Boosted by a 2021 facelift, Skoda’s big Kodiaq performed well last year, notching up 94,500 sales and making it the brand’s second most-bought model behind the perennially popular Octavia and the little Kamiq crossover.
But the Kodiaq first appeared on the scene in 2016 and so it’s little surprise that Skoda is preparing to take the covers off an all-new 2024 Kodiaq later this year. As this test car’s camo wrap shows, those covers are staying on for now, but they’re not sufficiently distracting to prevent us from noticing that we’re seeing the new car with its genuine production body for the first time.
Previous sightings of prototype Kodiaqs were of mules built around the current car and only wearing disguise at the front and rear. The fact that this latest car is fully covered is a clear giveaway that it’s the real deal before we’ve even got to the details visible through that swirly skin.
The most obvious change appears to be the absence of prominent swage lines on either side. The horizontal character line that runs from the front fender to the taillight, passing through both doors on each side is a Skoda family trait seen on everything from the Kamiq to the Kodiaq. But these images show the new car has smoother sides and a pronounced shoulder just below the window line, as previewed by last year’s Skoda Vision 7S concept.
Related: Skoda Vision 7S Concept Previews Electric Kodiaq Replacement With 370-Mile Range
The 2024 Kodiaq doesn’t get the 7S concept’s slick flush-fit door handles, however, and although it’s hard to tell with all that disguise on the nose, it doesn’t appear to borrow its front end, either. The split lamp arrangement looks similar to what’s already in use on the current Kodiaq, though the rear shot reveals the taillights are now in line with the stepped-out section of the rear hatch.
The Vision 7S concept was electrically-powered and points to a future three-row big brother to Skoda’s Enyaq EV. But the new Kodiaq will stick with the MQB platform and familiar mix of petrol and diesel engines that will include 48-volt mild hybrid tech and the option of a PHEV model combining a 1.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline motor mated to a compact electric motor that produces a combined 268 hp (272 PS).
