Škoda has been making cars since the early 20th century. They started as Laurin & Klement, a name forged from the founders' last names, and they began with bicycles, like a lot of other automakers. After dabbling in cars, they were acquired by the state-owned company Škoda Works, before becoming a VW subsidiary in the early 90s.
These days, Škoda, makers of the excellent Enyaq iV, is a global automotive juggernaut, and they're one of the most successful brands in all of Europe, as well as other markets. In 2016, the Czech brand launched its first-ever SUV; a fantastic mid-size one called the Kodiaq. Unfortunately, the Kodiaq is not available in North America, but there are a few good reasons why it should be.
10 It Looks Good
When you look at the Kodiaq and compare it to some other three-row mid-size SUVs on the market currently, it seems like a breath of fresh air. Almost every new SUV is going after the almost customary teardrop fastback shape, and they all make great efforts to look "sporty" or "exciting," as the marketing blurb sometimes says.
The Kodiaq won't set the world on fire, but it does look good. It has simple, clean lines and just a little bit of rugged styling. It's clean, purposeful, and it looks great for it. This is the approach Škoda has always taken, and if you're after a pretty inconspicuous midsizer, this is definitely worth a look.
9 It's Big And Practical
The Škoda Kodiaq is based on the VW Group's MQB A2 platform, which also underpins the familiar-to-North-America VW Tiguan, as well as their Spanish cousin, the SEAT Tarraco. The Kodiaq is a little bit bigger, though.
The bigger dimensions mean a more imposing look, to an extent, but it also means that the Kodiaq offers more cargo room and passenger space than its platform siblings, and even quite a few rivals. The Kodiaq, like these performance-focused SUVs, is very practical. The size difference is especially appealing when you consider the Kodiaq's pricing. Speaking of which...
8 Amazing Value For Money
With very, very few arguments, the Kodiaq is widely considered to be the best value family SUV on the market at the moment. It undercuts both the Tiguan and Tarraco, despite being bigger, and way undercuts most of its other rivals.
In Germany, the Kodiaq starts at around 29,000€, which is around 6,000€ cheaper than the equivalent Tiguan Allspace, and around 2,000€ cheaper than the Seat Tarraco. Although the Kodiaq does get pretty pricy with options, it's still better value than the Tiguan in a lot of ways, as long as you're fine with the badge on the trunk lid and hood.
7 There's A Sporty RS Version
Truth is, Škoda has offered a Kodiaq RS for a couple of years now. The model was first shown in late 2018, and it was the most expensive Škoda model ever at the time. Power came from a 2.0-liter twin-turbo TDI diesel engine with 240 hp and a meaty 369 lb/ft of torque.
With diesel engines bowing out, even in Europe where everyone loves them, the facelifted 2021 Kodiaq swaps out the oil burner for the 245 hp 2.0 liter EA888 gasoline unit as seen on the Octavia RS and, albeit with slightly less power, in the Golf GTI. That should give the Kodiaq smoother gasoline engine acceleration and less weight (60 kg/132 lbs, to be exact), but there is the obvious torque tradeoff.
6 It's Geared For Comfort, And That's Okay
More than a few modern mid-size crossovers make attempts to be fun to drive. While some of them are very successful at it, it often means there's a tradeoff for ride comfort, not to mention your kids in the rear seats getting upset that you've gotten a bit vigorous with the family hauler.
Thanks to this push to make every SUV fun, it's nice to see some mid-sizers are geared more towards comfort and relaxation, rather than driver engagement, and the Kodiaq falls under that category as well. With the exception of the RS model, the Kodiaq is purely geared for comfort and stress-free driving, and it's very, very good at doing it.
5 The Interior Is Very Well Thought Out
Climb inside the Kodiaq, and you'll find an interior that... ultimately, isn't incredibly exciting or daring in terms of design. However, where you lose out on style and flamboyance, you gain on layout and logic.
New for 2021 is Škoda's controversial two-spoke steering wheel. Other than that, everything is familiar, well laid out, and easy to see and understand what it does. There's a new digital dash, a new, larger infotainment system, and climate controls. What's more, Škoda hasn't adopted Volkswagen's fiddly new capacitive climate controls, there's just regular knobs and buttons. The only thing we're unsure about is the starter button, which is mounted on the side of the steering column where the key would normally go.
4 Third Row Seats
One of the reasons why the Kodiaq is so practical and such good value for money is that it has three-row seating. Seven seats are standard on every Kodiaq, save for the base model, where they're optional. They're also very well designed, and can fold away to create a flat cargo floor.
Obviously, they aren't exactly huge, and adults would be a bit of a tight squeeze if it's a particularly long journey, but they'll be more than fine for children, and adults for short journeys as well.
3 Brand New Tech
Tech is what drives the auto industry these days, so it's a good job that Škoda has chucked all sorts of new tech at the facelifted Kodiaq. For 2021, the Kodiaq gets an updated version of the digital dashboard, as well as a brand-new infotainment system, up to 9.2 inches in size, and now includes Škoda's "Laura" voice-controlled assistant.
There's also a wireless charging pad, as well as new USB Type C ports in the front, replacing the conventional USB ports in the pre-facelift car. The optional Canton sound system now has 10 speakers instead of 8, and for the first time in a Škoda, you can have heated and ventilated seats, and they can massage you as well. New safety tech also joins the list, with stuff like an updated rear cross-traffic alert system and
2 Great Engines
As part of the latest facelift, the Kodiaq can now be optioned up with the latest generation of the VW Group's "Evo" engines. The base unit is a 1.5-liter turbo 4-cylinder with 148 hp, and there's also a 2.0 liter with 187 hp, and the RS model gets a 2.0 liter with 245 hp. The latter two offer standard AWD, and the base engine is paired to a manual transmission.
There are also two flavors of diesel, both of them displacing 2.0 liters. The less powerful one develops 148 hp, and the other one puts down 197 hp to the ground. Both are automatic only, and the most powerful one is also equipped with AWD. The engines should be good on fuel, relative to the segment, and they feature new tech that cuts down NOx emissions by up to 80%, which is very impressive. Interestingly, there's no word yet about a plug-in hybrid version, although it's very likely to happen.
1 A Very Competitive Segment
Okay, so it's extremely unlikely that the Kodiaq, or indeed, Škoda as a brand, will ever be offered in North America. We can only dream of it, but if the Kodiaq were ever to arrive at the continent, it would be a great addition to the three-row family SUV segment.
The Toyota Highlander and Honda Pilot have dominated the mid-size SUV class for years now, and in theory, the Kodiaq should prove to be a great competitor to them both. It is worth noting that, due to the size of the Kodiaq, it would be more in line with cars like the Ford Escape and Honda CR-V in North America, but the three-row seating would put it into battle with the big dogs. Whether or not it happens, it would be an interesting battle to see.