NZ distributor still working through local specs with head office.

MINOR styling updates, improvements to the driver assistance and infotainment tech, more sustainable materials inside and better aerodynamics to improve efficiency from a revised engine line-up.

That pretty much sums up the range of updates meted the Skoda Karoq as part of a mid-cycle refresh.

Fully revealed by the maker today, the refresh occurs four years into the medium model’s production life and is expected to show in New Zealand in mid-2022, with expectation it will fire up a resurgence of interest.

Skoda NZ boss Rodney Gillard is pleased with the facelift elements, particularly how it establishes a close visual relationship with the big brother Kodiaq.

“They’ve tied it in nicely with the new look that we now have with the Kodiaq.”

He say Karoq has been a quiet performer for the brand, but mainly because Covid 19 has affected Skoda supply and preference had to be given to Kodiaq.

He thinks that will be less of an issue by the time Karoq comes. A firm date has yet to be pinpointed, but he is confident it will be June or July. “We’re just talking with the factory now ... firming up our specifications and so on.”

Regardless that 2021 has been the toughest of any year he’s known in 38 years in the car business, Gillard says it will be a record year for sales – and not just through his make achieving the lucrative police prime one patrol car deal. The 200th police car has just been delivered and, with that count, last year’s Skoda registrations tally was exceeded in November. However, he thinks that 2021 tally will be beaten by purely private sales within a week or two.

The 2022 Karoq doesn’t look all that different at the kerbside to its forebear. The grille is now hexagonal in shape and wider than before, while the headlights (now available with optional matrix LED tech) and tail-light units are slimmer, but overall the styling revisions in respect to establishing points of visual difference are minor.

That is, unless you notice the intent to improve aerodynamic efficiencies. To this end the wheels – available in 17 to 19 inches – feature plastic aerodynamic trims, a front bumper achieves air curtains, it has a restyled apron at the rear above which is placed a larger spoiler, with with small side finlets. The sum total of those revisions is a substantial nine percent reduction in the shape’s drag coefficient. Fuel burn also reduces, though Skoda has not given a figure.

Skoda’s Green intent influences in the interior, too. In Europe, the car options with a new Eco Pack. With this seat covers are made from vegan-friendly leather-like materials created from recycled plastic bottles.

Most models feature a two-spoke multifunction steering wheel, though the Sportline version gets a three-spoke design and other specific interior features, including sports seats and carbon fibre-effect fascia panels and inserts.

Skoda has also given the Karoq a tech boost, with a choice of two digital dash displays. An eight-inch unit is standard with a 10.25-inch unit available as an option or on higher trim levels.

A wireless phone charger accompanies cmartphone connectivity options for Android and Apple devices. There is new LED ambient lighting available, featuring strips on the doors and dash that, according to Skoda, “create new visual highlights.”

Safety has been given a boost, with up to nine airbags available. Standard safety kit includes autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection and collision warning.

Both include predictive cruise control, with the lower package featuring traffic sign recognition, adaptive lane assist and traffic jam assist. The higher-spec package offers park assist and side assist with rear traffic alert on top of this.

Practicality is unchanged, so it still offers 521 litres of boot space, which rises to a maximum of 588 litres with the VarioFlex 40-20-40 split rear seating layout. A maximum of 1605 litres results with the rear seats folded, rising to 1810 litres with them removed altogether.

The Karoq’s engine line-up for Europe comprises five Evo-badged units that offer even greater efficiency and lower CO2 emissions compared with the outgoing car.

The export-preferred 1.5 TSI four-cylinder turbo engine features active cylinder technology that can cut two of the cylinders under light loads to improve efficiency. This unit offers 110kW and 250Nm of torque in a front-drive mode and has a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. Also with this transmission, but feeding through all-wheel-drive, is a 140kW/320Nm 2.0 TSI petrol.