Great performance, needs to add more features to the base variant

1. Driving Experience: This car drives like a sports car. The moment you revv the car, you see how powerful and refined the engine is. The pick-up is quick and you feel how good it is when you need to overtake or accelerate after a traffic jam. It’s almost instantaneous. I drove the 1.0-litre mid variant and it didn’t feel like a 1.0-litre engine at all, it was more powerful than competitors like Verna and Honda City. 2. Looks: The car’s exteriors look extremely premium and pose a striking resemblance to the BMW gran coupe m sport, especially the lava blue variant. The dual-tone interior also feels posh and the plastics don’t look cheap. Glossy finishes here and there around the cabin make the car look good. However, competitors like Verna are now offering LED profile lights near the dashboard which replicate the look of luxury cars, and can be a feature Skoda can add in the upcoming facelift in 2025. 3. Comfort and safety: The cabin is very spacious and can easily seat 5 people. The seats are well cushioned and you feel how important it is over longer drives. There are no cabin noises, apart from the AC, which is quite noisy and ineffective for the Indian summers. Competitors like Verna, Honda City and Ciaz are offering ventilated seats, front and rear armrests and rear AC vents from the base variants itself now which is a feature Skoda can add in upcoming base variants. The car feels very safe, the built quality feels sturdy and the suspension is amazing. It also enjoys a 5-star NCAP rating so safety is guaranteed. 4. Pricing and features: The base variant of the car, although lucratively priced, has nearly no features compared to competitors (rear AC vents, armrests) and even lacks critical safety features such as hill hold assist, and rear parking camera. For someone looking to have a hill hold assist and rear parking camera, they will have to shell out an extra 3-4 lacs because the next variant is pretty expensive. Skoda should come up with a value/comfort variant with an ESP around 11.69 lacs (between the base and mid) that offers these safety and comfort features: rear parking camera, rear AC vents, front armrest, hill hold assist, brake assist, ventilated seats. This would cater well to buyers that have a budget of 12-13 lacs, since not everyone can afford a mid variant at 15 lacs and not everyone wants alloy wheels for a premium of 3 lacs. 5. Maintenance: Expect a maintenance fee of around 8-10k per service, although the service experience is good and reliable. The car may run into issues with the AC and brake paddles (depending on your driving). But regular maintenance will avoid any major expenses/surprises. Pros and cons: Pros: All in all Slavia is a very promising car, with killer looks and a peppy engine. Cons: Some work on introducing critical features in the base variant and introducing a variant between the base and the mid variant that at least offers what competitors are offering right from the base variant would really make too good a car to ignore. Fuel efficiency, AC inefficiency, expensive parts and maintenance are some other sore points.