At the 2017 Shanghai Auto Show, SAIC Volkswagen Skoda's first strategic SUV model, the KODIAQ Kodiaq, was officially launched. So far, Kodiak has sold nearly 200,000 vehicles. Not only that, but in J.D. Power's recently released 2021 China Vehicle Reliability Study, Kodiak ranked first in the market segment.
Looking overseas, Kodiak has accumulated sales of more than 600,000 yuan and won more than 40 international awards. This flagship SUV from the Czech century-old car brand can be described as a world-renowned SUV.
Five years after its domestic listing, Kodiak ushered in its own mid-term restructuring. The new car has been comprehensively upgraded from the inside out, and has more confidence in the face of diversified market demand.
The new Kodiak basically continues the overall appearance of the old model, but has evolved on the basis of the crystal cutting design language, which is officially called "flowing crystal exquisite aesthetics". The high-end model also adopts overseas RS sports kits, which show the majestic momentum and strong muscle lines.
As one of the highlights of the mid-term redesign, the new face has been renewed, and the iconic straight waterfall grille has been sharpened to look more three-dimensional and straight. The headlights are slightly upturned, and the visual effect is more lively and sharp.
The two waistlines on the sides of the body have been redesigned and colored to accentuate the muscular feel. At the tail, the newly designed C-type taillights have a dynamic effect of flowing water, sharp folding angles, and high recognition.
Coming to the car, the second highlight of the mid-term redesign is the upgraded central control area. Different from the European version of the model, the new Kodiak applies a suspension design, the size of the central control screen is increased to 12 inches, with a 10.25-inch full LCD digital instrument, creating a full sense of technology and futurism, which is also more in line with the preferences of domestic young people.
The interior as a whole adopts a horizontal layout, combined with a layered design, with different colors and materials, and a metallic flying wing-style wrapped decorative strip running through the middle, highlighting the simple and fashionable atmosphere. Wrapped in soft leather everywhere you can reach, it is very advanced to the touch and look.
The new Kodiak also offers one-piece sports seats in the front, with headrests leaning down to make the occupants more curvature and extending widely on both sides of the shoulders, back and cushions for a better wrapping feel, ergonomic and dynamic styling.
One of the highlights of the mid-term redesign is the flexible space of the new Kodiak. The wheelbase of the new car exceeds the same level to reach 2 meters 79, and the small editor with a height of 1 meter 9 can have two fists of leg space and a head space of about one punch sitting in the back row. Among them, the 7-seat model adopts the form of 2+3+2 seat layout, the second row of seats supports 4-way adjustment of front and rear and backrest inclination, and the third row of seats adopts Easy Entry one-button entry design to facilitate passengers to enter and exit.
For driving comfort, the front seats are equipped with 12-way electric adjustment, front seat heating/ventilation, inductive power tailgates, dual-temperature zone touch-controlled air conditioning, AQS intelligent air monitoring system, wireless charging, large panoramic sunroof, high-fidelity 8-speaker sound and other practical configurations.
The new Kodiak is powered by two engines, the third-generation EA888 series 2.0T high and low power, and is matched with a 7-speed wet dual-clutch transmission. This golden power combination of 2.0T+7DSG has been fully verified on many models of the Volkswagen series, and the technology is quite mature.
High-powered models, in particular, can burst out up to 220 hp and 350 Nm of peak torque. Maximum torque can be released in the engine speed range of 1500-2000, making the car particularly easy to start at acceleration. After actual measurements, the new Kodiak accelerates as fast as 6.48 seconds per 100 kilometers.
It is worth mentioning that in the daily driving process, the low-speed setbacks common to dual-clutch can not be found on this Kodiak at all, even if you encounter stop-and-go congestion, you don't have to worry about overheating and comfort problems.
In addition, the high-end model also provides intelligent four-wheel drive system and driving mode selection function, using the fifth generation Haldex Hender differential intelligent four-wheel drive system can achieve 96%-10% of the front wheel, 4%-90% of the rear wheel power distribution, and can adjust the power ratio according to the road conditions, improve the handling stability and passability.
In terms of suspension performance, the new Kodiak uses the results of the front McPherson rear multi-link independent suspension, which is relatively crisp and clean for the fine vibration of the road surface, but when encountering similar speed bumps or large potholes, the shaking of the body is more obvious, and overall it is a more comfortable tuning.
Morning Train Review:
Undoubtedly, in order to conform to the development of the times and the upgrading of the consumption structure, the momentum of Skoda in recent years has become more and more inclined to youthful personalization. As a flagship SUV for home use, the new Kodiak combines sporty personality with functional utility. What's more, in the joint venture brand mid-size SUV, Kodiak's price and configuration are highly competitive.