Surviving in the Indian automobile sector may be difficult for car manufacturers, whether small or large corporations like Volkswagen Group. In India, car buyers prefer practical, feature-rich cars at an affordable price. Volkswagen has omitted these characteristics from its dictionaries since its arrival in India. No matter whether it was a Volkswagen Polo, Vento, or Skoda Rapid. Despite their sturdy build quality and powerful performance, these cars typically lack features and were less practical.
Fortunately, the Volkswagen group finally realizes that Indian car buyers want a car that is both practical and loaded with features while also offering good performance and build quality. The Skoda Slavia really does a great job delivering all these characteristics. As predicted earlier, the Skoda Slavia is proving to be a game-changer for the Skoda. The sedan has received numerous accolades from customers who previously believed that the VW Group would not do justice by producing highly localised products in India.
Skoda Slavia
SLAVIA offers perfect proportions, a long wheelbase of 2,651 mm, and a sleek silhouette, all of which combine to create a perfect blend of elegance and generous space. Having a length of 4541mm, a width of 1,752mm, and a height of 1,507mm, there is enough space inside for 5 adults. With a ground clearance of 179 mm, the SLAVIA is ideal for Indian roads.
Surprisingly, this vehicle is larger than the Honda City, which used to dominate the segment in terms of dimensions. This sedan’s practicality does not stop there; it also has the best boot space in the segment, with 521 litres ( of course its sister VW Virtus will have the same boot space ).
It also has features that many of us would appreciate, such as led headlights, beautiful alloy wheels, electrically folding ORVMs, an engine start-stop button, keyless entry, a large sunroof, 6 airbags, and so on. The amusing part is that it has some more features than its bigger sibling Octavia, and at a lower price. Let’s stop talking about its features because Skoda is known for its great performance, not its features.
Skoda Slavia Performance
1.0 litre TSI
The entry-level engine in the SLAVIA is a powerful 1.0-litre TSI. Slavia extracts 113 bhp horsepower from a mere 998 cc displacement, which is an insane amount of power, thanks to the turbochargers. The three-cylinder petrol engine produces 113 bhp of power and 178 Nm of torque, allowing the car to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in approx 11 seconds(MT) and reach a top speed of 190 km/h, while the Stop/Start system (standard feature) contributes to the car’s low fuel consumption. The variant with the optional six-speed automatic transmission also includes Stop/Start technology and can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 11.7 seconds, with a top speed of 190 km/h.
Now, how does it feel to drive this 1.0 TSI engine? It responds well, but there is some turbo lag below 1800 rpm, which can be annoying when you want to quickly overtake and need to use the gears frequently to keep the engine warm. This engine is fully awake above 1,800 rpm and pulls strongly all the way to its 6500 rpm limit. Despite being a three-cylinder engine, it is incredibly smooth.
1.5 litre TSI
The top-of-the-line engine is the 1.5 TSI, which produces 148 bhp and has a maximum torque of 250 Nm. This engine makes Slavia (and, of course, its Sister Virtus) the most powerful in the segment thanks to the variable vane geometry turbocharger, which produces more torque over a wider range of engine speeds. The engine is also available with a seven-speed DSG transmission. Stop/Start technology is standard on both models, whether manual or automatic transmission.
This engine also includes active cylinder technology (ACT), which makes its debut in the segment. ACT automatically shuts down two cylinders when engine load is low, lowering fuel consumption and CO2 emissions even further.
Actually, I had already experienced the exhilarating performance of this 1.5 L TSI engine in the Volkswagen Troc. However, it is surprising to see this engine in the mid-size sedan segment, where no other manufacturer has previously offered something similar. The 1.5 TSI has a punchy mid-range and a strong top-end, and unlike many turbocharged engines, it loves to be revved all the way to its redline of 6,600rpm. The 1.5 TSI manual is also faster than any other mid-size sedan, with a 0-100 time of fewer than ten seconds. That’s noticeably faster than the Honda City, the Slavia’s main rival.
There is no need to be concerned because both versions of the Slavia 1.5 TSI have excellent body control and steering feedback.
Slavia: The king of the midsize sedan segment?
Both yes and no. Why, yes? because this car has everything a car should have in order to be successful, whether it is a feature, practicality, looks, or performance.So you’ll have to make a very strong case to say no to this sedan.
However, because of a few features, such as a diesel engine option, its sales may be limited. The Honda City and the Hyundai Verna are its main rivals, both of which offer diesel engines in addition to gasoline engines. While there is no doubt that the TSI engines available in Slavia are more capable of providing high performance, the lack of diesel may turn off many customers.
Okay, ignoring the lack of a diesel engine, how can you justify the massive price difference between the 1.0 TSI engine version and the 1.5 TSI engine version, especially given that both versions look identical and offer the same features?
The Slavia 1.0-litre TSI starts at 10.69 lakh (ex-showroom) and goes up to 15.39 lakh (ex-showroom) for the top-of-the-line Style variant with AT. While the 1.5 TSI is priced at 16.19 lakh (ex-showroom) for the manual transmission, the DSG is priced at 17.79 lakh (ex-showroom). So, if your budget allows you to get the 1.5 TSI version, go for it. Nothing in the segment compares to this.