Skoda Slavia delivery timeline unveiled: Will rival Hyundai Verna & Maruti Ciaz

Skoda has not yet unveiled the launch date of the Slavia mid-size sedan. Now, Zac Hollis, Director, Sales and Marketing, Skoda India has confirmed that they will be starting the deliveries of the Slavia in early March this year. Skoda has already discontinued the Rapid in the Indian market. Slavia has already been spotted on the Indian roads that too without any camouflage.

It will be based on the MQB-A0-IN platform which is also being used on the Skoda Kushaq, Volkswagen Taigun and the upcoming Volkswagen Virtus. Slavia will also share its engines and gearboxes with the same vehicles.

There would be two petrol engine options on offer. There will be a 1.0-litre TSI and a 1.5-litre TSI engine on offer. The 1.0 TSI produces 115 PS and 178 Nm whereas the 1.5 TSI produces 150 PS and 250 Nm. Both engines get a 6-speed manual gearbox as standard. The 1.0 TSI also comes with a 6-speed torque converter automatic gearbox and the 1.5 TSI would get a 7-speed DCT dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Also read: Volkswagen Virtus spotted ahead of launch: Will rival Maruti Ciaz & Honda City

Slavia measures 4,541 mm in length, 1,752 mm in width and has a height of 1,487 mm. It has a wheelbase of 2,651 mm which is quite close to the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz. Moreover, the Slavia is now the widest sedan in the segment. The Slavia will be a much larger sedan than the current Rapid. The boot space of the sedan is very generous 521 litres. It will come with a traditional sedan boot, it would not be a notchback like the Skoda Octavia.

Skoda will offer Slavia in five variants. There is Tornado Red, Candy White, Carbon Silver, Crystal Blue and Brilliant Silver. There will be three variants on offer. The name of the variants will be shared with Kushaq. So, there will be Active, Ambition and Style.

The Slavia will come with LED projector headlamps, L-shaped LED Daytime Running Lamps, automatic headlamps, electric sunroof with bounce back features, C-shaped split LED tail lamps, 16-inch alloy wheels finished in dual-tone. The bumpers are relatively simple and they go with the overall design of the Slavia.

The cabin of the Slavia looks quite premium too. It has a dual-tone cabin finished in black and beige. The highlight of the interior is the floating touchscreen infotainment system that comes with Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and Skoda Apps. There is automatic climate control, keyless entry, push-button to start/stop the engine, auto-dimming interior rearview mirrors, front ventilated seats, rear AC vents, a front and rear armrest and much more. Skoda is also using its new two-spoke steering wheel that we have seen on recent models such as Kodiaq, Kushaq and Octavia.

It has been a long time since the Indian market has seen a new player in the mid-size sedan segment. Skoda has been mostly known for its sedans and Rapid never really got a significant update since it was first launched. The Slavia will be the replacement for the Rapid. The new sedan will compete against Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, Hyundai Verna, Volkswagen Vento, Honda City and the upcoming Volkswagen Virtus.

Also read: Skoda Kushaq Monte Carlo: New details surface