ŠKODA Kodiaq Takes on Competitors

The ŠKODA Kodiaq has been very well received by new owners and motoring journalists alike, but two things stand out when discuss the Kodiaq with potential buyers:

1. How can a large SUV have a 1.4L engine (entry-level model)?
2. How does a ŠKODA compare to more common vehicle brands?

For the first, you really need to look at modern engineering practices by forward-thinking automotive manufacturers. Fuel efficiency is as important as ever, and that means smaller engine sizes. Because of that, engineers have been finding new ways to get more from less by using clever technology.

The notion that smaller engines don’t perform as well as modern cars with larger engines is exactly what David Linklater and Damien O’Carroll addressed in their well-titled article, ‘Cars with ridiculously tiny engines that we really like’.

The ŠKODA Kodiaq features in this article as one of the vehicles that they ‘really like’:

The Skoda Kodiaq is a large SUV the same size as a Hyundai Santa Fe, but the entry-level versions are powered by a 1.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine.

Compare this with the entry level Santa Fe’s 2.4-litre petrol four and you might think someone had got something drastically wrong.

But a closer look at the numbers reveals a different story.

While the Hyundai has 138kW versus the Skoda’s 110kW, the Kodiaq out-torques the Santa Fe (250Nm versus 241Nm). The Santa Fe’s torque peaks at 4000rpm, but the Kodiaq’s comes on in full from as low as 1500rpm.

The $44,990, 1.4-litre Kodiaq Ambition+ 4WD can even tow the same 2000kg on a braked trailer as the Hyundai. The Kodiaq downsizes the fuel consumption as well – while the Santa Fe slurps petrol at the rate of 9.4l/100km, the Kodiaq sips it at a delicate 6.3l/100km.

• Read the full article here

Meanwhile, Practical Motoring – an Australian motoring publication – took on the job of comparing the ŠKODA Kodiaq to the Toyota ‘Kluger’ (the Australian name for the Highlander), with an impressive win for the Kodiaq:

Interior:

Skoda is the shining light of the brand and the Kodiaq’s dash looks clean and simple with all the buttons you might ever want to use easy to see and reach without making it feel cluttered … Fold down the third row (270 litres with it in place) of the Skoda Kodiaq and space grows to 720 litres which is bigger than all this car’s price-point rivals.

Drive:

… the Kodiaq is a responsive, comfortable and safe vehicle to drive on both road and dirt with the all-wheel drive system working well to ensure grip in all conditions. And you can’t ask for more than that from a family-oriented SUV.

In Summary:

For some the default choice will be the Toyota Kluger simply because of Toyota’s reputation for reliability and its service coverage in this country. But that really would be the only reason you’d choose the Kluger over the Kodiaq. In every other area, the Kodiaq roundly whips the Kluger. See, the Kodiaq is better to drive, more comfortable and there’s more room and a bigger boot whatever the seating configuration, it offers Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and is a newer car, despite the Kluger being refreshed late last year, and the Kluger is more expensive, indeed the top-spec Grande variant which competes fairly with the Kodaiq costs around $20k more than the Kodiaq.

• Read the full article here
• Find out more about the ŠKODA Kodiaq