Skoda Kodiaq Facelift to launch in January 2022: Will rival Toyota Fortuner

Zac Hollis, Skoda’s Director has revealed that they will be launching the facelift of Kodiaq in January 2022. The SUV has already been spotted in India without any camouflage and Skoda has already launched the new Kodiaq in the international market. The production of the Kodiaq will start in December this year.

Kodiaq will come to India as a CKD or Completely Knocked Down unit. The prices of the Kodiaq are expected to start from somewhere around Rs. 34 lakhs ex-showroom. Skoda Kodiaq will compete against Volkswagen Tiguan, MG Gloster, Toyota Fortuner and the upcoming Jeep Meridian.

Kodiaq will now be offered only with a petrol engine. It will be a turbocharged, four-cylinder unit with a capacity of 2.0-litres. The engine is able to produce 190 PS of max power and 320 Nm of peak torque. It comes mated to a 7-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic gearbox that drives all the four wheels.

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This is the same engine that is doing duty on Skoda Octavia, Volkswagen Tiguan AllSpace, Skoda Superb and Audi Q2. Before this Kodiaq was offered with a 2.0-litre TDI diesel engine that produced 150 PS of max power and 340 Nm of peak torque. It was also offered with a 7-speed DSG automatic gearbox that drove all the four wheels. So, the 2.0 TSI is more powerful than the 2.0 TDI that it replaces.

Design

Skoda has made subtle changes to the design of the Kodiaq. It now looks more sleeker and premium. There are new slimmer LED headlamps with LED Daytime Running Lamps and a sleeker grille. The headlamps now also get Matrix technology so there are individual LEDs that can turn off and black out the part from where the oncoming traffic is coming. This will not make the oncoming driver dazzle. The fog lamps now use LED elements which are better than halogen units.

There are strong but simple shoulder lines and an elevated front bonnet. The front and rear bumpers have also been revised and there are new LED tail lamps which are also slimmer. There are new alloy wheels that measure 20-inches in size. However, in India we will get smaller alloy wheels because roads of India are filled with potholes that can damage such large alloy wheels. Moreover, smaller wheels have better ride quality.

Interior and features

The cabin of the Kodiaq has also been slightly redesigned. It now gets a two-spoke steering wheel that we have see on the Kushaq, Octavia and Slavia. There will be a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster and a new touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Other features include ambient lighting, automatic climate control, push button to start/stop engine, leather upholstery, premium sound system, cruise control etc. There will also be Skoda’s “Skoda Connect” connected car technology.

Dimensions

The Kodiak has a length of 4,697 mm, height of 1,681 mm and a width of 1,882 mm. The boot space measures 835-litres. With the rear seats folded, the boot space measures 2,065-litres.

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