Skoda Slavia: Better than the Best

The Skoda Slavia teasers already has people salivating, thanks to its gorgeous design and stunning looks, but how does it drive? We tell you.

Mar 04, 2022 RACHNA TYAGI No Comments Like

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Let’s face it, not everyone out there is an SUV fanboy or fangirl. Infact, there are many who did not cotton on to the SUV mania and continued driving sedans through the entire time the SUV craze was taking the world by storm. It is mostly for people like these, who have a distinct preference for elegant sedans, that Skoda Auto India, has introduced the brand new and simply stunning Slavia – a sedan, based on their MQB-A0-IN platform, that isn’t just good looking but as Skoda claims, is also big on “power and performance.” Here to take on rivals such as Honda City, Hyundai Verna and Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, it sure seems like it has a trick or two up its sleeve. We drove both, the 1.0-Litre MT as well as the 1.5-Litre AT, and here’s what we think…

Look at the Slavia from outside and you’ll see just why Skoda is betting big on it. You’ll be forgiven for thinking that it reminds you ever so slightly of the Laura, launched in India, almost 15 years back, but then, Skoda, has rarely deviated from the “family resemblance” trait when it comes to design, and so, you won’t be alone in thinking along those lines. The first thing you’ll notice about the Slavia is the manner in which its roofline slopes towards the back, giving the Slavia a very racy feel. Next, you’ll find yourself marveling at the bonnet’s lines that curve so beautifully, especially to accommodate the LED headlamps, that come with beautiful DRLs. The large grille with vertical slats gets a finely finished chrome treatment around it and with the Skoda badge at the centre of the bonnet, it does all come together beautifully. The fog lamps also stand out and the air dam blends in beautifully with the overall design of the front fascia. While the Slavia does get its bits of chrome on the grille, the door handles, and on the window trims, that extend upto the C-pillar, the door handles are body-coloured. It’s the cuts and creases on the bonnet, the shoulder lines as well as the manner in which the tail lamps have been designed, everything speaks volumes about the freshness that the brand-new Slavia brings to Skoda’s product line up via its India 2.0 program. The distinct European styling gives the Slavia a very stylish look and the colours add a bit of pop to Skoda’s product portfolio. It also gets a large 521-litres of boot space which means that you can just throw all that camping gear in and drive away to a really cool location to enjoy the pristine beauty of nature. 

Inside, the interiors feel really premium and you immediately get the feeling of being seated in a roomy car that has ample space both in the front as well as at the rear, mostly because of its width which is 1752mm. The dual-tone dashboard looks refined and makes use of some high-quality materials like the piano black finish that gives the interiors of the Slavia a very polished look. While we’re not fans of the golden-coloured strip that runs across on the dash, it may well find its own set of fans out there. The two-spoke steering with steering mounted controls is meaty to grip and we quite enjoyed twirling it around on our drives. The 10-inch screen looks sharp, and below are the air-con controls that can be slid forwards and backwards to control the temperature as well as the fan speed. However, this takes concentrating, at least, until you’ve got a hang of it, to operate it smoothly without getting your eyes off the road. Rotary dials could have done the trick just as well, we feel. However, when you look at the bigger picture, you realize that Skoda makes use of this in order to give the cabin a clean and minimalistic appearance and to their credit, they’ve succeeded in doing so. We really liked the digital dials which can be configured according to your taste and also thought that the beige and grey-coloured ventilated front seats was a nice touch that gave the Slavia’s cabin a premium feel. Besides other creature comforts such as tilt and telescopic steering, an eight-speaker sound system with a sub-woofer, USB-C charging ports, and a cooled glovebox make the occupants feel really at home.

We drove the 3-Cylinder, 1.0-Litre (999cc) TSI engine that is mated to the 6-Speed MT gearbox which produces 115hp@5000-5500rpm first, and came away super impressed with this gem of an engine. The Slavia, being a sedan, in terms of body type is 4541mm in length and such fun to drive that you are bound to have a whale of a time especially with the MT if you’re one of those who loves sliding cars and burning rubber occasionally. The Slavia makes gearshifts super smooth and easy and while the Slavia is fast and nippy on open roads, it also felt nimble enough while driving within the city limits. However, we had the most fun racing it up and down some slopes and also during cornering. The 1799mm ground clearance works well for it and you really don’t have to worry about its underbody scraping against any speed breakers even when it is fully occupied. The Slavia’s height is 1487mm and some amount of body roll is felt, especially while tackling corners but frankly, that is quite miniscule. The Slavia, which comes shod with R16s, gripped the tarmac really well and thanks to its solid build quality there were no scary moments that we experienced inside the cabin despite some really high speeds. 

Next, we drove the 4-Cylinder, 1.5-Litre (1498cc) TSI engine that is mated to the 7-Speed DSG/Dual Clutch Auto gearbox that produces 150hp@5000-6000rpm and 250 Nm@1600-3500rpm and yet again, we were impressed by its performance. Drive it hard and you’ll instantly feel a surge of power as the 150 horses unleash to put a smile on your face. The Slavia feels well planted and you feel super confident even while cornering. The DSG gearbox is the one that you want to get if you’re looking for something refined, convenient, and pleasurable to drive. And for all those who still want more control, the 1.5-Litre, also comes with paddle shifters to switch to as well.

In terms of safety, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that the Slavia, has covered almost all grounds and packed it with features such as six airbags that in fact, come as standard and Brake Disc Wiping (Also seen on the Kushaq), besides several others. All of this combined with Skoda’s famous robust build quality further ensures peace of mind for the buyers.

What would be our pick from the two that we’ve driven? Well, as driving enthusiasts, we’ll have to go with the 3-Cylinder, 1.0-Litre MT, because of its brilliant handling and sheer performance from what seems to be a feeble engine on paper, but in reality, clearly is not. However, having said that, the 1.5-Litre AT is definitely a more powerful car and we have absolutely loved Skoda’s DSG gearboxes, ever since we first drove our first one on the Octavia’s sublime L&K variant, all those years ago. Don’t get me wrong, the DSG gearbox on the Slavia is a fabulous one as well, it's just that we’d rather opt for it when we’re looking to pamper ourselves with hassle-free driving, maybe, at a time when we are not keen on ploughing through the gears and want to feel the true luxury that an AT accords. For now, though the 1.0-Litre MT is just what we’re crushing over but who knows how long this crush will last. There’s still the 1.5-Litre MT to check out as well. Watch this space for more.

The Skoda Slavia 1.0-Litre TSI MT starts at INR 10.69 Lakhs and 1.5-Litre TSI AT starts at INR 16.19 Lakhs.


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