Skoda Karoq Sportline 4x4 2024 Review

The Volkswagen-owned Czech-headquartered Skoda brand offers three versions of its medium Karoq SUV in Australia, the eponymous new entry-level model priced from $39,990, the Style from $45,490 and the Sportline tested here for $52,490. All pricing is drive-away.

The Sportline is alone in the range in featuring a 140kW/320Nm version of VW’s ubiquitous EA888 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine, combined with all-wheel drive and a seven-speed dual clutch transmission.

At 4384mm long and only offered as a five-seater, the Karoq is one of the smallest vehicles in the class. Logical moderately-sized rivals for the Sportline include the top-spec Honda ZR-V e:HEV, Mazda CX-5 Akera AWD, Peugeot 3008 GT and parent VW’s 162TSI Tiguan.

It’s no surprise the Karoq Sportline comes with plenty of gear, as the flagship of the range. External highlights include sporty black trimmings, 19-inch alloy wheels, roof rails and a power tailgate crowned with a spoiler.

The Sportline is accessed keylessly and inside you’ll find aluminium finish pedals, sports front seats, ambient lighting and dual-zone climate control. Infotainment features include an eight-inch touch-screen, a 10.25-inch digital instrument panel customisable through five layouts, wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto connectivity, a wireless charging pad and an eight-speaker audio system.

Adaptive Matrix LED headlights are highlights of a safety package also including autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control and lane keeping. There is no ANCAP rating for the Karoq, as it dates from 2017 testing and is now lapsed. It was a five star score, FYI.

There are also front, front-side, curtain and driver-knee airbags, a rear view camera, front and rear parking sensors and tyre pressure monitoring. A space saver spare tyre is offered with the Karoq Sportline 4x4.

Skoda has recently bumped its warranty up to seven years/unlimited km, which is great news.  Roadside Assist is guaranteed for as long as you service with a Skoda dealer.

Service intervals are 12 months/15,000km and pre-paid service packs are available for four years ($2000) or seven years ($2750).

That seven-year warranty is undoubtedly a positive feature of the 2024 Skoda Karoq Sportline. It certainly adds reassurance, especially when Volkswagen group models have been known to strike the occasional drama.

To that reassurance you can add a big grin if you enjoy driving. The Karoq Sportline has a sports set-up of its chassis and steering, so it feels nimble and responsive.

Bigger, heavier, taller SUVs like the Nissan X-Trail and Kia Sportage are lumbering along by comparison. To be fair they actually behave very well, but the Karoq is just in another league for handling. It really showed up on the gravel road section of our test loop. That 4x4 grip was sure enough to encourage a bit of … well, let’s call it exploration. But we wouldn’t go exploring too far off-road thanks to the Sportline’s 173mm ground clearance. This is really an all-wheel drive on-roader.

The playful chassis attitude was backed up by a zesty engine willing to zing along on the boil, ably assisted by the sharp shifting DCT, especially when it was being banged through the gears manually via the flappy paddles.

Both the driver and front passenger are well supported in enveloping seats and the driver also has a nicely-sized reach and rake adjustable steering wheel trimmed in leather to hold.

But it’s not all about the sporting stuff. The boot offers a generous 521 litres with all seats in-place and up to 1630 litres with the rear seats folded. Some thought has gone into things here, with proper hooks, bins and remote seat flippers provided.

That sports tuning of the suspension also makes the 2024 Skoda Karoq Sportline 4x4 a rough rider. To be honest, I don’t think I could live with it day-to-day. It’s just that bit too aggressive over the rough stuff. And as we all know, there’s no shortage of that on Aussie roads.

The other driving impediment is the DCT auto. When left to do its own thing in auto mode it can be infuriatingly laggy. Because it’s a bit unpredictable that really reduces your confidence to make an authoritative move in traffic, such as zipping through a busy roundabout. Honestly, Volkswagen Group’s DCTs have been ditherers to a greater or lesser degree since they were introduced in 2003. Shouldn’t that be dealt with by now?

A lesser grumble with the drivetrain is the Karoq’s fuel economy. On test it averaged 8.6L/100km versus a 6.6L/100km claim. Ok, we were enjoying ourselves a bit, so it’s acceptable. But you will have to fuel up using more expensive 95 RON unleaded.

An important interior issue to note with the Karoq is in the rear seat. It simply can’t be under 4.4m long, feature a big boot and still offer abundant rear seat space. At least it’s better than the Mazda CX-5, which is significantly longer. Apart from rear-seat legroom and lack of USB ports, however, the Karoq’s rear seat amenities are quite good, providing decent storage and rear air-conditioning vents.

Up-front there are two USB-Cs as well as more storage and some neat touches including clip-on rubbish bins in the door pockets.

Final gripe about the Karoq? It’s got a lot of stuff on the options list. That includes safety systems like park assist, traffic jam assist and active lane guidance. Expected equipment at this price such as satellite-navigation and power for the front seats is also optional.

Only one colour – steel grey – isn’t a $770 or $1100 option, while the seat trim is fabric rather than leather, which can be specified, but is, again, optional.

The Karoq Sportline also misses out on the clever Varioflex system offered in other Karoqs that allows the rear seats not only to be folded flat, but tilted forward or even removed altogether.

The 2024 Skoda Karoq Sportline 4x4 is a fun play-car with a really positive attitude. If everywhere I drove was smooth, there was no tip-in throttle roulette, rear-seat passengers weren’t a priority and a few more items were standard rather than optional then … hell yeah!

But those issues are progressively going to peel away potential buyers. Of course, you don’t necessarily have to leave the Skoda showroom for an SUV because there are other Karoqs and other Skodas like the Kamiq and Kodiaq that might fill your bill better.

2024 Skoda Karoq Sportline 4x4 at a glance:
Price: $52,490 drive-away
Available: Now
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 140kW/320Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 6.6L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 152g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Unrated