2023-10-06 09:00:02
More than 800,000 units sold in more than 40 markets. Those are the sales figures that the Skoda Kodiaq has accumulated since its first generation. Now, it is renewed under the Czech brand’s newly introduced design language, ‘Modern solid’, which is accompanied by a new logo.
In short, the SUV, available in five- and seven-seat versions, is now more refined in its lines and has a more robust appearance. Inside, it boasts sustainable materials – the leather is the product of a “much more environmentally friendly process,” according to Florian WeymarSkoda Quality Director – but, above all, enormous space, thanks to a longer roof that lowers at a gentle angle to camouflage its size.
Even so, the biggest novelty of the Kodiaq is that it has all the combustion options available, from pure diesel and gasoline engines, to hybrid engines, both light and plug-in.
The starting point is marked by a 1.5 gasoline with light hybridization of 150 horsepower, which will give it the DGT Eco label. And if you choose to do without electric assistance, you can choose a 204 horsepower 2.0 TSI.
As for diesel, both use the same 2.0-liter TDI block, but one delivers 150 HP, while the other develops 193. The most powerful versions of the internal combustion engines also come with four-wheel drive.
Finally, also A 204-horsepower plug-in hybrid version is available and front-wheel drive. It is also the only engine that does not have the Volkswagen Group’s seven-speed DSG transmission. According to Martin Jahn, the brand’s Sales and Marketing Director, the SUV is capable of traveling up to 100 km in zero emissions mode.
Inside, the main novelty is the 12.9-inch touch screen in which the group has inherited technology from Audi and is capable of vibrating when touched, creating a haptic ‘feedback’ in which the virtual buttons are They feel like physical ones.
However, not all touch controls have been abandoned and the three wheels that mainly serve to regulate the air conditioning have separate screens that change depending on which parameters are being touched and allow access to many more options than was possible on the previous generation of the SUV.
At the presentation in Berlin, the management team was very satisfied with the update of its flagship, whose price is still unknown but It is estimated to be around 2,000 euros more expensive than the current version, which starts at 40,500 euros.
The engineers, especially, took advantage of the “zero tolerance environment” under which the vehicle was tested. “We took the best elements of the previous Kodiaq and improved them with new engines, more technology and more driving assistance,” said Klaus Zellmer, Skoda’s CEO.
The Kodiaq will be manufactured at the Czech Kvasiny plant, in the same way as its predecessor. Orders will open at the end of this year, and deliveries will not occur until May, the brand estimates.
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