Skoda Kylaq long term review, 5,500km report

I hope by now you’ve read or seen some of our incredible Pune-to-Prague (P2P) drive stories with the Skoda Kylaq. Over 19,000km of smooth, fast highways, steep, twisty mountain roads, washed-away terrain, and even no roads at all were all devoured by this diminutive cross-continent champ. But for all that, what has seemed to break the Kylaq’s spirit is Mumbai traffic. No, seriously; our P2P team were all praise for how the Kylaq managed everything in its stride, but on my 8km office commute, it’s anything but happy.

The trouble is the constant low-speed traffic. 0 to 30kph is no fun thanks to the Kylaq’s weak low-end torque and turbo lag, which are very noticeable below 2,000rpm. So, you end up going off boost, accelerating to compensate and suddenly finding a surge in power. This takes a toll on fuel efficiency too. Turbo direct-injection engines are very sensitive to throttle inputs and often over-inject fuel to avoid knocking, and my home-to-office runs have yielded an average efficiency of just 6.8kpl. It has also indicated a high of 14.5kpl, but on a drive from Mahim to Borivali, which saw slightly higher speeds and moving traffic, not constant stop-start. My wife, who had previously driven the Kylaq in South Mumbai and hated the experience, actually asked me if we did something to the engine. She described the highway-driving experience as much smoother and more fun. Freer moving traffic is where you will enjoy the Kylaq. The peppy nature of the engine means you can close gaps easily or overtake slower moving cars, and the precise steering and diminutive size make it nimble and fun. 

Seat blowers never feel excessive and maintain a comfy surface temperature.

Speaking of size, despite its compact footprint, rear-seat legroom is decent. My son, who’s 5 foot 10 inches, finds it tight, but it’s more than enough for my daughter, who’s just over 5 feet tall. Comfort wise, though, all seats are good, and I particularly like the front ventilated seats, which have just two fan speeds and do not feel excessively strong. Typically, I turn cooled seats on for about a minute and then switch them off as I don’t like feeling like I’m sitting on a cold slab. Here, I have left them on for far longer durations, and it keeps the surface at just the right temperature. 

Steering scroll wheels operate with a nice and satisfying feel.

I’ve also been enjoying the steering wheel. Yes, I know that sounds odd, but let me explain. The wheel is well moulded with comfy thumb rests, the rim diameter is nice and meaty, and there are easy-to-reach, clickable buttons and, of course, those lovely Skoda scroll wheels that scroll and click with a satisfying feel. The whole steering wheel feels nice and tactile, and when you are spending a long time gripping a wheel with no real steering work – a.k.a traffic – this is nice to have. So, that’s been its month with me – in city dweller mode. And, like I said, if it’s a city with perpetual start-stop traffic, it’s no fun; moving traffic is where it does well. I will be handing it over to someone else now, and hopefully with a somewhat different use case.