► Skoda Kodiaq caught on test
► Looks to mirror Vision S concept
► Full details ahead of Paris unveil
You’re looking at the new 2017 Skoda Kodiaq, the Czech brand’s first full-size crossover to slot above the smaller Yeti.
The company has already confirmed the 1970s-sounding TV cop show-inspired Kodiaq name, but we won’t see the car fully unveiled until the 2016 Paris motor show.
Skoda’s first family-sized SUV
Our spy photos reveal the Skoda Kodiaq to be a decently sized crossover, with something of a low-slung inflated estate car about it – rather than a top-heavy wobbly 4×4 silhouette.
This lightly camouflaged prototype waited until dusk to venture out, but CAR’s spy photographers were able to rattle off a few frames to capture the best pictures yet of the seven-seater.
And they appear to confirm that its design will mirror that of the Vision S concept car. Sober styling is the order of the day, with Skoda’s characteristically sharp-suited creases aplenty.
Skoda Kodiaq specs and engine details
Although nothing has been confirmed, you don’t have to be a clairvoyant to predict that the Skoda crossover will use many of the powertrains already seen in its VW Tiguan and Seat Ateca siblings, borrowing the running gear of the extended MQB architecture. That means the engine line-up will likely be as follows:
Petrol engines
- 1.4-litre 148bhp
- 2.0-litre 178bhp
- 2.0-litre 217bhp
Diesel engines
- 2.0-litre 148bhp
- 2.0-litre 181bhp
A plug-in hybrid is expected to join the range later in its lifecycle. The MQB platform brings a host of clever-clogs tech too, including wireless phone recharging, waggle-foot-to-open tailgates and more.
Expect the Kodiaq to rival crossovers such as the Nissan Qashqai and X-Trail in the mainstream. Skoda also has lofty ambitions to gobble sales from premium alternatives, including the Audi Q5 and BMW X3, by undercutting them on the price front when Kodiaq sales start in late 2016.
