I’ve written this before, sorry for the repetition, but these are some of the more exciting times in our industry. When you go to the door of the photo studio and there is a novelty waiting behind it, which you have only seen as a disguised prototype.
This is exactly what I experienced again with Skoda and its new Kodiaq. I arrived at the studio in Munich Hradištä armed with as much knowledge as possible about the interior, which Škoda has traditionally published before the premiere as part of its gradual unveiling, but I had to imagine the exterior. Of course, camouflaged prototypes and published sketches were the guide, but as I will see in a few moments, the inconspicuous camouflage very artfully covered the most essential design elements. Slightly shaken, I open the door and behind it stands the new Kodiaq…
No more chrome. And with two elements that will be discussed
The very first impression when you open the door? It’s a Kodiaq! Obvious, right? To enlighten you on my thought processes, it is clear from the start that this is the new Kodiaq. Mainly the front parts are typical for Škoda SUVs – the Kodiaq was the first to come with four headlights, two above each other, and this characteristic element is understandably retained by the second generation.
Photo: Škoda Auto
Although the face with split headlights has changed, the new Kodiaq still retains its distinctive identity.
As quickly as I discovered the related features, however, I also began to notice the differences. And quite prominent. Yes, pillar in the rear of the body in a contrasting color. I bet this will be a hotly debated topic. I myself am curious what you will write under the article in the discussion. “We wanted the Kodiaq to feel like a significantly larger car than its predecessor, despite maintaining similar dimensions. This is one of the designer crutches that optically stretch the body,” explained Jiří Hadaščok, exterior designer. I agree with him – the novelty is only 61 mm longer, it even lost less than two centimeters in width, and it is minus 24 mm in height. And yet, I would place bets on the spot that the novelty is significantly larger.
Anyway, if you fall into the anti-contrast pillar camp, you can get one of the sportier spec Kodiaqs where the pillar will be black.
Photo: Škoda Auto
The contrasting paint finish of the D-pillar is sure to spark a lot of discussion.
You see, sports and various black packages… and their increasing popularity among customers has led to the fact that you will no longer find a speck of chrome on the Kodiaq. Not on the body or in the interior. All the original chrome details, such as the radiator grille frame or the inner door handles, are now in a matte finish (the roof rails are also in the same shade). Thumbs up for you, chrome is already, let’s say, conservative and is very popular perhaps only in China. And since the Chinese market is no longer as important for the Mladá Boleslav carmaker as it was in the past, they may not care about the preferences of Chinese customers.
The side lines and actually the entire Kodiaq seemed to me to be softer, smoother, maybe even more rounded. This certainly stands out more in direct comparison with the strict straight lines of its predecessor.
And the other element that could stir the otherwise placid waters of internet discussion is the bar between the taillights. It is red and looks like it could be glowing. For example, as in the case of the Cupra Tavascan, where even the backlit logo shines into the night. But the bar in Kodiak doesn’t light up. “Legislation didn’t allow it for a long time, but mainly we wanted to keep the Škodovka’s typical rear lamp badge, the bar would disturb this signature,” said Hadaščok.
Photo: Škoda Auto
The bar connecting the rear lights to the face looks like it should be lit. But it doesn’t light up.
I myself am curious if by any chance the column and the molding (which will be standard only with higher equipment) will not be desired over time, as is often the case with similarly prominent details. For now though, I’m very impressed with the Kodiaq, I like it a lot. And especially in the new green-brown (probably) color!
The interior will delight. No exaggeration
I know that for the first photo shoot Škodovka brought an ornate piece, probably in absolute top specification with all conceivable extras, but still – I did not expect such a downright luxurious environment. The photos were promising, but the live experience completely exceeded expectations. No Škoda has ever had such an impressive interior.
The new Kodiaq surprised all the more compared to some of the latest plastic fads not only within the VW concern (mainly the first ID.3 electric cars were more like products of low-cost brands), but also premium cars. I was quite shocked even in such a Mercedes EQS, the two-wheeler Bavarian was actually still an acceptable mistake compared to the exclusive million-dollar electric car.
Photo: Škoda Auto
The quality and design of the cabin of the new Kodiaq jumped a lot higher.
And I remembered only a few examples of obvious research from the last time, Kodiaq was not only spared this, but as if it returned to the prosperous days of the first Superb. Škoda pushed a truly extremely luxurious and cozy interior into serial production.
I’m sitting inside with Jan Dědek, responsible for interior design, he points out to me the leather stitching on the instrument panel. “Perhaps this detail was not entirely easy to enforce, it is often quite a struggle,” smiled Dědek. “We wanted to preserve the original layout of the Kodiaq dashboard, including a pair of storage boxes in front of the passenger,” he described the creation of the interior concept. “We were able to play a lot with the central tunnel, the automatic transmission selector has now moved under the steering wheel. This created a wonderful storage space that can be used for, for example, four drink holders.’
Photo: Škoda Auto
The seats are extremely comfortable and there are plenty of handy storage boxes, shelves and holders all around.
This is a nice trick. Just slide the upper part of what was originally only a pair of cup holders and you have four available. Another from the family of simply clever ideas. A pair of charging points for mobile phones is definitely nice, the box is even equipped with integrated cooling, so the phones should not overheat. A handy display cleaner has also found its place in the central tunnel.
It will be needed, the display in the middle of the instrument panel can have a size of up to 12.9 inches. Škoda believes that it will be clearer and more intuitive. We’d love to give it a try! I can already say that the resolution of the display is top-notch, which also contributes to the luxurious and cozy feeling mentioned several times.
And special thanks to…
You must have heard of the three rotary controls. It is great that Škoda did not give up on the complaints of customers and us journalists and entrusted the control of the ventilation to the rotary controls again.
Photo: Škoda Auto
Eureka! Did you know that physical rotary wheels are the easiest way to control various functions? They knew, of course. Now they have realized it in Mladá Boleslav as well.
But I have to clarify a bit, the controls are rotary, but definitely not classic. In the middle they have a small display, on the outer ones you can turn on the heating/ventilation of the seats by pressing it, on the middle one there are more options (volume, movement in the infotainment menu…). A huge improvement over the all-touch controls that rather unhappily debuted in the fourth generation Octavia.
The good news continues
Not only the Czech customer will certainly be happy for the luggage space with a volume of 910 liters, which represents a 75l intergenerational improvement. Skoda also boasted lamps in the inner part of the fifth door, which now also illuminate the area around the trunk. For example, when unloading at night in the forest like when you find!
More than good news is the composition of the power units. If you were worried that the Kodiaq would arrive with a truncated range of petrols and plug-in hybrids and resent diesels, let me reassure you. The plug-in is indeed there, but given the power of 150 kW and a larger battery that will allow an electric range of up to a hundred kilometers, it could ultimately be quite a meaningful engine. Mainly, Kodiaq will still offer an honest two-liter TDI! The weaker version with 110 kW will be combined with front-wheel drive, the stronger version with 142 kW will be four-wheel drive. In the price list we also find a mild-hybrid 15-litre with a power of 110 kW (it is said that it is not a bad drive at all, as my colleague Martin Jánský has already tried with camouflaged prototypes), the top petrol will be a two-liter TSI with a power of 150 kW, which Skoda will combine with all-wheel drive. The transmission will be a dual-clutch automatic in all cases.
Farewell in style?
It can be seen that Škoda cared a lot about the new Kodiaq. I was a little worried that it would not be a step back against the first generation in many ways, which would be cheated and the range of engines cut due to increasingly expensive and often senselessly mandatory technologies.
This is how I write, according to the first impression, that it did not happen by chance. The Kodiaq looks valuable, even luxurious, I would almost speculate that Škodovic put their shoes on it in this way also because it was perhaps the last opportunity to build such a car at all.
Photo: Škoda Auto
It’s hard to say, I’m already looking forward to the ride, hopefully the impressions will be similarly positive. Of course, I’m also very curious about the prices, although it’s already clear here that the new Kodiaq will definitely not be discounted. You won’t be able to buy an existing one for less than a million for a long time, and perhaps the combination of a powerful TDI, four-wheel drive and an automatic will cost 1.3 million… the new product will certainly not be cheaper.
Still, I think there will be no shortage of customers. Among other things, because of what I already wrote – it will probably be the last Škoda of its kind.
How do you like the new Skoda Kodiaq?
The first generation was nicer
A total of 505 readers voted.
2023-10-04 17:35:48
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