Beauty And The Beasts

The beautiful Škoda Kodiaq has walked into the path of two stampeding beasts. Will it live to tell the tale?

- Rohit Paradkar

Škoda doesn’t make SUVs very often, but their maiden attempt - the Yeti - was easily one of the most capable cars to buy in its segment. The polarising design, however, estranged many in our otherwise SUV loving market, pushing the car to the uninspiring end of the sales charts. Therefore, for Škoda’s second take at the SUV genre, designer Jozef Kaban has penned a new design direction that could only take the sales charts upward. Replacing the Yeti will be the Karoq that arrives in 2018, but setting the benchmarks for Škoda’s SUV ambitions is the Kodiaq. It is also the first SUV flagship for the brand, which means it not only pips the Superb on pricing, but also on kit and design sophistication. While that makes it quite a tempting offering in the premium space, it also puts the Kodiaq in the path of the Toyota Fortuner and the Ford Endeavour - two brutes that have virtually trounced over all competition that ever dared to spawn in their territory. Will the Kodiaq meet a similar fate too?

DESIGN