Skoda Slavia 1.0TSI First Drive Review

The Skoda Slavia is a handsome looking car. It has the size, the proportions, and the detailing to not just draw a glance, but hold it. And it does look like its elder sibling, the Octavia, too, with mostly its jacked up stance giving it away as the Slavia. So, that’s one of the biggest buying criteria among new car buyers checked off the list. What remains to be seen is whether the rest - the interior, the space, the comfort, the drivetrain, and the driving dynamics - help further the Slavia’s cause as the C-segment sedan to buy, or not?

And of course, there’s always the value for money equation to address, which we will try and grasp as well. But, let’s begin with what we couldn’t talk about when we drove the prototype…

The Slavia is a spacious car, be it at the front, the rear, and especially when it comes to the boot. The latter is huge, the largest in the segment, and it also gets split and folding seats, which is a rarity in sedans. The rear seats are comfortable. These could do with a bit more thigh support, but the backrest in terms of support and especially the recline angle is spot-on.

There’s enough and more knee and headroom too for the rear passengers. So, if you want a sedan to be chauffeured in, the Slavia fits the bill. And yes, you can put three abreast in the back, but it will mean sitting with your elbows tucked in. Upfront, the driving position is good. In this top spec Style trim, both the front seats adjust for height, and the steering can be adjusted for tilt and reach. So, the driving position should be comfortable for a variety of different driver sizes. Visibility is good too.

In terms of features, you get cooled front seats, a sunroof, a single zone climate control system, wireless phone charging, a cooled glovebox, and decent assortment of storage spaces. You also have a full colour TFT driver information system, and a comprehensive multimedia system. There’s also cruise control, ABS, EBD, traction control, and a well calibrated ESP, which helps you along instead of getting in the way when you overlook a corner.

The Slavia we have here is powered by the 1-litre, three-cylinder direct injection, turbocharged petrol engine. There’s also the four-cylinder 1.5TSI one can opt for in the top spec Style trim, but we will take about that car in another review. The 1-litre TSI, meanwhile, makes 115bhp of max power and a torque of 178Nm. The latter is seriously impressive for an engine this small. And on the move, there’s no dearth of grunt.

The throttle response is alert and the engine rides up its rev range without much complain even though we won’t term it as a fee-revving unit. Now, it’s not the quietest or the most refined engine, but one can get used to its gruff sound. Especially since it’s more audible on the outside or when revved high. Ours is the manual. The six-speed gearbox has short throws, and though it’s not exactly crisp or effortless in its shifts to be termed as sporty, it’s not tiring to use either. The clutch pedal has long throws but the bite point is easy to gauge, and it also doesn’t take a toll on your left leg after repeated usage.

The Skoda Slavia is based on the same platform as the Kushaq. And apart from sharing its engines, it has similar suspension and brake hardware too. And again much like the Kushaq, the Slavia is a nice car to drive. Maybe even nicer come a sequence of corners. But only a back-to-back drive to the two in the near future will confirm that. The things we liked from the get go includes the steering, the ride, and how adjustable it is around corners. The steering is reasonably quick. It doesn’t feel artificial in its feedback, return-ability, or heft. And there’s a linearity and predictability in the how the Slavia’s front responds to steering inputs. And we all know - predictability breeds confidence.

As a result, it’s easy to place the car around a bend. The taut suspension helps, of course. It keeps the Slavia’s nose from diving excessively at corner entry and under braking. The braking itself is pretty impressive too. Good bite, good feel, and no drama whatsoever. The body roll is well under control mid corner as well, ensuring quick direction changes are met with poise and stability instead of waywardness. And when you get on the throttle towards the exit of the corner, the rear squat isn’t pronounced. So, no pointless front wheel spins to be dealt with. In short, if you like driving, even this 1-litre setup will put a smile on your face.

The ride, meanwhile, is pliant. The suspension setup, as we mentioned earlier is on the firm side. It’s not hard or stiff, it just isn’t all absorbing. And so it doesn’t isolate the passengers from the road completely. One can hear and feel the going-ons underneath. Nothing, however, feels uncomfortable or jarring.

The Skoda Slavia checks more boxes than just ‘good-looking’. It is entertaining to drive. It is comfortable and spacious. It has fantastic boot space with added flexibility missing in most sedans. It rides well, and it remains pliant and well hunkered down over most road conditions. Now, the 1-litre TSI can feel a little gruff and a tad noisy, it’s more than up to the job of giving the Slavia the legs to take on both city and highway duties. In terms of pricing, a starting price of 10.5 lakh would be fair. Something under 10 lakh would be fantastic! And for the top spec Style trim with this 1-litre engine, 12 to 12.5 would be the sweet spot.

Pictures by Kapil Angane