The Skoda Kodiaq was part of MotorBeam’s fleet for a month and I loved this SUV so much that I ended up driving it for over 2500 kms in that period, spending almost Rs. 37,000/- on fuel! The Kodiaq joined our fleet at a time when our film crews were busy and the Kodiaq quickly became our choice as the perfect support car.
The Kodiaq has a very practical cabin and the boot space is huge with the third row folded down. The driving position is also very good and I never got tired of it even after spending hours in traffic. Every time, I used to look forward to the comfortable seats and the crisp Canton audio system.
On my daily commute to work, it takes me about an hour to cover 15km and this is where the Kodiaq really shined with its comfort levels. It felt so easy to drive the whole time. My evening journeys back home were a bit more enjoyable as I usually take the airport causeway on my way back and it’s smooth and empty.
The Skoda Kodiaq’s 2.0 TSI engine is a real powerhouse. It’s equally at home in traffic and on the open road. It likes to be pushed and is extremely smooth. In bumper-to-bumper traffic it also stays well-organised, but the DSG does tend to get a little confused at lower speeds.
Once, on a morning drive to Lonavala, I wanted to explore the Kodiaq’s driving modes properly. This SUV has DCC, which works really well. I started my drive in the usual Normal mode before switching to Comfort mode for a while. The difference in the suspension setup is felt instantly and the ride feels smoother in this mode. My family also liked the ride quality in this mode.
On the ghats, when I was pushing the car a bit harder, I switched to Dynamic mode. The suspension felt a bit stiffer and with the gearbox in S mode as well, the engine was revving higher and staying in gears longer. This made the driving experience very engaging. It was during this drive that I came to the conclusion that the Kodiaq is simply one of the best SUVs under Rs. 50 lakh in India. A great combination of fun and comfort.
We were once shooting in a bit of a remote location in Maharashtra and the Kodiaq was again our support car. The other car we were shooting in had some cuts and tears on the sidewall and it was impossible to fix that tyre in that place. We jacked that car up, removed the tyre and loaded it in the Kodiaq and the two of us drove to the city area a few kilometers away to fix the tyre while the other two waited with the other car.
It was raining heavily that day and with all the dirt around, the light interior of the car got quite dirty. After driving back to Mumbai, the first thing I did was take the car to a detailing center and have the entire cabin deep cleaned. The results were fabulous and everything was left just the way I wanted it.
I faced a few minor issues with the car. In the initial days, the tailgate used to act weird and wouldn’t close electrically. It took several tries and some manual effort to get the struts to move. After that, we played around with the tailgate height settings and reset everything after it started working fine. The front tweeters used to make a weird crackling noise at times, but the issue resolved itself.
What about the running costs? The Skoda Kodiaq is a big, heavy and powerful SUV. In day to day driving scenarios, in heavy traffic, the vehicle delivered just 5-6 km/l and the lowest figure I saw was 4.5 km/l. The engine is more efficient on open roads and the best figure I saw was 11.5 km/l on a long drive. With an average efficiency of around 7 km/l, the running cost was close to Rs. 15 per km, which is slightly higher. The diesel Kodiaq was much more efficient.
Despite the high maintenance costs, I have never shied away from driving this SUV. It is a genuinely good product and does a lot of things right. I love its build quality and driving feel. It is stellar. The new generation Kodiaq has made its global debut and is expected to arrive in India by 2025. While I am not a huge fan of the new design, I think the new one will take comfort and technology a few notches higher.
Unfortunately, the Kodiaq is now out of our garage, so that’s all from my side. If you’re on the fence about buying a Kodiaq right now, I’d say close your eyes. It won’t let you down and since it’s been around since 2017, most of the issues have been ironed out and the SUV is reliable. To celebrate 7 years of the Kodiaq, Skoda is also offering some tasty discounts worth Rs. 2 Lakh+ to sweeten the deal.
If you own a Kodiaq or have driven one, share your experiences in the comments below!