Skoda board member Bernhard Maier spoke of a game changer. D.he premiere of the "big" compact SUV Kodiaq in Berlin was perfectly prepared. Everything should make sense. Hip videos, live music, bears and the big wide world on the huge screen in the huge event location, the Berlin power station. Industrial habitat and ambassador for the fascination of "think big". That you could also integrate nature with the Kodiak bears - an ingenious marketing move. Generally: "Kodiaq", named after the bear and the island off the coast of Canada. Only with Q instead of the second K in the name. But there was also an explanation and a quick film for that. Even the mayor of Kodiak was there. To protect the Kodiak bears, Skoda unpacked a donation check. A show of PR, finely tuned and coherent in itself. But what is the “game changer” that the board of directors spoke of? Another SUV? Or the first SUV from the Czechs?
Can 2017, when the Kodiaq comes to dealerships, be an SUV? Hardly likely. Then the Kodiaq is an electric SUV? Or at least a plug-in hybrid? No. None of it. The Kodiaq is just an SUV. He also can not drive three petrol, two diesel and even drive. If the board of the "game changer" speaks, then he must rather have the sales figures in view.
The evening of the world premiere in Berlin was headed: Discover new grounds. That too has to be understood more metaphorically. This does not mean the off-road talents, not the SUV genes, not even the visit to the island of Kodiak, which has simply been renamed “KodiaQ”, it is the new sales markets that this SUV should open up. Let's go into foreign realms. New markets and possibly entry into the US market? There you would be lost with Fabia & Co, but a Superb and a Kodiaq could get off to a strong start in the USA.
So what is the Kodiaq? - The world premiere in retrospect
Even if the Kodiaq is first and foremost a typical SUV, it still has some details that are new to Skoda. As is typical for the Czech automobile manufacturer, he makes the most of the options available. The Kodiaq is based on the VW Group's MQ construction kit and is therefore a close relative of Volkswagen Tiguan and Seat Ateca, This shows the direction of the march. Because even if the Kodiaq is bigger than the Tiguan, he keeps a constructive respect distance to the Touareg. The fact that the Kodiaq is a "compact SUV" can hardly be categorized with a good 4.7 meter length. But that's the way it goes with the Czechs. There was always something more car for the money. Since the Kodiaq of the "compact SUV class" feels at home, its 720 to 2.065 liters of boot volume are now also the benchmark in the class.
Even the standard shiftable rear seat makes sense. More space in the trunk, or maximum legroom for row two? For an extra charge, 2 folds additional seats in the trunk out of the ground.
The Kodiaq gets as the first ever Skoda the new reinforced 7-speed dual-clutch transmission. Now engines up to 600 Nm can be used with the 7 gear DSG. First of all, you have to be patient with the engines. If you are looking for the big 240 PS TDI, you're looking for nothing. Here one will keep a temporal respect distance to the parent company. And so the range stretches on the petrol from 125 150 to 180 PS and the diesels can choose between 150 and 190 PS.
The combination of "strong" diesel, 4 × 4 drive and DSG then also allows use as a towing vehicle with a trailer load of up to 2.5 tons. But a not inconsiderable proportion of Kodiaq buyers will be satisfied with less. The 125 and 150 PS petrol engines are available as pure front-wheel drive variants, as is the 150 PS diesel. The 4 × 4 Kodiaq will have around 20 centimeters of ground clearance. Not spectacular, but enough to get off the beaten track.
Also new is the chance to have a virtual all-round view. Areal View Skoda calls the combination of four outdoor cameras and a virtual 360 ° -view in the monitor of the 8-Zoll multimedia system. In general, Skoda has upgraded the safety and assistance systems. The Tow-Assist steers the Kodiaq with trailer backwards, the parking aid slows down now also in the backward drive and the Savings Assistant allows a "Traffic Jam Assist", which facilitates the annoying ride in traffic until Tempo 65. However, only in combination with the DSG and adaptive cruise control. Driver Alert also monitors the driver for signs of tiredness and, if necessary, calls for a break. New also the option of Emergency Assist, the in the event of a driver's emergency, the Kodiaq independently in the lane holds and slows to a stop. Overall, Skoda has made generous use of the safety and assistance systems of the upper middle and upper classes. And of course the ice scraper is in the tank lid. Simply clever calls it Skoda, just practically we say. Meanwhile, Skoda has around 30 of such "simply clever" solutions. The Kodiaq is, for example, the first Skoda, which now also has a fold-out door edge protection. A narrow plastic rail that folds out when you open the doors to protect against parking damage.
That you get for the second row small folding tables, a way to attach tablets in the front seats or even the small removable flashlight, which otherwise serves as boot lighting. In addition the umbrella in the door paneling. It is exactly these little things that you learn to appreciate.
Skoda has not yet announced official prices, but we expect € 24.900 for the entry and good € 39.800 for the top variants with large diesel, DSG and all-wheel drive. No, the Kodiaq doesn't reinvent the SUV theme. It also doesn't provide answers to questions that haven't been asked yet - it's just, again, a little more SUV than other brands in its class can offer. A game changer? No, just a guarantee of sales success and that was already part of the game at Skoda ...
Oh yes, there was something else: The plug-in hybrid technology and e-mobility should be close to Skoda, after all, a message that was really new.