Skoda Kodiaq First Drive Review

Why will I buy the Skoda Kodiaq?

For its immense all-round appeal - It looks great, drives well, seats up to seven occupants and is feature loaded.

Why will I avoid the Skoda Kodiaq?

2-litre TDI motor in 150bhp guise isn't effortless on the highway. Needs a tad more power and torque. 

SUVs, as we know, are the go-to family cars despite our trend-driven and price sensitive new car market, and none wears this mantle quite like the all-new Skoda Kodiaq. Now the Kodiaq may have arrived after the hot and highly anticipated Octavia RS, but when you look at the bigger picture (Read: 7 seats, 4x4 and immense road presence), it’s nothing short of a giant killer that will help Skoda gain some prominence in the premium SUV space. 

The Kodiaq isn’t as tall or robust looking as say, Toyota’s Fortuner or the Ford Endeavour. That said, it isn’t as compact or curvy looking as a typical soft-roader either. The Kodiaq, in fact, hits that sweet spot in design – it’s broad-shouldered and attracts plenty of stares. However, it’s not excessively large meaning it’s rarely cumbersome to navigate through traffic. In typical Skoda fashion, its lines are clear and precise – this applies in particular to the highly recessed shoulder line which adds some visual drama.

From a distance, the Kodiaq may not appear all that striking but as you get closer you will begin to appreciate its finer details. The narrow, raked headlights (which flow seamlessly into the grille), the elegant 18-inch alloys, angular wheel arches and the C-shaped kink at the rear lights and the tailgate are some of the stand out elements. All in all, the Kodiaq is one handsome looking SUV, with crisp detailing and spot-on proportions for an urban SUV, that is. 

Unlike any other model from Skoda’s past, the Kodiaq is big, rides high and seats up to 7 occupants. Its interior design and layout, however, is a familiar affair and that’s a good thing. Like the Superb and the new Octavia, the cabin is pretty well rounded with well layered and low-set dash and clever use of lighter materials. The steering wheel, instrument panel and the climate control stack are all shared with the Superb. What’s unique to the Kodiaq are the vertical elements such as the four large air vents. The gear lever, too, is different and is nice and chunky to hold. 

Despite the fairly wide cabin, the ergonomics are spot-on, with plenty of seat and steering wheel adjustment to get comfortable. The control stalks behind the wheel and the climate control switches are within easy reach. The Kodiaq’s storage game is pretty strong, too, with twin glove boxes, a large storage bin under the front armrest and equally practical door pockets. 

Placed right in the middle of the dash is the 8-inch touchscreen display for the infotainment system. Featuring Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, the system is crisp, clean and is paired to a 12-speaker high-end sound system which is easily the best in this segment. Speaking of leading the class, the Kodiaq is loaded to the boot when it comes to equipment and safety – you get nine airbags, ABS, ESP, traction control, panoramic sunroof, electric tailgate, parking sensors all around, ambient lighting and electric front seats. All of that is standard affair in this class, but what’s unique in here are some of the clever features including drowsiness alert, hands free parking and pop-out plastic strips that veer out to protect the door edges when you open them. What’s more, the sound system includes microphones up front that are meant to pick up the occupant’s voice and relay it through the speakers to make conversations easier above road and wind noise. 

Those large side windows, the far-reaching windscreen and the panoramic sunroof contribute to the Kodiaq’s airy ambience. The front seats are nice and big and the cushioning is spot on, too. Similarly, the rear bench is quite roomy with a great deal of under-thigh support. However, the cushioning here is a tad firm and the seatback isn’t as deeply sculpted as the front. The bench has a 40:20:40 split feature and it can be moved back and forth by up to 180mm for variable legroom needs. Surprisingly enough, the bench doesn’t tumble forward which means getting into the third row is bit of a squeeze. As for the space in here, it’s good enough only for a couple of kids - the combination of a high floor and low seat means you end up sitting in a cramped manner with your knees locked in.

With all three rows up, the Kodiaq’s 270-litre boot is impressive and fully usable. With the third row folded flat, the boot is a lot more capacious at 630-litres but it’s when you put the second row down as well, that you realise how big and practical the Kodiaq’s 2,005-litre storage is. 

Under the long bonnet of the Kodiaq sits a 2-litre turbo diesel engine with 150bhp of power and 340Nm of torque. This is the same motor that powers the Octavia and the Superb in different state of tunes. For the Kodiaq, Skoda has focused on driveability and fuel efficiency keeping in mind the SUV’s extra weight. 

The Kodiaq feels rock solid at high speeds and the ride is comfy too

Press the starter button and you will notice less noise and fewer vibrations through the cabin than a lot of rivals. Although there is a tiny amount of that typical diesel buzz, the engine overall is a commendably subdued unit. It impresses under most conditions and allows this big vehicle to mask its weight and get up to speed effortlessly. Thanks to the strong bottom-end and mid-range, this motor never feels strained at city speeds. It’s only when you hit those wide multilane highways that you begin to seek more punch out of this motor. The progress in momentum gets noticeably slower at over triple digit speeds and the Kodiaq just ends up sounding strained when pushed hard. 

While it doesn’t feel rapid, the Kodiaq pulls away strongly off the line and is acceptably brisk for daily duties due, in no small part, to the 7-speed dual-clutch automatic which is quick and responsive when you are in a hurry and you need to reel in that gap in traffic. At slow speeds, we feel this gearbox is smoother in the Kodiaq compared to other Skoda models – there is less hesitancy in stop/start traffic and the downshifts are better masked, too. On part throttle, it upshifts early at the meat of the torque band to make quick progress. This gearbox really allows the Kodiaq to stretch its legs out on the highway, thanks to the tall sixth and seventh ratios. Cruising at 120kmph with the engine hovering at just 1,800rpm, the Kodiaq is quite the long-distance hauler.  

The Kodiaq gets several driving modes including a Snow mode. In Sport, it behaves noticeably different as the steering gets heavier and the throttle response becomes crisper. Through corners the Kodiaq feels stable and predictable – the steering is light and feels ideally weighted once you put on lock, with sufficient bite on centre. Now the Kodiaq isn’t as keen to turn in or change directions like some of the German crossovers but then it doesn’t wallow like a ladder frame SUV either. All told, its body control is more car like and it’s got good ride refinement and noise suppression. Speaking of which, the suspension irons out potholes well, and though it picks up rapid corrugations, reverberations into the cabin are next to none.

The low speed ride may be a little firm but the suspension is superbly refined. At high speeds, the Kodiaq settles down quickly after going over undulations and ploughs on over whatever you point it at. There’s inherent composure to its chassis that gives the driver great sense of control behind the wheel.

So what’s the bottom-line, you may ask? As a family car, the Kodiaq ate up most of what we threw at it. It’s well put together, comes with a ton of clever features and the usual array of feel-good premium equipment. The cabin is immensely spacious and legitimately versatile, too – one can really use the Kodiaq to haul heavy stuff or ferry a large family.   

If you are after ultimate road presence and burly looks then the Kodiaq isn’t the car you should be looking at. It will get dwarfed by the likes of Ford Endeavour and Toyota Fortuner, after all. However, if you looking for a quality, all-round SUV, the Kodiaq makes for a mighty impressive choice.

The Kodiaq is expected to be launched with a base price of around Rs 30 lakhs ex-showroom for the entry-level trim. Given its luxury quotient and proportions, it will go up against quite a few rivals ranging between crossovers and full-on SUVs. Stay tuned for our detailed comparison tests in the coming weeks. 

Pictures by Kapil Angane

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