Skoda’s seven-seat SUV is due for an update next year and the brand has teased a new image
- Same MQB Evo platform as VW Golf
- Mild and plug-in hybrid powertrains planned
- Expected to arrive in 2023
The Skoda Kodiaq has been around since 2016, so the family-sized seven-seat SUV is now due to be replaced. Little surprise then, that Skoda has just released a new teaser of the new upcoming Kodiaq, with a full reveal expected in the coming months.
We’ve previously seen the new Kodiaq testing in spy shots, but the new image is the first official preview of the large SUV. The outgoing model has proved popular thanks to its seven-seater practicality and appealing range of powertrains, and the upcoming version’s proportions don’t look to differ too much from those of the current Kodiaq.
Skoda’s teaser shows the new SUV’s side profile, featuring a strong LED headlight signature and rear light design that fades into the body. The new Kodiaq will likely take an evolutionary approach to its new styling, merging existing design cues from the Skoda range with nods to the new ‘Modern Solid’ design language of the brand’s upcoming electric vehicles, including the mid-sized Skoda Elroq and a new even smaller SUV.
Despite being significantly larger, second-generation variants of Skoda’s seven-seat SUV are expected to sit on a modified version of the Mk8 Golf’s MQB Evo underpinnings. One of our main complaints with the current Kodiaq is its lack of electrified engine choices, but Skoda has confirmed the upcoming model will be offered as a plug-in hybrid variant based on the same system as the Volkswagen Tiguan eHybrid. This will be sold alongside a range of mild-hybrid, diesel and petrol variants, although a full-electric Kodiaq is not expected given the platform on which it will be based.
While the Czech brand has pledged to go fully-electric by 2030, the new Kodiaq will not be offered with a fully-electric powertrain – making it one of the last combustion-engined Skodas likely to be developed. Those wanting an electric seven-seater will instead have to wait for the production version of the Skoda Vision 7S concept car, which will eventually sit alongside the Kodiaq in the brand’s lineup.
On the inside, we expect to see large, crisp infotainment displays, similar to those of the current Skoda Octavia. Skoda’s more recent interiors have struck a good balance between touch and physical controls, and build quality has been excellent, so we’d expect more of the same for the upcoming Kodiaq.
Skoda has said a full reveal will happen in autumn 2023 alongside an all-new Skoda Superb. Given recent inflation and production cost increases, we’d expect the next-generation Skoda Kodiaq to have a higher starting price than the outgoing model, which starts from just under £35,000. That said, the brand’s focus on providing good value for money means it should still undercut the likes of the Peugeot 5008 and the Land Rover Discovery Sport.
Keyword: New Skoda Kodiaq teased in official image