Test drive Skoda Kodiaq
The towbar pops out from under the bumper, the third row seats easily fit underground, the trunk opens with a swing of the foot, and the doors are protected by retractable panels. Alas, not all of this reached the Russian market.
From a distance, Kodiaq is easy to confuse with the Audi Q7, which is twice as expensive, and close up it is replete with multiple stampings, chrome and smart LED optics. There is not a single controversial element here - even fancy lanterns seem quite appropriate. In general, Kodiaq is the most beautiful Skoda in the modern history of the brand.
Inside, everything is also very decent, and some solutions, even by the standards of the class, look expensive. Take Alcantara, cool acoustics, soft contour lighting, and a giant multimedia screen, for example. But belonging to the mass market still gives out too simple tidy with the same inclined scales, a gray climate control unit and a steering wheel, as in the Rapid. But it seems that Skoda is not at all shy about all this, because Kodiaq was invented for something completely different.
There is an awful lot of space here. In the pictures it may seem that the back sofa is too narrow - do not believe it. In reality, three of us can sit here and drive a thousand kilometers without back pain. It's better not to get carried away with the third row: they usually carry there no more than half an hour, but, it seems, for children - just right.
In pursuit of additional space above the head, in the legs, elbows and shoulders, Skoda forgot about the main thing - the driver. I got used to the unusual landing in the Kodiaq for about three days: it seems that the range of adjustments of the steering column and the seat is abundant, but I cannot find a comfortable position. Either the steering wheel overlaps the instruments, then the pedals are too far away, or, on the contrary, I do not reach the steering wheel. As a result, I sat down, like on a chair in a theater - high, level and not quite right.
The 2,0-liter TSI did not give up on the Kodiaq as in a driver's car. It produces 180 hp. (by the way, this is the most basic firmware for this motor) and together with the "wet" seven-speed DSG accelerates the crossover to "hundreds" in 7,8 seconds - not a record, but by the standards of the class it is very fast.
Like all relatively compact VAG cars, the Skoda Kodiaq crossover is built on the MQB architecture with McPherson struts in the front and multi-link rear suspension. In terms of dimensions, the Kodiaq surpasses most of the class "C" crossovers, including the closely related Volkswagen Tiguan. The model is 4697 mm long, 1882 mm wide, and in terms of wheelbase (2791 mm) Kodiaq has no equal in the segment. Trunk volume varies from 230 to 2065 liters, depending on the configuration of the cabin.
The Russian set of engines differs from the European only in the set of diesels - we only have a 150-horsepower 2,0 TDI available. The petrol range is opened by the 1,4 TSI turbo engines with a capacity of 125 or 150 hp, and the second, at low load, is able to turn off two of the four cylinders to save fuel. The role of the top-end unit is played by a 2,0-liter TSI with 180 horsepower. The base engine comes with a manual gearbox, more powerful - both with a manual gearbox and with a DSG robot, all two-liter engines - also with a DSG gearbox.
Initial petrol modifications can be front-wheel drive, more powerful - with an all-wheel drive transmission with a Haldex clutch, which has recently been supplied by BorgWarner. The clutch independently distributes traction along the axes, regardless of the driving mode selected by the driver. After 180 km / h, the car becomes front-wheel drive.
The suspension can be fitted with optional DCC adaptive dampers that change settings either independently using vertical acceleration sensors, or in accordance with selected settings. The set of driving modes includes Normal, Comfort, Sport, Eco and Winter algorithms.
- Dad, show me some trick with the car?
The four-year-old son is already interested in cars, and this time he contacted exactly the right address. He's seen the parking lot and the leg-swinging power boot, but there's definitely more to the Kodiaq. For example, a towbar that pops up after pressing a button. Or the straps on the boot floor, which can be pulled to create another row of seats. Such space for hide-and-seek games briefly saves me from asking to explain the purpose of each box under the hood, but the child instantly comes up with other tasks for me: "Dad, let's buy a trailer and drive it just like that?"
We don't really need a trailer or a towbar, but a spacious seven-seater cabin is another matter. With visible pleasure, I come up with a scheme according to which two child seats will fit in the car, leaving the possibility of using the rest of the seats for other relatives. This is the usual story of a trip from his summer cottage to his parent's, or, in the winter version, a large crowd to the rink. But the kids end up with their own salon plans, which definitely include a parent's headache.
The big Kodiaq blows these games into space quite stoically and does not exactly suffer from numerous transformations of the cabin. As a driver, I'm not happy with the deliberately high bus landing at the wheel, but in the situation of a family trip, it is enough for me to know that everyone else will be happy and comfortable. Including luggage, which, even in a 7-seater configuration, still has a good 230 liters under the curtain. And I almost don't care how this car drives, because I know that Skoda does it at least well.
From the point of view of the consumer, the ideal car is a powerful sports car of the premium brand with an open top, and from the point of view of the marketer, the client is always a successful business owner with an active lifestyle and a set of sports equipment. But for years polishing car interiors, inventing cup holders of the correct shape, containers for storing gloves and phones, as well as completely ingenious pimples-clips at the bottom of the bottle covers was worth it so that a real driver with a real family could not think about a thousand little things that could get mad in a car full of restless people.
The only really disappointing thing was the rubber bands that slide out when the doors are opened to protect their edges. On cars assembled in Russia, they are absent in all trim levels. And the point is not even that in tight parking lots you still have to be careful. This is minus one spectacular trick in the car, which would definitely appeal not only to children, but in general to everyone, without exception.
The relatively large crossover of the Skoda brand appeared quite unexpectedly. Tests of the future model started in early 2015, and the first official information about the new product appeared only a year later, when the Czechs began to reveal sketches of the crossover. In March 2016, the Skoda VisionS concept was presented at the Geneva Motor Show, which became the prototypes of the future production car.
In the autumn of the same year, a production car was shown in Paris, which differed from the concept only in details. Hiding door handles disappeared, mirrors ceased to be miniature, optics became a little simpler, and instead of the futuristic interior of the concept, the production car received a mundane interior, assembled from their familiar elements.
Initially, it was assumed that the flagship crossover of the Skoda brand would be called Kodiak after the Kodiak polar bear, but in the end the car was renamed Kodiaq in order to give the name a softer sound in the manner of the language of the Alutian aborigines, indigenous to Alaska. The premiere of the car was accompanied by a film about the life of the modest settlement of Kodiak in Alaska, whose residents for one day changed the last letter in the name of their city to "q" in exact accordance with the name of the new model.
At the next Geneva Motor Show in March 2017, two new versions debuted - the Kodiaq Scout with improved geometric flotation and a more serious protective bypass, and the Kodiaq Sportline with special body trim, sports steering wheel and seats.
It seems that during the not very long period of Skoda Kodiq's presence in our market, one very serious delusion has already firmly established itself in the public consciousness. It's like the Kodiaq is the perfect car for just a large family.
In fact, this is not entirely true, and its design is to blame. Against the background of the harmoniously balanced Octavia and the perfectly proportioned Superb with a touch of premium gloss, the Kodiq looks too hectic. Maybe I get this impression because of the peculiar front optics of the Czech crossover. Or from the fact that I met one a couple of times on the TTK, completely wrapped in an acid-colored film.
Yes, and at the same time I remember that it has a spacious interior, and almost each of the seats has its own isofix mounts. But who said that a large family with grandchildren, grandmother and a parrot in a cage must travel in such an interior.
As for me, this salon with countless cup holders, drawers, pockets and gadget clips is much more suitable for a young company.
Basic Kodiaq with 125 hp engine and the manual gearbox is sold in two initial trim levels, Active and Ambition, and costs a minimum of $ 17. The first offers only electric mirrors, a stabilization system, front and side airbags, heated seats, a tire pressure sensor, 500-zone climate control, 2-inch wheels and a simple radio. The second is distinguished by the presence of roof rails, trunk nets, improved trim and interior lighting, curtains, passive distance control assistant, start button, front and rear parking sensors, light and rain sensors, cruise control.
Prices for 150-horsepower front-wheel drive cars with a DSG gearbox start at $ 19, but there is already a Style version ($ 400) with even more interesting trim, electric driver's seat, atmospheric interior lighting, driving mode selection system, LED headlights , a reversing camera and 23-inch wheels.
All-wheel drive costs at least $ 19 for the Active version with manual gearbox or $ 700 for the DSG robot. The 20-horsepower all-wheel drive Kodiaq with DSG in the Style trim level costs $ 200. And two-liter cars can only be with four-wheel drive and a robot, and the complete sets start from Ambition. Prices - from $ 150 for gasoline and from $ 24 for diesel. At the top are the chicly equipped Kodiaqs in Laurin & Klement versions, which come in only two liters and cost $ 000 and $ 24 for the gasoline and diesel versions, respectively. And this is not the limit - there are three dozen more items in the list of options worth from $ 200 to $ 23.
The "off-road" Kodiaq Scout is at least a 150-horsepower car with DSG and all-wheel drive starting at $ 30. The package includes roof rails, engine protection, special interior trim with atmospheric lighting and off-road operation of the units. Prices for the two-liter Scout start at $ 200 for the diesel and $ 33 for the gasoline variants. The "sporty" Kodiaq Sportline is priced at $ 800 for the 34-horsepower car, while the two-liter versions start at $ 300.
| A type | Crossover |
| Dimensions (length / width / height), mm | 4697/1882/1655 |
| Wheelbase, mm | 2791 |
| Curb weight, kg | 1695 |
| engine's type | Gasoline, R4 |
| Working volume, cubic meters cm | 1984 |
| Power, h.p. at rpm | 180 at 3900-6000 |
| Max. cool. moment, Nm at rpm | 320 at 1400-3940 |
| Transmission, drive | 7-st. rob., full |
| Maximum speed km / h | 206 |
| Acceleration to 100 km / h, from | 7,8 |
| Fuel consumption (horizontal / route / mixture), l | 9,0/6,3/7,3 |
| Cargo space, l | 230-720-2065 |
| Price from, USD | 24 200 |
