Skoda Kodiaq Style 2022 Review

Updating the 2022 Skoda Kodiaq range earlier this year brought mainly subtle visual changes: chrome in the grille and the inclusion of Skoda Scout elements in the front and rear bumpers.

A variety of other tweaks and specification detail changes were also made.

There are just three models in the Kodiaq range – the entry-level Style reviewed here that’s priced from $51,490 plus on-road costs; the second-rung SportLine at $56,090 plus ORCs; and the flagship high-performance RS that’s much higher up the ladder at $69,290 plus ORCs.

All are powered by 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engines producing 132kW/320Nm in Style and SportLine models and, in the pacier RS, 180kW/370Nm.

The RS engine, which is derived from the Volkswagen Golf GTI, replaces the previous turbo-diesel and is capable of taking the hot Kodiaq from 0-100km/h in 6.6sec. Kodiaq Style and SportLine models take 8.4sec to do the same job.

The prices tend to put the Skoda Kodiaq and equivalent seven-seat Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace models into the same basic ballpark – although the VW line-up is much broader with four powertrain options (three turbo-petrol and one turbo-diesel).

For an entry-level model, the Skoda Kodiaq Style looks swish enough. The interior may lack powered or heated seats but this is more than compensated with leather-look trim, a revised dash incorporating sat-nav on a 9.2-inch touch-screen, a separate ‘virtual cockpit’ display ahead of the driver, two-zone climate control, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, a phone charging pad and a power tailgate.

Things get a little cosier and more sophisticated when the Luxury and Tech packs are optioned as per our review car, but you have to pay handsomely for it.

At $6700, the Tech pack includes Matrix LED headlights, tri-zone air-conditioning and better front seats which add electric adjustment, leather upholstery, ventilation, heating, a massaging function and position memory.

Position memory also extends to the exterior mirrors (auto-dimming and foldable), while seat heating and leather trim is found on the rear seats too.

There’s also some safety features that we’ll discuss in the next section.

The $2200 Tech pack adds Skoda’s ‘dynamic chassis’ with drive mode select, park assist, an off-road mode, virtual pedal (hands-free opening and closing) and roll-up sun shades for the rear side windows.

Together, that’s an $8900 bundle that brings our as-tested price to $60,390 plus on-road costs.

To give owners some empowerment over regular maintenance costs, Skoda offers a $2700 seven-year service pack during which the first three services are free and full-term roadside assist is included.

A five-year service pack is also available for $1800, plus a choice between ‘Value’, ‘Essential’ and ‘Complete’ monthly subscription plans for servicing that also factor in roadside assist and the provision of a loan car.

This is where the 2022 Skoda Kodiaq begins to show its age.

Launched locally in mid-2017, the Kodiaq is still a charmer to look at but its safety tech almost reflects another era, such is the rapid rate of change occurring in the auto industry.

Standard safety elements that don’t show up in the Kodiaq Style but are pretty common elsewhere in the large SUV segment include high- and low-speed autonomous emergency braking (AEB), pedestrian avoidance technology, lane departure warning and lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring, front and rear cross traffic alert and self-parking capabilities.

As we’ve already mentioned, park assist is bundled into the Tech pack, while the Luxury pack also includes lane assist with adaptive lane guidance and emergency assist, plus a surround view camera.

Although that’s quite a list of standard no-shows, the Kodiaq at least comes with nine airbags including curtain airbags that extend right through to the back of the cabin.

Across the board, other standard equipment includes scrolling rear indicators, ‘welcome’ lights that project the Skoda logo onto the ground alongside the front doors (we’ve seen that before) and ‘active’ seat belts that pre-empt possible collisions by automatically tightening their grip before anything untoward happens.

The 132kW/320Nm 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine continues as the prime mover of the 2022 Skoda Kodiaq Style, and with the help of the familiar Volkswagen Group seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, it does a workmanlike job.

Acceleration, whether you’re mixing it with around-town traffic or dealing with the demands of a freeway cruise, is brisk enough and the dual-clutch transmission generally behaves itself with quick, smooth changes and no sign of the indeterminate antics that occur with some DCTs.

Manual control is available via paddle shifters on the steering wheel.

The all-wheel drive system operates, in most circumstances, as a front-driver and tends to work away in the background without any hint of its added tractive abilities.

The optional ‘off-road’ mode, which fiddles with the drive parameters to maximise grip between all four wheels when necessary, can be selected via a button on the centre console.

The Kodiaq Style points well too. The steering goes from lock to lock in a relatively quick 2.7 turns and is as nicely weighted and responsive as you could ask for.

Ride quality is a well-judged compromise between comfort and agility too, as the Kodiaq resists being dictated to by the pavement. Most roads are handled with a nice sense of balance and poise and, despite the use of large-ish 19-inch wheels with 235/50 tyres, minimal road noise.

Skoda may no longer offer a diesel among its engine line-up but the fuel economy of the Kodiaq Style leaves little ground for complaint.

We recorded 7.1L/100km on test – admittedly with a fair percentage of open-road driving – which was well ahead of Skoda’s quoted combined consumption figure of 8.2L/100km.

Consistent with exterior styling that, though conservative by today’s standards, could be considered timeless, the cabin of the 2022 Skoda Kodiaq Style is clean, simple and, without looking frumpy, appropriately functional.

It upholds the brand’s ‘simply clever’ imperative, offering plenty of niceties such as flip-out door-edge protectors, handy little rubbish bins on the front doors (both front doors also have an umbrella tucked in), sun blinds on the rear side windows (albeit optional), a tablet holder for centre-row passengers and a two-tier glove box, the lower section of which is air-conditioned.

The outcome of all this is a thoughtful, friendly environment that offers first- and second-row occupants plenty of room to move on comfortable, supportive seats while still providing space for youngsters in the third row.

Although it’s possible for adult passengers to sit back there, knee-room and access are tight.

The Skoda Kodiaq might be a five-plus-two rather than a full seven-seater, but it makes efficient use of the space available.

The boot, complete with luggage nets and a removeable floor that can be configured horizontally or vertically to help mix up the loading possibilities, offers 270 litres of space with all seats up, expanding to a claimed 2005 litres when set up for maximum load space.

Further adding to utility is the fact that the 40/20/40-split centre-row seats can be folded down neatly to form a virtually-flat load floor.

The spare wheel is a space-saver.

‘Simply clever’ remains a reasonably accurate description of what the 2022 Skoda Kodiaq Style stands for.

There’s no frills to speak of, but plenty of thoughtfulness in terms of the human/machine interface.

The Skoda Kodiaq was voted by carsales as the Best Family SUV in 2020, and even though the safety criteria has shifted and the playing field has broadened since then, it remains an impressive, appealing contender in the large SUV class.

How much does the 2022 Skoda Kodiaq Style cost?
Price: $51,490 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 132kW/320Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 8.2/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 186g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2017)