Overview

Skoda has added plug-in hybrid power to its Kodiaq large family SUV range, marking the Czech brand’s first PHEV model to be offered in Australia.

With prices starting at $63,490 before on-road costs, the plug-in hybrid model slots into the Kodiaq range between the Sportline ($58,990 + ORCS) and the range-topping RS model ($70,590 + ORCs). According to Skoda, the PHEV model is expected to account for around 10 per cent of Kodiaq sales in Australia.

Unlike the rest of the Kodiaq line-up, which each have seating for seven or have the option for seven seats in the case of the mild-hybrid variant, the PHEV model is a five-seater.

While classified as a large SUV, it’s five seat configuration and price point place it in competition with mid-sized PHEV offerings such as the Mazda CX-60 ($63,790 - $83,990 + ORCs), the five-seat Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV ($58,990 - $71,640 + ORCs), and the Toyota RAV4 plug-in hybrid ($59,515 - $66,340 + ORCs).

It will also do battle with the closely-related Volkswagen Tayron plug-in hybrid ($62,390 - $76,550 + ORCs).

The powertrain consists of a 1.5-litre turbocharged four cylinder engine, a six-speed dual clutch transmission, and an electric motor, sourcing power from a 25.7kWh lithium-ion battery, with a combined system output of 150kW and 350Nm.

Claimed combined fuel economy is 1.9 litres per 100km, with an electric-only range of 110km on the WLTP cycle and energy consumption quoted at 14.8kWh per 100km.

The battery supports 11kW AC and 50kW DC charging, the latter allowing 10 to 80 per cent charges to be completed in 25 minutes.

Available in entry-level Select trim level, standard exterior features on the Kodiaq PHEV include 19-inch alloy wheels, heated, power-folding, auto dimming exterior mirrors, silver roof rails, gloss black side window trim, LED headlights, tail-lights, and daytime running lights, a dark-chrome D-pillar, and an electric tailgate.

Inside you’ll find a 13-inch infotainment touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 10-inch digital instrument cluster, a nine-speaker sound system, wireless phone charging, leather seats, an electrically adjustable driver’s seat with power lumbar, heated front seats, four USB-C ports (two in the front and two in the back), Skoda’s multifunction smart dials, rear roll-up sunshades, rear-seat tablet holders, rear centre caddy storage, a driver’s door umbrella, cargo dividers and nets in the boot, and removable rubbish bins in the doors.

Standard safety equipment includes adaptive cruise control with stop and go and predictive adaptive cruise control, front and rear parking sensors, nine airbags, traffic sign recognition, advanced driver fatigue detection, front assist, side assist, turn assist, travel assist, front and rear traffic assist, traffic jam assist, lane assist with adaptive lane guidance, crew protect assist, and manoeuvre braking assist. The Skoda Kodiaq holds a five-star ANCAP safety rating.

The Signature pack – available as a $6500 option, adds ventilated, power height adjustable front seats with pneumatically adjustable lumbar support and a massage function, an area view camera, intelligent park assist, matrix LED headlights with dynamic cornering, dynamic rear indicators, a horizontal light strip on the front grille, a 13-speaker Canton sound system, a hands-free tailgate, and a heads-up display. A panoramic sunroof is also available as a $2000 option.

Skoda quotes 745 litres of boot space with the rear bench upright and 1945 litres with the rear seats folded. This is slightly down on the non-hybrid, seven-seat Kodiaq models which have 289 litres of space with all three rows up, 794 litres with the third row of seats down and 2035 litres with all rows folded.

The Kodiaq PHEV is offered with a seven-year, unlimited kilometre warranty and an eight-year, 160,000km battery warranty. It is also available with 12 months of roadside assistance with each scheduled service.

Three-year, five-year, and seven-year service packs are also available for the Kodiaq PHEV priced at $1490, $2990, and $3990 respectively, with intervals coming every 12 months or 15,000km.

Driving Impressions

Like the rest of its Kodiaq stablemates, the cockpit of the Kodiaq PHEV is a functional and comfortable place to be.

The touchscreen’s graphics are crisp, and the system is quick to respond and easy to navigate, particularly due to the menu bars displayed along the top and the bottom of the screen, providing quick and easy navigation options.

From a usability perspective, Skoda’s multifunction smart dials – which can also be found in the Superb sedan and wagon – are quite brilliant, allowing for quick and easy adjustments to the air conditioning, seat heating, medium volume and drive mode settings by pressing down on each dial to switch between functions and twisting them to adjust.

There are also simple physical buttons for operating the air recycling, auto air conditioning and the front and rear windscreen demisting. 

We also found the voice control function surprisingly helpful. By saying “Ok Laura” you can activate the voice control feature, which we found useful for navigating to sections of the infotainment system that would otherwise take multiple touches on the screen to get to.

Most of the immediate touchpoints are fairly pleasant, particularly the three-spoke leather-wrapped steering wheel, leather seats, and the dashboard inlays. Although, some surfaces – particularly the plastic components in the centre console and the tops of the door cards – do feel a bit cheap and scratchy.

Give some of these components a prod and they’ll visibly flex, and some of the cabin plastics buzz while driving at higher speeds on poor-quality surfaces, although this can be drowned out with the music turned up.

Amenities and storage options in the cockpit are useful in the front row, including the wireless phone charging slots, two USB-C ports, a sliding divider that creates two extra cupholders in the centre console, removable rubbish bins, a screen cleaner also found in the centre console, and the dual glovebox compartments.

Forward visibility is solid with relatively thin A-pillar and small windows looking beyond the wing mirrors.

Rear seat space is also very impressive with loads of knee room and headroom with decent space under the seat in front of you. Despite the centre hump, even with the removable caddy storage installed, middle-seat space isn’t too compromised.

Speaking of which, the centre caddy storage is just one of the useful backseat amenities able to be enjoyed by the rear passengers, a list of features which also includes roll-up window shades, two USB-C ports, a 12v socket, rear air vents with temperature controls, a centre folding armrest with rear seat pockets, and tablet holders mounted to the headrests of the front seats.

On the road, the Kodiaq PHEV delivers the quiet, comfortable, yet dynamic experience that we’ve come to expect from modern Skoda products.

The ride soaks up bumps incredibly well while not feeling too soft or wallowy. On rough urban streets, for instance, it’s certainly a suitable tune.

Its cornering performance is impressively fuss-free and sure-footed, especially for a vehicle of this type with solid body control and no undue understeer.

Of course, the PHEV’s headline feature compared to the rest of its Kodiaq stablemates is its powertrain, which quietly and seamlessly switches between internal combustion and electric power.

It hasn’t been designed as a performance powertrain, of course, but it won’t leave you feeling short changed. It’s decently responsive and the electric torque helps the Kodiaq PHEV away from a standing start.

When it comes to fuel economy, the Kodiaq plug-in hybrid delivers the goods. Our first road loop in the PHEV consisted of country roads with urban sections, during which the trip computer returned 2.3 litres per 100km and 12.5kWh per 100km.

We then drove the Kodiaq PHEV 122km from Berrima to Sydney on a mix of motorways and urban streets, where it recorded an even more impressive 1.9 litres per 100km and 10.6kWh per 100km.

Even with the battery dead, refinement, performance, and fuel economy don’t seem to suffer too much. During a 27km urban driving stint with the battery depleted, the Kodiaq PHEV still returned 7.6 litres per 100km.

Like most modern Skoda’s, the Kodiaq PHEV’s ADAS tuning is sensible and non-intrusive. The adaptive cruise control with stop and go works as expected, lane centring interventions are light yet meaningful, and the school zone reminder for the traffic sign recognition is also quite helpful.

However, we found the forward collision warning slightly over-reactive on a handful of occasions and the lack of a 360-degree camera as standard (although available with the Signature pack) is a little disappointing.

Overall, the Kodiaq PHEV delivers the quiet, comfortable, yet dynamic driving experience with clever practical touches that we’ve come to expect from Skoda’s family hauler, but it now benefits from baffling fuel economy.

It’s a shame you can’t have it in seven-seat configuration for maximum-efficiency family hauling. For that, you’ll have to look towards the likes of the Mazda CX-80 P50e or the Kia Sorento PHEV.

However, at a price point that places it in competition with medium SUV models – many of which have less boot space – as well as large SUV models, the Kodiaq PHEV is an immensely appealing prospect.