Skoda Slavia 1.0 Automatic Road Test Review – Charming European Made for India

Just when you thought that the mid sized sedan segment was just at its all time low and all the sales happening was from the SUV segment Skoda has decided to strike a blow with their all new sedan the Slavia. The Rapid would be replaced by the Slavia. Read on to dive deep with us in our detailed review as we get you all that you need to know on the latest sedan in town the Skoda Slavia.

Food for Thought

First things first, the Slavia is the third model to have been built using the India specific MQB-A0-IN modular platform from the Volkswagen Group. Other models built on this platform are the Skoda Kushaq and the Volkswagen Taigun. So rightly so lot of underpinnings from the Kushaq would trickle down to the Slavia naturally. The Slavia is the largest sedan in its segment in terms length, width, height and wheelbase. It also has the most ground clearance that of 179mm.

Exteriors

In terms of looks the Slavia comes like a very handsome looking sedan with loads of road presence. The car is large in dimension and infact is bigger in size if compared to the 1st generation Skoda Octavia. It measures 4,541 mm in length, 1,752 mm in width, and 1,487 mm in height. This makes it the largest car in its class. Compared to the Skoda Rapid that it replaces, the Slavia is 128 mm longer, 53 mm wider, and 21 mm taller. Skoda Slavia also has a 99 mm longer wheelbase than the Rapid.

Speaking about the design and exterior styling, the Slavia follows typical styling cues from brand Skoda. It gets trademark Skoda butterfly grille with chrome embellished vertical slats, sculpted bonnet, sleek L shaped LED projector headlamps with integrated LED daytime running lights and razor-sharp crystalline character lines across body is what we loved the most on its side profile. It runs on dark tone 16 inch alloy wheels.

The window glass area is vast and runs a premium looking beltline defining it while there also is a chrome kink that glorifies the C-pillar. Smart looking SKODA badging on the fenders like seen on the Kushaq make the sides look more rich while the roof comes with a electric sun roof and a shar fin radio antenna finished in glossy black.

The rear profile is highlighted with sharp styled LED tail lamps that extend into the bootlid along with SKODA badging on the lid. Rear bumper gets a chrome garnish with stop reflectors that run across the width defining it and making it look wider. Overall the styling on the Slavias exterior looks classy, premium and very catchy. The sedan appears to have taken inspiration from coupes, visible in its silhouette. It is claimed to have taken inspiration from Bohemian crystals and Skoda’s DNA. And yes the Slavia reminds a lot of the Audi A4 especially from the rear profile.

Interiors

Inside the cabin, Skoda Slavia sedan gets a triple layered dash board that looks and feels premium finished in black, faux gold anodized and beige color with glossy black inserts. The key highlight is the 10-inch touch-screen infotainment system with all the connectivity features on it, this is the same AVN unit also seen on the Kushaq but is placed in floating style on the dash. The steering is a dual-spoke wheel, identical to the one Skoda Kushaq gets with glossy black inserts, MFD buttons and height/reach adjust. The automatic variant of the Slavia also gets paddle shifters on the steering.

The Slavia comes with an 8 inch all digital instrument cluster that looks premium and up market. The housing for the digital cockpit gets Skoda badging on both sides. The climate control again is a single zone unit as seen on the Kushaq which retains the touch and slide control. You also get ambient lighting on the interior package of the Slavia

The cabin gets a dual-tone premium looking theme. The features include rear AC vents, wireless charging, digital cockpit etc. In terms of seating the Slavia gets ventilated front seats. Driver’s seat gets height adjust while the seats get dual tone faux leather upholstery on he top end trim

Seat comfort feels very good and the spacious cabin reminds you a lot of the elder bother the Octavia in terms of comfort, premium quality, space and styling. You get two USB C ports in the front and two at the rear along with wireless mobile charging upfront on the Slavia.

At the rear you get three adjustable head rests, folding arm rear and rear AC vents along with two USB C type charge ports. Due to its large dimension the Slavia’s rear seat comfort is extra ordinary where the passenger can stretch his feet with ease. Seats offer excellent support and comfort with good under thigh and back padding. Best in class knee room, head room, shoulder room and leg room are it’s key hallmark for the rear seating.

The Skoda Slavia comes with a best in class largest boot capacity that of 521 litres which can take in 4 suit cases with ease. And yes this already large boot space can be further extended to 1050 litres by folding down the rear seats.

Engine – Transmission – Drive
The Skoda Slavia comes powered with the same two petrol engine options that also power the Kushaq. You have the 1.0-litre TSI petrol and a 1.5-litre TSI petrol engine. The smaller three-cylinder petrol engine is capable of churning out 113 bhp of power and 175 Nm of torque. It comes available with a six speed manual and a six-speed automatic gearbox options. This is the one we will be talking about in this review.

The larger 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbocharged engine generates 150 bhp of power and 250 Nm of torque. It comes available with a six-speed manual and a seven-speed DSG automatic gearbox options. This engined Slavia is also driven by us and it’s review will appear in a few days due to the Embargo from Skoda.

Let us tell you how it is to drive the most important Slavia model the 1.0L TSI Automatic as this is the one that would be selling most obviously due to its lower pricing over the larger hearted 1.5L TSI model.

To start off this 3-Cylinder engine model feels highly refined at idle. There is no hint that this missing a cylinder. Rev the engine and you notice the turbo spooling in style. Shift to drive mode and the Slavia glides ahead in style. The sedan drives in a very mature way mainly due to its sheer size and the way its suspension and chassis is fine tuned. The Slavia drives extremely well under all conditions delivering a very plush drive to its occupants. The key highlight is the way this sedan hugs the corners at high speeds without much body roll to the rear passengers.

The steering has a very positive feedback to it and feels lively at all speeds giving a connected feel to the driver. The 6-speed automatic transmission shifts without any lag or juddering. You also have the option to use then paddle shifters or switch to sport mode of the need arises. The 1.0L Slavia is also tuned to deliver best in class fuel efficiency that Skoda claims but we got around 17-18.5 kmpl during our review drive all day around some good and bad roads which is excellent for the car of its size and class.

Safety

Safety-wise, the Skoda Slavia comes with six airbags, ESC, an electronic differential system (EDS), a tyre pressure monitor, hill-hold control (optional), a rear parking camera, multi-collision brake and ISOFIX child seat mounts, self cleaning disc brake.

The Skoda Slavia will be offered in three trims – Active, Ambition and Style. Color options include – Tornado Red, Crystal Blue, Candy White, Reflex Silver and Carbon Steel.

Competition Check
The Skoda Slavia competes against the likes of the Honda City, Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, Hyundai Verna and the it’s cousin the Volkswagen Virtus that’s upcoming. Noteworthy here is that Volkswagen will unveil their Vento replacement the Virtus soon too that will also share a lot of underpinnings of the Slavia.

Verdict

The Skoda Slavia 1.0L comes with tons of USP’s which include its gorgeous looks, the way it drives, fuel efficiency, cabin space, comfort and safety. This 1.0L engine is super fun to drive and is best option to go for if you want a car that brings a smile to your face when you drive it and also easy on your pockets with high fuel efficiency that it returns with. Do we recommend the Skoda Slavia to you? Yes we surely do and if you think it’s expensive to run and maintain a Skoda well think again as Skoda is offering you an unmatched Cashless Service package at ₹24,499 for 4 years which can be also extended to 2 more years if you desire to giving you a peaceful stress free cashless ownership experience.

Words – Ritesh Madhok
Photography & Video – Govind Gadekar 
Video Edit – Bhushan Joshi