Skoda Slavia

The Skoda Slavia falls into the category of a compact sedan. It sits in the same segment of cars as the Volkswagen Virtus, Honda City and Hyundai Verna. While it looks very different from the Volkswagen Virtus, both these cars have been built on the same MQB-A0 IN platform that has been developed specifically for India. This same platform is also shared with the Volkswagen Taigun and Skoda Kushaq compact SUVs.

Looks

The Skoda Slavia is a sedan with a sleek and modern design that looks classy. Those who prefer simple car styling that will not look old very quickly will appreciate the design of the Skoda Slavia. While the Slavia is Skoda’s smallest sedan, it is longer, wider and taller than the first generation of the Skoda Octavia that was sold in India.

Features that you will be able to spot outside include LED headlights, LED day-time running light strips, 16-inch alloy wheels and LED tail lights. While colours such as grey, silver or white are available, for those who like brighter or more attention grabbing colours, the Slavia can be purchased in bright red or light blue as well. Additionally, the Skoda Slavia is available in a matte grey paint option.

Interiors 

Inside, the Skoda Slavia feels like a smaller version of its big brother, the Skoda Octavia. The design of the dashboard is clean and simple, much like the exterior. The beige and black interior colour combination looks premium and the interior panels look similar to what you’d see in larger and more expensive Skoda cars.

While the quality of plastics used inside are good, the fitment quality should have been better. For example, parts of the panels used in the dashboard make creaking noises, the lower half of the dashboard has sharp edges and the fabric used on the roof also doesn’t feel premium enough.

Features 

Features in the Skoda Slavia include auto AC with rear AC vents, USB Type-C charging ports in the front row and rear row, ventilated front seats and wireless phone charging. It also gets a sunroof and a 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system with support for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay possible wirelessly.

The Slavia also gets an 8-inch digital instrument cluster, where you can choose between an analogue or digital instrument cluster and view driving information such as the average fuel efficiency and trip meters.

Safety

The Skoda Slavia has scored the full 5 stars for adult as well as child occupant safety from Global NCAP. The Slavia gets up to 6 airbags, ABS with EBD, stability control, hill-hold assist, ISOFIX child seat mounts (rear) and tyre-pressure monitoring system.

Engines & Performance 

The Skoda Slavia is offered with two turbocharged petrol engines - the 1-litre, 3-cylinder TSI and 1.5-litre, 3-cylinder TSI. Both engines drive the front-wheels only and offer strong performance whether your driving is in city traffic or out on the highway. The 1-litre TSI is the more affordable engine option, and is offered with 6-speed manual and automatic transmissions. While you can tell it’s a 3-cylinder engine because of some vibrations felt when the car is stopped, the experience is smooth when you get moving. It’s also an engine that can put a smile on your face because its performance is quick.

The 1.5-litre TSI is the engine option that should be considered only if you want extra punchy performance, particularly for highway driving and high-speed overtakes. This engine is also more refined and sounds smoother than the 1-litre TSI. Additionally, while it is available with a 6-speed manual transmission, it can also be purchased with a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission that offers extremely smooth gear but also very responsive gear changes.

Drive

The Skoda Slavia delivers good road comfort. It feels planted when driven at high speeds but also absorbs bumps from potholes easily, ensuring good comfort. Alsom it has 179mm of ground clearance and it doesn’t face issues like scraping over speed breakers very easily.

Verdict

The Skoda Slavia is a good family car that is also suitable for individuals who want a classy looking car to drive to their corporate job. While it isn’t the most feature-loaded car in its segment, there are no deal-breaking features misses either. A bonus with this car is that it call deliver a fun to drive experience, irrespective or which engine or transmission you buy.