Skoda Kylaq Long Term Report: Month 3 - Flying (and Swimming) Along

Over the past six weeks or so, the Kylaq has experienced some interesting times in our hands. First up, was our attempt to set a new record with the Kylaq in trying to drive through as many states of country as possible – all within a time frame of 24 hours though. That we chose to do it during the monsoon season, just as the Kanwar season was drawing to a close, in hindsight, seems like something we should’ve accounted for. Coming back to the journey though, driving such long distances really exposes the good points and weaknesses of both a car and also the drivers piloting it. Yes, some of our team members have driven non-stop for 24 hours – other than loo and fuel breaks, of course – but that is pushing the boundaries of safety and can be rather dangerous.

Hence, we decided that the driving duties will be split between three drivers, giving them shifts of 8-hours each, which is a very comfortable number for all of us in the team. What was more interesting was how the Kylaq would take on the stress of being driven without a break through rain, fast highways, bad roads, traffic jams and everything that the Indian highways could throw at it. And to be very honest, the Kylaq came out with flying colours in the whole exercise. It was quite quick in both urban traffic and highway conditions, with the ground clearance proving more than adequate on broken roads. More importantly, the comfort inside the cabin and the comfortable seats made the team’s job easier. Another surprise was that with the Kylaq being driven pedal-to-the-metal most of the time during the whole trip, it still averaged nearly 13km/l, which was quite impressive. If there was a complaint from the team, it was about the weak horn, which simply isn’t loud enough to warn truckers or bus drivers about their presence. A louder horn would be a very welcome improvement, especially given our traffic conditions.

The second adventure with the Kylaq has been driving it through the incessant rains that have been occurring in the NCR over the past five weeks or so. Some of the times I’ve had to drive the Kylaq through almost thigh-deep water, and it hasn’t missed a beat. Even though, as the driver, you do feel a little at risk tackling such deep water. But, all in all, the Kylaq has been performing flawlessly in rather harsh conditions, and we are very happy with its performance as a long-term car.