evo India – July 2019

’M GETTING A LITTLE SICK OF

these Nurburgring records —

there’s just far too many terms

and conditions involved. Take

this, the Kodiaq RS for example. Yes, it has

a lap record around the 'Ring. But no, it isn’t

the fastest SUV around there. It’s the fastest

seven-seater SUV around the Green Hell. Sigh.

These marketing buggers won’t let go of the

slightest chance to shove a Nurburgring record

in our faces. Doesn’t take away from the fact

that this SUV is a proper hoot!

The Kodiaq RS is still the Kodiaq as we

know it, but there’s plenty of work done to it

to make it worthy of the RS badge. Outside,

you get glossy black accents to the grille and

the tweaked rear bumper. The wheels are now

20-inchers and the brake calipers are now a

bright red. A standard with the Skoda RS cars

— the reflector strip above the rear bumper,

makes an appearance. It’s hard to miss the

Test location: Mcely, Czech Republic | Photography: Skoda Auto

Driven

Skoda Kodiaq RS

The Kodiaq RS seats seven but can actually attack a corner too.

It holds a Nurburgring lap record after all...

56 http://www.evoIndia.com | July 2019

I

vRS badges on the grille and tailgate.

The insides have been overhauled as well.

The layout remains largely the same — you get

a Virtual Cockpit, an 8-inch touchscreen and

seven seats. What’s changed are the materials

— there is Alcantara on the seats, doors and

dash. A few of the plastic bits now have a faux

carbonfibre finish to them. The stitching is red

and there’s vRS badges everywhere including

on the firmer, more supportive seats. It’s

comfortable, but not over-indulgent like the

regular Kodiaq.

But hey, the RS cars are all about

performance. Sporty interiors don’t make a

car exciting, the engine does. Under the hood

is a 2-litre TDI engine with two turbos latched

onto it. It makes just under 240bhp and a good

500Nm of torque. This is mated to a DSG ‘box

and gets all-wheel drive. I was driving the SUV

on narrow Czech village roads and the weather

was terribly wet. I could have been at the

Green Hell, for all you know.

Get going, and you can immediately tell that

this Kodiaq is quick. There’s a surge of torque