Updated Skoda Kodiaq seven-seat SUV arrives in Australia this year

This top-shelf softroader is a previous Car of the Year winner and it has now received a range of updates to make it even better.

Skoda has given its award-winning SUV a makeover.

An updated version of the seven-seat Kodiaq SUV is due to land in Aussie showrooms later this year and will be joined by a red-hot performance version early next year.

The Skoda Kodiaq was named the 2017 News Corp Car of the Year when it first arrived on the scene and the new version builds on that vehicle.

Skoda’s Kodiaq SUV has received a makeover.

A raft of exterior styling updates includes a revised front grille, front and rear bumpers and lighting features.

All three models in the line-up are all-wheel drive and prices start at $51,990 drive-away for the base Kodiaq Style, which is an increase of $2500 over the current version.

Power comes from the same four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine making 132kW/320Nm, paired to a seven-speed dual-clutch auto.

The Kodiaq has seats for seven.

The Kodiaq Style luxury highlights include stylish 19-inch black alloy wheels, funky interior ambient lighting, leather trimmed upholstery and a leather wrapped sports steering wheel.

Skoda’s excellent digital instrument display is standard, as is a 9.2-inch central toucshceen, which is compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Skoda’s mid-tier Sportline version is priced from $56,990 drive-away and uses the same engine as the Style variant.

The Kodiaq has a classy interior with plenty of tech features.

The extra spend buys a range of styling tweaks including plenty of black exterior highlights, Sportline badging, aluminium pedals, Alcantara sport seats and interior trim. It also comes with 20-inch alloy wheels and paddle shifters.

Skoda turns up the heat with its range topping RS, which is priced from $73,990 and uses the same 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine found in the new Golf GTI, making 180kW and 370Nm. This engine replaces the 176kW/500Nm twin-turbo diesel unit found in the current version.

The Skoda Kodiaq was a previous winner of News Corp’s Car of the Year award.

Despite the big reduction in torque Skoda Australia chief, Michael Irmer, says the petrol version benefits from a performance boost compared to the diesel.

“As has been demonstrated overseas since the release of the new RS, the saving in weight from the diesel and the freer revving nature of the petrol engine lend the new version what we believe to be even more enjoyable driving capabilities,” he said.

The new RS uses the same engine as the Golf GTI hot hatch.

The RS also has sporty touches such as red brake calipers, leather sports seats with contrast red stitching, faux carbon interior trim, RS badging, a booming 12-speaker Canton stereo and a panoramic sunroof.

The Kodiaq is a bit light on active driver aids with auto emergency braking the only feature of note as standard on the Style and Sportline variants.

Style buyers will need to pony up an extra $6500 for a luxury pack that includes lane-keep assist, blind-spot detection, rear cross-traffic alert and a bird’s eye view camera. The pack also includes plenty of luxury gear with standout features including heated front and rear seats, cooled front seats, an auto folding side mirror and full leather upholstery.

Style and Sportline buyers will need to add an optional pack to get vital safety gear.

Buyers of the mid-tier Sportline pay $3700 for the same pack.

All the features in the luxury pack are included as standard in the top-shelf RS version.

Skoda backs its vehicles with a five-year/unlimited km warranty and prepaid servicing packs are available.