New Skoda Kodiaq: more spacious and more electric than ever

The most prominent features of the Skoda Kodiaq

• Larger and considerably more spacious
• For the first time with mild hybrid technology..
• …and for the first time as an additional component
• Again as five and seven seats

The Skoda Kodiaq was the first of an entire series of SUVs created by Skoda in 2016, and not surprisingly, it is now also the first SUV from the brand to be given a completely new generation. The new Kodiaq is based on its predecessor’s MQB platform, but that doesn’t mean making minor changes. In fact, although the Kodiaq concept remains largely intact, a lot has changed. We previously drove a camouflaged version, but now the car has been fully revealed. The new Skoda Kodiaq will be launched in the Netherlands in mid-May next year. Prices will follow in the run-up to the introduction of this market.

Dimensions

There’s a lot to be said about the Skoda Kodiaq on a technical level, but we’ll start with the way the SUV’s new technology is put together. As usual with changing generations, the new Kodiaq also grows compared to its predecessor. The length of the vehicle increases by more than 6 cm, reaching 4.76 metres. So the new Kodiaq is longer, but not taller than the outgoing model. At 1.66 metres, it is 2cm lower than the Kodiak it will replace next year. However, the wheelbase does not change. Once again, the Kodiaq has a length of 2.79 meters between the front and rear axles.

The new Skoda Kodiaq will also be launched in five-seat and seven-seat models. In both configurations, the Skoda Kodiaq benefits from its increased external dimensions. Headroom and luggage space in the five-seat Kodiaq have increased by 75 litres, to 910 litres. If you fold the back seat flat, you can carry up to 2,105 liters in this version. This means 40 liters more than before. Behind the third row of seats in the seven-seater you can store 340 liters of items. This means 80 liters more than before. The seats in the third row are foldable. If you fold the second and third rows flat, the seven-seat Kodiaq’s capacity increases to 2,035 liters (+30 litres).

Skoda Kodiaq: with horizontal LED elements in the grille.

design

For the new Kodiaq, Skoda has retained the split-level front lighting that it uses on all its long models – except for the Enyaq. Again, the upper lighting units are attached to the grid frame and the lower units are far from it. While the outgoing Kodiaq had a wide rise in the middle along the hood, we see a deeper section in the new Kodiaq. The snout of the new Skoda Kodiaq is the most distinctive part of it, while on the side and rear the differences with the previous model are greater. Every Kodiaq now has LED matrix lighting, and if you dig deeper, you can get 14 small LED elements between the grille slats that should give the suggestion of a continuous LED strip.

Skoda Kodiaq

Skoda ditches the deep crease that runs from the headlights across the side of the car to the rear and connects to the taillights. The sheet metal looks quieter on the side. The slightly wavy shoulder line of the Kodiaq as I’ve known it for about seven years gives way to a shoulder line that – just like the Passat – rises slightly at the front and more aggressively at the rear. The D-pillar has become flatter thanks to a decorative element in contrasting colour.

The visual novelties are greatest at the back. The relatively small taillights on the “old Kodiaq” relative to the size of the car give way to significantly more prominent and wider lights. The C-shaped light signature in the taillights of the previous model returns in an improved form. The taillights themselves now consist of wide C-shaped lights that are connected to each other at the bottom. Dynamic turn signals are reserved for higher-position versions. Once again, the Skoda brand name is written in large letters between the taillights and we find the license plate not far below. The reflectors move downwards and are located in the rear bumper with silver details in the new Kodiaq.

Skoda Kodiaq

When viewed from the front, the new Kodiaq is completely recognizable as a Kodiaq. More changes are happening at the back. Once again, there is a strong crease above the license plate across the width of the tailgate, but from now on it is straight and no longer interrupts the shape of the taillights. The new taillights are C-shaped and are therefore a continuation of the C-shaped light signature already found in the taillights of the previous model. You will no longer find the Skoda badge between the taillights. From now on, the brand name will be written.

Mild hybrid

The outgoing Skoda Kodiaq is currently only available in the Netherlands with the 150bhp 1.5 TSI, which you can have with a manual gearbox or a DSG7 automatic transmission. SUVs have never gotten electric, but the new Kodiaq is fully in on the electrification dance. The SUV will be available for the first time with mild hybrid hardware. The Skoda Kodiaq is available with a 150 PS 48V 1.5 TSI mild hybrid engine permanently connected to a seven-speed DSG automatic transmission. Both five- and seven-seat versions of the Kodiaq are available with this powertrain. You can write a hand copy on your stomach.

A plug-in hybrid car with an electric range of more than 100 km

Unlike Skoda like the Octavia and Superb, which are also based on the MQB platform, the Skoda Kodiaq never got a plug-in hybrid drivetrain. That changes with the arrival of this new one. The Skoda Kodiaq 1.5 TSI iV plug-in hybrid has a 204 hp engine, a six-speed DSG automatic transmission and a 25.7 kWh battery. This combination should allow an electric range of more than 100 km. Fast charging is possible at up to 50 kW. Unfortunately, this powertrain is reserved for the five-seat Kodiaq, so the seven-seat Kodiaq will not be available as a hybrid. The luggage compartment of the five-seat Kodiaq with plug-in hybrid powertrain is 165 liters smaller and measures 745 liters due to the placement of the battery pack.

Maybe or not to Holland

An RS version is also in the works, but it remains to be seen if it will come to the Netherlands. What we might miss: A Skoda Kodiaq RS with a powerful 2.0 TSI petrol engine with 265 hp. The Kodiaq will also be available outside the Netherlands with 150bhp and 193bhp diesel engines, the latter with all-wheel drive. There’s also a 204bhp 2.0 TSI all-wheel drive Kodiaq coming to Europe, but it also won’t be coming to our country.

Skoda Kodiaq

Interior

The winds of innovation are also blowing in Kodiak. Anyone familiar with the interior of the current Skoda Kodiaq will see something of this in the new car. The Kodiaq’s dashboard is also quite upright and you’ll find visually higher parts on the left and right sides. The infotainment screen is now not integrated into the “squeezed portion” in the center of the dashboard, but is located higher in the new Kodiaq and is visually separated from the rest of the cockpit. The smallest screen will now be 10 inches instead of 8 inches. The largest screen has a diagonal of 13 inches.

A digital watch shop with a 10.25-inch display is standard. A head-up display is available, but not standard. If you look closely, you won’t see the selector lever to engage the automatic transmission. From now on, you can operate the transmission via the selector lever attached to the steering column. The space freed up in the central tunnel is used for the storage compartments and the induction charger. Climate control can be controlled – as before – via physical knobs that now also provide haptic feedback. This prevents searching and scrolling in the infotainment system. Function can be set for the middle rotary knob. It can function as a volume control knob, but can also be set as a button to control the seat heating, for example.

There’s no new model without an almost obligatory paragraph about sustainable materials, so Skoda is throwing that at us too. Various fabrics made from recycled polyester. Skoda’s Simply Clever content also remains in the new Kodiaq. Snow scrapers, awnings, and door guards are back in stock. New to the Simply Clever range: Screen cleaners to remove “greasy fingers” from your screen.

Skoda Kodiaq: with a customizable rotary knob.

Tools and offers

The list of safety systems is supplemented by Turn Assist, Collision Avoidance Assist, Road Crossing Assist and Departure Warning. The parking assistant has become more skillful and the Kodiaq can park itself automatically. Kodiaq not only steers, but also regulates the speed at which it drives itself to the desired section. Side assist has been improved and the Kodiaq is now also available with Travel Assist.

The Skoda Kodiaq will be available in four so-called design options. According to Czech, each of these gives the Kodiaq its own look. The Sportline is again the sportiest version.

Skoda Kodiaq

Skoda Kodiaq, Netherlands

About 16,400 units of the current Skoda Kodiaq, which will disappear next year, have already been delivered since its introduction to the Dutch market in 2017. During the first nine months of this year, the registration counter stood at 2,633 copies. Nearly 842,000 Kodiaqs have already been sold worldwide. This will undoubtedly also include the Kodiaq’s coupe sibling, which was never delivered in Europe: the Kodiaq GT.

More Skoda news coming soon. The brand will also soon launch a new Superb, the Czech sibling of the new Volkswagen Passat.