After looking at the Vision X thoroughly, we found the car to sit wider and lower than most other Skoda SUVs. It rides on large 20-inch wheels that look sporty and purposeful. Mr. Pantucek, the designer of this car was proud of his work and went on to say that the road going model will look extremely similar to this concept once it’s out next year.
This concept car first made its appearance at the 2018 Geneva motor show. The car displays the manufacturer’s third SUV – compact model that sits below the Karoq and Kodiaq in the Czech car maker’s portfolio. At present, the car is unnamed, but we do know for sure that it will use the MQB platform that is shared by VW’s T-Roc and Seat Arona in international markets.
While most concept cars today are made from clay, the Vision X is a proper car with a real engine. The extensively styled bucket seats result to the insides feeling roomy, but they offer very less support. Furthermore, the pedals are offset way too much to the right and the accelerator pedal almost rubs against the gearbox tunnel. The steering also lacks the adjustability for reach, which means you have to lean forward to hold on to it.
However, it is a show car and this is how they are made. To add to it, these cars haven’t been made to be driven about which is why they lack the comfort and refinement of a production-spec car. However, the Vision X’s strange seating position also makes you realise why the concept cars look so aggressive when compared to the actual production car.
The brake felt unnecessarily long and lacked feel – this could be because the Vision X uses regenerative braking. However, it drives like a regular car even though it uses a high-tech hybrid motor. This engine is a 1.5-litre turbocharged unit that can run on petrol or CNG. Running it on CNG reduces emissions considerably. Sending the power to the wheels is the engine and a small electric motor, the rear however, uses a 27hp electric unit.
When you are driving this car, you do not feel the different powertrains it is using. The Vision X takes off the line smoothly and the motors work well with each other. However, for now, this car has an electric-only driving range of 2km, but with considerably lesser weight than a full hybrid. The production model could see daylight in the next three or four years.
The Indian market will receive the new MQB A0 IN platform – which is currently under the works for developing markets – it will underpin a number of upcoming offerings. This platform will be heavily localised, which means we can expect competitive pricing. This SUV will use the design from Vision X and will hit the Indian market sometime in 2021.
