Welcome to London's Skoda Independent Garage.We have a team of independent Skoda specialists who can sort out anything from basic Skoda servicing to advanced technical Skoda cars problems. One of the best independent Skoda Master Technician on site offering knowledge and experience using the latest Skoda Main Dealer garage compulsory diagnostics equipment.

It’s a case of another year, another haul of silverware for ŠKODA at the Auto Express New Car Awards. The brand recorded no fewer that three outright category wins - equalling its best ever performance at the Auto Express New Car Awards. The new KAROQ, KODIAQ and OCTAVIA all commanded their respective sectors, further reinforcing SKODA’s reputation for building some of the very best cars on the new car market.

Milton Keynes, July 3: Leading the title charge was the all-new KAROQ, which was crowned Mid-size SUV of the year. Awarding ŠKODA top place in what is one of the most competitive sectors of the market, Steve Fowler Editor-in-chief of Auto Express commented: “The KAROQ is a no-nonsense mid-size SUV that gets all the basics right and does them well. It's a winner for value, refinement, practicality and technology, thanks to its excellent infotainment options. As an all-round proposition, it makes great sense, and it's our number-one choice for those seeking a mid-sized SUV.

Not to be outdone by its smaller sibling, the KODIAQ secured an equally notable victory in the Large SUV of the year category – giving ŠKODA an impressive lock-out of the two main SUV awards. In winning the 2018 award, the KODIAQ records back-to-back victories, having dominated the category in 2017.

Commenting on the KODIAQ’s repeat win, Steve Fowler said: “After taken its maiden victory at our 2017 New Car Awards, the KODIAQ has reinforced its credentials over the last 12 months to take the title again thanks to its impressive mix of ride and handling, refinement, usability and affordability. With a breadth of ability like this, it’s no surprise it’s our Best Large SUV.

Another ŠKODA on a winning streak in 2018 was the OCTAVIA Estate. It retained its Estate Car of the Year title - seeing off very strong competition in the process. The judges were wowed by the OCTAVIA’s remarkable practicality and comfort, and found its value for money to be unbeatable.

“The OCTAVIA is arguably the model responsible for changing ŠKODA’s fortunes over the last few decades.” Commented Steve Fowler. “Following a revision last year boasting updated styling and a more advanced infotainment set-up, the brilliant OCTAVIA Estate offers an incredible level of carrying capacity at this level of the market.”

The latest Auto Express Awards add to an ever-growing list of industry accolades for ŠKODA. The KAROQ, KODIAQ and OCTAVIA alone have won 22 key automotive titles in the course of the last two years - with this total rising on an almost weekly basis.

Article source: www.skoda.co.uk

Emotion, dynamism and passion – ŠKODA combines all of these qualities with the ‘vRS’ initials. Even before its market launch, the Czech car manufacturer’s first high performance SUV, the ŠKODA KODIAQ vRS, proves that it can hold its own on the most challenging race track in the world. Racing driver Sabine Schmitz set the lap record for a seven-seater SUV at the Nürburgring’s legendary Nordschleife in the ŠKODA KODIAQ vRS, highlighting the car’s performance qualities. The KODIAQ vRS extends the range of vRS models in the ŠKODA line up.

A detailed report from the record breaking-lap with the video and photo-gallery, as well as the article with interviews with Sabine Schmitz and František Drábek, can be found on ŠKODA Storyboard. The material is freely downloadable and useable in media.

Mladá Boleslav, 14 June 2018: Fuchsröhre, Schwedenkreuz and Karussell – these sections of track on the Nürburgring’s legendary Nordschleife are well-known to motorsport fans all over the world. No other race track is more challenging and nowhere else are drivers and vehicles pushed to their limits like they are on the 20.832-km-long circuit in the Eifel region. The ŠKODA KODIAQ vRS withstood the track conditions in the ‘Green Hell’ and, at 9:29.84 minutes, set the Nordschleife record for a seven-seater SUV.

Sabine Schmitz was at the wheel of the ŠKODA KODIAQ vRS during the record-breaking lap. Schmitz regularly participates in the long-distance championship (VLN) and the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring and in 1996, she became the first woman to win the 24-hour race and won again the following year. Having long been a ‘Ring Taxi’ driver and as a presenter on various car shows, she has become well-known to a wide audience. Schmitz estimates she has driven more than 30,000 laps on the Nordschleife to date.

“The ŠKODA KODIAQ vRS is great fun on the track,” said Sabine Schmitz. “ŠKODA has made full use of its large SUV’s potential with the KODIAQ vRS. I can certainly imagine that I’ll be encountering the KODIAQ vRS regularly during my laps around the Nordschleife in future,” Schmitz adds with a wink.

František Drábek, Head of Compact Models at ŠKODA AUTO and responsible for the development of the KODIAQ vRS, was also present at the successful record attempt. He points out that, “The KODIAQ vRS equally embodies the versatility and spaciousness of a family SUV as well as emotion and dynamism.”

The new 2.0 BiTDI engine produces 239 PS. This allows for dynamic power delivery and excellent responsive qualities, even at low engine speed. Exhaust gases are purified by an SCR catalytic converter. In the KODIAQ model range, the 2.0-litre BiTDI diesel engine is exclusively reserved for the vRS, and thanks to Dynamic Sound Boost, the high-torque diesel engine’s power is immediately apparent. With adaptive Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC) including Driving Mode Select and progressive steering, the all-wheel-drive vehicle – which was still in its camouflage wrap during its appearance in the Eifel region – was perfectly equipped for its record-breaking lap at the Nordschleife.

The ŠKODA KODIAQ vRS will celebrate its world premiere in October of this year. It will be presented to the public for the first time at the 2018 Paris Motor Show.

Article source: www.skoda.co.uk

The ŠKODA family of models has a new member: the ŠKODA KODIAQ RS. Its developers, still keeping it carefully under wraps, decided to take it on a trip before unveiling it to the world.

This article is the first time any information on the ŠKODA KODIAQ RS has been released. Don’t expect to find out anything specific about the engine, performance or top speed yet, but very soon you can look forward to something you wouldn’t have expected of a seven-seater SUV.

The KODIAQ RS, you see, went on an outing, accompanied by its “father”, František Drábek, who – as Head of Model Range Compact – spearheaded the ŠKODA KODIAQ RS’s development. Under the watchful eye of František Drábek, Sabine Schmitz, the racer with a winning smile and devilishly fast driving skills, came to grips with the ŠKODA KODIAQ RS.

When you hear the name Sabine Schmitz, the immediate association is with the Nürburgring, or more precisely its Nordschleife loop. Sabine Schmitz knows this legendary and highly challenging circuit perhaps like no other, and as a driver she has already taken her fair share of co-drivers around the track. Next up in that long line was František Drábek, who placed his finely chiselled child in her hands, on her home turf, at the legendary Green Hell of the Nordschleife.

Article source: www.skoda-storyboard.com

ŠKODA is already known for its ability to build fantastically strong, safe and reliable cars. But now, following three-years of planning, development and testing, ŠKODA has added to its award-winning range with the addition of a bullet and blast-resistant version of the SUPERB Estate.

Milton Keynes, 29 May 2018: The armoured SUPERB is the end result of a joint venture project between ŠKODA and a UK-based convertor. Following three years of development is a finished model that is virtually indistinguishable from the standard production car yet offers bullet and blast protection to occupants.

Protection is provided by a combination of bullet-resistant glass, high strength steel and composite materials; yet despite this the fully armoured SUPERB retains its spacious five-seater layout cabin, large boot and acclaimed build quality.

The armoured car is based on a standard 2.0 TDI 190PS SUPERB Estate. Although exact details of the conversion must remain secret, the passenger cell has been reinforced to the extent that it meets PAS 300 requirements for ballistic and blast protection. This certification was carried out by an independent test facility and involved firing different types of ammunition at the vehicle and exposing it to blast and fragmentation threats.

The suspension and braking systems have been upgraded to account for the additional weight of the car, with the former modified to ensure safe and accurate handling at high speeds. Other features incorporated into the design include adaptations to the wheels that can continue to run even if the tyres are deflated – allowing the driver to get to a place of safety after a blowout – and an emergency lighting and siren system. The car also features an 8-inch touchscreen communications hub with GPS, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality.

The final on-the-road cost of an armoured SUPERB is £118,688, and, like all new ŠKODAs, comes with a three-year warranty as standard.

Article source: www.skoda.co.uk

With the new student concept car, a cabriolet version of the ŠKODA KAROQ, the Czech car manufacturer is presenting an open-top SUV. The convertible study has been designed and built by 23 trainees from the ŠKODA Vocational School in Mladá Boleslav. The project has become a tradition for ŠKODA AUTO: the convertible SUV is already the fifth student concept car.

Students from the ŠKODA AUTO Vocational School in Mladá have demonstrated their design skills this year too. The trainees’ concept car, an open-top ŠKODA KAROQ, is based on the production version of the successful compact SUV. At 4,382 mm, the length of the KAROQ cabriolet remains unchanged, as does the width (at 1,811 mm) and the wheelbase (at 2,638 mm). However, the convertible KAROQ is significantly lower thanks to the use of shock absorbers from the ŠKODA OCTAVIA RS.

The engineering design phase of the open-top ŠKODA KAROQ started in October 2017. The 23 trainees from the ŠKODA Vocational School involved in the concept car could count on the support from their teachers and the Technical Development as well as Design and Production departments from the very beginning. After the engineering and design plans had been finalised in January 2018, the construction phase began.

The labour-intensive conversion of the project initially required the students to make extensive changes to the production body of the ŠKODA KAROQ. Once the roof had been removed, the doors had to be adjusted and the tailgate had to be re-designed from scratch. In addition, the trainees re-engineered the entire rear section including the exhaust system. In addition, the A- and B-pillars were altered. The ŠKODA KAROQ cabriolet features modified front and rear bumpers.

To emphasise the open-top ŠKODA KAROQ’s extraordinary character, the trainees either developed all-new ideas or modified some of the existing features, such as the ŠKODA logos, which are discreetly luminous in the dark. Special indicator lights as well as backlit door handles are other examples of the car’s distinctive features. In the dark, ŠKODA logos are projected onto the tarmac from the front and rear bumpers.

The convertible ŠKODA KAROQ student concept car is equipped with a four-cylinder 1.5 TSI engine. This efficient yet powerful unit allows the production ŠKODA KAROQ to reach a top speed of 204 km/h, and to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.4 seconds.

One of the last steps in the project was finding a suitable name for the vehicle. To facilitate this, the students invited ŠKODA customers and fans to submit suggestions via different social media channels. In the end, SUNROQ was chosen from among several hundred proposed names – the students found that it suited their cabriolet perfectly given its openness to the sun, which makes it an ideal vehicle for a summer holiday. The author of the winning submission was invited to the SUNROQ’s official presentation. He will meet with the students and their teachers and will be even able to go on a drive in the functional concept car, which has a Velvet Red paint finish.

The convertible ŠKODA KAROQ is the latest model in the student car line-up, with which the Czech car manufacturer underlines the high level of quality of its vocational training. The ŠKODA Vocational School in Mladá Boleslav was founded in 1927 and offers three- and four-year training courses in technical subjects leading to either a certificate of proficiency or a school leaving certificate for university access. Currently, more than 900 full-time students are enrolled in the school’s courses.

Article source: www.skoda-auto.com

More Articles...

Skoda Blog