The Skoda Kodiaq you see right here is sort of gone from Australia.

A brand new mannequin is ready to the touch down within the latter phases of 2024, spelling the tip for the present iteration of the primary seven-seat Skoda offered in Australia.

Earlier than it goes, the present Kodiaq has been handled to a value minimize. The Sportline is now priced according to the bottom Fashion for lower than $60,000 drive-away; and a completely optioned mannequin will set you again lower than $65,000 on the street.

Though that’s not low-cost, the Kodiaq packs in lots of gear for the cash. There’s greater than only a lengthy gear record to the runout Kodiaq, although. Even with simply months to reside, it has a lot to supply.

How does the Skoda Kodiaq evaluate?

View an in depth breakdown of the Skoda Kodiaq towards equally sized automobiles.

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Kodiaq

How a lot does the Skoda Kodiaq price?

Skoda is at the moment providing a run-out low cost on the center Sportline variant that matches its value with the Fashion, because it gears up for the arrival of the SUV’s subsequent era in November this yr.

To see how the Skoda Kodiaq strains up towards the competitors, try our comparability device.

What’s the Skoda Kodiaq like on the within?

The Kodiaq is trying its age inside alongside extra fashionable rivals, however in some circumstances that’s a optimistic.

Certain, the touchscreen is a bit small, however you get correct buttons and dials on your local weather controls. That’s proper, precise buttons – not capacitive panels pretending, or a touchscreen with an old-school structure.

Whenever you’re driving, it means much less time along with your eyes off the street to deal with easy duties.

The basics are wonderful right here, too. The bucket-style entrance seats provide a superb mix of assist and long-haul consolation, and it’s straightforward for drivers of all sizes and shapes to get snug. It’s an excellent automobile for freeway driving, particularly with the non-compulsory heating and cooling capabilities energetic.

The motive force is confronted with a digital instrument binnacle, which was up to date with new graphics in 2022.

Like most Volkswagen Group merchandise, it means that you can pare issues proper again and present simply your pace and revs, or to bombard you with details about all the pieces out of your navigation to the help programs.

Taking pleasure of place in the course of the dashboard is a 9.2-inch touchscreen. It seems a small alongside the widescreen shows provided in rivals, and the responses are slower than we’ve come to count on within the iPad age, nevertheless it’s nonetheless full-featured due to navigation, wi-fi Apple CarPlay, and wi-fi Android Auto.

Storage areas abound. There’s an area beneath the central armrest, and a tray in entrance of it that may act as cupholders, or flipped to carry cash and keys. Beneath the centre console is a wi-fi telephone charger and USB-C ports, whereas the door bins are sufficiently big to swallow 1.5-litre bottles.

The motive force’s door additionally homes a bin, which is right for those who chew gum compulsively.

Whereas we’re speaking ‘Merely Intelligent’ touches, there’s an umbrella hidden within the driver’s door, a parking ticket holder on the windscreen, flip-down items on the headrests to assist sleeping heads within the rear, and blankets that connect to the headrests to maintain the youngsters heat.

House within the second row is standout. Headroom is superb, even with the panoramic sunroof fitted to this tester, and there’s sufficient legroom there for six-footers to take a seat behind leggy drivers.

The fold-down central armrest, air vents, sunshades, and rear temperature controls imply the youngsters shall be snug in all circumstances, though the dearth of rear USB ports is a miss.

I’ve spent six hours in a Kodiaq with 4 adults on board and no-one complained, which says a bit about how snug it’s.

As for the third row? It’s not as spacious. The Kodiaq is a extra of a 5+2 than a full-time seven-seater, with seats suited to small youngsters on brief journeys.

Entry is tight, however with the rear seats folded forwards little youngsters will be capable to scamper by means of, and revel in sufficient house for shorter journeys.

The cupholder on the left and storage pocket on the fitting are good touches, however you don’t get USB retailers or face-level air vents again there.

That is comprehensible when you think about how ‘small’ the Kodiaq is relative to section rivals.

At 4697mm lengthy it’s 269mm shorter than a Toyota Kluger, however presents equally wonderful house for 5 and a greater drive within the metropolis.

The ground folds completely flat with the third row folded, and there’s storage beneath it for the cargo blind. This can be a very neatly packaged automobile, regardless of which approach you spin it.

To see how the Skoda Kodiaq strains up towards the competitors, try our comparability device.

What’s beneath the bonnet?

There’s one powertrain shared throughout Kodiaq Fashion and Sportline variants, and so they each include all-wheel drive as commonplace.

To see how the Skoda Kodiaq strains up towards the competitors, try our comparability device.

How does the Skoda Kodiaq drive?

The Kodiaq stays a elegant automobile to drive, with smooth-moving turbo energy and a cushty journey.

I ran a Kodiaq Sportline for 3 months in a previous life, and the automobile spent most of its life locked into Consolation mode… which was additionally the case throughout my week behind the wheel this time round.

It dulls the engine’s responses down, and dials the adaptive dampers proper again for a beautiful relaxed feeling behind the wheel. Though it’s known as the Sportline, this Kodiaq is the kind of automobile that makes you breathe a sigh of aid.

The steering is gentle sufficient to make parking a breeze, and its upright design and tall home windows make for a automobile that’s straightforward to see out of in tight areas.

It’s not good, in fact. Though these 20-inch alloy wheels look sharp, additionally they transmit sharp-edged bumps into the cabin greater than the 19-inchers on the Fashion sitting under it within the vary no matter which drive mode you’re in.

The twin-clutch transmission sometimes journeys over itself while you put your foot down away from the lights and the beginning/cease system has been energetic, with a clumsy pause earlier than transferring away.

With expertise you learn to give the system what it must work easily, however there’s a studying curve there.

When you’re rolling, the 132kW engine has loads of punch. The twin-clutch transmission defaults to a tall gear, however put your foot down and it kicks down neatly to place you within the meat of the torque band.

For the cut-and-thrust of each day site visitors it has loads of go, though there are occasions while you put your foot down that the Kodiaq feels a bit like a giant automobile with a small coronary heart.

It’s by no means significantly loud or uncouth, however the further punch on provide in a Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace 162TSI or the 180kW Kodiaq RS with its Golf GTI engine is noticeable.

It’s not an issue at a cruise, the place the Kodiaq settles down properly. The engine hums alongside at lower than 2000rpm in seventh gear doing the restrict in Australia, whereas noise and vibration suppression are distinctive given the worth.

European manufacturers typically battle to make their automobiles quiet over coarse chip Australian nation roads, however the Kodiaq maintains its composure properly.

It’ll be attention-grabbing to see how far ahead the brand new mannequin due later this yr strikes the sport, as a result of even within the twilight of its life the present automobile punches above its weight.

Skoda’s driver help expertise is a few of the finest. The adaptive cruise management system neatly maintains a spot to the automobile in entrance, the lane-keeping help confidently nudges you again between the white strains when required, and blind-spot monitoring is neatly built-in into the mirror housing. It’s the little issues, proper?

What do you get?

Kodiaq Fashion standaard gear:

• 19-inch alloy wheels
• 9.2-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• Wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Wi-fi telephone charger
• Satellite tv for pc navigation
• 10.25-inch Digital Cockpit digital instrument cluster
• Energy-folding, auto-dimming, heated aspect mirrors
• Adaptive cruise management
• Twin-zone local weather management
• Keyless entry and begin
• Energy tailgate
• Automated headlights and wipers
• Door edge protectors
• Leather-based-trimmed sport steering wheel
• Leather-based upholstery
• Privateness glass, rear window solar blinds
• LED headlights
• LED daytime working lights
• Fog lights
• LED rear fog lights
• Pill holders on entrance seat backs

Kodiaq Sportline provides:

• 20-inch alloy wheels
• Alcantara/leather-based sports activities seats with silver stitching
• Matrix LED headlights*
• Headlight cornering and poor climate perform*
• Gear shift paddles*
• Energy-adjustable driver’s seat*
• Drive mode choice
• Progressive steering

*Obtainable for the Fashion as a part of an non-compulsory bundle

Choices

Run-Out Pack: $4600

• Adaptive Chassis Management (dampers)
• Park Help
• Energy entrance passenger seat
• Heated entrance, rear seats
• 3-zone local weather management
• 360-degree cameras (Space View)
• Adaptive Lane Steering
• Emergency Help
• Off-Highway mode
• Sleep Pack
  • incl. airline model rear headrests

Ventilated entrance seats: $2300

Panoramic sunroof: $1900

Is the Skoda Kodiaq protected?

The Skoda Kodiaq doesn’t have a present ANCAP security ranking, nevertheless it did obtain a five-star ranking in 2017 which expired for automobiles offered from 1 January, 2024.

Commonplace security gear consists of:

• 9 airbags
  • Driver and entrance passenger airbags
  • Driver’s knee airbag
  • Entrance and rear aspect airbags
  • Entrance and rear aspect curtain airbags
• Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB)
• Adaptive cruise management
• Driver consideration monitoring
• Reversing digicam
• Entrance, rear parking sensors
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Rear cross-traffic help – with braking
• Multi-collision brake
• Lane help with adaptive lane steering
• Site visitors jam help
• Emergency help

How a lot does the Skoda Kodiaq price to run?

Skoda presents a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre guarantee throughout its vary.

The model presents pay as you go service packs that may be purchased upfront, or at any level earlier than the automobile’s first service. The five-year, 75,000km service pack will price you $2900, whereas the seven-year, 105,000km plan is $3350.

CarExpert’s Tackle the Skoda Kamiq

There are fancier, newer, and greater seven-seat SUVs on the market, however at its new drive-away value the Kodiaq nonetheless has a lot to supply.

What it lacks in high-tech sparkle it makes up for with its strong, sensible inside, and driving dynamics that also get up in 2024. The Sportline is the choose of the vary, given the additional gear on provide relative to the Fashion that prices precisely the identical quantity.

The brand new Kodiaq coming to Australia later this yr will little question transfer the sport ahead for Skoda, and put extra strain on the Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sportage, together with the Nissan X-Path and Mitsubishi Outlander.

Within the meantime although, the outgoing mannequin is a rock strong technique to carry a household round for lower than you’d’ve in any other case paid.

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