Tech

Skoda Kodiaq 2021, reflections

I heard your voice through a photograph Red Hot Chili Peppers (Californication, 1999)

I’m sleepy, I slept badly. I open my eyes, sit up with the composure and agility of a mummy awakened by the transgression of an ancient curse. My mouth tastes like the alcohol mix from yesterday’s afternoon self-help session. Helped me get a headache. Oh, and draw up the plan, of course. I brush my teeth observing my dark circles that hang like two bags from a department store. As the electric brush goes over the gums and the enamel, I decide that it is better to recognize it: I am nervous. I have a job interview today. My old job. The one that was taken from me ten days ago. A Friday afternoon that I will not forget. The mirror stares back at me as an anxious guy who also has blonde hair. I’m not bad. It is not true. It’s a disaster, I have highlights, I look like a surfer who has run out of hair gel money. But I have my plan. Which by the way has a tiny bug. I am a coward. I could take the car but someone still recognizes it. I believe that the “open source” stickers that cover my dabbling with the parking columns will not go unnoticed.

I go down to the subway, the platform is full of unknown and suspicious people. There are people who get lost in the mass helps them to relax, to flow. I feel like a freak drenched in sweat. The Miami drug lord’s fur coat still hasn’t helped. I’m wrong line. The fault lies with the huge sunglasses. Actually, due to an excess of precaution, thinking that some former colleague might recognize me. Everything planned, I have left with time because I am very good at one thing: anticipating my clumsiness. I leave the subway rehearsing the voice I’m going to put on. I have downloaded a tutorial with all the tips to camouflage the voice. Which has given me a very painful hoarseness which is actually very helpful. Now my voice would not even recognize my mother (if I had called her these last ten years, of course). I walk hesitantly to the door and ask the front desk for the CTO’s office. A voice behind me. “Anthony, is that you?” God. I have discovered. I run out leaving my laptop bag and one of my sneakers behind. Breathlessly I turn the corner and collapse to the ground shaking like a leaf. Then I realize. My name is not Antonio.

Five years have passed since Skoda bet on the segment of SUVs that exceed 4.7 meters in length, a market that competes in popularity with smaller models that are gradually taking their place in the market. The Kodiaq was born with the same philosophy that the Czech manufacturer has followed with its larger tourism models: the Octavia and the Superb, which consists of making the most of the platform and chassis from Volkswagen to achieve maximum space and habitability.

Skoda Kodiaq 2021

Analyzed model skoda kodiaq
engine and finish TDI 150 hp DSG 4×2 Ambition 7 seats
Power 150 hp
Maximum speed 204km/h
Acceleration o-100 9.8s
Long wide high 4697/1882/1681mm
Max Power RPM 150 hp
Max torque Nm/RPM 360Nm
Gearbox Automatic
Web https://www.skoda.es/
Price €35,910

This 2021 model, which we have had the opportunity to test, is actually an update of the one that we were able to see in its previous version that includes aesthetic touches on the outside of the car as well as changes in the equipment and in the range of engines. In Skoda it seems that they do not want to modify too much the formula that has given them considerable success in a competitive market and that is that the Skoda Kodiaq is one of the large SUVs with the best press.

Few exterior changes

To detect the aesthetic changes in the body of the Kodiaq, you have to look carefully. From the front the look looks exactly the same, but if we compare images we will find to begin with that the headlights have a modified sharper and more dynamic design that no longer follows the lines of the fan grille. The auxiliary pilots also change the drawing which is still trapezoidal but which inverts the layout.

Skoda Kodiaq 2021

Some voluminous black plastic moldings that frame the lower grille have also been added. This is no longer divided into two but is a single piece that continues to use honeycomb-type elements. The side of the car is identical, with the same “high waist” and the same design and distribution of the windows and glass surfaces, although the plastic trim on the bottom has been widened to give it a slightly more off-road look. It also changes the design of some wheels that are now available for this model.

At the rear, the spoiler immediately stands out, which has increased considerably in size compared to the previous version, as it is topped by a piece of black plastic that protrudes from the tailgate. The rest of the elements remain the same as those of the previous version, with the obvious difference of the brand logo that has now been replaced by the letters that extend along the tailgate as in the most current Skoda models.

spacious interior

Inside we find the spaciousness that we could already see in the previous model and that is really big. We have explored materials and finishes and we have found the same care that Skoda reserves in its superior models, without being luxurious, we always find the right material and well-achieved finishes so that the feeling of the whole is pleasant without forgetting the main orientation that the user is looking for. manufacturer to practicality.

Skoda Kodiaq 2021, highlights 31

In the model we tested, the instrumentation behind the wheel is fully digital (it was also available in the previous version) while the information and entertainment system also maintains the same screen and with an updated system that has Android Auto and Apple Car Play connectivity. . Now the physical connection with the mobile phone has adopted the USB-C connector, as in the current Volkswagen models.

The block of controls that we find under the screen of the information and entertainment system is the same one that equipped the previous version with a generous supply of “real” buttons, which we prefer, and three dials that allow us to control the functions of the system. of air conditioning without having to access them from the touch screen, which is inevitable in many models that are reaching the market.

Comfortable seats

The seats of this new Kodiaq have a design and finishes very similar to those of the previous version, which is good news since they continue to stand out for being comfortable and enveloping, capable of holding on to the most twisty routes. The steering wheel has a different design, especially with regard to the control area, which is now larger, as well as the buttons and the selection dial on both sides of the spoke, and which is now made of metallic material and is rougher and with better touch.

Skoda Kodiaq 2021, reflections 33

In the back, the elements are the same as in the previous version with enough space for three adults, although with a space for the legs that does not protrude. They continue to have two ventilation outlets and the only traditional cigarette lighter type power connector is maintained and it is not possible to directly connect the USB device as in other brands that offer up to two for rear passengers.

The trunk is still spacious, with the same 650 liters which is a very high figure even for a car of this size. Likewise, in the version that we tested, it has an additional row of seats that can be easily deployed. What is already less easy is to access these seats since you have to fold the backrest of the outer seats of the second row, which does not leave much space to enter.

emergency places

In any case, they are additional seats in which, with good will, even adults of a contained size can travel, which never hurts. The trunk can expand the space either by moving the second row of seats, which gives us a total of 735 liters of available cargo, or by folding it and leaving a more or less flat surface, which allows reaching a considerable load capacity that exceeds 2,000 liters.

Skoda Kodiaq 2021, reflections 35

Regarding the engine for the test, we had a model with the group’s new diesel TDI engine with 150 horsepower. The changes in these new engines are fundamentally to optimize their performance but above all to contain emissions. They do not have a hybridization system and our model had been equipped with the DSG automatic transmission system that we have already had occasion to use on other occasions.

At the wheel of the Kodiaq the first impression is that it is a quiet engine despite being diesel, somewhat less when it is cold. It is a modern propeller that pushes from below and is capable of maintaining power above 4,000 revolutions, so it is a fairly versatile engine. We liked the behavior in the city with a smooth and progressive thrust ideal for dealing with urban traffic.

On the highway

On the road, and if we want to give this SUV some joy, we will have to opt for the Sport configuration so that the DSG change gets the most out of the propellant, since if we do not we will notice that it is somewhat lazy to go up the laps, perhaps because it seems to us that the orientation It is somewhat more aimed at ride comfort. If we travel calmly, the DSG change and this propellant will give us many placid kilometers with a sufficient power reserve.

Skoda Kodiaq 2021, highlights 37

As for the behavior in curves, the Kodiaq kindly reminds us that it is a large and quiet SUV, so it is not too easy to engage turns immediately. It is a car with austere behavior but always safe, especially thanks to the huge number of driving assistance systems that are always ready to correct the possible vagaries of the vehicle in somewhat more compromised situations.

Skoda Kodiaq 2021: conclusions

It is clear that with this Kodiaq Skoda has given up experimenting and has simply tweaked some details to continue maintaining the excellent qualities of an SUV that is always surprising for the quality it offers for the price at which it is marketed. It is still a very spacious and very comfortable car with many practical details and an almost perfect balance between finishes and materials.

Skoda Kodiaq 2021, highlights 39

It is a very comfortable car to travel and with a lot of space that has been updated the range of engines, although also timidly without big bets on hybrid drives. Of course, the Kodiaq remains one of the most recommended options for SUVs of its size, especially for its balance between its price and what it offers, although for a next generation we believe that the changes will have to be much more radical.

Final assessment

RESUME

This new version of the Skoda Kodiaq maintains all the characteristics of the previous model, updating propellers and aesthetic details to maintain the successful formula.

infotainment system8

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