Skoda unveiled its Karoq on Thursday, touting the compact SUV's generous interior room and luggage capacity as key selling points.
The Karoq replaces the boxy Yeti in the Volkswagen Group brand's lineup. Its launch is a key part of Skoda's efforts to expand its offerings in the booming SUV market to help reach its midterm goal of selling 1.5 million units, up from to 1.13 million last year.
Among the Karoq's features is a flexible arrangement of three separate rear seats that can be removed to expand trunk capacity to 1,810 liters, turning into a "van-like" SUV, Skoda said. With the seats folded down rather than taken out, capacity is 1,630 liters. Without the seats folded, capacity is 521 liters. The front seat also folds down to transport long items.
The 4382mm-long SUV will be offered with five engines -- two gasoline and three diesel units. The top diesel has four-wheel drive, while a new 1.5-liter gasoline engine has cylinder deactivation to reduce fuel consumption.
The top Karoq models will have a WiFi hotspot. Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and MirrorLink connectivity will be standard or optional depending on the trim level.
Driver assistance systems include features to keep the car at a safe distance from the vehicle ahead, to make it easier for the driver to stay in a lane, and to assist when parking.
