[sarathlal]

My beloved White Tiger, the Honda Civic has pampered me so much that I never really felt the need to get a new car at any point of time. Also, since I had to baby sit the Civic throughout due to its low stance and scraping over undulations, I wanted my next car to take care of me and not the other way round.

Having said that, I never missed any chance to go around and test drive newer ones that I thought I might like though.
Most of the sedans could not match the spacious interiors of the Civic which we were so much used to. So the A4’s, S60’s and the 3ers couldn’t win the heart over. Despite the age, Civic still is an amazingly fun car to drive, so the margin of advantage these new age sedans have over the Civic appeared marginal to me. Especially given the insane price points of these cars.

Never liked any of the SUV’s also, primarily because of the body roll. XC40 Recharge changed that opinion and we even went ahead with the booking. But the long wait played spoilsport, and was ruined by the XC60 actually. Compared to the XC60 realized how small of a vehicle the XC40 was, so appeared to be not future proof.

I was smitten by the XC60 though. A very well proportioned car, very practical and could do anything we wanted. Somehow the drive didn't really connect. and felt like I was trying to force fit into liking it at times. So let that also go and continue to wait and hope for the Honda CR-V to come back (Yea, big time Honda fan).

Out of the blue, one of my colleague asked my opinion about the Skoda Kodiaq. I told him, beautiful car, but it’s a Skoda :|
As soon as that came out of my mouth, I too realized that I never even thought of checking out the Kodiaq. How could this car not appear in my radar all this while.
And on that same day, a Lava Blue Kodiaq came in and parked right in front of our office. Kodiaq being not so popular car is not a common sight in Trivandrum. So, all these appear to be someone giving the hint.

Mid day, with sun at its peak, oh man, what a sight it was! Glowing up in all its glory lies a huge beautiful beast! Love at first sight ha?

Went home and talked about the Kodiaq, and I was met with the ‘ah another car, another test drive drama’ vibe.
But still, the very next day, me and my wife drove up to the Skoda showroom and took a test drive. We went with zero expectations, more like a customary check to be done and nothing more. Over the past few years of our testing out cars, there were lots of discussions that happens before and after, but this one Both of us fell for it immediately! I cannot single out what it was, but we both knew that this was the car we wanted. The Kodiaq had everything that we wished for and more. All the gizmos that came with it, the huge panoramic sunroof, the luxurious seats, ease of ingress etc. And what an engine transmission combo! Bliss to drive! Anybody who is on the fence should really drive this car and see how great a drivers car it is.

The Dynamic Chassis Control works like a charm. You can drive it sedately and float around in comfort mode, or give the chunky accelerator (Love the pedals) a nice tap, and the beast sprints off! The whole character of the car changes when driven aggressively. I experienced first hand, what it means when people says its hard to light tap the DSG’s. It’s an amazingly (and surprisingly) fun crossover to drive and very very easy for the driver to fall in love with it!

Next was for the kids to give their opinion. Second round of TD with the kids and they wanted the car then itself! The back row was an instant hit with them (Only they could get in and out of that third row like that though)
Went in with my parents and uncles for their opinion and even they too loved the car!


Booked the car right away, and within 4 weeks, we were able to get the White Bear home!
The dealership experience was exemplary and I hope the same continues with the service.

The stuff that I liked are;

• Butter smooth engine and gear shifts.
• Noise insulation. It’s like turning ON the ANC of Bose headsets.
• Beautiful Canton sound system.
• Dynamic Chassis Control - Very minimal body rolls. Even the third row seats have super comfy ride quality
• Ease of Ingress and Egress for my parents
• Great driving position, with excellent visibility across
• Tech is good, 360 camera, sunroof, trim zone climate control etc
• Interior material quality is top notch.
• Physical buttons for all essentials.
• Loads of simply clever items like the door protectors, ticket holders, centre cup holders, clamps for luggage etc.
• I can go anywhere without having to worry about my cars bottom getting scraped!
• Multiple driving characters. Can relax and cruise or do some spirited sprints without throwing everybody around.

What I miss in this car;

• Seats are getting dirty pretty easily. They clean off easily also, but still.
• Straight up windshield needs getting used to. Being used to Civic’s aerodynamics, minor things like water not wearing off easily etc are bit annoying.
• The auto start/stop and AC intake mode getting reset every time the car is switched off.
• 12V socket powered ON always. Had to connect the dash cam in a non perfect way due to this.
• Of course poor mileage for City drives.
• The connected car features looks ordinary.

And here are few pictures of the White Bear. Thanks for reading and being part of our happiness



















Two best buddies having a together time

[sarathlal]

A little bit more on the journey from Honda to Skoda.

One thing that I still think about is, how on earth did the Kodiaq miss my radar all these years while doing all sorts of car hunting. I will admit that I was not very active with the process since I really was not looking to buy a car, but was most likely trying to see if I might like something while waiting for the CR-V. But still, until my friend put the Kodiaq into my zone, it never occurred to me to check this car out.

The initial impressions. Love at first sight
I will admit that it was indeed the glowing look of a Lava Blue Kodiaq that appeared out of the blue near my office that got me smitten. It was looking majestic, big and elegant all at the same time. Did not take much time to convince myself to test drive this beauty. I called up my nearest Skoda dealership at Trivandrum and at Ernakulam, due to an upcoming travel plan to Ernakulam. Both of them returned the call promptly and both the sales persons were very welcoming. I was amazed by the passion for Skoda they exhibited. Not the typical car sales person experience. Mmm, impressed and exceeded the expectations.

Dealership experience;
The experience at the showroom, the next day, was even better. Pretty well kept showroom. They had all models on display, except for the Superb. Without having to wander around much, was greeted by the salesperson with whom I spoke the previous day. Very knowledgeable guy explained every bit of the vehicle and we took it for the test drive. Even the test drive was very extensive. Did a mix of city road, highway runs, some bad roads etc. He made sure that we tested out all the flavors provided by the Dynamic Chassis Control. I think that without having an air suspension and worrying about its maintenance aspect, this is the best next thing. We left the showroom mighty impressed and I can tell that the way dealership behaved, did accelerate the decision process.
The same experience continued all the way till delivery. Followed up on the booking process, vehicle allotment, detailed PDI done etc. Whatever we requested for were acknowledged and provided with. Thumbs up to PPS Skoda Trivandrum for creating a very positive buying experience. We gave a token of appreciation to the team and took delivery of the Kodiaq, almost 4 weeks from the time booking was made.

The Lava Blue Test Drive Vehicle


The White Bear!

This is the first shot of the car, dropped off from the truck


Driving dynamics.
Getting my hands on to the dream machine was indeed an experience. Being a sedan person, I was always skeptical about how an SUV would behave. But this 4X4 crossover was something totally different. It can sprint like a spirited sedan as well as haul our full family in a yatch like comfort. Will have to callout the beautiful integration of Dynamic Chassis Control for this multiple characteristics. It’s so well integrated that, one flip of the drive mode makes a drastic difference in the driving experience. We can literally feel the car gripping the tarmac in Sports mode and the gear shifts getting revv hungry. The mileage goes for a toss here and the suspension stiffens up for the bad part though. Will have Body roll in this mode as well. But still it’s very very addictive. I think this is one of Kodiaq’s USP.

Big hearted giant



An amazing 2 liter turbo petrol engine, mated to the butter smooth 7 speed DSG. Shifts like a dream! No drama, no lag, no jerks nothing and most importantly uncompromising on the driving experience. Quite an exhilarating experience. Any of you who have doubts on this car, should definitely give it a try. It will surprise you, as you would never expect such a spirited drive from such a big car.

Now, switch back to comfort, all this changes. It suddenly bounces gently for the undulations and keeps you sponged up. The throttle is not a let down either. It still shifts enthusiastically, although not much on the higher revs. My personal preference is to leave it at Normal. It’s still cozy to be in this mode and appears to be the right balance of comfort and performance.

Paddle shifters are nice! They feel premium and very effective to use. It’s also very easy to engage and disengage between the Drive and Sport modes using the paddles. This easiness in changing the modes makes it a very practical choice in daily drives.
Steering is right at the spot. We can effortlessly navigate the behemoth, but at the same time weighs pretty nicely to give that highway cruising confidence. Being used to a hydraulic, I love this for its right sense of weight.

The instrument cluster
The instrument cluster is nothing much to write about. It’s just right. Everything is in order, all major functions are available via physical buttons, and they all click and swivel nicely too. The haptics are excellent and quite impressive. The screen size of the infotainment is small compared to the current market. It performs well though.
The digital cockpit is slick to use. Can try out the various modes of information you need in front of your eyes. Looks very nice at night, with no undue glare.

The interiors
Focussing on the driving characteristics, it took some time for me to check the interiors in detail.
The black roofline is a good thought. Helps in keeping the car clean off smudges. The panoramic sunroof is huge! Amazing experience at night and kids just love it.
The front seats both get electrical adjustments and 3 memory presets. Just like the instrument cluster, it does the job pretty good. The seats are comfortable, and hugs you well. Not as good as the Volvo XC60 though. The lumbar support system is very good. You can ‘manually’ get a gentle massage with its rolling
But I really hate the color of seats on offer. It gets dirty very easily. Hard to maintain. I can vouch that it’s easy to clean and restore back to normalcy, but not a very comfortable thing to do on a regular basis. The Civics leather seats were much better in this aspect. This along with the front windshield are my major dislikes of the Kodiaq. Again, in the Civic during rain, water very rarely stick onto the glass. But in the Kodiaq, the rain water just falls and stays there until the wiper clears it off. Even the wiper looks pretty ordinary. Maybe I am spoilt with the Civics opposed butterfly wiper system and its super aerodynamic windshield.

Simply clever items
There is this door protector that comes out automatically when we open the door and goes off when we close the door. It’s a simple pulley based implementation, but is a very practical item. It protects the doors from dings without compromising on the looks of the car. And almost every one who came into see the car was impressed by its action. I love the way Skoda logo gets beamed onto the ground when the door opens as well. These two are instant people favorites and makes us really happy to see the smile it brings on the ones seeing it first time. Good one Skoda.
Equally useful is the centre console. The hand support works in multiple heights offering very personal comfort settings. The space that it holds is also pretty generous. The removable piece gives the added flexibility on what we wish to carry in there. And there are lots of strings, hooks etc on the cargo space area to hang, or tie down items. Small things, but pretty effective and practical.

The cabin experience.
It is me and my friend who went in for the PDI and that involved a bit of driving around to get the car from the yard to the holding area. The company driver drove the car and we were allowed to be in with him for the transfer. The car had very low fuel, so we were driving with the windows rolled down. We reached the petrol pump and was filling up the petrol, all the while speaking about the car details. It is then, the driver without us noticing, rolled up the windows, and we suddenly felt like Bose Active Noise Cancelling got switched ON. Am not exaggerating, but such was the noise insulation. The Kodiaq literally shut everything out from the cabin! Very impressed and this along with the DCC plays very crucial and practical role in the non fatigue inducing long distance runs. Am not sure on how the Kodiaq does this, because the glass looks normal to me, unlike the super thick double layered ones we see in such cars.

Will skip the mileage part? :|
Kodiaq is being fed with the XP95, since it calls for min 95 RON. It’s E20 compatible.
City drive through traffic gives 4-6 kmpl. City drive without stop go traffic gives around 8 kmpl.
Highway cruise gives 12-13 kmpl with a mix of spirited overtakes and general cruising at 80-110 kmph speeds

The E20 and RON indicator label


The tires, lights and brake;
I am impressed with the braking performance. Very confidence inducing behavior so far. It’s raining ever since I got my hands on the Kodiaq and it has handled well in this wet conditions. The MRF Markus tires looks good. They are good, but not sure of its true characteristics, because the suspension rarely sends anything into the cabin. There is excessive brake dust though. I am hoping that it’s happening due to the brake system being new and will subside soon.

The 235/55 R 18 MRF Markus


Kodiaq’s headlight system is really good. They are powerful yet soft. Unlike the strong LED lights we are seeing on some of the newer cars, this one is not at all bad for other road users, and at the same time illuminates the road well. Very happy that it does that. Even in the heavy rains, it's holding up well and ensuring good visibility.

Overall I am in love with the Kodiaq and enjoying every bits of it.
Quite happy to know that it’s a safe, luxurious highway cruiser for my family, and most importantly, the 4X4 gives peace of mind that I can take it anywhere I want. That one is a supreme luxury in itself for me, since I used to worry about every single ramp all this while with the Civic.

I am hoping and praying that the Skoda service also will be the same experience like their showroom. That’s one unknown am worried about.

Thanks again for reading and if there are any specific questions or clarifications, please do ask and I am happy to help.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[AKSarkar1]

The Kodiaq is my endgame car in a reasonable budget, fits all the boxes and should serve the owner great for the years to come!

Congratulations on your new garage addition, I am sure it will be a great garage buddy to your civic!

[solaris007]

Nice writeup. My Kodiaq 2.0 TSI (White) is close to completing its 2 year anniversary and it is turning out to be one of the best car purchase decisions I have/will ever make. For folks that are unaware of this model - I play a little game where they guess what the car's OTR price is after a drive. The highest I have got so far is 80L

During my ownership I did have some initial niggles - especially the rattle near the dashboard area - but they settled down quickly. In addition, the cabin is so well insulated that I have grown to enjoy the peace and quiet more than the amazing Canton sound system.

I do however regret not waiting for the L&K model. I bought my Kodiaq at a time when the initial bookings were "sold out" - so I jumped at the offer of the first dealer who had a cancelled booking for the entry-level model. DCC and ventilated seats would have been the icing on the cake but alas...

[adi_petrolhead]

Originally Posted by solaris007

I do however regret not waiting for the L&K model. I bought my Kodiaq at a time when the initial bookings were "sold out" - so I jumped at the offer of the first dealer who had a cancelled booking for the entry-level model. DCC and ventilated seats would have been the icing on the cake but alas...

That's a rare model you've got there! I think it looks good with the matt interior trims rather than the Piano black of the L&K. Missing features would only be the black bumpers, ventilated seats and DCC, I assume? Even my Sportline doesn't have DCC and ventilated seats. But I wanted an all black interior and a three spoke steering wheel at any cost.

[simplysaj]

@sarathlal Congrats and wish you many more happy miles with the machine!.

This is one vehicle I always wanted to purchase, the right proportions - not too big, not too small, a very potent engine + gearbox combo and good interiors.

Would you mind sharing the on-road price in Kerala?
Just curious - did you contemplate the fact that the new 2025 mode is around the corner and may be launched soon?

[Lone_Wolf]

I know I am digressing. But I cannot keep calm!
White Cars and that Kerala background is a match made in Heaven. No wonder we see so many car enthusiasts in KL

[sarathlal]

Originally Posted by Aditya

Thanks for sharing!

Thank you and mod team for support with the review compilation.

Originally Posted by AKSarkar1

Congratulations on your new garage addition, I am sure it will be a great garage buddy to your civic!

Thank you! Yea the combo is good. Main problem is identifying which side is wiper/indicator stalk each and every time since both are opposites

Originally Posted by solaris007

Nice writeup. My Kodiaq 2.0 TSI (White) is close to completing its 2 year anniversary and it is turning out to be one of the best car purchase decisions I have/will ever make.

Thank you and happy to finally join in to the Kodiaq family.

Originally Posted by adi_petrolhead

But I wanted an all black interior and a three spoke steering wheel at any cost.

Yea, the light colored seats are my biggest concern as mentioned above. Able to clean it up quickly, but looks like a maintenance nightmare.

Originally Posted by simplysaj

@sarathlal Congrats and wish you many more happy miles with the machine!.

Would you mind sharing the on-road price in Kerala?
Just curious - did you contemplate the fact that the new 2025 mode is around the corner and may be launched soon?

Thank you for the wishes!
The on road was 49.25

Yes I did research about the newer version before taking the decision.

I personally liked this version lot better than the upcoming one, primarily due to the below reasons;

• The newer one has station wagon kind of roof slant. This will potentially take away the headroom
• More likely not to have DCC
• The C pillar window area of the current one is more likely to offer better lighting to the rear side.
• I love the current ones bonnet lines. Its straight and fully covering the length of the bonnet, whereas the newer one is similar to other SUVs available around (Curving up inwards towards the windshield)
• Similarly, the cleaner cut trunk of the current generation along with the body colored wrap arounds compared to the newer ones design

The only one thing I would have opted for is the better interiors of the newer upcoming one. But I did not find the current one any lower in terms of practicality/comfort/look and feel. No major mechanical change for the engine/transmission, potential increase in price, possible landing timeline of 2025 first half were other factors considered.

I know these are all subjective person to person, but I did analyze these in depth and took an informed decision.

Originally Posted by Lone_Wolf

I know I am digressing. But I cannot keep calm!
White Cars and that Kerala background is a match made in Heaven. No wonder we see so many car enthusiasts in KL

Absolutely! Nowadays, its always raining and have fewer days with pure blue skies. Waiting for those days to be back soon.

[rosh_aveo1.4]

Congrats on the car dude and a brilliant choice. Always felt this is the best option in this price bracket. Wish you guys a very safe ride. Will see the car when I come to TVM.

[sarathlal]

Originally Posted by rosh_aveo1.4

Congrats on the car dude and a brilliant choice. Always felt this is the best option in this price bracket. Wish you guys a very safe ride. Will see the car when I come to TVM.

Hey sure, thanks! Its been a long time as well

I noticed a latch in the trunk and could not really understand what it's for. Any idea about that, anyone? It appears below the storage area for first aid kit.
Is it for manual opening of the petrol fill door?

[emperor]

Originally Posted by sarathlal

[b][i]

Will skip the mileage part? :|
Kodiaq is being fed with the XP95, since it calls for min 95 RON. It’s E20 compatible.
City drive through traffic gives 4-6 kmpl. City drive without stop go traffic gives around 8 kmpl.
Highway cruise gives 12-13 kmpl with a mix of spirited overtakes and general cruising at 80-110 kmph speeds

Skoda is missing out on TDI engines. In cities I get a mileage of easily 12kmpl and on highways never goes below 18kmpl if driven sedately. It's reliability also is never an issue, our car has been driven 1.5L kms in 6 years and not even once we faced any engine related issue.

[pratyaksh]

Originally Posted by sarathlal

Overall I am in love with the Kodiaq and enjoying every bits of it.
Quite happy to know that it’s a safe, luxurious highway cruiser for my family, and most importantly, the 4X4 gives peace of mind that I can take it anywhere I want. That one is a supreme luxury in itself for me

The Kodiaq is a car that deserves more in the Indian car scene but for some reason, Skoda has shied away from giving us more numbers. I have been trying to say this in as many threads as possible but you have aptly summed up the Skoda Kodiaq in a beautifully crafted thread. I hope more and more people see what this car is worth against its competition.

[eccentric]

Wow! Hearty Congratulations!

The Kodiaq is a Gentle Giant, subtle yet effective.

My only gripe is that Skoda pulled the plug on the 2.0 TDIs that made this car a blade runner. I've seen a aplenty of Kodiaqs on OLX with the ODO surpassing 1.1 Lakh KMS.

Turbo petrols are supremely thirsty. My Dad's Kicks 1.3L Turbo Petrol (153 PS/1.3 TON/6 MT) returns almost similar figures as your Kodiaq. Considering the Kodiaq's displacement (2L), power (190 PS) & kerb weight (1.8 TON), I feel that fuel efficiency is fairly acceptable.

Still the Civic looks contemporary and fresh sans the paint when viewed along with the Kodiaq. Wish you hold on to the Civic forever!

[sarathlal]

Originally Posted by eccentric

Wow! Hearty Congratulations!

Thank you!

Turbo petrols are supremely thirsty. My Dad's Kicks 1.3L Turbo Petrol (153 PS/1.3 TON/6 MT) returns almost similar figures as your Kodiaq. Considering the Kodiaq's displacement (2L), power (190 PS) & kerb weight (1.8 TON), I feel that fuel efficiency is fairly acceptable.

That's very true. I had thought through these a lot of times, but then I am so used to the petrol practicalities, Diesel being unavailable was not a major concern and was fully expecting this mileage. On highway runs, I have observed that spirited driving does not really take a lot of those mileage figures, so this is very apt for my driving style.

Only impractical case for the Kodiaq, is to be used inside City traffic if we are the sole occupants.

Still the Civic looks contemporary and fresh sans the paint when viewed along with the Kodiaq. Wish you hold on to the Civic forever!

Thanks again for the Civic mention. Yea, am so attached to the Civic that I won't let it go. Can't think of that situation, so hope and pray that it will stay forever young