Skoda Kodiaq
Skoda has launched kodiaq at 34.5 lakhs in India. It was first showcased almost a year ago. With the Yeti taken off the line-up, Skoda was left with no SUV in its portfolio for the country. So after a long wait, Skoda has finally brought its first ever compact SUV from the new fold, the Kodiaq, to India.
Exterior
The front end is sharp-looking with those sleek all LED headlamps and the black Skoda ‘butterfly’ grille, which is a standard in all Skoda models. The sculpted bonnet along with the very prominent shoulder lines gives it an appearance of all muscle and no bulk. Adding to the muscle are the square-ish wheel arches with a touch of plastic cladding that houses 18-inch alloy wheels.
The crystalline LED lamps upfront get AFS or auto-function leveller, which means that putting the lamps on high beam will not dazzle the oncoming motorists.
Interior
The Skoda Kodiaq borrows several features from the Superb but misses on wireless charging. The first thing that gets your attention is the 8-inch capacitive touchscreen system which is compatible with all forms of smart phone integration. Then there are the features such as ambient lighting, hands-free park-assist, umbrellas in the front door pockets and a ‘sleep package’.
The two seats at the rear get deployable flaps on either side of the headrest and there are two blankets as well. Then you have the removable torch in the boot and the panoramic sunroof, which is 85 per cent translucent. Overall, the interior feels premium with the beige and black colour combination. But the material on the lid of the glove compartment doesn’t quite feel premium. The dashboard on the Kodiaq gets three storage compartments, two on the passenger side and one right below the steering wheel.
The rear seats have more than enough knee-room and the seats themselves could be moved back and forth by 180 mm. Getting into the third row of seats could be a problem and the middle row seats do not fall back all the way forward. The third row itself has decent enough knee room and is good enough for adults doing short distances.
Engine and Safety
At present, Skoda will offer only a single 2.0-litre DQ500 diesel engine on the Kodiaq which will be mated to a 7-speed DSG unit. Surprise to see that there is no petrol version, which is a must in current market because people are switching to petrol vehicles. The engine makes 148 bhp at 3,500-4,000 rpm and pumps out peak torque of 340 Nm at 1,750-3,000 rpm. The claimed fuel efficiency of the Kodiaq is a decent 16.25 kmpl.
Skoda also offers five driving modes on the Kodiaq, which are the Eco, Normal, Sport, Snow and Individual. The car is running on 4×4 all the time with the torque vectoring system delivering 96 per cent of the torque to the front wheels. Upon requirement, it could send up to 50 per cent of the torque to the rear wheels as well.
The Kodiaq gets 9 airbags as standard along with a host of features such as ABS, ESP, traction control, all-around parking sensors, reverse-parking camera.
On-road price in Nagpur is Rs 40,71,412.
It is expesnsive but when compared to Audi Q3, BMW X1 and Mercedes-Benz GLA, it offers much more practicality than these SUVs.
