2025 Skoda Kodiaq review: Australian first drive

Launched in 2017, the original Skoda Kodiaq was the Volkswagen-owned Czech brand’s first serious take on the SUV formula, after modest success with the smaller, oddball Yeti.

Nearly a decade on – in an SUV market 50 per cent bigger – Skoda has overhauled its seven-seat family SUV for a second generation, promising more space, technology, performance and driving refinement.

It remains one of the smaller vehicles in the seven-seat family SUV category – closer to a Mitsubishi Outlander than a Toyota Kluger or Hyundai Santa Fe in size – but for many buyers who don’t need the third row every day of the week, that may be an advantage.

The new Kodiaq is more expensive than its predecessor, but after a series of price rises for the outgoing model through the COVID-19 pandemic, Skoda says it has added $5700 worth of extra equipment for a $1700 increase in RRP.

Has Skoda’s new seven-seater moved the game forward enough?

Skoda has added a lot more equipment to the Kodiaq for its new generation, with relatively modest price increases to match.

Three 140kW 2.0-litre turbo models are available initially – the Select, Sportline and limited-time Launch Edition – ahead of the arrival of a new 195kW Kodiaq RS performance flagship due in September, and a plug-in hybrid near year's end.

Prices start from $54,990 plus on-road costs, or $56,990 drive-away for the Select – up $1700 and $500 respectively over the outgoing Style base model, but Skoda claims the new version packs in $5700 worth of extra features.

Those include leather seats, a power-adjustable driver’s seat, tri-zone climate control, heated front seats, a 13-inch touchscreen (up from 9.2-inch), traffic sign recognition, and lane-keep assist – items that rivals offer as standard.

That’s on top of features such as a nine-speaker stereo, 10-inch instrument display, 19-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, wireless and wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, dual wireless phone chargers, a power tailgate, front and rear parking sensors, and five 45-watt USB-C ports.

The Sportline steps up to $58,990 plus on-road costs or $61,990 drive-away – up $2500 before on-road cost over its predecessor, but holding the same drive-away price point – adding 20-inch wheels, matrix LED headlights, suede and leather trim, scrolling indicators, sports seats, a heated steering wheel, and a ‘premium’ sound system over the Select.

It is available with a $4000 Ultimate Package, which adds adaptive suspension, a Canton sound system, head-up display, heated outboard second-row seats, automatic parking, a 360-degree camera, hands-free power tailgate, progressive steering, and a power-adjustable front passenger seat.

The Launch Edition ($63,490 plus on-roads/$65,490 drive-away) is effectively an even-better-equipped Sportline without the black trim, so it includes the contents of the Ultimate Package plus massaging and ventilated front seats, a panoramic glass roof, illuminated front grille, and more.

Due at a later date is the Kodiaq RS performance flagship, as well as a plug-in hybrid version – though the latter will only be a five-seater.

For a full breakdown of what the Kodiaq has to offer, click here to read our pricing and specifications story.

Rivals for the Kodiaq are abundant. Chief among them is the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid – the 2025 Drive Car of the Year – which starts from $55,500 plus on-road costs with front-wheel drive, or $58,500 with all-wheel drive, though buyers can save $2500 by skipping its hybrid variant.

There’s also the Kia Sorento (from $50,880 plus on-roads as a petrol V6, or $3000 more as a diesel) and Mazda CX-80 (from $55,200 plus on-roads with a turbo-petrol six-cylinder).

Skoda is keen to point out sharp finance offers on the Kodiaq through its guaranteed future value program. Over a four-year term with a 20 per cent deposit and 15,000km travelled per annum, it quotes a $157/week payment with a 7.99 per cent comparison rate – compared to $187/week at 12.87 per cent for a base Santa Fe, and closer to $200 for rivals. Check the brand’s website for more details.

At 4758mm long, 1864mm wide and 1659mm tall, on a 2791mm wheelbase, the new Kodiaq is longer and taller than the model it replaces, but unchanged in wheelbase – the distance between the front and rear wheels – and, unusually, slightly narrower.

It means there is more space inside for passengers and luggage, but it isn’t a night-and-day difference – and the Kodiaq remains smaller than rivals from Hyundai, Kia, Toyota and Mazda.

The Kodiaq has effectively skipped a generation of Skodas – the fiddly, maligned touch-sensitive slider controls of the Octavia and Enyaq – so while plenty of the car’s functions run through the touchscreen, there remain some physical controls for key operations.

Among those are the Smart Dials, three customisable rotary controllers debuting on the Kodiaq can change a variety of parameters, including the volume and key air-conditioning functions.

They spin like regular dials, but push them in and you can change what they control. The outer dials can be switched between controlling the air temperature, seat heating and ventilation, while drivers can select four of six functions to be controlled via the inner dial at any time – fan speed, air direction, ‘Smart Climate’, drive mode, map zoom, and volume.

We are a big fan of the Smart Dials, and while they are not perfect – the dials are quite sensitive and have little feedback, so it’s easy to overshoot, and you still need to look off the road and at them when changing functions – they are much better than sticking these functions in the touchscreen.

There are a few physical buttons surrounding the Smart Dials, but they didn’t feel quite as sturdy and high-quality as we’d like.

On that note, build quality in these test cars was not up to the standards we’ve come to expect from Skoda.

More than one of the three cars we drove on the media preview had rattles, from resonances in the door panels, to an annoying vibration behind the right side of the dashboard that sounded like a small drill. The glovebox button in one of the cars we drove was also slightly wonky.

Material quality is good, however – there are soft-touch or squidgy finishes on the dashboard and door tops (if not necessarily lower down), the armrests are trimmed in soft leather or microfibre, and the centre armrest slides forward and adjusts up and down to suit drivers of different heights.

The rest of the cabin in the new Kodiaq is great. The front seats in all models are comfortable – especially the sports items in the Sportline, with suede-look inserts – with power driver’s side adjustment across the range, and little touches like extendable underthigh support.

There’s plenty of adjustment in the steering column, and the steering wheel itself is also premium-feeling, with a thin rim, leather wrapping, shift paddles, and controls that may initially confuse but we’ve found you come to get your head around.

Some controls have moved – the gear shifter is now on the right-hand steering-column stalk, and the parking brake is by the driver’s right knee like a Hyundai – creating space for an open centre console with plenty of small-item storage.

There are up to four cupholders – two permanent slots with a tray that slides out to double your cup storage – plus a shelf above the dual wireless phone chargers (which are ventilated, handily, so your phone won’t overheat), dual gloveboxes, and decently sized door pockets and centre console storage.

There are a number of Skoda’s ‘Simply Clever’ features, such as umbrellas in the doors, bins in both front door pockets (not just the driver’s side), a new screen cleaner in the centre console area, pop-out door edge protectors, fold-down cargo rails in the boot, and new phone pockets on the front seatbacks.

Amenities up front include two USB-C ports, keyless entry and start, and an optional panoramic sunroof.

Sliding the seats in the second row back reveals plenty of knee room, toe room and head room for a 186cm (6ft 1in) tall person sitting behind a similarly sized driver, with a recline function in a 60:40 split.

Second-row occupants have access to loose item storage and cupholders in a plastic piece that pops onto the central floor tunnel – a good way of turning otherwise wasted space into something useful – plus air vents, map pockets, sunshades in the doors, a fold-down armrest with cupholders, two USB-C ports, and a 12-volt socket in all grades of the new Kodiaq.

There are heated outboard seats in certain models, and tablet holders on the front seatbacks, while there are outboard ISOFIX and three top-tether child-seat anchor points.

The third row is said to be roomier than before, but it’s still a kid-only space, as with the second row slid back, there’s little to no leg room for teenagers or adults.

Kids in the third row can’t be too young, however, as there are no ISOFIX or top-tether anchors for fitting child seats back there. There are cupholders, but no air vents.

Boot space is also said to be improved, and larger than that of key seven-seat rivals, with enough room behind the third row for carry-on suitcases, school bags and other items. The third- and second-row seats fold for more room, and there are nooks, lights, bag hooks, and a 12-volt socket. A space-saver spare wheel can be found under the floor.

New for the 2025 Kodiaq is a 13-inch infotainment touchscreen – up from 9.2 inches – running the brand’s latest software, with wireless and wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, satellite navigation, digital radio, and voice control.

It’s quick to respond, and Skoda has listened to criticism of its recent cars by adding shortcuts along the bottom edge of the display for media, navigation, phone and other apps.

There is also a ‘favourites’ bar along the top edge of the display with space for driver-customisable shortcuts, from climate functions such as recirculating air, to a toggle for the drive modes, safety systems and automatic parking.

One annoyance is that the power button for the infotainment screen is a touch-sensitive control placed directly under the display, where your hand tends to rest while interacting with the touchscreen.

On multiple occasions we found ourselves accidentally turning off the display in regular use – it’s a puzzling design choice, given Skoda has made so many steps elsewhere to avoid fiddly touch-sensitive controls.

In one particular car, we also had frequent Apple CarPlay disconnections – on both wireless and wired links – when trying to exit the system, use the native Skoda software, and return back.

Ahead of the driver is a 10-inch instrument display, which is easy to read and offers a decent amount of customisation, though looks small given the size of the housing around it.

A head-up display is available on higher grades, and the premium sound system in more expensive models delivers above-average audio quality.

Skoda does not offer a smartphone companion app for the Kodiaq, with access to remote locking, vehicle tracking and other features that rivals offer.

The Skoda Kodiaq has earned a five-star safety rating from ANCAP based on testing conducted in 2024 by sister organisation Euro NCAP.

It was awarded category scores of 89 per cent for adult occupant protection, 87 per cent for child occupant protection, 82 per cent for vulnerable road user protection (pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists), and 81 per cent for safety assist technology.

A full gamut of advanced safety features is standard on the Skoda Kodiaq, and in a refreshing change from many other new cars Drive has tested over the past 18 months, they are all calibrated smoothly without annoyance or frustration.

In a first for a Skoda in Australia, there is traffic sign recognition technology that can read speed limits and display them on the dashboard.

There is an audible alert available, which can sound when the car exceeds the speed limit it has detected… but in the Kodiaq, it is an opt-in feature, not opt-out.

In many other new cars, it’s something you have to turn off every time you enter the car, and becomes particularly annoying as the tech is prone to misreading speed signs and telling you off for speeding when you’re not. Skoda lets you have the chime only if you want it.

There is a driver distraction alert, but it is not overbearing – and rather reminds you to pay attention only if it detects you swerving in the lane, or if you’ve been tapping on the touchscreen for too long.

Lane-keep assist is not too pushy on rural roads, and the combination of adaptive cruise control and lane-centring assist is well calibrated, though the stalk to activate them is fiddly and takes some time to learn.

If you’re not a fan of the lane-assist systems, or want to turn on/off the speed alert, you can do so by pressing a button on the steering wheel, and scrolling through a short menu that appears on the instrument cluster. We’re glad Skoda has made this easy, and other brands should take note.

Perhaps the only miss is that you need to spend up to a Sportline with Ultimate Pack or Launch Edition to get a 360-degree camera.

Skoda covers its new vehicles with a seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, matching Kia and most Chinese brands, and the longest of any European marque.

Services are set at intervals of 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first, and add up to $1850 over three visits, $3616 over five, and $4875 over seven.

That’s expensive compared to rivals – a Toyota Kluger Hybrid charges just $1400 over five years/75,000km, while a Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid costs $2405 over five years/50,000km – though a seven-year prepaid service pack is available to get the cost down.

Skoda claims fuel consumption of 9.2 litres per 100 kilometres in mixed conditions, split across 12.2L/100km in the city and 7.4L/100km on the highway or extra-urban roads.

We spent time in a number of vehicles on the media preview drive, though nearly all of it was on motorways, country highways, or winding roads – so we saw indicated fuel consumption of between 7.5 and 9.0L/100km.

Expect something closer to the urban-cycle claim when driven exclusively in the city.

The Kodiaq is not offered as a hybrid, something the boss of the car maker in Australia admits cost the marque sales last year compared to key rivals.

However, a plug-in hybrid version is due towards the end of this year – or early next year – with the promise of an electric-only driving range exceeding 100km.

As with most European cars, the Kodiaq requires 95- or 98-octane premium petrol for its 58-litre fuel tank.

The Volkswagen Group is sinking much of its research and development budget into new hybrid and electric cars, so it is not a complete surprise the new Kodiaq is conventionally powered under the bonnet.

The 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine from the old model has been upgraded and now produces 140kW and 320Nm – up from 132kW/320Nm – though a little more weight than before means it isn’t massively more powerful in the real world.

Performance is adequate for a family SUV of this size, but overtakes on the motorway or country roads are not as effortless as the Sportline grade’s looks would suggest – something filling all seven seats would exacerbate.

The seven-speed dual-clutch (DSG) automatic transmission is a good example of the breed. There is some hesitation off the mark, but it is something DSG first-timers will come to get used to, and on the move it is smartly calibrated and quick to shift.

As with most European cars, comfort over bumps in the base-model Select has a slightly firm edge, but it is compliant over even particularly rough roads, and does a good job balancing outright plushness with a sure-footed feel over road undulations at higher speeds.

More expensive model grades are available with adaptive suspension, which allows drivers to choose from 15 stages of firmness – or choose from one of the preset drive modes.

In Comfort or Normal modes, the suspension smothers smaller bumps and speed humps, but at higher speeds – over crests and undulations – lacks the composure and ‘tied-down’ feel we have come to expect from European cars.

It is particularly evident in the Launch Edition – which runs on smaller wheels and a ‘comfort’ suspension tune – which, over a particularly choppy stretch of freeway north of Melbourne, had a tendency to wallow over the road surface to a degree that could upset carsickness-prone kids.

The Sportline delivers a much better balance – as it sits on tauter sports suspension – and while you can firm up the suspension in the Launch Edition, we struggled to find an ideal setting that was not too busy or too floaty.

It is possible the roads Skoda chose for the launch drive were particularly challenging, so we will reserve a final judgement on the Kodiaq’s ride comfort until we get one through the Drive garage for a longer test, as we did not spend much time on the media preview drive traversing bumpy, congested city streets where most buyers will use their car.

Where the Kodiaq impresses is in its handling. It is not as agile as a small hatchback, naturally, but it feels lighter on its feet than you’d think for a spacious family SUV, and inspires confidence on winding roads.

The steering is light but direct and linearly weighted, the brake pedal is also very well weighted, and there is a reasonable amount of grip from the tyres fitted to all models.

All-wheel drive is standard on all Kodiaqs, which will assist with traction in wet weather.

What’s not so good is the tyre roar, which is higher than average but still tolerable in models on 19-inch wheels – and markedly louder in those on 20s and low-profile tyres.

The Skoda Kodiaq is an evolutionary step forward over its predecessor, rather than a rewrite of the rulebook.

That will be no bad thing if you liked the outgoing model. The new Kodiaq is more spacious inside, the technology is quicker and brighter, it drives like a smaller car, and it feels like a proper Skoda, with plenty of practical touches inside and out.

The intuitive calibration of the safety features is a highlight compared to many of its peers, and it’s better value for money than the final examples of the old model.

If you found the outgoing Kodiaq to be too small in the third row for your needs, the servicing too expensive, and the lack of a hybrid power a deal-breaker, then the new model won’t change your opinion. The quality niggles we experienced in a brand-new car are also not ideal.

Should you fall into the former camp, and appreciate the Kodiaq’s best attributes, you will love the new model.

Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner

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