Road trips are one of the best ways to enjoy a work-ation. Where I get to work a little, drive a lot, and still have a great vacation! It gets even better when the partner-in-crime is a hot red, dynamic car from Skoda, the Kylaq! A sub-4-meter SUV that has doubled Skoda’s sales numbers in India, I had to take it out on a road trip to see what the fuss was all about. I didn’t just come away impressed; I’ve also developed a new respect for European-engineered cars. And even though the Kylaq is made in India, it truly feels like it’s made for India with the way it drives!
For us Mumbaikars, Goa has always been the go-to destination when we want a longer drive and have a day or two to spare over the weekend. Traditionally, the ideal route has been via Pune, looping back onto the coastal road through Kolhapur or Nipani. But this time, that wasn’t the choice. A few months ago, I had done a motorcycle road trip on the old Mumbai-Goa highway, and it felt like the perfect route to take the Kylaq on. Without any hesitation, everyone agreed! This time, I had a couple of friends joining me on the drive to Goa, and a different set riding back, the only constant throughout was me and the Skoda Kylaq.
Before getting onto the old Mumbai-Goa route, Google Maps directed us through the Mumbai-Pune Expressway up to the first toll booth, and then onto the Pali route. With empty roads and a capable 1.0-litre TSI engine under the hood, the mileage figure shot up to an impressive 21 km/l. But while the road ahead was challenging, filled with slow-moving stretches, maintaining that mileage became the ultimate goal. That dream, however, quickly faded when we got stuck in a massive traffic jam at Mangaon! Spotting a quaint Maharashtrian restaurant nearby, we pulled in and treated ourselves to a hearty breakfast.
The road conditions could best be described as mediocre, though certain stretches were surprisingly good! NHAI has clearly put in a lot of work, many sections had smooth wide roads, with a few even having toll booths, though none of them were functional. In fact, the only toll I ended up paying was on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, which I later realized could have been avoided too. My friends in the other car took a while to catch up, and by the time they did, we had already made it to Chiplun. The ghats along the way were simply amazing, and the Kylaq felt right at home. Despite being classified as an SUV, it truly handles with the agility of a hatchback.
Choosing the older Mumbai-Goa route turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Not only was it faster than the Mumbai-Kolhapur-Goa route, but it was also far more scenic! While I thoroughly enjoyed pushing the Kylaq to its limits, I also began to notice some of its challenges. The boot, though decently sized, managed to swallow all our luggage with ease. We were three people in the car, and all of us on the healthier side, yet the Kylaq stayed firmly planted on the road. The only downside was the bounce from the rear suspension, which made life uncomfortable for anyone sitting in the back. Since I was almost always in “push mode,” the rear passengers found themselves bouncing around whenever the road turned bad. The nausea hit hard but honestly, it was as much the traffic and poor road conditions as it was the suspension.
The total travel time to Goa stretched a little beyond 13 hours, mainly because we made several stops waiting for the guys in the other car to catch up, and the traffic didn’t make things any easier. We had actually entered Goa within 10 hours, but since our stay was down south, it took another 3 hours to get there. The central Goa stretch, right before the Atal Setu bridge, is full of ongoing roadwork and easily becomes one of the worst bottleneck areas of all time. The Kylaq, however, handled it all impressively well, thanks to its well-tuned suspension and 17-inch wheels wrapped in 205-section rubber.
Covering a little over 630 km in about 13 hours of driving meant our average speed was under 50 km/h. Still, the Kylaq managed to hold an impressive mileage figure of 17.3 km/l! The dream target of crossing 20 km/l was out of reach, but even at 17 km/l, completing the Mumbai-Goa stretch on just one tank was quite an achievement. We wrapped up the night with a lovely riverside dinner spot, where we also found the perfect place to park the Kylaq and honestly, that Tornado Red paint just stood out beautifully against the backdrop.
There are plenty of clever Skoda touches that really come in handy. For instance, the hard rubber mats collected all the beach sand, but with just a quick whack, they were clean again. The huge door pockets easily fit 1-litre bottles in all four doors. The seatbacks even have dedicated mobile phone holders, which kept my rear passengers super happy. Then there’s the bottle holder in the centre console with special grooves, I didn’t even have to ask my co-passenger for help to open a water bottle. Multiple Type-C ports kept all our phones charged at all times! And one feature that every car should have: a dead pedal. Even though I was driving a manual, the dead pedal came in handy more times than I can count.
We spent close to three nights in Goa, enjoying the peace and quiet of the south. And through it all, the Kylaq was the one thing we relied on the most. South Goa is spread out, with fewer shops clustered mainly around major junctions, so we often found ourselves taking the Kylaq out even just to pick up breakfast! The sub-4-meter SUV proved to be the perfect companion, slipping easily through Goa’s narrow lanes while offering plenty of storage space that came in handy time and again. Parking was easy too, though I did wish for a better rear-view camera, it was challenging to rely on in the dark but managed the job well enough during the day.
On the way back, I played the role of a passenger as my friend was eager to get his hands on the Kylaq, mainly because I hadn’t stopped bragging about its driving dynamics throughout the trip. I thought I’d at least get to drive 50% of the return journey, but instead, I ended up sleeping like a baby through most stretches. The Skoda Kylaq carries the feel and aura of a small hatchback as it’s quick on its feet, sharp and precise to handle, with a clutch that has some weight but never feels heavy. It’s a car that keeps the fun alive without being overly loud about it. All in all, this turned out to be my most dynamic Goa trip ever.
The post Skoda Kylaq Travelogue – A Dynamic Roadtrip! appeared first on MotorBeam.
