Orders for the brand-new Skoda Kodiaq open on 10 April, with prices starting from £36,645.
Two trim levels are available at launch – SE and the better-equipped SE L – with a third Sportline trim to follow later on.
SE certainly isn’t short of standard equipment, with LED lights, keyless start, 18-inch alloy wheels and heated front seats. On top of this, SE L includes 19-inch wheels, adaptive LED headlights, Skoda’s ecoSuite upholstery selection – with a mix of real and artificial leather – a powered tailgate and keyless entry. Sportline is likely to mix the SE L’s equipment with more athletic looks.
Prices for the SE trim start at £36,645 and go up to £39,805 before options, while SE L trim ranges from £40,205 to £46,225.
The Kodiaq is a large SUV and most versions get seven seats. It shares parts with the SEAT Tarraco and Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace, and also rivals the Peugeot 5008 and Land Rover Discovery Sport. It’s been a huge hit for the Czech brand since it first came out in 2016, and this new version brings more technology, style and practicality to the party.
Styling
On first impressions the Kodiaq might not look vastly different to the car it replaces, but look closer and you'll see lots of new design features. The front end still features a wide grille and split headlights, but the design has been freshened up with crisp new lines.
It's a similar story at the rear, where the rough shape of the light units is similar to the current car, but more defined. LED bulbs will be used for a sharper, cleaner look.
There's a more noticeable change in the side profile, where the rear passenger windows are linked to the rear windscreen by a piece of coloured trim. It's likely that this trim piece will be either black or silver, depending on the specification. There are shades of Kia Sorento and Land Rover Discovery in its design, hinting at a more upmarket-feeling car.
Interior and technology
Skoda has completely redesigned the Kodiaq's interior. There's a massive 13-inch infotainment touchscreen mounted at the top of the dashboard, rather than the current car’s design where the eight-inch screen is built into the centre console. A slim digital instrument cluster is fitted as standard. The Kodiaq also features customisable push buttons with digital displays – these mainly control the heating and ventilation, but the centre dial can also control the media volume, drive modes and map zoom. Skoda's maximised storage space on the centre console by moving the gear selector to the steering column, like in a Mercedes.
Like the Enyaq, the Kodiaq will be available with a few different interior themes, called Loft, Lounge and ecoSuite – the latter boasts recycled polyester trim and leather that's been tanned in an eco-friendly way using coffee beans. Options will include an upgraded sound system, massaging seats, an illuminated grille, a head-up display and a rear light bar connecting the tail-lights.
Five and seven-seat versions of the Kodiaq will again be available and, despite only a modest increase in length, boot space is much bigger than the outgoing Kodiaq – which you could hardly call impractical. Five-seat Kodiaqs have a vast 910-litre boot (75 litres more than current cars), while seven-seat Kodiaqs offer 845 litres with the third row folded. Even with all seven seats in place, there's a 340-litre boot, which is almost as much as a Volkswagen Polo's boot.
Engines, running costs and performance
While the Superb and Octavia have offered a plug-in hybrid engine in recent years, the Kodiaq has never offered any type of hybrid powertrain. That’ll change with the new car, which will boast both mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid options. The mild-hybrid tech is offered on the entry-level 1.5-litre 150hp petrol, which also boasts active cylinder deactivation to save fuel.
The new plug-in hybrid offering promises over 60 miles of electric-only driving – so you might be able to do several days' worth of driving without needing to plug in or use any petrol. Combined, it produces 204hp. Unusually for a plug-in hybrid, the Kodiaq PHEV will be able to charge on a DC fast charger at up to 50kW. You’ll have to wait a little longer for the plug-in hybrid, as it’s not available from launch.
These hybrid engines will sit alongside non-hybrid petrol and diesel engines. All Kodiaqs now come with an automatic gearbox and four-wheel drive is available once again on the most powerful engines.
Versions over £40,000 will be subject to a higher VED (road tax) charge than cheaper models until the car is six years old, while hybrid versions will be subject to fractionally lower road tax bills than non-hybrid ones.
When will I be able to buy a new Skoda Kodiaq from Motorpoint?
With the new model on sale from April 2024, you should start to see nearly new examples landing at Motorpoint stores in the next few months. Check out our range of used Skoda Kodiaq cars for sale if you need a practical, spacious SUV right now.
