New Skoda Kodiaq SUV: prices, specs and everything you need to know

The Skoda Kodiaq was revealed at the 2016 Paris motor show and is on sale now priced from £21,495. The new Kodiaq is a large SUV that comes with five seats as conventional but has a seven-seat option. It’s aiming to trump rivals mainly on list price and carrying capacity and it will also tap into the VW Group’s well-known engine line-up. 
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As well as the five units provided from launch, car express has learned that a 240bhp performance diesel version is on the cards, while Sportline, Scout and Laurin & Klement variants will extend the trim level range. A high performance Kodiaq vRS model is said to be “under discussion”.
The new model is 4,700mm long, 1,882mm broad and 1,676mm tall; those figures are a few millimetres shorter, larger and taller than the Hyundai Santa Fe but significantly, Skoda’s providing has a wheelbase that’s 91mm longer than its Korean rival’s, at 2,791mm. Indeed, the Kodiaq sits on the largest version of the VW Group’s MQB chassis technology to be used in a European-market car; only the forthcoming VW Tiguan XL will get as long a wheelbase.
The overall stance of the Kodiaq is stronger and much more angular than we’ve seen before in the Yeti – although its broad grille and crisp headlights (influenced, as is the norm these days, by Czech crystal) are in keeping with the look of the latest Skoda Superb. The Yeti itself is due for replacement and a name change with the new Skoda Karoq set to take design cues from its Kodiaq big brother.
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Despite the size of the vehicle, Skoda has made effective use of the MQB chassis construction to keep down the Kodiaq’s weight. The firm says that it weighs 1,452kg without a chauffeur in front-wheel-drive petrol form, and that switching to four-wheel drive adds round 80kg to that total. Seven-seat versions will weigh a little much more than that again, of course.
Skoda Kodiaq SUV: prices and trim levels
That Kodiaq starting price is £900 less than the entry-level Nissan X-Trail, and considerably less expensive than similarly sized models like the Santa Fe and Kia Sorento. It’s also less expensive than the smaller, five-seat-only VW Tiguan. 
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