Some drag races can be quite complex, which is why picking a winner here between the Skoda Kodiaq vRS and a 2019 Jeep Wrangler equipped with a four-cylinder petrol unit isn’t very straight forward.
Unlike the Skoda, you can actually take the Jeep apart, removing certain panels of the vehicle – hence why Carwow named it ‘Superleggera’ which is Italian for ‘Super Light’ . This in turn gives you less weight, and if you happen to stuff the Kodiaq with everything you just took off the Wrangler, well, let’s just say that things get really interesting.
On paper, the two power units appear comparable. The Skoda’s 2.0-liter biturbo-diesel produces 237 HP (240 PS) and 369 lb-ft (500 Nm) of torque. That’s good enough for a 0-62 mph (100 km/h) acceleration time of 6.9 seconds.
This Wrangler, on the other hand, uses a 2.0-liter four-cylinder gasoline unit with 268 HP (272 PS) and 295 lb-ft (400 Nm) of torque. It needs a full two seconds more than the Skoda to reach the 62 mph (100km/h) mark from standstill.
Also watch: 2020 Skoda Kodiaq RS Is Aimed At A Rather Narrow Target Group
Knowing that, we shouldn’t be surprised that the Kodiaq vRS won the first drag race without struggling, although not by much – 14.8 seconds for the Skoda and 15 seconds flat for the Jeep. The rolling-start race was even closer, but the more aerodynamic Skoda still came out on top.
But what happens once you remove the doors and the roof panels off the Wrangler? This instantly becomes a much more competitive straight line battle.
We would have liked to see another run where the Jeep bits weren’t loaded into the Skoda, but of course, you can’t always get what you want.