Skoda Kodiaq 2024 revealed: Australian release date and engine announced

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Skoda revealed its second-generation Kodiaq SUV overnight with the lengthened crossover quickly locked in for an Australian release late next year.

Riding on an updated Evo version of the original Kodiaq’s MQB platform, the new-gen SUV is 61mm longer than the vehicle it replaces – with third row and boot space both growing.

Australian buyers will have to wait more than a year for the first new Kodiaqs to arrive locally, though, as production on our cars won’t start until the third quarter of 2024.

That will see the first Aussie-spec Kodiaqs rolling into local Skoda dealerships by very late 2024, the brand says.

Skoda has maintained the Kodiaq’s signature pragmatic design inside by retaining more physical knobs and dials than cousin brand Volkswagen.

Beneath an available 13-inch touchscreen with Version 4.0 software sit three driver-customisable Smart Dials that can be assigned climate, media and navigation functions.

Leather remains available, now in a fetching eco-tanned cognac colour as well as black, while Suedia microfleece will feature on cars not equipped with hide.

Trim grades for Australia are yet to be announced but the “focus powertrain” for our market will be a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol four-cylinder engine with 140kW of power.

All-wheel drive will be standard with this engine and the transmission is likely to be a seven-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic.

Skoda revealed regular and Sportline trims of the new Kodiaq overnight. While a new Kodiaq RS is virtually inevitable, it hasn’t been shown yet.

Overseas, the Kodiaq will be available with a mild-hybrid 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine with 110kW of power – like the two diesels, the small petrol won’t be on the menu for Australia.

Skoda Australia has also opted not to bid for the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version of the new Kodiaq.

The Kodiaq iV PHEV produces 150kW of combined power and offers more than 100km of electric driving range on the WLTP cycle.

Instead, Skoda will concentrate its electrification efforts locally on the arrival of the Enyaq all-electric midsize SUV – an EV sibling to the Kodiaq.

The five-seat Enyaq will beat the new-gen Kodiaq to Australian dealers with a mid-2024 arrival now locked in.

Kodiaq slots in above Enyaq within Skoda’s crossover lineup, which also includes the Kamiq small SUV and Karoq lower-midsize SUV.

Styling-wise, the new Kodiaq is an evolution of the original model, particularly at the front, where familiar split headlights feature matrix LED tech and a Crystallinium design.

But the design diverges notably in the longer profile and especially at the rear end, where a new taillight shape drives Skoda’s ‘Modern Solid’ design language forward.

Wheel sizes will range between 17- and 20-inches overseas so expect to see at least 18s or 19s as the local boots.

A new iteration of the Kodiaq’s dynamic chassis control dampers will debut on the new-gen car featuring dual-valve shock absorbers.

Inside, 45-watt power is available to charge laptops while twin 15-watt wireless device chargers have an active cooling function.