- Skoda’s smallest crossover ever is impressively cheap.
- It’s offered with electrically adjustable and ventilated front seats.
- The Kylaq has 25 active and passive safety features as standard.
At $18,330 with destination charges included, the Nissan Versa is the cheapest car money can buy in the United States. Over in India, you can pay half that for a new Skoda. Say hello to the Kylaq, a tiny crossover with a refreshingly low asking price. It starts at INR 789,000, which works out to less than $9,360 at current exchange rates.
Even though it’s easy on the wallet, the newest Skoda has an impressively long list of goodies. It can be had with six-way electrically adjustable front seats with ventilation. Granted, you’ll have to pay extra for this feature we typically associate with luxury cars. However, no fewer than 25 active and passive safety features are standard. Go for a more expensive trim level and you get over 35, including automatic headlights (with cornering function) and hill hold control.
Although by Indian standards it’s a compact SUV, the Kylaq is tiny, especially when compared to what Americans call a compact crossover such as the RAV4. At 157.2 inches long, it’s more than 20 inches shorter than Toyota’s crossover. Even so, Skoda managed to give it a generous wheelbase of 101 inches, which is only about 5 inches shorter than the RAV’s.
The petite crossover is just 70.2 inches wide and 63.7 inches tall, making the RAV4 look like a giant by comparison. Since it was engineered to tackle India’s rough roads, Skoda gave the Kylaq a decent ground clearance of 7.4 inches. The Kylaq is underpinned by the Volkswagen Group’s MQB-A0-IN platform, essentially a low-cost version of the omnipresent MQB architecture.
It certainly won’t set any Nürburgring records for crossover since it only has a three-cylinder engine. It’s a turbocharged 1.0-liter unit with just 114 hp and 131 lb-ft (178 Nm) of torque. Output is routed to the front axle via a six-speed manual or an automatic. Stick to the three-pedal version and it’ll need 10.5 seconds to reach 62 mph (100 km/h) before topping out at 117 mph (180 km/h).
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Skoda developed the Kylaq with a beefier automatic air conditioning system to match India’s scorching summer days. Depending on the version, buyers can have niceties varying from an electric sunroof to cruise control. The diminutive crossover is also offered with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for the 10.1-inch infotainment. The driver gets a digital 8-inch instrument cluster.
The entry-level Skoda slots below other locally developed and manufactured models such as the Slavia sedan and Kushaq crossover. Around 95% parts are sourced directly from India where the Kylaq will be assembled at the Chakan plant. It goes on sale early next year.