Even if there are certainly not a few who find the Skoda Karoq far less charismatic than its predecessor, the quirky Yeti – the controllers in Mladá Boleslav will prefer the new, supposedly more boring car. Why? Because the Karoq was the second most popular Skoda both in 2020 and in the first half of this year. Only the Octavia sold better than the compact crossover during this period.
However, it is hard to believe that the Karoq has been on the market again since 2017. So it’s time for the mandatory mid-cycle update to stay fresh and competitive in its extremely demanding segment. Skoda is not yet revealing any details about the revised version, but at least says that the unveiling will take place on November 30th at an online event.
And what should we expect with the updated Karoq? On spyshot from the beginning of the year a prototype can be seen driving a new version of the radiator grille with differently arranged vertical slats. The headlights look familiar, but we wouldn’t rule out the Karoq adopting Matrix LED technology as well.
Slightly changed bumpers and a new graphic for the taillights are more or less standard with such model maintenance measures. The same applies to one or the other new color and rim. An LED light bar at the rear is not to be expected, as the “SKODA” lettering is now the focus on the tailgate. It is the same with the facelift version of the Kodiaq.
In the interior, Skoda will probably bring the infotainment system up to date, but the screen should stay in place and not move up to the dashboard. The attached prototype pictures show that the touchscreen is still neatly integrated into the dashboard, flanked by the central air vents. The larger Kodiaq hasn’t switched to tablet-like infotainment either.
There have been some rumors about a plug-in hybrid drive, but CEO Thomas Schäfer recently stated that only the Octavia and Superb with PHEV systems will be offered in the foreseeable future, as both are popular with fleets. As a reminder: The Kodiaq did not receive a charging connection with the facelift and that should also apply to the Karoq. We also have to give a final rejection to a Karoq RS.
We’ll know more in just under three weeks. Sales of the lifted Karoq are likely to start in early 2022, provided Skoda has enough microchips stashed.
Spyshot; Motor.es
