SKODA KODIAQ ESTATE 1.5 TSI iV 204 SE 5dr DSG

Skoda's Kodiaq gets PHEV tech. Jonathan Crouch takes a look at the iV model.

Ten Second Review

Skoda has finally worked out how to package its Kodiaq large family SUV with PHEV tech. It hasn't yet worked out how to do so with seven seats. Still, if you don't need that, this capable Kodiaq iV Plug-in Hybrid's worth a look.

Background

Though Skoda is currently very focused on its EV technology, the Czech brand knows it must also provide more credible Plug-in Hybrid options to its customers, given the increasing number of them that aren't quite ready for a full-EV step. That's just what's offered by this Kodiaq iV, the first Plug-in Hybrid Kodiaq in this successful SUV model line's history. This model gets what the Volkswagen Group calls its 'second-generation' PHEV system (rather than the rather limited 'first generation' set-up that featured on earlier Octavia and Superb iV models). Which means, primarily, a much bigger 25.7kWh battery, allowing for an impressive EV range. Let's take a closer look.

Driving Experience

With this MK2 Kodiaq, probably the biggest news on the engine front is the availability for the first time of a PHEV drivetrain. The iV Plug-in Hybrid model in question use a sizeable 25.7kWh battery pack which is supposed to be able to offer EV driving range of up to 71 miles. The engine that cuts in at the end of all that is broadly the same 1.5-litre TSI four cylinder unit as by the mild hybrid model but with the PHEV, this 150PS powerplant is mated to six rather than seven-speed auto transmission and works in concert with a 118PS electric motor, contributing to a total system output of 204PS. Which doesn't sound a great deal to propel over 1.9-tonnes of Czech real estate. Still, you won't notice the disparity unless you find yourself driving in the kind of manner a typical Kodiaq owner probably never would. And the drive stats are competitive enough - 62mph in 8.4s en route to 130mph. Replicating those stats would involve selecting 'Sport' mode (rather than 'Hybrid' or 'Normal'). You don't buy a Kodiaq prioritising engaging driving dynamics, but nevertheless, Skoda promises these should be improved as a result of this second generation model's switch to the VW Group's latest MQB Evo platform, a lightly evolved version of the MQB chassis used before. There's the option of a redeveloped 'DCC Plus' Dynamic Chassis Control adaptive damping system which now uses two-valve technology to control suspension rebound and compression (replacing the old single-valve system). Expect ride quality to be significantly improved as a result.

Design and Build

Apart from the 'iV' badgework and an extra charging flap, there's nothing visual to designate to your neighbours that you've bought a Plug-in Hybrid Kodiaq. The second generation version of this family SUV has been styled with elements of the brand's 'Modern Solid' philosophy that was previewed by the recent 'Vision 7S' concept car. Squared-off wheel arches house the segment's usual big rims, while the heavily sculpted bonnet flows down into a prominent hexagonal grille featuring the company's latest badge. There's a coloured D-pillar insert and you can also have an optional LED light strip running across the front end. As you'd expect these days, there's a better quality screen-heavy interior waiting for the driver inside. And to compensate for the way those displays have inhaled many of the previous knobs and buttons, Skoda has inserted three so-called 'Smart Dials' below the centre stack vents. The outer two have fixed settings, but the middle one can be customised to control various preferred functions - like fan speed, audio volume or drive mode. This arrangement - and the fact that it's no longer necessary to allow for the fitment of a manual gearbox - has allowed the designers to clean up the look of the dash area and create more storage space, a quest aided by the auto gear selector's move from the centre console to the steering column. We mentioned screens; the 10-inch instrument panel TFT set-up can be paired with an optional head-up display and there's a 'floating' centre monitor that'll be either 10 or 13-inches in size, depending on the spec you choose. Further back in the car, the second row slides and reclines as before. But because of the under-floor PHEV system battery placement, it's unfortunately not possible to have a third seating row - as you can with more conventionally-engined Kodiaqs. Still, you get a decently-sized 745-litre boot, though that's 165-litres less than in a conventionally-engined five-seat Kodiaq. With the rear bench folded, that's extendable to 1,945-litres.

Market and Model

Skoda offers this iV PHEV powertrain with all three of its Kodiaq trim levels - 'SE', 'SE L' and 'Sportline', but only with the five-seat cabin format and only with front wheel drive. Prices start from around £42,000 and extend up to around £47,000. Think in terms of around £3,000 more than the conventional 2.0 TDI 150PS diesel model and around £5,500 more than the conventional 1.5 e-TEC 150PS mild hybrid petrol variant. Base 'SE' spec includes most of what you'd want. That means 18-inch silver alloy wheels in a 'Mazeno' design, LED headlamps, front fog lights, LED tail lights, all-round parking sensors, power-folding mirrors and black roof rails. Inside with base 'SE'-spec, there's heated front seats, a 10.25-inch 'Virtual Cockpit' instrument display, a rear view camera and a wireless charging mat ambient lighting and the neat configurable 'smart dials' with their coloured displays. Media tech's taken care of by a 13-inch central touchscreen with navigation and voice control, plus Skoda's 'Smartlink' system giving wireless 'Apple CarPlay' and 'Android Auto'. With mid-level 'SE L' trim, you get a much nicer 'ecoSuite Black Design selection' interior, furnished in a combination of real and artificial leather. Other standard 'SE L' features include larger 19-inch 'Rapeto' silver alloy wheels, 'intelligent' Matrix LED headlamps, animated LED tail lamps, keyless entry, rear privacy glass and a power-operated tailgate. Inside with 'SE L'-spec, there's 14-way powered adjustment and memory settings for the front seats, plus silver roof rails and a variable height boot floor. Finally, the 'Sportline' version comes with 20-inch 'Ria' anthracite alloy wheels, metallic paint and a sports styling pack, along with Skoda's 'Lane keeping system plus' semi-automatic vehicle control system, which includes 'traffic jam assist' to effectively drive the car for you in stop/start urban driving. Inside with 'Sportline' trim, there's a bespoke 'Sportline Design Selection' interior trimming package, featuring microsuede interior trimming, Sports Comfort seats, a sports steering wheel and aluminium pedals. Plus acoustic side and rear windows and Adaptive Cruise Control.

Cost of Ownership

As we told you in our 'Driving' section this 1.5 TSI iV Plug-in Hybrid model now has a much larger 25.7kWh battery pack which is supposed to be able to offer driving range of up to 71 miles. That's a little down on the equivalent Superb but significantly better than a key segment rival, the PHEV version of the Peugeot 5008. Another sector rival the Kia Sorento PHEV, does even worse, returning only 35 miles on battery power, but can (unlike the iV version of this Kodiaq) be ordered with seven seats. Skoda reckons the Kodiaq iV model's electric mileage figure will allow many families to use the car as an EV, given German market research suggesting that 95% of journeys are less than 31 miles long and 99% are shorter than 71 miles. The brand claims that with petrol and electric power sources combined, the Kodiaq iV PHEV's range would stretch to over 620 miles. As usual with PHEVs, that EV range skews the combined cycle fuel figure well into fantasy land (here, it's quoted at up to 691.5mpg); in reality, you probably wouldn't do much better than would be the case with a frugally-driven diesel variant (and with the PHEV, you'd have to put up with a smaller fuel tank too). But the important thing is that the HMRC believes the iV model's quoted CO2 figure - up to 9g/km - so a low Benefit-in-Kind taxation rating is guaranteed - 5% in this case, compared with 32-37% for the conventionally-engined models. The PHEV battery supports DC charging at up to 50kW and that means a 10 to 80% battery top up will take around 25 minutes, while the 11kW on-board charger allows full home battery replenishment to take as little as 2 hours. A more typical 7.4kW garage wallbox would need around four hours.

Summary

Skoda doesn't (yet) offer a full EV of this Kodiaq's size. But the 71 mile EV capability of the iV version of this Czech SUV means that you might feel you don't need an EV if your main driving is around suburbia. It's disappointing though that, unlike Hyundai and Kia, Skoda hasn't yet found a way of designing a Plug-in Hybrid SUV of this kind with seven seats. To be fair, Kia and Hyundai charge you quite a lot more that privilege and if two seating rows are enough for you, then this Kodiaq iV looks an interesting (if much pricier) alternative to the diesel variants that are still deservedly popular in the mainstream Kodiaq range. Like more conventional versions of this car, it gets an enormous boot, a well-crafted cabin and some clever interior touches - and matches it all with a super-low BiK tax rating. You can see why Skoda thinks it might sell a few of these.

Body Glass

Heated rear window

Rear window wiper

Aero front windscreen wipers with intermittent function

Electric front and rear windows

Heat insulating glass in windshield

Windscreen wipers with rain sensor

Brakes

Rear disc brakes

Front disc brakes

Electronic parking brake

Hill hold assist

ESC (incl. ABS+EMD+MSR+ASR+EDL+HBA+DSR+RBS+ESBS+MCB+TSA+XDS)

Front assist with braking reaction to vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists

Junction assist with automatic emergency braking

Carpets/Rugs

Front and rear floor mats

Communication

Voice control system

Bluetooth system

Wireless charging for two smartphones (15W) with cooling function

Emergency call

Driver Aids

Power assisted steering

Rear view camera

Front and rear parking sensors

Lane assist

Traffic sign recognition

Front cross traffic assist

Rear traffic assist

Blind spot detection with door exit warning

Driver alert - Fatigue and drowsiness monitor

Driver Convenience

Tailgate unlocking from outside

Driver Information

Virtual Cockpit - 10.25" digital display

USB C Port x 2 in front centre console

Wireless SmartLink for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto

13" satellite navigation touchscreen display

Dry display cleaner

ChatGPT functionality

Driving Mirrors

Automatic dimming rear view mirror

Electric folding /adjustable/separted heated/folding door mirrors, auto dimming with boarding sports and memory function

Logo projection in door mirrors

Engine

Stop/start function

Entertainment

8 Speakers

DAB Digital radio

2x USB-C in the rear

Exterior Body Features

Body colour bumpers

Rear roof spoiler

Body colour door mirrors and handles

Invisible tailpipe

Black wheel arch surrounds

Safety reflectors on front and rear doors

Without engine designation

Window control switches with black trim

Rear side wing doors

Ice scraper in fuel tank cap

Exterior black decorative trims

Unique dark chrome design logo on alloy wheels

Exterior Lights

LED daytime running lights

LED Headlights

LED rear lights

LED rear fog light

LED third brake light in rear spoiler

LED front fog lamps

Cornering light and poor weather light

Light assistant with automatic headlight control and coming home feature

All weather light

Heating/Cooling/Ventilation

Pollen filter

Tri zone climate control

Interior Features

Chrome interior door handles

Manually adjustable steering column

Rear centre armrest with cupholders

4 foldable roof handles with rear coat hooks

Ticket holder on A Pillar

Fabric headlining

1.5l bottle holder points in all door

Storage pocket including mobile phone pockets on the backs of the front seats

Front centre armrest with jumbo box storage compartment, cup holder and 12V socket

3 configurable smart dials with 32mm coloured display

Umbrella in door panel x1 made from sustainable materials

USB C port by rear view mirror for charging only (15W)

iV badging on boot

Skoda lettering on steering wheel

Automatic gear selector on steering column

Interior Lights

Driver/front passenger reading lights

1x centre rear reading light

Upper and lower glovebox with card holder and coin compartment

Ambient interior lighting - Dashboard, front-door stowage compartments, front and rear door panels and footwell lighting

Safety

Two tone horn

Fuel cut off safety device

Height adjustable front 3 point seatbelts + pretensioners

Tyre pressure monitor

Electric child locks

Auto door release and activation of warning lights in the event of an accident

Safety vest holder in door

Three point rear seat belts

Seat belt reminder for all seats

Driver and front passenger airbag with knee airbag and front passenger airbag deactivation

Seats

Height adjustable front headrests

3 seat bench in 2nd row

Manual lumbar support for front passenger seat

Three rear height adjustable headrests

Single front passenger seat

Fixed bench 40:60:40 split folding backrests

Isofix child seat fittings in outer rear seats and front passenger with top tether

Rear seat boot backrest release

Manual height adjustment for front passenger seats and thigh support extender

Security

Immobiliser

Anti-theft wheel bolts

Alarm with interior monitoring and tilt sensor with safe function

Remote central locking with 2 keys

Vanity Mirrors

Sunvisors with illuminated vanity mirrors

Vehicle Charging

32A charging cable

Wheels - Spare

Tool kit

Breakdown kit

Electric Vehicle Data

Battery Charging Scenario 1 - Charge Time (Mins): 675

Battery Charging Scenario 1 - Power Supply - kW: 2.3

Battery Charging Scenario 1 - Percentage Change: 0-100

Battery Charging Scenario 2 - Charge Time (Mins): 150

Battery Charging Scenario 2 - Power Supply - kW: 11

Battery Charging Scenario 2 - Percentage Change: 0-100

Battery Charging Scenario 3 - Charge Time (Mins): 26

Battery Charging Scenario 3 - Power Supply - kW: 40

Battery Charging Scenario 3 - Percentage Change: 10-80

Battery Charging Scenario 4 - Charge Time (Mins): N

Battery Charging Scenario 4 - Power Supply - kW: N

Battery Charging Scenario 4 - Percentage Change: N

Coupler/Connector Type: Type 2

Standard manufacturers Battery warranty - Years: 8

Standard manufacturers Battery warranty - Mileage: 100000

Battery Capacity in kWh: 25.7

Battery Leased: 0

Battery Type: Lithium-ion

WLTP - Equivalent AER (km) - Comb: 120

WLTP - EC AC Weighted (kWh/100km) - Comb: 17.4

WLTP - EC AC Weighted (miles/kWh) - Comb: 3.6

WLTP - Equivalent AER (miles) - Comb: 74

Battery Capacity % guaranteed under warranty: 73

Charging Port Location: Front

Usable Battery Capacity: 19.7

Maximum Charging Rate - kW: 40

Emissions - ICE

Standard Euro Emissions: EURO 6

NOx: 0.006

HC+NOx: N

Particles: 0.0001

Emissions - PHEV

WLTP - CO2 Ch Sus (g/km) - Low - TEL: 153

WLTP - CO2 Ch Sus (g/km) - Low - TEH: 172

WLTP - CO2 Ch Sus (g/km) - Medium - TEL: 115

WLTP - CO2 Ch Sus (g/km) - Medium - TEH: 124

WLTP - CO2 Ch Sus (g/km) - High - TEL: 115

WLTP - CO2 Ch Sus (g/km) - High - TEH: 120

WLTP - CO2 Ch Sus (g/km) - Extra High - TEL: 145

WLTP - CO2 Ch Sus (g/km) - Extra High - TEH: 151

WLTP - CO2 Ch Sus (g/km) - Comb - TEL: 131

WLTP - CO2 Ch Sus (g/km) - Comb - TEH: 138

WLTP - CO2 Charge Depleting (g/km) - Comb: 4

WLTP - CO2 Charge Depleting (g/km) - Comb - TEL: 3

WLTP - CO2 Charge Depleting (g/km) - Comb - TEH: 4

WLTP - CO2 Weighted (g/km) - Comb: 9

WLTP - CO2 Weighted (g/km) - Comb - TEL: 9

WLTP - CO2 Weighted (g/km) - Comb - TEH: 11

Engine and Drive Train

Cylinders - Bore (mm): 74.5

Cylinders - Stroke (mm): 85.9

CC: 1498

Cylinders: 4

Cylinder Layout: IN-LINE

Number of Valves: 16

Camshaft: DOHC

Fuel Delivery: TURBO DIRECT INJECTION

Catalytic Convertor: No

Engine Layout: FRONT TRANSVERSE

Compression Ratio: 10.5:1

Transmission: AUTO

Gears: 6 SPEED

Fuel Consumption - ICE

EC Directive 1999/100/EC Applies: 0

Fuel Consumption - PHEV

WLTP - FC Ch Sus (mpg) - Low - TEL: 42

WLTP - FC Ch Sus (mpg) - Low - TEH: 37.4

WLTP - FC Ch Sus (mpg) - Medium - TEL: 55.7

WLTP - FC Ch Sus (mpg) - Medium - TEH: 52

WLTP - FC Ch Sus (mpg) - High - TEL: 56

WLTP - FC Ch Sus (mpg) - High - TEH: 53.3

WLTP - FC Ch Sus (mpg) - Extra High - TEL: 44.3

WLTP - FC Ch Sus (mpg) - Extra High - TEH: 42.7

WLTP - FC Ch Sus (mpg) - Comb - TEL: 49.1

WLTP - FC Ch Sus (mpg) - Comb - TEH: 46.7

WLTP - FC Ch Sus (l/100km) - Low - TEL: 6.7

WLTP - FC Ch Sus (l/100km) - Low - TEH: 7.5

WLTP - FC Ch Sus (l/100km) - Medium - TEL: 5.1

WLTP - FC Ch Sus (l/100km) - Medium - TEH: 5.4

WLTP - FC Ch Sus (l/100km) - High - TEL: 5

WLTP - FC Ch Sus (l/100km) - High - TEH: 5.3

WLTP - FC Ch Sus (l/100km) - Extra High - TEL: 6.4

WLTP - FC Ch Sus (l/100km) - Extra High - TEH: 6.6

WLTP - FC Ch Sus (l/100km) - Comb - TEL: 5.7

WLTP - FC Ch Sus (l/100km) - Comb - TEH: 6.1

WLTP - FC Ch Dep (l/100km) - Comb - TEL: 0.1075

WLTP - FC Ch Dep (l/100km) - Comb - TEH: 0.1367

WLTP - FC Weighted (l/100km) - Comb: 0.4

WLTP - FC Weighted (l/100km) - Comb - TEL: 0.4

WLTP - FC Weighted (l/100km) - Comb - TEH: 0.5

WLTP - FC Ch Dep (mpg) - Comb - TEL: 2628.6

WLTP - FC Ch Dep (mpg) - Comb - TEH: 2067.1

WLTP - FC Weighted (mpg) - Comb: 688.8

WLTP - FC Weighted (mpg) - Comb - TEL: 688.8

WLTP - FC Weighted (mpg) - Comb - TEH: 578.2

General

Coin Series: SE

Coin Description: TSI iV 204

Standard manufacturers warranty - Years: 3

Standard manufacturers warranty - Mileage: 60000

Manufacturers Paintwork Guarantee - Years: 2

Manufacturers Corrosion Perforation Guarantee - Years: 12

Did at least one aspect of this vehicle's safety give cause for concern?: 0

Special Edition: 0

Special Order: 0

Based On ID: N

Insurance Group 1 - 50 Effective January 07: 24E

Timing Belt Interval Mileage: 140000

NCAP Adult Occupant Protection %: 89

NCAP Child Occupant Protection %: 83

NCAP Pedestrian Protection %: 82

NCAP Safety Assist %: 78

NCAP Overall Rating - Effective February 09: 5

Badge Power: 204

Badge Engine CC: 1.5

Vehicle Homologation Class: M1

Generation Mark: 2

Alternative Fuel Qualifying: No

Performance

0 to 62 mph (secs): 8.4

Top Speed: 130

Engine Power - BHP: 204

Engine Power - PS: No

0 to 60 mph (secs): 0

Engine Power - KW: 150

Engine Power - RPM: 5500

Engine Torque - LBS.FT: 184

Engine Torque - NM: 250

Engine Torque - RPM: 1500

Engine Torque - MKG: 25.5

Test Cycles

Emissions Test Cycle: WLTP

RDE Certification Level: RDE 2

Tyres

Tyre Size Front: 235/55 R18

Tyre Size Rear: 235/55 R18

Tyre Size Spare: TYRE REPAIR KIT

Wheel Type: 18" ALLOY

Wheel Style: MAZENO SILVER

Alloys?: No

Space Saver?: 0

Vehicle Dimensions

Length: 4758

Width: 1864

Wheelbase: 2791

Width (including mirrors): 2133

Height: 1656

Height (including roof rails): 1674

Weight and Capacities

Minimum Kerbweight: 1842

Gross Vehicle Weight: 2432

Fuel Tank Capacity (Litres): 47

Max. Towing Weight - Braked: 1800

Max. Towing Weight - Unbraked: 750

Max. Loading Weight: 590

Luggage Capacity (Seats Up): 745

No. of Seats: 5

Max. Roof Load: 75

Luggage Capacity (Seats Down): 1945

Turning Circle - Kerb to Kerb: 11.2

Body Glass

Heated windscreen

Exterior Body Features

Pearlescent paint

Running boards

Panoramic sunroof

Exclusive paint

Metallic paint

Interior Features

Net partition

Variable boot floor

Packs

Lounge design selection package - Kodiaq

Driving assistance package - Kodiaq

Convenience package - Kodiaq

Acoustic package - Kodiaq

Simply clever family package - Kodiaq

Simply clever cargo package - Kodiaq PHEV

Winter package - Kodiaq SE/SEL

Exterior styling pack - Kodiaq

Rough Road pack - Kodiaq

Paint - Metallic

Metallic - Bronx gold

Metallic - Moon white

Metallic - Race blue

Metallic - Brilliant silver

Metallic - Graphite grey

Paint - Pearlescent

Pearl - Black magic

Paint - Solid

Solid - Energy blue

Paint - Special

Exclusive paint - Velvet red

Service/Warranty

Extended warranty (4 years or 80000 miles)

Service plan (Your first two services)

Extended warranty (5 years or 100000 miles)

Extended warranty (4 years or 100000 miles)

Towing

Electrically folding towbar with adaptor

Trim - Part Leather

Lounge design selection - Fabric/suedia faux leather - Grey wool with mustard stitching

Loft design fabric - Black/grey with green and black stitching

Vehicle Charging

Mode 2 charging cable

Wheels - Alloy

18" Soria anthracite polished alloy wheel

19" Talgar silver polished alloy wheel with black matte aero covers

Wheels - Spare

17" Space saving steel spare wheel for temporary use