Czech brand Škoda are launching their first ever full-sized (sort of) seven-seater SUV ever here in India, and we were invited for a bit of a preview of the car at Kovalam beach in Trivandrum. Here’s the seven things that what we learned about this seven-seater.
- What’s in the name – The Kodiaq is a bit of an unusual name, but it comes with a story. See, the car, in what is becoming typical Škoda fashion, is named after the Kodiak bear that’s native to Alaska. A sort of similar theme to the previous SUV from Škoda that was once available in India – the Yeti. Only the Kodiak bear is proven to be real and the Yeti is a fictional giant snowman…Oh well, po-tay-to, po-tah-to.
- One Love – The Kodiaq will come in to India with one trim, one variant, one engine, one transmission, and one price. No confusion between bottom-end and top-ends, multi-config petrol and diesel engines and all of that. They’re keeping things simple.
- Biggie smalls – No, we aren’t referring to the rapper here. What we’re saying is that the Kodiaq is a seven-seater, but not your conventional full-sized SUV. It’s a little more compact in terms of proportions with a length of 4697 mm, a width of 1882 mm and a height of 1665 mm. Not the biggest seven-up car out there is it? However, it is quite roomy in the first and second row despite this (quite cramped in the third one though). Boot volume goes from 270 litres to 2005 litres depending on whether or not you choose to fold any (or all) rows. The Kodiaq also offers an unladen ground clearance of 188 mm. In case you’re wondering, it weighs 1799 kg (kerb) and carries 63-litres of go-juice.
- Keeping it in the Family – That one engine we mentioned? It is built on the same platform as the one we recently saw in the VW Tiguan. Therefore, it is a 2.0-litre, inline-four, turbo-diesel, however, it churns out 150 PS and 340 Nm of torque. This engine is mated to a seven-speed DSG gearbox, and the car even comes with paddle shifters. Is that enough power for a seven-seater though? Kind of. Our performance figures from the road test will be the pudding from whence comes the proof in that regard, but in city conditions, the acceleration was instantaneous and overtaking maneuvers were pretty easily accomplished. Oh, and the relatively less power should make the Kodiaq more fuel efficient, or so Škoda say.
- City Slicker – The Kodiaq does come with an automatically controlled All-Wheel Drive (AWD) system and the aforementioned ground clearance, but it isn’t what you would call an avid off-roader. You can venture off the tarmac from time to time of course, but if you’re looking for a dedicated mud-slinger you’d be better off going for something more purpose-built.
- Toys R Us – The Kodiaq comes with a lot of gizmos and gadgets and plain clever features. This includes an eight-inch infotainment with Car Play, ‘Droid Auto etc, an option for the car’s in-car mic to amplify your voice and play it across the speakers (handy for scolding noisy kids apparently), a headrest with extra supports to help sleep (in the second row), optional blankets with handy front-headrest mounted holders to enhance that support assisted sleep, and more.
- Price, price baby – Well…Škoda haven’t quite announced the price yet. They’ve penciled in the 4th of October for that, although they did hint that it would be competitive, as all Škoda cars are. Stay tuned on the 4th of October to our social media and website for the lowdown on the Kodiaq’s cost.
If you want a more in-depth look at what the new Kodiaq brings to the table (one that seats seven, of course) then don’t forget to pick up the forthcoming issues of Car India Magazine as soon as they hit the stands!
