestimated. For one, Slavia is the second product to be made under the company's ambitious 'India 2.0' programme, an investment of USD 1 billion (Rs 7,500 crore) to develop products to suit local tastes and pockets. A major part of the investment has gone into the localization of the India 2.0 model, and like the Kushak before it, the Slavia is built with over 90 percent of the parts sourced from India.

The Slavia has also come to cement koda's position in the midsize sedan segment, having evolved in size and space with more features and power, making it not only a replacement for the now-discontinued Rapide, but also a take on the sedan. has gone up a notch. Ladder. In fact, it is bigger than the first generation Octavia in every dimension. So, is this more of a Junior Octavia than a big Rapid? It really is a bit of both.

Skoda Slavia: Exterior

The Slavia looks best from the front where it is definitely a Skoda with its signature grille. In fact, the steeply slanted grille, winged headlights, sharply cut bumper and two prominent creases under the bonnet to give a sort of power dome effect, look quite sentimental and may be a strong selling point over the soon-to-be cousin. Maybe, the VW Virtus, which has an easy to see nose.

In contrast, the Slavia's sides are fairly straight, but there are a few stand out elements such as a chrome strip that runs across the window line and curves into the rear quarter glass and a pair of sharp creases that line the rear light from the front door. extends to. These character lines which give a nice tension to the body are similar to the Kushak and other Bharat 2.0 cars.

From the sides you can tell that the Slavia is well proportioned, despite the large rear overhang that goes into carving the largest boot in its class. The Slavia can carry 521 liters of luggage and if you flip the 60/40 seats, that expands to 1,050 liters.

The Slavia looks good from the rear, along with an attractive set of taillights and a well-sculpted boot lid. The badging also looks premium with the Skoda lettering.

Rounding out the car is a smart set of ten-spoke alloys, but the increased ride height that gives the very useful 179mm of ground clearance spoils the stance somewhat.

The Slavia sits on the Indian version of VW Group's proven MQB-A0 platform that underpins VW Group's millions of global models. The platform is the new base for both the Skoda and VW brands and will be shared across India's 2.0 models, including the Kushak and Taigun SUVs, and the soon-to-be VW Vertus, in addition to the Slavia.

The advantages of the MQB-A0 platform can be seen in Slavia. It has the best in wheelbase (2,650 mm) and a highly rigid structure that is great for driving maneuverability. The doors have a good height to them and close with a satisfying thunk that buyers looking for a solid and safe sedan will appreciate. The remarkable paint finish should be mentioned. Our red test car had a wonderful glow with almost no 'orange peel'.

Skoda Slavia: interior

Like most Skodas, the Slavia also comes with a practical and spacious cabin that feels well built and long lasting. However, the interior doesn't feel as premium as the exterior and that's largely down to the finish of certain materials. For example, faux leather seats are wrinkled in some areas and look like aftermarket seat covers.

There is some fabric uneven in the boot area and the woven roof liner – something we criticized at the Kushak and though improved upon in the Slavia – positioned itself as a premium mid-size sedan. Some of the plastics are a bit iffy too, but overall, there's a good load of slack in the way everything works. The signature two-spoke steering wheel with its curved control wheels, reeks of quality.

The chunky dashboard with its many layers looks quite busy and the bronze stripe that runs across the dash and into the circular air vents at the ends is a bit garish, but today's customers want that kind of flash. As is the trend, the hard button has been replaced with a touch-sensitive interface, including the aircon blower control, which gets a touch-operated slider but is cleverly placed in an indent on the fascia that allows your eyes to pick up. Makes it easy to locate without the need for . off the road.

The Style variant we're testing comes with a 10.1-inch screen (the lower variant is 7 inches smaller) similar to the Kushak. But unlike the Kushak's analog dial, the Slavia gets a fully digital instrument cluster that can be customized. However, after toggling through the functions, you may find that there isn't much customization. The number of displays is limited and none have the classic layout of a rev counter and a speedometer dial in one display. Also, the empty space at the edges of the screen seems a bit wasteful and could have been used to display more information.

The touchscreen, which is easy to use, thanks to crisp graphics, quick responses, and logical menus, has a lot to offer. In-built apps like Sygic Maps, Audiobooks, Gaana and Booking.com are all taken from Kushak, but in addition, Slavia gets the BBC World Service News app, which is live radio. Apple Car Play and Android Auto are standard and there's wireless charging too, but the angle of the charging pad hides the phone's screen which is annoying.

Four USB C-Type ports provide ample charging options for passengers and if you want to be more connected, you can download the MyskodaConnect app, which lets you live on your car and the usual suite of connected features like time fencing and statistics. gives. Interestingly, there is neither a remote lock/unlock function nor engine start to pre-cool the cabin. This is because starting the engine before you enter is not considered environmentally friendly and is not permitted by EU countries.

Other features of the top-of-the-line styling variant include cooled seats, a sunroof, rear AC vents and automatic climate control. Skoda hasn't made an impact on the audio system which is a vast improvement over the Kushk with a total of eight speakers and a boot-mounted subwoofer.

A lot of money has also been spent on safety features. Six airbags, ESC, an Electronic Differential System (EDS), hill-hold control (optional), multi-collision brakes and ISOFIX child seat mounts are all standard. Where Skoda has provided a lower resolution rear view camera, it only gets static directions.

Being of a larger size than the outgoing Rapid, you would expect the Slavia to have a very spacious cabin and it does. The auxiliary front seats offer plenty of travel and can be adjusted to find the right driving position. The rear seat is also very spacious with good headroom, generous under thigh and a surplus of legroom to allow two six-footers to comfortably sit one behind the other. However, the rear seat is a bit low and the central hump restricts a middle passenger. As comfortable as it is, the Slavia's low-set rear bench doesn't offer the sofa-like feel of a Honda City seat. However, Slavia is much more than just its astonishing ride comfort.

Skoda Slavia: Ride and Steering

When we took the pre-production Slavia prototype back in October 2021, we were blown away with the ride quality, and in finished form, it's even better. In fact, it's safe to say that no other mid-size sedan comes close to the ride comfort of the Slavia. In undulating Goa terrain, it felt incredibly stable at high speeds, with the long travel suspension and superb body controls leveling off the bumpy tarmac to deliver a rock stable ride. Even at low speeds, there's a nice gentle edge to the Slavia's suspension that smoothes out sharp and broken tarmac in a firm and authoritative way but without disturbing the calmness of the cabin.

The 1.0 version with its lightweight engine is eager to change direction but sprung on the softer side, has a bit of body roll and the Slavia prefers to go easy in the corners rather than drift off. No, it's not a fast tool and the light steering doesn't encourage you to attack corners, but that doesn't mean you can't drive the Slavia faster. In fact, given its phenomenal stability and a 1.0 TSI engine that is eager to exploit, it is possible for an average driver to hold astonishingly high speeds with confidence.

Skoda Slavia: engine and performance

Like the Kushak, the Slavia comes with a choice of 1.5 and 1.0 TSI engines, but for this review we focused only on the smaller 1.0 TSI engine. This compact three-cylinder 110hp unit punches well above its weight and, for the most part, doesn't feel like a small-capacity motor. Available with 6-speed manual and 6-speed torque converter automatic, not surprisingly, it is the manual variant that is faster. The lighter and progressive clutch along with the short throw, smooth shifting gearbox makes the Slavia an easier manual sedan to live in and a more enjoyable option for enthusiasts.

At part throttle, the 1.0-liter motor responds well to keep up with the flow of high-speed traffic, but when you push a little harder, you're stuck with a bit of turbo lag. This can be annoying when you want to overtake quickly and often require you to use gears to keep the engine on a boil. Above 1,800 rpm this engine is well and truly awake and fully revs up to its 6,600 rpm time frame. At maximum revs, the engine gets audible, but not in an uncomfortable way, and for a three-cylinder, it's incredibly smooth.

The 1.0 Slavia comfortably dispatches the 100kph mark in 11.1 seconds and in our third and fourth gear acceleration tests, it is even faster than the Honda City! Well-tailored gearing helps the Slavia make the most of its wide powerband and torque, and except for a bit of slack at low revs, you won't find yourself wanting more power.

If you want everyday convenience, the 6-speed auto works well too. Sure, it's not quite as fast as the manual, but the 0-100kph time of 12.1 seconds isn't too shabby either. The 6-speed auto does a particularly good job in stop-start traffic. The torque converter is calibrated to smartly engage the transmission as soon as you tap the throttle pedal, so it really feels responsive to move away from a standstill. However, turbo lag rears its ugly head when you push further down and this initial quick response gives way to a bit of hesitation before the 1,800rpm mark after which the engine picks up thrust again.

The cool thing about this aisin-sourced six-speed automatic is that it masks the turbo lag quite well and, although not as quick-shifting as the DSG, makes you feel better on the highway when you want to drive and overtake. But it will not be lacking. fast pace.

With an ARAI-rated fuel efficiency figure of 19.47 km/l for the 1.0 TSI MT and 18.07 km/l for the 1.0 TSI AT, the Slavia, especially the manual, is quite fuel-efficient. However, real-world figures can be quite different, especially with turbo petrol engines which are very sensitive to driving style.

Skoda Slavia: Should I Buy One?

As a product, the Slavia Kushak is an even better sedan than an SUV, which is saying a lot. It is a solidly built car with a range of safety features and comes with a comfortable, spacious and well equipped cabin. The 1.0 TSI engine is the wonder of the package which delivers a level of performance believable its size. Yes, the cabin could have been plusher and some buyers will miss out on not having a diesel option either.

With a starting price of Rs 10.69 lakh for the base Active variant and topping out at Rs 15.39 lakh for the 1.0 Style, Skoda has priced the Slavia towards the expensive end of the midsize segment, where it lies with the market-leading Honda City. , Skoda has sweetened the deal with ownership benefits like attractive maintenance package of four years and best in maintenance cost of Rs 0.46 per km. Plus, it will certainly appeal to those who want a new, European alternative to the City and Verna. Should the city be worried? In a word, yes!