Skoda Slavia Monte Carlo long term review, 11,500km report

Take a wild guess… 10,000 kilometres on, what remains the most-discussed aspect of our Slavia? It’s the Tornado Red paint! The lustre, the intensity of colour, the reflective index – it really does grab eyeballs. What also helps; the near perfectly aligned ‘A Class’ surfaces and the high quality of the stamped body panels. And then what adds contrast are the shiny black roof and the blackened chrome bits like the grille, badges, alloys and mirrors. Only the Skoda badge up front is in chrome. Add in the Monte Carlo badge, and the Slavia looks special. Love the black mini spoiler and that mini faux diffuser at the rear.

As a regular custodian of this car, what I’d always look forward to when getting back in the Slavia is the tough build of the car, the high-quality cabin and the good insulation. This car just feels so much more grown up, so much more sophisticated than the competition at this price point. Take a close look, if you can, at the doors and see how beautifully the rubber and felt door seals are crafted, notice how well padded and well-built the seats are, and the near-silent and smooth manner in which the powered seats function. Then check the functionality and solid mechanical feel of the sunroof mechanism. It’s all part of why these cars feel better built. And that’s despite the dash on the Slavia having some creaky, poor-fitting plastic that you can hear on occasion.

Of late, I’ve also been using the ‘S’ or Sport mode on the gearbox more. This is especially in light traffic, where going to full manual doesn’t make quite as much sense. Must say the quicker responses come as a pleasant surprise, and what makes using this mode so sweet is that to engage this mode, all you need is one (rearward) tap on the gear selector. That said, the mild pause and hesitation at low speed in ‘D’ still bugs me in traffic; this twin-clutch box is nowhere near as slick or as smooth as a torque converter automatic.

The car averaged between 11.5kpl in the city and 9.7kpl on long drives; the latter I’m sure affected by my “press-on” driving style on highways. This same car gave 18kpl when some colleagues used it for a long run. Remember, this 1.5 engine also has cylinder deactivation tech, which shuts off two cylinders when you are off the throttle and cruising, and this of course makes a big difference.

The Slavia also remains an extremely comfortable car to commute in over our perfectly imperfect roads. Broken surfaces, bad patches, regular and even massive potholes are taken in its stride. And yeah, that 179mm ground clearance does help tremendously, especially when you have to go only where SUVs go; something this car can do much to everyone’s surprise.

Performance, as ever, with 150hp on tap, is something I constantly try and make full use of. And the Slavia Monte Carlo, foot down, is a thrill a minute; those extra horses under the hood really putting a smile on my face. It’s not a sweet revving engine, though, and it does sound strained at certain engine speeds. And when you are really on it, you’ll wish it rolls less, especially in switchbacks. Still, the overall package is so good that once you get to an enjoyable set of corners, it easily is one of the best driving and most fun cars you can buy at this price point.

The Slavia even comes with a large 521-litre boot, the perfect parry for when your wife insists the family needs an SUV. Deep and wide enough so that it can carry all manner of full-sized bags, the big boot makes travelling in this car even nicer and more comfortable. Also, I’ve finally learned to push the boot lid all the way open so that it doesn’t fall back down and knock me in the head.

Still the car to buy – by a long shot – in the segment if you like driving and love cars.

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