What's all this about?
It's the all-new generation of the Skoda Kodiaq. This makes us very pleased, because we were big fans of the Czech company's largest SUV first time around, so a fresh model is most welcome. And it seems we're not alone: since 2016, Skoda's managed to shift nearly 842,000 of the things worldwide.
That's good going indeed. What are the main highlights of the new one?
It has a few firsts for the Kodiaq line, such as the ability to option up LED Matrix headlights or to equip a head-up display (HUD) for the driver, while one of the petrol engines provided now comes with 48-volt mild-hybrid (48V MHEV) fuel-saving technology. However, the headline news here is the addition of a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) version, called the Kodiaq iV - which is in keeping with other PHEVs we've seen from Skoda in recent years.
Can you detail the system on this Kodiaq PHEV, please?
No probs. It uses one of the engines provided elsewhere in the second-gen Kodiaq range, namely the 150hp 1.5 TSI turbo petrol - which, incidentally, is the engine that gains the 48V MHEV system if you opt not to have it as the PHEV - only here it is paired to an electric motor and a large, for a PHEV, 25.7kWh battery pack. The combined output of this drivetrain is 204hp, which is the joint-most you can get in the new Kodiaq family, but there are some attention-grabbing details. Such as, the Kodiaq iV will reputedly go more than 62 miles on its electric power alone, and also it can be charged at 50kW DC.
Why is that a special detail?
Most PHEVs only allow for slower AC charging, and on this score the Kodiaq has an 11kW onboard charger so that you can rejuice its battery in reasonable time if you've got a wallbox at home. But very few PHEVs, save for a few in the Jaguar Land Rover stable, can be hooked up to a DC rapid connection. It means the Kodiaq iV's battery pack ought to be able to be completely replenished in around half-an-hour, if you are on a public charger.
That is impressive. What are the other drivetrain choices, then?
We've already touched upon the 1.5 TSI MHEV, with 150hp, but there's a more powerful 2.0 TSI petrol with 204hp if you want it. Surprisingly, Skoda hasn't abandoned diesel with the Kodiaq just yet, so you can choose from either a 150- or a 193hp variant of the tried-and-trusted 2.0 TDI. The 150hp cars, by the way, are both front-wheel drive, while the higher-output TSI and TDI Kodiaqs will come with four-wheel drive as standard. Bad news for fans of three-pedal driving, though; every new Kodiaq is fitted with a DSG twin-clutch auto only. For the regular internal combustion line-up, including the MHEV, this is a seven-speed unit, but the iV PHEV makes do with just six ratios.
Any word on performance and economy from these engines?
Not as yet, but as they're not a million miles away from the specs of the old Kodiaq, you can probably make a few informed guesses as to the data we're going to get once Skoda confirms everything. Oh, and the iV PHEV will definitely be well below 50g/km of CO2, given the size of its battery pack; it'll help it enormously in terms of the WLTP-ratified numbers.
OK, can we touch on the exterior and interior as well?
Outside, the looks are a gentle evolution of what went before - again, no bad thing, because the Kodiaq was a fine piece of seven-seat SUV styling as it was. To make it roomier within, Skoda has stretched the car by 61mm to an overall length of 4,758mm, but the wheelbase is static at 2,791mm and the Kodiaq Mk2 is actually marginally narrower and lower than it was before. Nevertheless, the boot space numbers are just massive: ignoring the five-seat-only model's data, given take-up of those in the Mk1 was extremely low, the seven-seat version has 340 litres with all of its seats in use (an increase of 70 litres on the old model, and about as much boot space as you get in most Golf-sized hatchbacks these days), rising to 845 litres with row three of the seating folded down (+80 litres) and then a truly cavernous 2,035 litres (+30 litres) with just the front two chairs in situ. Bad news, PHEV fans - you lose 100 litres of boot space, due to the positioning of the hybrid running gear. Still, 745 litres with five seats in play remains vast, by prevailing class standards.
Visually, the keynotes for the Kodiaq Mk2 include the opportunity to have an illuminated grille if you want it, something already seen on the all-electric Enyaq relation, while there are split headlamp units (thankfully not like those on the facelifted Mk3 Octavia, though...shudder) and C-shaped clusters at the back. Skoda offers alloy wheels for the Kodiaq in diameters from 17 to 20 inches, while one of the colours available for the body is a new shade called Bronx Gold.
The interior features Skoda's new higher-tech interface, although those three 'Smart Dials' beneath the central 13-inch infotainment touchscreen are to be applauded. They have 32mm displays set into them and allow a physical interface to access various functions onboard the SUV - no wildly prodding at the large touchscreen, then, to get at them. Bravo, Skoda. There's also a ten-inch Virtual Cockpit instrument cluster, as well as that HUD we mentioned earlier, and the company has also ensured the extensive use of sustainable and recycled materials in much of the Kodiaq's cabin finishing. Due to the auto-only nature of the drivetrains, the shift lever is now mounted on the Skoda's steering column, while a 15-watt wireless smartphone charging pad can power up two devices at a time, even going so far as to cool them while it works; a boon.
Matt Robinson - 4 Oct 2023
