An extremely important addition to the 2022 Kodiaq is Skoda’s Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC). In essence, DCC alters the suspension tune by changing the damper settings (aka adaptive dampers).
Skoda Kodiaq
What you’ll like:
- The ultimate “value luxury” SUV! Classy styling, solid build & superb quality
- Cabin offers space, practicality and lots of intelligent features
- Impressive 2.0L turbo-petrol is mated to a quick 7-speed DSG automatic
- Cushy ride quality in “Comfort” mode (L&K variant)
- Sorted handling & road manners in “Sport” mode. Adjustable suspension is a USP of the L&K
- 3rd-row of seats is an advantage over some 5-seater competitors
- Massive boot with 3rd seat row down. Boot is useable even with the 3rd seat row up
- Impressive kit (12-speaker Canton ICE, panoramic sunroof, 360-degree camera, auto parking…)
- AWD available to get you out of tricky situations. Tourers will love it
- 5-star safety rating & equipment (9 airbags + a host of electronic aids)
What you won’t:
- Workhorse 2.0L turbo-diesel is no longer available. Heavy users will miss its low running costs
- Single digit fuel economy of the turbo-petrol AT in the city. Drops drastically if you drive aggressively
- Its sibling, the VW Tiguan, is priced a couple of lakhs cheaper
- Expensive! Worse still, Skoda increased the Kodiaq’s pricing within days of the launch
- Cramped 3rd row of seats is strictly for small children. A 5+2 SUV, not a 7-seater
- Styling does look Estate-ish from some angles. Doesn’t have that much street cred or presence
- We feel that the “Sportline” variant should’ve been offered with the DCC & other L&K features
- Skoda’s ill-famed dealership network & after-sales horror stories
- Skoda’s patchy long-term reliability track record (including, but not limited to, the DSG)
- Silly feature deletions from older Kodiaq (rear door sills, 1 umbrella, 1 blanket, chrome tip on power window switches, removeable torch in the boot, red warning lights on the front doors…)
Volkswagen Tiguan
Toyota Fortuner
What you’ll like:
- Fantastic 2.8L diesel engine has gotten even better. More power, more responsive!
- Smooth and competent 6-speed automatic gearbox
- Contemporary styling & imposing street presence
- Tough build. Toyota body-on-frame UVs are known to have very long lives (400,000+ km is realistic)
- Smooth petrol also available, if you want more refinement and / or are from Delhi-NCR
- Features such as Quad-LED headlamps, powered tailgate, wireless smartphone charging, ventilated seats & more
- Impressive offroad capability (by big SUV standards) is superior to its direct competitors
- Top-notch safety kit. 7 airbags, ESP, TC, hill assist, ISOFIX & 3-point seatbelts for all
- Outstanding long term reliability. And you get great resale value as well
- Toyota’s excellent after-sales quality, fuss-free ownership experiences, low service costs & up to 7 years of extended warranty coverage
What you won’t:
- The already-expensive Fortuner has gotten even more expensive! Top variants cost 45-lakhs OTR
- Legender variant has many limitations (no petrol, no colour options, no MT)
- Firm & bumpy ride quality. Bad roads in the city are prominently felt inside
- Heavy steering at low speeds will bother you
- Lots of body roll. Go easy on the curves
- Missing sunroof, lumbar adjustment, auto-wipers, TPMS, adaptive parking guidelines etc.
- 6-speaker sound system is terrible for a 40-lakh rupee car!
- Cost-cutting evident in a couple of areas; some interior plastics, ICE audio quality, camera display…
- Fortuner’s petrol variant is a guzzler. We’ve seen merely 6 – 7 kmpl on the AT
- No longer a full-time 4×4 like the 1st-gen car. Also, 4×4 carries a Rs. 3 lakh OTR premium
MG Gloster
What you’ll like:
- Huge & imposing size! Bigger than even the likes of the Fortuner
- Splendid long-distance mile muncher. The Gloster is built for expressway cruising. Just set the adaptive cruise control and let the Gloster waft along
- ADAS safety features such as autonomous emergency braking, blind spot monitor and lane change assist are cool & work well
- Suspension is tuned for comfort. Gloster owners will enjoy its ride quality
- Spacious cabin with captain seats at the back and a usable third row too!
- Interior ambience is nicer vs the competitors which are utilitarian in comparison
- Loaded with features – panoramic sunroof, 12.3″ touchscreen ICE, driver seat with massage function, 360 degree camera, three zone climate control, PM 2.5 air filter etc.
- 343 liter boot even with the 3rd-row seat being used
What you won’t:
- Engine and gearbox tuning are shockingly terrible inside town. Turbo lag and the gearbox’s reluctance to downshift make things awful in city traffic
- Massive size can be a handicap in urban India. Quite cumbersome in tight areas
- While the interior looks premium, you know it is not as well-built as a Toyota or Ford
- Top-end Savvy variant is optimistically priced at par with the well-established Fortuner
- Savvy variant doesn’t get the 3-seater bench option for the middle row. Captain seats = 2 occupants
- 4,000 rpm redline is too early. Engine has a very narrow powerband
- Urban fuel economy is mediocre due to the power & fat kerb weight
- Twin-turbo diesel, 8-speed AT & gizmos bring a lot of complexity. Long-term reliability is unknown (unlike the Fortuner)
Kia Carnival
What you’ll like:
- A truly luxurious MPV that’s also high on practicality
- Top quality, spacious & comfortable interiors. 3rd-row is usable for adults too
- Fantastic engine & gearbox combination! 2.2L diesel & 8-speed AT impress
- Comfy ride quality & neutral road manners
- Available in 7, 8 and 9-seater configurations
- 540L boot space with all three rows up and 1,624L with the third row down
- Impressive kit (2 sunroofs, premium Harman Kardon sound system, electric rear doors & more)
- 5-star safety rating. Kit includes 6 airbags, ESP, HSA, CBC etc.
What you won’t:
- Massive size can make it cumbersome in the city, while parking & in narrow lanes
- Ordinary urban fuel economy due to the 2.2 ton weight, 197 BHP engine & AT gearbox
- Underbody does scrape on bad roads & large speed bumps, especially with a full load
- Top Limousine variant isn’t sold as an 8-seater & its 3rd row access is difficult
- Steering is a level too firm at parking speeds & a level too light at 120 km/h
- Some misses such as paddle shifters, a skinny spare tyre, no auto-wipers or front camera…
- Model is now 7 years old in the international market; next-gen Carnival is being tested
- Stylish 4×4 SUVs like the Fortuner / Kodiaq can be had at the same price
Citroen C5 Aircross
What you’ll like:
- A superbly engineered & properly premium crossover
- Very stylish exteriors & interiors! We love the design. It’s matched to solid build quality
- Good quality cabin with comfortable seats, lots of storage & fantastic insulation
- 2.0L diesel engine is quick, efficient & extremely refined
- Smooth 8-speed AT gearbox impresses
- Excellent ride comfort and mature road manners. High speed behaviour is sorted too
- Large, well-shaped 580 liter boot gobbles up holiday / airport luggage
- Loaded to the gills with features such as a panoramic sunroof, handsfree tailgate opening, customisable instrument cluster, double laminated front windows, terrain modes…
- 4-star rating in the Euro NCAP crash test. 3-point seatbelts for all five occupants, 6 airbags, blind spot monitoring system, ESP, hill hold, hill descent control and more
What you won’t:
- Rear legroom is strictly adequate. Two 5’10″ adults can sit behind each other, but not two 6-footers
- No turbo-petrol engine (big miss), no AWD for tourers & no manual gearbox for MT fans
- Not really sporty to drive. Cars like the Compass are more fun
- Missing some features we expect today (connected car tech, wireless charging, ventilated seats, 360-degree camera, subwoofer…)
- The bolstering of the 3 individual rear seats is suitable for slim passengers, not heavier ones
- Audio sound quality is alright, but nothing special as you’d expect in a premium car
- Many competing crossovers & SUVs offer a 3rd-row of seats, which the C5 Aircross doesn’t have
- The LHD orientation of many controls (gear shifter, e-brake, bonnet release, engine start button)
- Long-term reliability & after-sales service quality are big unknowns
Here’s what GTO had to say:
My favourite body-on-frame SUV from this segment has been discontinued (the fantastic Endeavour 3.2L). The Fortuner’s ride is too bumpy for my tastes, and the Gloster is too soft.
There are three cars that truly impress me here. The Kodiaq, Carnival & C5 Aircross. I’d go with the Kodiaq because it is truly a well-rounded crossover that matches luxury SUVs from a segment or two above. Carnival would be choice no.2 if I needed to move a big family or needed that middle-row comfort. It’s the only van I’d ever buy.
As things stand today, the Kodiaq gets my vote. The facelift is really something else.
Here’s what BHPian abhijet.sen had to say:
While price wise a segment lower, I see no reason why XUV700, Harrier Twins and Hector twins are missing from the list. Size and Technology wise they cannot be considered a lower segment. Rather these cheaper alternatives offer much more bang for bucks than most of these over priced counter parts. They are charging more for their brand. Most of all, for price of category topper (Fortuner) you can buy 2 of these cheaper alternatives.
Here’s what BHPian Bibendum90949 had to say:
Kodiaq undoubtedly. I’ve voted for reasons as below. Comparing it with Toyota Fortuner (not an apple to apple comparison though) since that’s the other popular choice, rest are marginal players – Gloster, Carnival and Aircross. My second choice would be VW Tiguan.
– Driving Dynamics – miles ahead of others in the fray.– A true Euro car.– Safety of a Monocoque vs the BOF fortuner.– assured 5 star crash safety, not just GNCAP but the more stringent Euro NCAP too.– Car like comfort, ride and handling.– powerful TSI motor with impressive spec. TDI would be sorely missed though. A twin turbo TDI with 190 BHP would’ve been a real stonker.
– Still a good few lakhs cheaper than the perennially and exorbitantly priced Toyota with an iffy safety. You trade off safety for reliability.
Having said that, the real threat for Kodiaq would come in the form of Jeep Meridian with it’s 2.0 diesel by mid of this year, since the news spread by grapevine is that it’s going to be a 200 BHP tune. The TSI only option would put the German on the backfoot then. So hey Skoda, make hay while the sun shines.
Keyword: Skoda Kodiaq vs VW Tiguan vs Toyota Fortuner vs MG Gloster