Skoda India is soon going to strengthen its assault with yet another SUV – the facelifted Kodiaq. The Czech carmaker is heavily relying on its SUVs to make a dent in the market and going by the reception its recently launched Kushaq has received, it seems like their strategy is working. A recent media report suggests that Skoda India is planning to commence the production of the updated Kodiaq by the end of this year, followed by deliveries commencing in early 2022.
The timeline
The Skoda Kodiaq facelift was recently unveiled globally with a new face and new features. The Czech SUV was long overdue for an update considering that it has been in the market for the last 4 years. The updated Kodiaq will most likely be priced at a premium by looking at the recent launches by Skoda. It will go up against the likes of Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace, Toyota Fortuner, Ford Endeavour and MG Gloster.
Exterior
The exterior gets a new hexagonal Skoda butterfly grille and full LED matrix headlamps. You also get a new set of alloys with the vRS version getting 20 inch Sagittarius alloy wheels. The bumpers have been refreshed with mesh effect for the air inlets and L shaped finishing touches on the sides. The taillights are full-LED units and are sharper and slimmer than before.
Interior
The interior gets a 10.25-inch display which is compatible with Android Auto and Apple Carplay. The updated seats get a multiway electric adjustment, memory function, massage function, ventilated and heated function along with adjustable lumbar support.
The Kodiaq will also get the traditional Skoda two-spoke steering wheel as seen in the recent Skoda cars. Additional features include a virtual cockpit, panoramic sunroof, dual-zone climate control, electronic parking brake, 360-degree parking camera and Canton premium sound system. The boot space of the Kodiaq will be 835 litres which can be further expanded to 2,065 litres with the rear seats folded.
Powertrain options
Globally, the Kodiaq will be offered will multiple engine and transmission combinations with power figures ranging from 150hp to 245hp. The BS4 Kodiaq in India used to be powered by a 2.0-litre TDI which churned out 148hp and 340Nm of torque.
However, since Skoda has done away with diesel powertrains in its line up, we expect the BS6 Kodiaq to be powered by the turbocharged 2-litre TSI engine which churns out 190hp and 320nm of torque. Transmission duties will be taken care of by a 7-speed dual-clutch DSG transmission and we expect it to come standard with 4×4 like the previous iteration.