Skoda has something tantalizing in the works, and it very well could be the new Kodiaq RS.
Previewed in this teaser image, the vehicle lurking in the dark behind this garage door has been undergoing testing at the Nürburgring – which bodes well for the performance chops it will seek to embody.
As the automaker’s first proper crossover (with apologies to the Yeti), the Kodiaq is a midsize SUV and the Czech counterpart to the Volkswagen Tiguan and Seat Ateca. It’s currently offered (in markets where Skoda competes) with a variety of engines, topping out with a 2.0-liter turbo four generating 177 hp (132 kW) and 236 lb-ft (320 Nm) of torque, and a diesel of similar dimensions pumping out 188 hp (140 kW) and 295 lb-ft (400 Nm).
The ostensible RS version (or vRS in the UK) would represent the first time that Skoda would apply those vaunted letters, suggestive as they are of its performance potential, to a crossover. We’ve only seen them until now on versions of the Octavia and Fabia.
Word has it that the Kodiaq RS will pack a twin-turbo diesel V6. In the European-market VW Passat, that engine kicks out 237 hp (177 kW) and 369 lb-ft (500 Nm) of torque. That’d represent a substantial increase over the engines available at present in the Kodiaq, and would be sure to drop a second or two off those current top models’ 8.0- and 8.9-second 0-62 mph (100 km/h) times.
Given what Skoda’s done with previous RS models, we can expect the hi-po Kodiaq to get upgraded brakes and suspension, as well as aero/cosmetic upgrades to go with the added power. Word has it that Skoda could lift the veil off the finished product at the Paris Motor Show come September.