Only one panel of the new Škoda Kodiak, is changing: the engine bonnet, but thanks to a few other, masterly touches (focused on the bumpers and light units) the most generous of the Czech brand’s SUVs feels a little younger, without losing, almost five years from its launch, one little bit of that “sharp” language that has always distinguished it.
On the one hand, the front end indulges in a taller and more hexagonal grille, decorated with double bars and, most importantly, connected to the new, thinner light units and to the new, more prominent bonnet. On the other, the lower profile of the light units (now sharper than ever) on the tail again recalls that the brand’s bohemian origins are shared with a famous quality of crystals. To house the redesigned light units, a renewed rear trim was necessary, just as happened at the front, where the remodelled, wide air vent also enables the aerodynamics to be optimised. Again, in terms of managing air flows, the spoiler on the rear window is slightly altered, the shiny black finishing of which makes it possible, among other things, to minimise the visual bulk of the tailgate.
“We have created a more mature and dynamic car, but one that is much more aesthetically robust”, Oliver Stefani, head of design for Škoda, explains. Stefani, when asked about the influence of electric mobility in the evolution of the brand’s features, downplays the effects in relation to this specific restyling: “We care a lot about communicating a unitary identity, constructed around our Czech spirit, but preserving significant differences between a pure electric car, such as the Enyaq iV, and a thermal one like the Kodiaq. Though they have mutual inspirations, each model must express its own character”.
A prism of facets, in short, just like a sculpted goblet. Fortunately, a passenger compartment, as always fairly welcoming and well devised, plays counterpoint to so much pointed external solidity. In fact, next to the minor alterations in the sewing of the dashboard and upholstery in leather, the interesting Ergo Seats, which are ventilated and massaging, appear for the first time. “Revisiting a success is never easy. Here, the key was to develop our “crystalline” DNA in an emotional key”, Stefani concludes. “It will happen again with future products, one of which is very important and close”. Ready for another “pungent” novelty?
