This car war to capture a bigger slice of the subcompact SUV market has evolved into a gruesome and fierce competition following the arrival of models, like the Skoda Kylaq. Skoda's maiden sub-compact SUV offering under the sub-plate brand name in India from November 2024 with bookings opening in December 2024.
At long last the Skoda Kylaq has gone its own course; deliveries of this highly anticipated car are set to commence in a few weeks on January 27, 2025; an important event for Skoda. In fact, it has already caught the attention with more than 10,000 sales achieved in only 10 days since launch.
The introductory price is ₹7.89 lakh (ex-showroom); it was on a limited-time offer till a total of 33,333 bookings were done.
Skoda Kylaq Pricing Breakdown
Its pricing strategy is competitive and has been targeted at making the SUV reachable to a wide audience. The entry-level version is priced from ₹7.89 lakh (making it one of the most affordable sub-compact SUVs in India). The prestige variant with an automatic transmission starts at ₹14.40 lakh (ex-showroom). The Kylaq manual transmission version costs ₹13.35 lakh. The mid-spec trims of Signature and Signature+ are priced between ₹9,59,000 and ₹11,40,000 for their manual transmission specs and between ₹10.59 lakh and ₹12.40 lakh for automatic. These choices range widely in price, and have varying capabilities, depending on the version.
Skoda Kylaq Design and Styling
The Skoda Kylaq is designed in a way to compete with well-known sub-compact SUVs such as the Maruti Suzuki Brezza, Tata Nexon, Kia Sonet, and Hyundai Venue. As the least prominent of Skoda's output, it has faith in its Modern-Solid design language.
In order to assume a hard and athletic identity, Kylaq was accessorized with a split headlamp front, a boxy shape, and short overhangs. The butterfly grille, this recognizable brand feature, is also easily perceived. The top trims are given 17-inch wheels. Also, all variants regardless of the trim will be equipped with LED DRLs and headlamps.
Skoda Kylaq Features
The Skoda Kylaq is a technologically and feature-rich car, particularly in its high-quality iterations. These feature a 10.1-inch center infotainment screen built around wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Some advanced features are found in higher trims only. In the base models, however, a 5-inch touch screen and a semi-digital instrument itself are provided.
The cabin of the Kylaq is designed with comfort in mind and features six-way electrical adjustability on the front-row seats and includes ventilation. The interior is available in single-tone or dual-tone colour variants, depending on the variant. The lower trim variants are presented in fabric, while the Prestige gets premium leatherette seats. The top-end variants would also contain a power sunroof.
Safety Features and Build Quality
Skoda mentioned the suitability of Kylaq to meet the challenge of the harshness of India's driving conditions. It has been extensively validated upon 800,000 km of rough Indian ground to achieve its robustness.
Safety-wise, the Kylaq boasts more than 25 active and passive safety mechanisms such as six airbags, an anti-collision braking device, rollover protection, an electronic lock for the differential, an anti-locking braking system (ABS) with electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD), and electronic stability control. These aspects also contribute to solidifying vehicle safety, which assures drivers as well as passengers.
Skoda Kylaq engine specification
The power of the Skoda Kylaq comes from a 1.0-liter 3-cylinder TSI petrol engine. Powering this engine, which, in combination with the Kushaq, is common to the other India 2.0 project vehicles, results in a peak output of 114 BHP and a maximum torque of 178 Nm.
On the other hand, the 1.5-litre TSI engine is not fitted in Kylaq instead of Kushaq and Slavia. It is specified that for lower-range versions a 1.0-litre engine is combined with a 6-ratio manual gearbox, whereas the automatic transmission is an option for the more advanced versions.
Final Thoughts on Skoda Kylaq
Clearly Skoda has thrown their weight behind the sub-compact SUV sector with the Kylaq. With competitive pricing, solid features, and a design that accords with the identity of the brand, Kylaq is poised to take on current big guns in the zone.
Customer satisfaction will be central to Skoda's proposition, which assures that the Kylaq packs impressive safety features and the latest technology. This newcomer from Skoda is destined to stir the waters among Indian SUV customers as deliveries start in January 2025, and could even challenge the competitive landscape of sub-compact SUVs in the Indian market.
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