2022 Skoda Slavia Long Term Reports

We had a hard time letting go of our Slavia long term, but it’s finally gone back. Living with it for months has taught me one thing – the Slavia isn’t a one-trick pony as most people like to believe. Sure, it’s aimed at enthusiasts but it’s also an all-rounder of sorts. One that can do it all.

First and foremost, I love its design. It has the right mix of elegant and sporty propositions. It’s a typical Skoda in that regard, and I truly believe that it will age more gracefully than its peers in the coming years. Next up, the ride and handling. Sure, being a sedan with a taut suspension setup, it’s an involving car to drive, but even in terms of comfort, the Slavia behaves like a big and more mature car. The ride is flat – can be a little firm at low speeds – and on the highway, it hugs the tarmac while absorbing undulations and road imperfections in a surefooted manner. The seats are comfy, there’s a lot of space, and the boot is cavernous – something SUVs in this price bracket can only dream of!

We had the 1.0-litre TSI AT version with us. Initially, I wasn’t a fan of it, but over time, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s the best three-cylinder turbo engine on sale right now. There’s some lag at low speeds, but it’s not as pronounced as it is in other three-pot turbos. The refinement is exemplary and the top-end is the strongest. It’s not the most efficient if you drive-it-like-you-stole-it, but if you’re careful enough, it will return 13-14km/l comfortably.

Is there anything I didn’t like? There were a lot of rattles in our long-term unit, and the brakes were quite sticky. Couple this with a jerky AT transmission, and it results in a jerky drive at low speeds. I didn’t enjoy these things for sure. Having said that, the pros of the Slavia outweigh the cons by a huge margin. So, if you aren’t stuck with the herd mentality of getting a pseudo-SUV, the Slavia is the perfect choice to go back
to normalcy – or sedans, in this case.

The month of January was spent attending weddings mostly, which resulted in multiple road trips in the Slavia. Over time, I’ve realised that I enjoy driving the Slavia more on the open road than in peak-hour traffic – the 1.0 AT is a bit laggy and jerky for my liking in stop-go traffic. However, once you hit the highway, the Slavia comes into its own.

So, what makes the Slavia great for road trips, you ask? Well, to start off, I’d say that whether you’re driving on long and open highways or winding hill roads, the Slavia performs like a champ. The high-speed stability is phenomenal, the ride-and-handling balance is stellar, and it’s got acres of space for rear-seat passengers. Also, once you maintain a steady cruise at 80 to 100km/h, the fuel efficiency improves drastically. The car returned 16 to 17km/l during highway runs. Among other highlights, the music system / audio quality is brilliant, and you appreciate it even more during long-distance driving. What’s more, the boot is big. It can easily hold four medium-sized suitcases and four bags, with some room to spare. We’ve now completed six months of living with the Slavia, and since I love taking it out on road trips, it’s now crossed the 10,000km milestone. So far, things are going pretty well with very little to complain about.

The picture of the Slavia that you see here is what my mornings look like every day. And the moment I step out of my house for work, this is the first thing I usually do – ogle at the Slavia’s sensuous curves. It looks absolutely stunning, especially in this bright red shade. Honestly, I can’t stop marvelling at it, and the more time I spend with it, the more I dread the day when I’d have to let it go. Living with the Slavia has made me realise one thing – if I were to buy a new car, priced between `15 – 20 lakh, this is what I’d go for in a heartbeat. It’s not perfect in every respect – the low-speed ride is stiff, the fit-and-finish or overall quality isn’t the best at this price point, and the 1.0-litre TSI motor is anything but efficient. Of course, if you move at a snail’s pace, you can easily get 13 – 14km/l, but that’s a bit like using a pair of Nike trainers as bedroom slippers. It’s not meant to do that. You don’t drive a Skoda to save on fuel bills – you drive one because you love driving, period. Also, every time I drive an SUV – which happens quite often in my line of work – and then return to the Slavia, it feels like coming home. It feels more natural. And it reminds you why driving isn’t just limited to moving from point A to B…

Other than this, the Slavia’s been performing well and there’s nothing really to complain about. That said, the brakes have this sticky feeling now, especially in stop-go traffic. If you press and release the brake pedal time and again, the transition is quite jerky. It hasn’t affected the braking performance though.

We had to part ways with our long-term Slavia for a good two weeks since Skoda wanted the car for a press event in Mussorie. From what I know, a bunch of enthusiastic journalists attended the so-called event and had an absolutely fun drive in the hills. All of this was quite evident because when our long-term Slavia was handed back to us, the brakes were making a grinding noise and there was quite a lot of brake dust on the alloys. Our Slavia was pounded quite enthusiastically around the tight bends of Mussorie it seemed – which is a good thing because that’s how it’s supposed to be driven.

After driving it for a couple of days, the brake noise problem got resolved on its own, which saved us a workshop visit. The rattling of different plastic panels and doors has become worse though. Every time I go over a broken patch of road, I can clearly hear creaks and rattles over the music system. Another issue that I’ve noticed over time is the start / stop system – it turns off the engine as soon as it comes to a halt and then springs to life in a rather abrupt and loud manner. In bumper-to-bumper traffic, it’s a bit of a nuisance.

But, then, there’s the driving appeal of the Slavia, which, frankly, makes me forget its flaws. This car is an absolute peach in terms of high-speed stability, comfort, brakes, steering feel, and engine performance. If there’s one real complaint that I’ve, it’s that it’s a bit too thirsty for a puny 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine. That’s because it’s almost impossible to drive the Slavia with a light right foot. You just always want to thrash that TSI motor.

A long Diwali weekend meant heading out of town in the Slavia. This was also the first time that I took the Skoda on a long drive, so its mile-munching qualities were put to the test. And I can’t really complain because, at high speeds, the Slavia is just so amazing. Thanks to the peripheral roads around Delhi, you can now get out of the city traffic quickly and a speed limit of 120km/h allows you to cruise comfortably.

In the Slavia, I just set the cruise control to 118km/h – that’s because, at 120km/h, the speed alarm goes berserk – and it’s definitely a helpful feature. That said, the road surface on the Eastern/Western Peripheral Expressway isn’t silky smooth as it used to be. There are bumps, sudden dips, and uneven expansion joints, of course. And that’s where the Slavia’s ride quality/suspension setup shines through. Not only is it rock solid going over these irregularities, but it’s also supremely comfortable and refined on the inside. There’s no vertical movement or floatiness at high speeds.

Once I got off the expressway and headed towards Chandigarh, there was some traffic, meaning the cruise control was now off. Even though there are some empty stretches between Karnal-Chandigarh, I avoid going over 90km/h on this stretch because the traffic cops in Haryana are quite active with their speed guns over weekends. So, it was a leisurely drive home from there on. Not to mention, a steady cruise meant I eked out nearly 16km/l from the 1.0 TSI engine, which was kind of unexpected.

This month, let’s talk about what’s not-so-good about living with a sedan, or in this case, the Slavia. Poor visibility. I never thought it’d turn out to be such a nuisance, but after driving the Slavia daily in traffic, I’ve come to realise that I struggle to get a clear view of the road, ahead of the car in front. And that means I can’t anticipate and am always straying left and right to get ahead. Put simply, this makes me impatient. Now, just the other day, I swapped the Slavia with our Brezza long-term for a couple of days, and, suddenly, my view was much clearer. That said, in terms of clearance, I don’t think there’s any difference between a sedan like the Slavia and any other pseudo SUV in the same price bracket. It rained pretty heavily in Delhi in the past few weeks, resulting in broken tarmac and crater-size potholes in my route, but the Slavia never scrapes its belly. It’s pretty practical.

One thing that does get on your nerves is the door rattle. In a car that costs over 18 lakh, this shouldn’t happen. And, I also miss wireless connectivity for CarPlay. In newer Slavias, Skoda is now skimping on this feature in the top-end variant, owing to the global chip shortage. However, all these niggles aside, there’s no denying that the Slavia drives really, really well. And when you’re cruising down the road with your favourite music on (the sound system is fabulous, by the way), the Slavia’s impeccable driving dynamics and engine performance always put a smile on your face.

In a world where SUVs have become the norm, driving a sedan can feel illegal at times. And that’s exactly how I’ve been feeling these days, thanks to my new long-term car – the Skoda Slavia.

Jokes apart, I’m not trying to imply that the Slavia has a gangster vibe or something. What I am trying to say is that sedans are a rare sight on our roads, especially the ones from C-Segment and above. So, driving one does make you look like an outlaw. That said, the likes of Slavia, Honda City, and VW Virtus have definitely revived the mid-size sedan segment in India. And, I’m fairly sure that, like me, you must also be noticing a fairly high number of these three-box vehicles on the road these days as compared to in the last few years. So, why are sedans back in trend?

Let me answer that with the Slavia as the centrepiece of this discussion. Even though sedans went out of favour roughly a decade ago, they’re still considered classy and elegant. Not to mention, they are considered premium, if not practical for our roads. Now, the ‘premium’ aspect works generously in the Slavia’s favour because I think it definitely has a more upmarket feel than, let’s say, its SUV sibling, the Kushaq. The way it sits in the parking lot or moves on the highway, it definitely looks posher than any SUV at its price point. And since it’s a Skoda, it’s got this Octavia-like charm, which brings back good memories of the time when the Skoda nameplate was oh-so-desirable.

Then comes the driving experience. The Slavia may have a compact-SUV rivalling ground clearance (179mm), but when it comes to driving dynamics, it’s still a sedan at heart. Low-slung, surefooted, and a heck of a lot involving.

That said, I definitely prefer the 1.5-litre DSG version to the 1.0-litre AT that we’ve got. However, considering the price gap between the two, settling for the latter makes more sense. The 999cc three-cylinder unit has a fair bit of turbo lag below 2,000rpm though, and the automatic gearbox is quite jumpy when you set off. But, overall, it’s a strong performer for daily driving and a solid mile-muncher.

I’m also a fan of the Slavia’s ride quality, for it rides like a big European sedan. However, the ride quality at low speeds is a little firm for sure. And, yes, the doors and body panels do rattle at times, which is a bit un-Skoda-like. But overall, my first month with the car was mostly spent reflecting on the true pleasures of driving a sedan. I shall be more critical from next month. Promise!  

Read more:

Skoda Slavia 1.5 TSI MT Review: First Drive

Skoda Slavia 1.0 TSI AT Review: First Drive