Skoda Slavia Expert Review

The Slavia retains its clean, understated three-box design, with the facelift bringing subtle styling changes rather than a major visual overhaul. It gets revised LED lighting, bumpers and alloy wheels, while the 179mm ground clearance gives it useful practicality on Indian roads. The MQB-A0-IN platform continues to underpin the car, with a long wheelbase helping maximise cabin space.

The Slavia has a spacious and well-finished cabin, with supportive front seats and generous legroom for rear passengers. The 521-litre boot is also among the most practical in its segment. The facelift adds rear-seat massage functionality, further improving long-distance comfort, although rear headroom can feel a little tight for taller passengers.

The facelift gets several useful additions, including a larger 10.1-inch touchscreen, 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, 360-degree camera and rear-seat massage. Safety equipment includes six airbags, electronic stability control and traction control. However, it misses some newer features such as ADAS and an electronic parking brake.

The 115hp 1.0-litre TSI remains a capable and responsive engine, while the 150hp 1.5-litre TSI offers considerably stronger performance and effortless overtaking ability. The new eight-speed automatic makes the 1.0 TSI smoother and easier to drive in traffic. The 1.5 TSI remains the enthusiast's choice, although both engines can sound vocal when pushed hard.

The Slavia's turbo-petrol engines offer reasonable efficiency for their performance. In Autocar's tests of the mechanically similar Kushaq, the 1.0 TSI automatic returned 10.7kpl in the city and 15.1kpl on the highway, while the 1.5 TSI DSG managed 9.55kpl and 15.29kpl respectively. Actual efficiency will vary with traffic and driving style.

The Slavia continues to offer a good balance between ride comfort and driving dynamics. Its suspension feels slightly firm at low speeds, but it settles well at higher speeds and handles undulations with confidence. Strong high-speed stability and predictable handling make it particularly good for highway driving, while the steering has enough weight and accuracy to make the car enjoyable on winding roads.

The Slavia facelift builds on an already strong package with useful feature additions, a smoother eight-speed automatic and proven turbo-petrol engines. It offers excellent cabin space, a large boot, strong performance and engaging driving dynamics, making it one of the most complete sedans in its segment. Its relatively modest facelift and lack of ADAS are the main areas where it falls behind newer rivals.