2017 Skoda Kodiaq, the Czech Version of Our Next VW Tiguan
Modularer Querbaukasten (MQB) is a many-splendored thing. Volkswagen Group’s MQB architecture has brought us many cars of many sizes, but the new Škoda Kodiaq stands as one of the outliers, the biggest so far to be spun from this web of shared componentry this side of the long Škoda Superb flagship and the forthcoming Volkswagen Atlas and the first to have three rows of seating. It won’t be coming to the States—our lobbying on behalf of the Škoda brand in Americaclearly still has a ways to go—but it does give us a sneak preview of the extended-wheelbase version of the VW Tiguan, which will share the Kodiaq’s seven-seat platform when it arrives next spring. We’d previously driven only VW’s five-seat European version of the new Tiguan.
Škoda Auto traces its history to 1895, when its founders, Messrs. Laurin and Klement (who were not, as we initially suspected, Czech Muppets), got together to produce bicycles, which soon led to motorcycles and, by 1905, cars. The company’s location on the wrong side of the Iron Curtain saw it producing a range of charismatic (if frequently asthmatic) rear-engined sedans and coupes during its Communist era. Volkswagen bought a controlling stake after the Curtain fell, although Škoda still does much more of its own engineering than does Spanish sister brand SEAT, which is more dependent on Wolfsburg for its car development. Yet, aside from the compact Yeti crossover, the Kodiaq is the company’s first proper SUV.
Designed Like Cut Glass
The design certainly is distinctive. Škoda’s current styling language is inspired in part by the intricate cut glass that the Czech Republic is well-known for, although the Kodiaq’s angular lines and sometimes unexpected contours also could be attributed to an obsession with origami. Visually it hides its mass well; at 184.9 inches in overall length, it’s 8.3 inches longer than a Europe-spec Tiguan (but 4.1 inches shorter than the current, five-seat Touareg, which sits on the bigger MLB architecture). That makes it a bit shorter overall than a Kia Sorento but on a slightly longer wheelbase.
The cabin is spacious and well designed, although some of the materials feel surprisingly cheap—our test car featured the least convincing plastic wood we’ve seen in some time. Much of the switchgear is shared with other VW Group products, but the range-topping navigation system features a haptic screen for its 8.0-inch display and operated with a slickness we’ve not seen on any Volkswagen system so far. Optional equipment includes a battery of driver aids including a Tow Assist system that helps with reversing a trailer at lower speeds—select the angle you want between the car and whatever you’re pulling using the mirror-adjustment switches, and the system will automatically steer the tow vehicle to maintain it.
There’s plenty of space in the first and second rows, with the (optional) third-row seats popping out of the load floor when required. There’s more room for anyone relegated back there than is normally the case for such part-time pews, although the high window line allows only a limited view for shorter occupants. Such an arrangement lacks the appeal of the raised “theater seating” found in crossovers such as the Mazda CX-9. The ability to slide both sides of the second row separately eases access to the back—although it’s still a scramble—and makes it possible to carve out enough space to accommodate smaller (or less vocal) adults without complaint. If Volkswagen delivers similar space in the seven-seat Tiguan, buyers will be well pleased.
Familiar Powertrain Elements
The Kodiaq’s European target market means that only four-cylinder engines are available, with three gasoline and two diesel powerplants available from launch, ranging from a base 123-hp turbocharged 1.4-liter through to a cleaned-up 188-hp version of the 2.0-liter turbo-diesel that got Volkswagen into so much trouble. The basic Kodiaq comes with front-wheel drive and a manual gearbox, justified by what will be ultra-competitive pricing in most European markets, but plusher versions have all-wheel drive through the familiar clutch pack developed at Haldex and now produced by BorgWarner. The automatic options in Europe are six- or seven-speed dual-clutch units that VW calls DSG; we’re expecting a conventional torque-converter automatic offering eight ratios when the seven-seat Tiguan comes to America.
We drove the range-topping gasoline and diesel variants. The 2.0-liter TSI is VW’s familiar EA888 four-cylinder engine in its middling 177-hp state of tune and delivers respectable performance with an enthusiastic soundtrack. (A more powerful version is likely to follow in the Škoda, probably wearing RS badging and offering as much as 280 horsepower.) Worked hard, the Kodiaq does a decent aural impression of a two-ton Golf GTI. The 188-hp turbo-diesel makes more torque but sounds coarse and, despite its 11-hp advantage over its gasoline counterpart, doesn’t feel noticeably quicker. But it seems we’re in no danger of seeing the TDI in America any time soon.
The Kodiaq’s size (and seat count) make it a heavy beast. We figure that the seven-seater with the 1.4-liter and front-wheel drive weighs about 3500 pounds and the all-wheel-drive hi-po diesel tips the scales near 4000 pounds. That mass becomes evident when trying to make faster progress. The Kodiaq handles tidily enough but is completely lacking any go-faster vibes, with a heavy-feeling nose and what could well be the most sensation-free implementation yet of MQB’s electrically assisted power steering. The cars we tested had adaptive dampers and steel springs, which delivered excellent ride quality in Comfort mode and remained impressively pliant even when switched to firmer settings. Refinement is good, with only slight wind whisper from the tops of the front doors breaking the serenity at cruising speeds.
The Kodiaq is one of those cars that has been engineered to satisfy rather than to excite. As such it’s an excellent reflection of the brand values that have turned Škoda into such a success with value-seeking consumers in the parts of the world lucky enough to be allowed to buy its cars. It’s sad that we’re not among them, although our Mexico-built VWs are approaching the value proposition that Škoda represents in Europe. If Volkswagen can offer the same seven-seat package with a sharper driving experience in the new Tiguan, and price it as aggressively as Škoda has the Kodiaq, it could be a winner.
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