Skoda Kodiaq loaded for bear

Skoda intends to make a real splash when it launches the Kodiaq SUV here in July of next year.

A pre-launch campaign will commence during the second quarter of 2017, but there'll be little news about the actual Australian specification for the Kodiaq beforehand, and even then the importer can be relied on to withhold most of the details – perhaps allowing a few to trickle out in the weeks prior to the car's local launch in July.

The company has already made it known that the Kodiaq will be available initially in just one level of trim and one drivetrain variant. A 132kW turbocharged petrol four-cylinder will drive through a seven-speed DSG (dual-clutch) transmission to all four wheels. Subsequently – within 12 months, we're told – a diesel model will arrive, powered by a 140kW turbo-diesel four-cylinder. Once again, that engine will drive through a seven-speed DSG to all four wheels, but will be priced higher than the petrol model.

According to Skoda Australia's Planning and Product Manager, Kieran Merrigan, the single level of trim will be supplemented by "two or three [option] packs".

Those packs will be marketed as "probably Comfort and Tech packs" Merrigan told Aussie journalists during the global launch of the Kodiaq last week.

Some of the features that we can expect to see – and presumably as standard – will include Skoda's 'Simply Clever' features, which number 30 in the Kodiaq. Of those, seven are unique to the large SUV, and are introduced with it.

These seven features comprise:
•    Door-edge protection,
•    Electric child safety lock for the rear doors,
•    A sleep package – outriggers for the headrests to hold the occupant’s head in place,
•    A cupholder/phone compartment for third-row passengers,
•    A centre-console module for tickets/coins/keys that also incorporates a double bottle holder that will lock a half-litre bottle in place so the top can be unscrewed with one hand,
•    Tablet holders mounted on the rear of the front-seat headrests,
•    In-Car-Communication – a hands-free microphone and mini-PA system for front-seat occupants to passengers (children, specifically) in the rear of the car.

Sophisticated features that will probably be available – but more likely as optional extras – include Trailer Assist, which takes all the hassle out of reverse-parking a trailer, inductive phone charging, Area View (a camera-based 360-degree and overhead viewing system), and Skoda Connect – an online infotainment and telematics suite.

This last feature will be standard throughout the European Union and other select markets. For Australia, it's possible that Skoda Connect will be on the menu, but not the full bundle of features European Kodiaq buyers will get. Skoda Connect, in addition to traditional 'telematics' elements such as emergency assistance, can link the car to a desktop computer or a smartphone, allowing users to keep tabs on the Kodiaq. That might mean finding out how much fuel is left in the tank, whether the car is locked or where it's parked.

"Live Traffic is what we want," Merrigan explained after the press conference for the Kodiaq, hinting at the particular element at the epicentre of the importer's 'Skoda Connect' negotiations with the factory.

It's inconceivable that Skoda would launch the Kodiaq in this country without Trailer Assist, but we're betting on it being an option, rather than a standard feature.

Dynamic Chassis Control is one big-ticket item that's a strong prospect for Australian-specification Kodiaq, but whether as standard or optional is the subject of "on-going discussion", says Merrigan. Asked whether it was costly incorporating the adaptive system as a standard item, the Skoda exec succinctly answered: "Yep".

The feature provides four distinct driving modes for the 4x4 models that will be exclusively sold in Australia: Normal, Comfort, Sport and Snow. Front-wheel drive models – which aren't coming to Australia – don't come with a snow mode for the DCC system.

Another safety system that we're tipping will be standard for the Kodiaq is Front Assist including City Emergency Brake and Pedestrian Protection, one of up to "24 driver-assistance systems" available in the new SUV, according to Ann Harder of Skoda Product Communications. Given a volume-selling brand like Mazda offers the same kind of safety system in Australia, it's probable that Skoda will follow suit.

As it is, Merrigan says that adaptive cruise control is practically a given for the Kodiaq.

"We have ACC nearly across the range now, as standard. So you can be confident that will be in the car as standard."

All cars for Australia will be fitted with an eight-inch infotainment screen at launch, says Merrigan, but it's yet to be decided whether the satellite navigation system that is supported by that display will be standard for Kodiaq. However, with a model year upgrade, the Kodiaq will move to a 9.2-inch screen.

Each Kodiaq sold in Australia will be fitted with a space-saver spare, the only possibility for the seven-seat models sold in Australia. While the cars driven for the global launch in Mallorca rode on 18-inch wheels, Merrigan suggested the Australian-spec models will move up an inch.

"There's a chance we'll do 19s standard," he said. In fact, as he mused, "there is a chance we'll do 19s only."

Finally, on the subject of pricing, Merrigan indicated the Kodiaq would be positioned somewhere "north" of the brand's Superb passenger car, suggesting we're looking at a starting price of around $43,000 for the 132 TSI model.