Skoda Slavia

Here are some of the key pros and cons of Škoda Slavia Style Anniversary Edition.

Design

The Skoda Slavia's design is seriously cool and carefully thought out. It's like someone took a sleek shape and made it just the perfect size. Take a closer look at the Skoda Slavia, and you'll see why it's something special. The way it's shaped, with its elegant lines and the perfect balance of everything, makes it stand out.

And don't even get me started on that colour – Lava Blue. During the day, it's this amazing mix of green and blue, and at night, it turns into this sleek, dark blue that's seriously impressive. This awesome look is just the start of what makes this car so great.

The headlights are seamlessly integrated with the large butterfly grille. This grille design gives the car a commanding presence, and personally, I prefer its appearance over the chrome grille featured on the anniversary edition.

While the front profile boasts an aggressive design, the rear profile has a more mature and sophisticated appearance. This contrast in styles adds to its overall charm. The taillights enhance the looks further. A notable addition is the TSI badge, indicating the powerful 1.5 engine under the hood. The presence of the 'Š K O D A' lettering at the rear adds a premium and upscale touch to the overall rear design.

The car's side view is both sporty and elegant. The lines and details on the sides are smooth, and the chrome accents along the windows add to its appeal. The window size is just right, not too big or too small. The overall side design is quite attractive.

Headlights and Taillights

The LED Skoda Crystalline headlights and taillights are truly commendable. They offer a wide range, excellent spread, and powerful brightness, ensuring clear visibility. It's a bit of a bummer that the indicators aren't LED, though. As for the fog lamps, I haven't had the chance to test them yet.

 The tail lights, while simple, add an elegant touch to the car's appearance. They're also LED, except for the halogen reverse lamp and indicator. What's cool is how much attention to detail they put in the lights, from their design to the branding present within. All in all, the lighting in this car is fantastic.

Alloy Wheels and Tires

While the alloy wheels have a nice appearance, they could have been slightly larger and sportier in design, especially for the 1.5 variant. Nevertheless, the current alloys still look good and perform their role well. The MRF Ecotread tires provide solid grip, and there are no complaints about their performance.

Cabin Quality and Interior Design

As you step inside, you'll notice how neatly the dashboard is set up. The interior boasts a nice mix of beige and black tones, which looks quite nice. Though it looks good, I have to admit that the materials used aren't the best in terms of quality. Sometimes, the ambient lighting setup can make a little rattle on rough roads, which isn't ideal. Another thing that caught my attention is the small gaps under the central AC vent area.

They're not too obvious at first glance, but if you look closely, you'll spot them. However, I do want to mention that the door design is well-done. Despite these small things, the cabin overall feels quite upscale and premium.

Seats, Comfort and Space

The black and beige leather seats have a pleasing look and are well-designed. While they might not be the absolute best in terms of material quality, their shape is quite nice. They strike a good balance between being too firm and too soft. Up front, there's good headroom and support for your thighs, and the footwell area provides ample space for both the driver and passenger. The seats offer a comfortable experience, and all front passengers can adjust their headrests for added comfort.

Moving to the back, the rear seat is positioned a bit lower. Like the front seats, the rear ones are comfortable, and the cushioning is just right – not too firm, not too soft. Travelling with two passengers in the back using the centre armrest is enjoyable. However, accommodating three passengers side by side might be a bit tight. While all three passengers have 3-point seatbelts, it's more suitable for two adults and a child in the rear. The central floor hump is wide, which might make it a bit cramped for the middle passenger.

Despite this, the cabin feels open and airy. There's ample headroom, knee room, and under-thigh support, particularly with impressive legroom. The angle of the backrest is comfortable as well. Overall, the space should be more than sufficient for most passengers. Rear passengers get air conditioning vents and a couple of USB-C ports for charging their smartphones.

Ergonomics and Driving Position

Stepping into the car, you'll immediately appreciate the user-friendly cabin layout. All the controls are well within your reach. Once you settle into the driver's seat, you'll find it to be well-designed without any major flaws. Although certain buttons like traction control, door lock/unlock, cruise control, and the auto start-stop button might not be the most intuitive at first glance, you'll quickly get used to their placement. Getting in and out of the car might require a bit of effort, but once you're in the driver's seat, you'll become familiar with the controls quite easily.

The two-spoke leather-wrapped steering wheel feels just right in terms of size and comfort. The horn pad is conveniently placed and reachable with your thumbs. The steering wheel is also adjustable for both height and reach, allowing you to find your ideal driving position effortlessly. Despite the lower seating position, the frontal view remains good. Notably, the tactile points like the leather centre armrest and door pads enhance the premium feel.

The overall ergonomics of the Slavia are well thought out. Everything is positioned where you would naturally expect it to be, ensuring that all controls are easily accessible to the driver. To put it simply, the fundamental ergonomics of the Slavia are well-executed.

Air-Conditioning System

The Slavia comes equipped with a touch-based "Climatronic" climate control unit featuring a touch control panel. Rear AC vents have also been provided for added comfort. We noticed that the air blower was quieter in our Slavia compared to the test drive car, which made the cabin quieter and more comfortable. The air conditioning system performs effectively, and contrary to some reports, we did not experience any shortcomings in its performance. It efficiently cooled the cabin even in temperatures as high as 35°C, such as during our visit to Tirupati.

An interesting addition is the 'Air Care' feature, essentially an inbuilt air purifier. Skoda claims that this purifier captures fine dust particles and eliminates unpleasant odours. While we couldn't check it thoroughly, the cabin did feel fresher during our drives.

We typically maintain the temperature settings between 18.5°C to 22.5°C, and the AC manages this range comfortably. Overall, the AC system performs well, ensuring a comfortable cabin environment.

Interior Storage and Practicality

The Skoda Slavia offers a range of convenient storage options within its cabin. The door pads are designed to hold a bottle along with other items. The glovebox is well-sized and ventilated, providing a practical storage area.

To help keep the cabin organized, elastic bands are placed on the front units for securing papers and documents. The centre console features cupholders and cubby holes for added storage versatility. A unique touch is the spot on top of the dashboard, providing a space for small items or personal touches.

However, it's worth noting that the storage area behind the wireless smartphone charging pad is limited in size and cannot accommodate phones larger than 6.5 inches. Additionally, while the centre armrest houses a deep storage area, a dedicated sunglass holder is absent. The driver benefits from a storage compartment conveniently positioned to the right of the steering wheel. The front seatbacks are equipped with deep pockets and smartphone holders, catering to the needs of rear passengers.

In terms of cargo capacity, the Skoda Slavia boasts an impressive 521-litre boot space, offering ample room for luggage and belongings. This spacious boot further enhances the vehicle's practicality, making it suitable for various activities and trips. Additionally, the rear seats feature a 60/40 split-folding mechanism, allowing for flexible configurations to accommodate larger or longer items while still providing seating for passengers.

Overall, the Skoda Slavia's well-designed storage solutions, generous boot space, and folding rear seats contribute to the vehicle's overall versatility and convenience.

Speakers

The Slavia comes equipped with an 8-speaker sound system that comprises 4x50W speakers, 4x20W tweeters, and a 1x100W subwoofer system, resulting in an impressive total output of 380W. The subwoofer is cleverly situated within the spare wheel compartment in the boot, while an amplifier is positioned under the front passenger seat. The sound quality is truly remarkable.

The infotainment system provides further customization options for tailored audio adjustments. The speakers deliver exceptional sound quality without any distortion or cracking, enhancing the overall enjoyment of music and entertainment.

Engine and Gearbox: Smooth Power Delivery and Effortless Gear Shifting

The heart of the Skoda Slavia lies in its refined 1.5 TSI engine, an epitome of smoothness and power. When you start the engine, you'll notice how refined it is. After idling for about 30 seconds, the engine becomes so quiet that you might not even hear it when the RPM drops below 900.

Transitioning into the drive, shifting the gearbox to the 'D' mode results in effortless acceleration. The absence of turbo lag is commendable, making the car well-suited for city traffic conditions. The car's ability to creep forward smoothly in bumper-to-bumper traffic proves to be a valuable asset. The engine's tractability shines through, eliminating any lag and ensuring a responsive city driving experience.

However, it's on the open highway that the 1.5 TSI engine truly comes alive. The acceleration provided is remarkable, and the combination with the DSG gearbox feels like a match made in heaven. Maintaining speeds below 120 km/h becomes a challenge due to the impressive performance this pairing delivers. Overtaking is a breeze - a gentle press on the pedal provides instant power, creating a seamless surge forward. The combination's refined smoothness adds to the driving pleasure, making it a joy to operate.

Engaging a light throttle results in early upshifts, often around 2000 rpm. This can place the car in seventh gear even at speeds as low as 70 km/h. At times, when you press the gas pedal abruptly while in D2 mode, the car might shift very aggressively to D1. This can feel a bit unusual, almost as if the car is braking suddenly. However, it's important to note that this behaviour is not consistent and doesn't occur every time.

The engine's mid-range is robust, offering excellent outright performance and handling overtaking manoeuvres with ease. Downshifts are swift, with the gearbox responding promptly to throttle inputs. The engine's flexibility is evident, allowing it to maintain triple-digit speeds effortlessly. Cruising at 100 km/h translates to a relaxed 1,850 rpm, further emphasizing its efficiency. The seventh gear ratio provides an advantage, ensuring a well-balanced driving experience across different scenarios.

If you want to drive more aggressively, you can switch to Sport mode by pushing the gear lever down once. In Sport mode, the gearbox shifts down quickly, holds the gears longer, and lets the engine's midrange power do most of the work. When you're on an open road, it's hard not to press the gas pedal hard. The Slavia is simply amazing to drive! When you're cruising in D mode, you won't even notice the gears changing - they're that smooth. The time it takes to downshift is quick, and you won't feel like the gearbox is struggling to find the right gear. Most of the time, it's in the right gear. You can also use the paddle shifters if you want. However, with the quick DSG gearbox and the engine's power, you probably won't need them much. You might not even switch to Sport mode often because D mode is already very responsive.

In summary, the engine and gearbox combination in the Skoda Slavia functions exceptionally well, delivering seamless power delivery and accurate gear changes. This translates to a wonderful driving experience with remarkable performance, whether you're navigating through city traffic or cruising on the highways.

NVH

The Skoda Slavia impresses with its notable insulation, successfully reducing engine noise even though there's no insulation under the hood. However, despite the 1.5 TSI engine's remarkable smoothness and refinement, there are slight vibrations noticeable on the centre armrest, specifically during idle. Road and wind noises are also effectively subdued, even at higher speeds. At triple-digit speeds, the predominant sound is that of tyre noise. The inclusion of wheel well cladding further contributes to this impressive noise control. Overall, the NVH levels are very satisfactory, resulting in a less stressful and more comfortable journey.

Suspension

The Slavia's suspension is on the stiffer side, meaning you might feel bumps on the road more. However, when driving at speeds below 15 km/h, the ride remains comfortable. It handles small road imperfections well, keeping the ride smooth.

However, when encountering larger potholes, their impact is more pronounced inside the cabin, creating a compromise in terms of ride comfort.

Dynamics and Handling

When you take the Slavia onto twisty roads, it proves itself quite capable. While there's a slight amount of body roll, it's well-managed and doesn't become excessive even during spirited driving. The stiff suspension contributes to this, enabling you to maintain higher speeds through corners. The car's handling on the road is well-tuned. It maintains excellent stability in straight-line driving and feels solid while cruising at speeds between 100-120 km/h. This makes the sedan suitable for comfortable long road trips.

Brakes

The Slavia is equipped with front discs and rear drums for braking. The brakes are strong and instil a sense of confidence. The brake pedal is finely tuned, providing a sharp and responsive feel. It performs well even at high speeds.

Steering

The steering in the Skoda Slavia feels lighter during city driving in contrast to our Wagon-R. Adding a bit more weight to the steering would enhance the driving experience. It's well-suited for daily commutes. However, while it gains better responsiveness as the speed increases, it lacks feedback and a sense of connection.

Mileage and ACT

Impressive fuel economy is a highlight, reaching up to 10 km/l in dense city traffic. In comparison, our previous Honda City 4G only managed around 8 km/l under similar urban conditions. The ACT (Active Cylinder Technology) plays a crucial role in enhancing fuel efficiency. While the auto start-stop system is effective, it can occasionally be overly aggressive in traffic, resulting in an uncomfortable and jerky experience.

There are instances where the system shuts down the engine even when the car is still moving, such as when approaching rough patches or speed bumps at lower speeds. This shuts down the ventilated seats as well, and it takes some time for them to regain their efficiency once restarted. On highways, we achieved a maximum fuel efficiency of 16.1 km/l while cruising at speeds of 100 km/h and sometimes even higher

Conclusion

In the span of three months, our ownership experience with the Skoda Slavia has been quite delightful. Clocking around 3200 kilometres on the odometer, the car has already proven its mettle. To sum up, our experience with the Skoda Slavia has been positive overall. The car's great look, smooth performance, and features have made a good impression.  

Despite a few concerns about the DSG gearbox, the Slavia has proven to be a delight on the road, offering impressive performance, a comfortable cabin experience, and impressive fuel efficiency.
As we continue our journey with this car, we eagerly anticipate covering many more miles on the road.