Skoda Slavia 1.5 TSI DSG Automatic Review: Know If This Sedan's Features Justify Its Price

Just to remember, the original Octavia RS made this much power from its 1.8 l engine years ago! Time waits for no one and the Slavia is now fast enough to be a proper sports sedan. 

Skoda Slavia 1.5 TSI DSG Automatic

New Delhi: 150 bhp and 250 Nm. If anything, the Skoda Slavia 1.5 TSI is all about these numbers which make it the most powerful sedan at this price point/segment. Just to remember, the original Octavia RS made this much power from its 1.8 l engine years ago! Time waits for no one and the Slavia is now fast enough to be a proper sports sedan. 

The engine here is a four-cylinder 1.5 TSI which is also found on the Kushaq but in the Slavia, I found it to be a bit sportier. The 1.0 l TSI is not slow at all but the 1.5 TSI immediately feels quick with all that extra power and torque. 

The manual version would be more fun but the 7-speed DSG automatic is also quick with its shifts and joins the fun. Paddle shifters also are helpful to drive the Slavia 1.5 TSI hard with manual gear selection. 

There is plenty of punch available which means a mere touch of the accelerator and the Slavia goes off quickly. 0-100 km/h in 8.8 seconds and that shows how quick it is. That said it is not tricky to drive or anything since the automatic makes driving it an easy affair. When you don't want to go fast, the Slavia 1.5 TSI plays along and is smooth/comfortable. 

The DSG gearbox is also an all arounder and much more adapted to our tastes in the fact that it is more robust/smoother at lower speeds. The excellent ground clearance makes the Slavia almost an SUV and that means there is body roll but the car has been tuned very well with good response from the steering/rigid chassis. 

The Slavia 1.5 TSI is not just a sedan with a big engine as it is an overall driver's package. It also gave 10-12kmpl with the cylinder shutdown function working well in increasing efficiency while official figures are 18kmpl plus. Hence, while the Slavia 1.5 TSI is a fast car and clearly the one to buy if you like performance, we would have liked a bit of differentiation between this and the 1.0 l. 

Visually, there is nothing to say this is the faster 1.5 TSI and Skoda, what about a vRS version with this engine?  That aside, the Slavia 1.5 TSI brings big performance at this price level and driving enthusiasts should love this. Speaking of the prices, the Slavia 1.5 TSI automatic DSG is Rs 17.7 lakh while the manual is Rs 16.19 lakh. Hence, while you do pay a lot more over the 1.0 TSI, an open road might make it worth it!