If you are in the market for a performance-oriented mid-size vehicle, the Citroen Basalt SUV-coupe and the Skoda Slavia sedan can be prime contenders to suit your requirements. Both cars offer similar specifications with their turbo-petrol automatic options. But which mid-size offering between the two offers the better real-world performance? Let us find out.
Citroen Basalt vs Skoda Slavia: Specifications and price
The Basalt gets a bigger heart and also weighs less than the Slavia
Basalt Turbo 6AT vs Slavia 1.0 TSI 6AT: Specifications | ||
Citroen Basalt AT | Skoda Slavia AT | |
Engine | 1.2-litre 3-cylinder turbo-petrol | 1-litre 3-cylinder turbo-petrol |
Displacement (cc) | 1199 | 999 |
Power (hp) | 110 | 115 |
Torque (Nm) | 205 | 178 |
Gearbox | 6-speed torque converter auto | 6-speed torque converter auto |
Kerb weight (kg) | 1240 | 1252 |
Power-to-weight (hp per tonne) | 88.71 | 69.28 |
Torque-to-weight (Nm per tonne) | 165.32 | 107.23 |
Price range (Rs, lakh) | 12.07-13.11 | 14.18-16.15 |
As mentioned earlier, the Basalt offers the bigger turbocharged engine in this comparison, but it produces 5hp less than the Slavia. The torque output of the SUV-coupe, however, is 27Nm more than the Skoda offering. That being said, both offerings come with a similar 6-speed torque converter automatic transmission.
The Basalt is also the lighter car in this comparison, weighing 12kg less than the Slavia. This weight, combined with the slight difference in power, helps the Citroen SUV-coupe to have better power-to-weight and torque-to-weight ratios than the Skoda sedan.
The table clearly suggests that all turbo-petrol automatic variants of the Basalt are priced lower than the Skoda Slavia’s comparable trims. The top-spec Basalt AT is Rs over 1 lakh more affordable than the cheapest Slavia AT option.
Citroen Basalt vs Skoda Slavia: 0-100kph, quarter-mile
Basalt is quicker off the line, but Slavia has better overall acceleration
Basalt Turbo 6AT vs Slavia 1.0 TSI 6AT: Acceleration from rest | ||
Citroen Basalt AT | Skoda Slavia AT | |
20kph | 1.24s | 1.32s |
40kph | 2.97s | 2.80s |
60kph | 5.33s | 4.92s |
80kph | 8.24s | 7.78s |
100kph | 11.99s | 11.16s |
120kph | 16.99s | 15.61s |
Quarter mile | 17.90s | 17.44s |
As the table suggests, the Citroen Basalt has a quicker 0-20kph time compared to the Slavia AT, a major reason for which could be the former’s 27Nm more torque. However, from there, the Slavia pulls more efficiently than the Basalt. It takes 0.46 seconds less than the Citroen offering to reach 80kph, and the gap increases to 0.83 seconds when both cars reach 100kph.
Notably, reaching 120kph requires some time for both cars, but the Slavia takes 1.38 seconds less than the Basalt to achieve this speed. The Skoda sedan also completes a quarter-mile run 0.46 seconds before the Citroen SUV-coupe.
Citroen Basalt vs Skoda Slavia: Rolling acceleration tests
Slavia is also quicker in 20-80kph and 40-100kph acceleration tests
Basalt Turbo 6AT vs Slavia 1.0 TSI 6AT: In-gear acceleration | ||
Citroen Basalt AT | Skoda Slavia AT | |
20-80kph | 6.94s | 6.60s |
40-100kph | 8.86s | 8.39s |
In the rolling acceleration tests, the Slavia again beats the Basalt turbo by 0.34 seconds and 0.47 seconds in the 20-80kph and 40-100kph in-gear acceleration tests, respectively.
Citroen Basalt vs Skoda Slavia: Braking tests
Despite a higher kerb weight, the Slavia brakes faster than the Basalt
Basalt Turbo 6AT vs Slavia 1.0 TSI 6AT: Braking | ||
Citroen Basalt AT | Skoda Slavia AT | |
80-0kph distance | 28.15 metres | 24.70 metres |
80-0kph time | 2.71s | 2.15s |
While the Slavia outperforms the Basalt in the acceleration tests, it also does not lose out in the braking department. It takes 3.45 metres less than the French SUV-coupe to come to a standstill from 80kph. This amounts to a difference of 0.56 seconds between the two cars.
Autocar India’s testing standards
Before conducting our performance tests, we check and maintain tyre pressures based on the manufacturer’s recommendation and ensure the car has a full tank of fuel. The cars are then tested in a controlled environment with two people on board, and the data is collected via highly accurate GPS-based timing equipment.
All prices are ex-showroom, India