ŠKODA KODIAQ VRS

It is Skoda’S first attempt in the big car segment and they have done a great job. This is a 7-seater car which gives comfort to all the passengers (not control of everything) which is something that we expect from a Skoda.

And now they have launched up the VRS version of it which is for rally sport range. Toyota Fortuner, Audi Q3 and Ford Endeavour are going to be the real rivals for Kodiaq. Will this instalment of SUV by Skoda be able to withstand the attacks of an already established brand in the market?

Looks:

The looks of this car are something to talk about. A stylish and clean-cut design like this is only seen in SUVs from luxury brands. The front grill and attached headlight give the classic Skoda feel and the remaining body shows something different. The alloy wheels are really amazing and the front headlight with adaptive front light and LED daytime running light shows style us what design with purpose means. There is a hidden rubber strip which comes out from the edge of the door which prevents the door from hitting the nearby parked cars or damaging it.

The Kodiaq gets its name from the Kodiak bear that can be found in Alaska. Though it doesn’t look huge like the bear but more compact and solid.

vRS front grill and the rear bumper looks good as usual Skodas. Coming to the backside, LED third brake light in the rear spoiler is some innovative idea so is the LED rear fog lights. The metallic blue colour combined with black gives you a stunning look with minimum effort. The car looks sporty enough, but if it’s really sporty or not will be discussed in the performance part in this review. It is a seven seater and you can get in the last row of seats which is quite comfortable for kids yeah. Tall persons, no.

Overall the car looks compact, sturdy and capable of withstanding the competition in the market and on the road.

Interior:

It is identical to all the Skoda you have seen, most from Octavia like a glove box, dashboard etc. There are auto headlamp and parking sensors all around. There are drowsiness sensors wow. In the backseat, you get an additional pouch for a blanket, well if it’s too cold inside as well outside. You will have a commanding position on the driver seat which gives you the comfort and confidence to drive.

When it comes to the interior, the first thing I want to talk about is the door sill panels with KODIAQ logo, wow. The Alcantara sports seats with vRS stitching and logo are nice looking, while carbon finished dashboard and door inserts give us a good premium vibe (it is though is a premium car).

Courtesy lights in front and rear are cool. Alcantara door the panel, aluminium pedals and LED light pack, textile floor mats, black roof headlining and what not!

Specifications:

Engine and Drivetrain

Cubic capacity	1,968
Cylinders	4
Cylinders - bore – mm	81.0
Cylinders - stroke – mm	95.5
Number of valves	19
Number of gears	7
Transmission type	Automatic

VEHICLE DIMENSIONS

Height - mm	1,665
Height (inc. roof rails) - mm	1,685
Length - mm	4,699
Wheelbase - mm	2,790
Width - mm	1,882
Width (inc. mirrors) - mm	2,087

Performance:

Kodiaq now holds the fastest 7 seater track record for the Nurburgring, but in a way, they are the only one who has done it for a 7 seater cars. Yes, it a diesel engine with a 240bhp and yes it doesn't feel right to have a diesel engine in an RS car. 

But you have to keep this in mind that the main purpose of this car is to be a “family car” i.e, to make all 7 people reach from point A to point B safely and comfortably but, if there is vRS batch on Skoda then it adds to be a bit quicker then the standard. It is more powerful and it can reach 0-100kph in just 7 sec, well it is good for a 240bhp 7-seater SUV. 

It is a big SUV so I know you will be thinking that for a vRS batch they must have fitted a stiffer suspension, but no it is just the standard one which gets a bit stiff in sports mode, now you will be thinking what's the use of power if there is no good suspension to control the body, and yes you’re 100% right but, the standard car already had a good body dynamics and making it stiffer will just make the car uncomfortable to drive especially on bad roads, and Skoda  don't want to compromise on comfort (you know German cars).

I will say it was a right step even with this added power there is not much body roll which will not make you nervous. By ‘you’ I mean ‘the driver’, I don't know about the other 6, they may be screaming with joy or, just screaming (no fun intended).

As it is a 4-wheel drive, there are lots of grips to push it around, 4-wd doesn't make it a good offroader, you can take it on the rally stage or on loose surface tracks and you will enjoy it going around the bends and sliding a big heavy car, but not much of an off-roader, it can do mild ones because of ground clearance and advantage of being a 4wd, but as I said before, don't expect much. 

But with 500NM of torque u can make it pull anything you want, it might have enough torque even to pull a plane.!

Price:- Rs 36.79 lakh (ex-showroom)

Final Verdict:

Looks and design: 8/10

Specs & features: 8/10

Dynamics & performance: 6/10

Safety & quality: 8/10

Good looking car with features, comfort, and power. If you’re looking for is a 7 seater car, and you know you're never going to do serious off-roading then you can go for it.

This is a car with great on-road potential and rides to take you to your desired point with ease.

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