Start with what the Škoda Karoq is: a 5-door crossover SUV with Petrol engine, built from 2017 to 2026, as electrification stopped being an experiment and the crossover took every market. What it meant takes a little longer. The shape is credited to Dalibor Pantůček.
How it came about
The Škoda Karoq is a compact SUV (C-segment) designed and built by the Czech car manufacturer Škoda Auto. Introduced in 2017, the vehicle is based on the Volkswagen Group MQB A1 platform, and since replaced the Škoda Yeti. As of 2019, it slots between the smaller Kamiq and the larger Kodiaq in Škoda SUV lineup.
The name Karoq is derived from the Aleutian language, spoken by the native inhabitants of the Alaskan island of Kodiak. It is a combination of the Aleutian words "kaa'raq" and "ruq", a car and an arrow, which are the elements of the Škoda logo. It is the second Škoda model to have a name inspired by the Aleuts, after the Kodiaq.
The hardware
The engine is Petrol engine; other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. On the scales it comes to 1318 kg. Drive goes through a 5-speed Manual transmission / manual / 6-speed manual / 6-speed automatic Aisin / 7-speed Dual-clutch transmission / DSG / 8-speed automatic AWF8F35 / Aisin. The wheelbase is 2638 mm / 2688 mm (China). These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Family and rivals
In the Škoda Auto line-up the Škoda Karoq has a clear place: it replaced the Škoda Yeti; the factory was Kvasiny. The cars a buyer would have weighed it against include the Tesla Model 3, the Chevrolet Bolt, the Porsche Taycan. Its Škoda Auto stablemates include the HZS-1 and the Trekka.