The Skoda Kodiaq comes to India at a time when the SUV trend is at its peak. Consumers want a car that has a commanding on-road look and is good to drive. The Kodiaq will be Skoda’s first full size SUV in India and will make its debut in India tomorrow. The Octavia vRS too will be unveiled together with the Kodiaq and the company will reveal the technical specifications of the models that will be soon launched in India. The new Skoda Kodiaq is the first 7-seater SUV to be introduced by the Mlada Boleslav-based carmaker and in India. To jog your memory, the first SUV to come to India from the Skoda stable was the Yeti and though it had a premium price tag, it did pretty well. The Kodiaq, however, sets its target on the Toyota Fortuner, Ford Endeavour and even the Volkswagen Tiguan.
Internationally, the Skoda Kodiaq SUV was first unveiled last year in September in Berlin while the production of the SUV began a month later in October 2016. We have already driven global-spec Skoda Kodiaq and were truly impressed by its built quality, features and performance. Most of the offerings that we mentioned in our review are expected to be offered with the India-spec Kodaiq as well but we will come to know for sure only after the SUV is unveiled.
Essentially, the Skoda Kodiaq is built on the same MQB platform as the Volkswagen Tiguan and shares most of its underpinnings with the latter. In terms of styling, the Kodiaq SUV employs the company’s latest crystalline design language, which is now commonly seen in all new-generation Skoda cars like the Superb and the Octavia. There are sharp lines, creased metal and very layered, bejewelled lighting elements. The Kodiaq SUV also comes with the signature butterfly grille flanked by sharp headlamps and LED daytime running lights. The bumper design is bold and aggressive, while the squared wheel arches and the larger roof rails give the Kodiaq that macho SUV stance.
Under the hood, the new Skoda Kodiaq will come in three engine iterations- a 2-litre, 4-cylinder turbocharged petrol unit that churns out peak power of 177 bhp and peak torque of 320 Nm, the 2-litre 4-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine will produce 147 bhp of max power output and 340 Nm of max torque or 187 bhp and 400 Nm of peak power. Transmission options include a 6-speed manual gearbox and a 7-speed DSG unit.
Several Skoda dealers in India have already started accepting bookings for the Skoda Kodiaq for a token of about ₹ 20,000. The SUV will officially go on sale in India around the festive season and the prices are expected to be somewhere in the ₹ 25 lakh to ₹ 30 lakh range. But, considering the GST Council is in talks about increasing the cess on SUVs and luxury car by an additional 10 per cent, the top-end model’s price could stretch up to ₹ 35 lakh. Currently, SUVs in this segment fall under 43 per cent tax bracket.
[“source-auto.ndtv”]