Introduction

Sales figures tell us that sedans in general, especially in the C-segment, are finding less takers by the day but Skoda India doesn’t seem worried. In fact, the brand is confident that buyers still want sedans, but it’s just that they haven’t had a solid enough reason to buy one. Enter the Slavia, the much-awaited replacement to the Rapid that has been selling nearly 2,500 units a month since launch. It’s doing well, then, for Skoda but how good is it really to live with?

Earlier this month I picked one up from Skoda India’s press fleet and I am going to put it through six months of my daily life and hopefully tell you everything about it.

The Slavia can be had with two engines, three gearboxes, three trim levels and five color options. So there’s a 1.0-litre, three-cylinder engine with either a six-speed manual or a six-speed torque converter automatic. The other option is a 1.5-litre, four-cylinder TSI engine with cylinder deactivation tech and the option of either a six-speed manual or a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. The Slavia 1.5-litre with nearly 150bhp and 250Nm arguably is more fun and that’s what I have gone with as my new daily driver. Speaking of fun, ours is a manual!

Early impressions? Our Slavia with the 1.5 engine and the six-speed manual is a hoot to drive but you do have to work the drivetrain to move quickly. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not lacking by any means. It’s just that the same 1.5-litre engine with the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic feels more effortless at low to medium RPMs – I have to say the VW Group’s DSG does a wonderful job of masking the 1.5 engine’s low-end lag when it’s not on boost. Anyway, this engine and gearbox blend is definitely more engaging if you ask me and once it’s up to speed, I feel the Slavia pulls harder than the DSG car in every gear.

The only bummer here is that the 1.5 Slavia’s reach is quite limited since Skoda India wouldn’t spec the bigger engine in either Active or Ambition trim. Our top-spec Style variant finished in Crystal Blue is priced at Rs 16.79 lakh ex-showroom and that’s not too bad given the blend of size, performance and space on offer. I am looking forward to seeing how our Slavia does in all of these considerations and more over the next six months or so.

Pictures by Kaustubh Gandhi

Make: Skoda

Model: Slavia

Version:Style 1.5 MT

Kilometres on the odo: 3,950km

Price: Rs 19.78 lakh (on-road Mumbai, when tested)