2017 Skoda Kodiaq: 8 things you didn’t know

The Skoda Kodiaq is the Czech brand’s first seven-seat SUV, and will be arriving in Australia next year. We’ll be getting a 2.0 –litre TSI turbocharged petrol engine from launch, with a 2.0 TDI turbo diesel joining the range later.

1. The Skoda Kodiaq sits on VW Group’s MQB platform and therefore is closely related to the existing Skoda Octavia and Superb, and also the Volkswagen Tiguan. It’s currently the only MQB car to be available with seven seats.
   
   
2. It’s a big car – at 4697mm in length it’s closer in size to the Volkswagen Touareg (4801mm) than it is to the 4486mm Volkswagen Tiguan. Skoda says the petrol-engined TSI weighs 1738kg with a 75kg driver and the diesel-engined TDI weighs 1795kg.

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1. Other markets will have the option of manual gearboxes and front-wheel drive, but all Australia-bound Kodiaqs will have all-wheel drive and a seven-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic gearbox as standard.
   
   
2. The 132kW 2.0 TSI petrol engine will be the only powerplant available from launch, with the 140kW 2.0 TDI diesel joining the range later. Skoda says it hopes to have the diesel in Australia within 12 months of the petrol version going on sale.
   
   
3. The edgy styling shares the design language of the Octavia and Skoda Superb. We’re told that it was inspired by the artisan cut glass for which the Czech republic is famous.

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1. The optional “tow assist” system can help at low speeds when reversing a trailer. It allows the driver to select the angle they want the trailer to take using the electric mirror switch, with the car then steering automatically to maintain this.
2. Skoda is working on a ‘coupe’ version of the Kodiaq for the Chinese market that will feature a lower roofline, similar to the BMW X6 or the Mercedes GLE Coupe. The company says it might be sold elsewhere, too.
   
   
3. More powerful versions are likely to follow, and Skoda says it hasn’t ruled out producing an RS (Skoda’s equivalent of VW’s “GTI” badge) performance version that would most likely be powered by the 206kW 2.0 TSI engine that we believe will arrive soon under the bonnet of a range-topping Skoda Superb S.