Skoda Kodiaq RS confirmed for Australia

The Skoda Kodiaq RS is officially headed Down Under.

Skoda Australia has succeeded in an ongoing consultation with its head office in the Czech Republic to have our official climate rating downgraded, opening the door for the stonking SUV to be certified for Aussie roads.

In the past, Volkswagen, Audi and Skoda offerings have been detuned or overlooked altogether for Australian roads, because our climate extremes were considered “hot weather”.

Today, Skoda Australia confirmed the Kodiaq RS had received factory approval - nine months after the halo car's international debut.

“Previously designated as a ‘hot and dusty’ climate, Australia has now been reclassified as ‘moderately hot country’, making the KODIAQ RS a reality,” Skoda Australia said.

The first Skoda SUV to bear the ‘RS’ moniker, the fettled Kodiaq’s 2.0-litre bi-turbo diesel engine makes 176kW and 500Nm – allowing it to notch 100km/h from rest in 7.0 seconds.

The most powerful diesel engine offered in a Skoda has a dynamic sound boost system which can be tuned to provide a sporty albeit synthesised exhaust note.

At the hands of Sabine Schmidt, the Kodiaq RS lapped the world famous Nurburgring Nordschleife in 9m 29.84sec - setting a new seven-seat SUV record.

Skoda Australia director Michael Irmer described the change in climate rating as a major win.

“Since its launch, we have been working tirelessly to bring the KODIAQ RS to our shores,” he said.

“The project to bring the high-performance bi-turbo diesel-powered Kodiaq RS has seen collaboration between Australian and Czech technical teams sharing data and know-how. It is because of their shared passion for the Skoda brand, and this exciting car, that we can finally offer an RS-spec SUV.”

Riding on big 20-inch alloy wheels and featuring a four-mode chassis control system with adaptive dampers, the new Skoda Kodiaq RS will be the European brand’s new flagship model in Australia.

Pricing and specification details will be unveiled closer to launch, though expect plenty of sporty touches to match its performance bent: red brake callipers, blacked-out wing mirrors, roof rail and grille, a digital cockpit display and premium leather interior.