While it might not be offered in North America, Skoda is one of the most important brands of the VW Group. It generates a lot of sales in China, and the Kodiaq SUV could be considered the flagship model. First presented in September 2016, this crossover held a strange Nurburgring lap record, seats up to 7 people, and could be about to be replaced.
Skoda is a car brand from the Czech Republic, which now wants to be called Czechia. The brand was bought in 1991 by the Volkswagen Group in one of the most successful mergers of the auto industry. The Kodiaq is their big crossover, similar in architecture to the long-wheelbase VW Tiguan (standard in America).
While there have not been any spy photos of the Kodiaq II, it’s reasonable to believe that it’s currently under development, together with the next generation of the VW Tiguan. They should have similar platforms to the Golf 8, although some of the hatchback’s technology has already been implemented.
The Kodiaq was shown in September 2016, but was previewed by the VisionS concept in March the same year. As a kind of flagship crossover, it previewed the design of other Skoda models, which is why the website Kolesa put together these renderings of what it thinks the Kodiaq II will look like.
Just like the Mk8 Golf, this could be an evolution/refinement of the outgoing model rather than a completely reinvented car. But if these renderings are to be believed, Skoda’s designers are doing more than enough.
While the design is still a bit boring and practical, that front end makes the Kodiaq II stand out with main beams that are arranged vertically and a large LED brow. Its grille design has also been changed and it almost makes this look like an EV, although no such version will be available.
While the front end is reminiscent of a Kia, everything else is “Range Rover.” This unofficial concept has flush-fitting door handles. This feature has been on quite a few vehicles, especially in the sports car segment. But I think the Range Rover Velar made it famous, and now it’s on all the Range Rovers down to the Evoque. If Skoda can offer this on an affordable vehicle, it’s going to be a big change.
From the back, this Kolesa-rendered Kodiaq II looks even more like a Range Rover. The boattail design is evident in the shape of the taillights and the way the trunk forms. There are no exhaust tips or diffusers, giving this an upmarket look.
Powertrain-wise, this isn’t going to be spectacular, but we’re still optimistic. In 2018, Skoda set a Nurburgring record for 7-seat SUVs. The Kodiaq RS set a time of 9 minutes and 29.84 seconds with its 2.0 TDI that had two turbochargers and 236 horsepower. The late Sabine Schmitz was behind the wheel.
The VW Group doesn’t make this 2.0 BiTDI engine and its place was taken by the 2.0 TSI after the 2021 updates. Sadly, they gave it the GTI level of horsepower: 241 hp. Hopefully, that output will be bumped to the full 300-320 hp you get on better versions of this engine. The rest of the Kodiaq range will be made up of hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and a 2.0 TDI.
