The Skoda Kodiaq SUV has finally been revealed to the public, following a massive press conference in Berlin last week.
This is a very important car for Skoda, as it will be the brand’s first car to offer a seven-seat configuration and it is following on from the success of the Yeti crossover. Skoda is pulling out all of the stops to ensure the Kodiaq can take on its rivals and prove a success. But why should you care about it?
Well, if you’re already a fan of the Skoda brand or you’re thinking about getting a large family car in the near future, then you’ll be glad to hear the Kodiaq looks well placed to deliver on high expectations.
We attended the Kodiaq’s world premiere in Berlin and upon seeing it in the metal we were impressed with the exterior design and interior quality. But looking beyond those things, here are seven things about this car which are particularly worth highlighting to every potential customer.
Its main rivals are big SUVs from South Korea and Japan
Although Skoda officials were reluctant to give exact names of other models, we were told that the company was eyeing up competition from South Korean and Japanese manufacturers with its new Kodiaq.
With this in mind, it’s reasonable to conclude that the Skoda Kodiaq is aiming to take sales away from the likes of the Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Sorento, Nissan X-Trail and Toyota Land Cruiser. Skoda even suggested that the new Kodiaq could even rival big SUVs from premium brands to some extent.
The top models will be priced over £30,000
Skoda has not officially confirmed pricing for the Kodiaq yet, although this could become much clearer by the end of this month when the SUV appears at the 2016 Paris Motor Show.
During the world premiere of the Kodiaq, it was confirmed to us that the car would launch initially with five engines and in three trim levels. The trims start with S and that’s followed by SE and SE-L. A range-topping Laurent and Klement trim will arrive later in time.
Expect the car to start from about £22,500 for a front-wheel drive S model - a low price that undercuts virtually all rivals.
If you want one of the better equipped models with maximum seats and four-wheel drive, expect to pay in the region of low-to-mid £30k. That might sound a lot at first for what is considered more of a budget brand, but that price is similar to what many of the rival SUVs we mentioned earlier start their pricing at.
The Kodiaq in a high trim level will even be similarly priced to the Ford Edge, a large SUV which is considered close to premium brands in terms of its quality.
Having seven seats is optional, not standard
Although the Kodiaq being a seven-seater is a major focus, and it’s set to have a very low starting price, the Skoda is actually a five-seater as standard.
You’ll have to look to the mid to high-level specifications to get the maximum seat count, assuming that’s a priority.
It has class-leading boot space
When the Skoda Kodiaq is in five-seater specification (or has the two rearmost seats folded flat), it offers significantly more boot space than any of the SUVs it will rival. The Kodiaq in this form offers 720 litres boot capacity, over 100 litres more than the likes of the X-Trail, Santa Fe and Honda CR-V. You could fit a lot more shopping bags in this car than the others.
If you fold the middle row of seats down, then the Kodiaq’s total load capacity goes up to 2,065 litres, which again gives the car a noticeable edge over rivals.
Speaking of practicality, we can tell from sitting in the car that the Kodiaq has plentiful head and legroom for anyone occupying the front or middle seats. If you go for the extra two seats at the back, then space is noticeably more cramped for these, so owners will probably only feel comfortable putting children in these.
It comes with an ice scraper and umbrella
Like other current Skoda cars, the Kodiaq will come with a raft of add-ons which the brand calls ‘Simply Clever’ features. These are items which won’t get use every day but, in certain weather conditions, you’ll be grateful for them.
The ice scraper stored in the fuel cap is a returning feature, while an umbrella is also stored in the driver’s door. The latter feature is already available for Skoda’s Superb, Octavia and Citigo.
A hybrid version will probably come… eventually
The full engine line-up for the Kodiaq in Britain hasn’t been completely finalised just yet, but expect it offer several units similar to other current Skodas. There’ll be 2.0-litre diesels offering 148bhp or 187bhp, plus a 1.4-litre and 2.0-litre petrol offering 123bhp and 148bhp respectively.
Skoda are also developing hybrid powertrains which will in all likelihood make their way to the brand’s new large SUV.
It will take a while though, since we were informed that the first Skoda to launch a hybrid version will be the Superb, and that won’t happen until somewhere between late 2018 and early 2019. Realistically then, we may be waiting until late 2019 or even the start of 2020 before Kodiaq hybrid appear on our roads.
UK launch is late March 2017
So when can you get your hands on the new Skoda Kodiaq SUV? Well, mass production is set to commence this October.
The Kodiaq’s arrival to European markets (including the UK) is estimated for late March 2017.
We’ll get to drive the new Kodiaq during an international event before the end of this year, so look out for our verdict on the new SUV in the near future.