New Skoda Kodiaq Coming Soon: Specs, price and release info

The Skoda Kodiaq is a firm favourite among family drivers, as you’ve told us several times in our owner-voted Auto Trader New Car Awards. From Best Seven-Seater in 2019 to Best Car for Long Distances in 2022 where the Kodiaq hasn’t already won a top prize it’s been a frequent finalist, and celebrated for its combination of size, practicality and price. And now there’s an all-new, second-generation one!
• The Kodiaq is the biggest car in the Skoda range, the seven-seater version ideal for larger families • Evolution not revolution in the styling, but tech is much improved, the interior is fancier and there’s a plug-in hybrid (or PHEV for short) for the first time • With a combination of petrol and electric power the PHEV can cover 60 miles on electric power alone and offer huge tax savings for company drivers • Pricing and availability to be confirmed but the top of the range Sportline gets blacked out trim and all the fancy new kit

The existing Kodiaq is still a great car but the competition has been heating up, with hybridised seven-seater rivals like the Toyota Highlander and Kia Sorrento among those offering the electrification lacking in the outgoing model. Although it’s an all-new car this second-generation Kodiaq sticks with a familiar look, albeit with a bit more length, a few premium touches like contrast colour panels and fancy ‘Matrix’ LED headlights on the top Sportline trim level. These can be combined with a full-width lighting arrangement for the grille to further increase the visual impact. Sportline also includes other new kit, like more sophisticated self-adjusting suspension and a selection of additional trim elements.

Interior space has always been the Kodiaq’s biggest attraction, the fact it can easily swallow seven people and all their kit endearing it to families in particular. Room was hardly lacking before but this new one ekes out a little more still, with fraction more headroom for the third row and more capacity in the boot, which is absolutely gigantic on the five-seat version and still usable for the seven-seater. On the latter you can of course fold the third row away when not needed and get nearly as much room as the five-seat version. So, it’s practical. But it also looks a lot more luxurious than before, with an eye on sustainability through the use of recycled plastics for the carpets and headlining and eco-friendly tanning for the leather where fitted. On higher-spec models there’s now a huge free-standing central screen to go with the ‘Virtual Cockpit’ digital display, and for the first time the option for driving information projected into your line of sight on the windscreen. Three ‘smart dials’ address the common complaint that modern cars put too much control through the screens, these physical turn-and-push switches offering easy adjustment of ventilation or volume without taking your eyes off the road but also configurable and customisable to your favourite features. A new ‘phone box’ can meanwhile charge two handsets wirelessly, and there are tons of USB charging ports throughout the car as well.

Skoda is keeping everyone happy here, with the option of two petrol engines (a smaller, mild-hybrid driving the front wheels or 2.0-litre all-wheel drive) and a 2.0-litre diesel in two power outputs, the more powerful one coming with all-wheel drive. Biggest news is the plug-in hybrid (PHEV), though, which is a new option for Kodiaq buyers and means you should be able to do most of your everyday errands on electric power alone, while keeping the flexibility of the petrol engine for longer journeys. Perfect for both the school run and the annual family holiday, in other words. All versions of the new Kodiaq have automatic gearboxes, too.

No price info at the time of writing but you can probably take the existing Kodiaq as a rough guide, and Skoda is likely to be competitive with those seven-seat rivals from Toyota, Kia and Hyundai.

Not sold on SUVs? Don’t worry, there’s an all-new Skoda Superb coming as well. Like the Kodiaq it will offer new levels of luxury and style, along with plug-in hybrid power if you want it. The estate version has always impressed for its space and carrying capacity, so if you don’t need the seven seats of the Kodiaq this could be the Skoda for you.

The challenge of making a car as big and practical as the Kodiaq work with pure electric power is tough for manufacturers, and if you need seven seats you’re still likely to be looking at hybrids with petrol or diesel power at their core. With the arrival of this new model expect rivals like the Kia Sorrento, Hyundai Santa Fe and Peugeot 5008 to weigh in with updates and new features to keep pace, the new Kodiaq’s premium features meaning it can honestly offer a value alternative to premium seven-seaters like the Land Rover Discovery and Volvo XC90.