2022 Skoda Kodiaq price and features: Facelifted seven-seat Mazda CX-8 and Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace rival gets new engine and equipment

Skoda’s upper-mid-size SUV alternative has received a facelift with upgraded standard equipment across its all-wheel-drive-only range.

The Kodiaq range continues to offer three variants, however they have been tweaked in name and configuration compared to the outgoing version, to better reflect the naming conventions of the brand’s VW parent. The brand continues to offer drive-away pricing across its whole range.

Replacing the base 132 TSI is the new Style grade which now wears a drive-away price of $51,990, representing a $2500 increase over the outgoing model. New equipment for this year includes new LED rear light clusters, luggage nets in the boot, puddle lights, improved front and rear bumper designs, and chrome trim for the grille, as well as the facelifted design.

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The base car, re-named as the Style, has a higher price but with more standard equipment.

Other standard items include 19-inch alloy wheels, VW group’s signature ‘virtual cockpit’ digital instrument cluster, a 9.2-inch multimedia display with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, synthetic leather interior trim, privacy glass, chrome highlight trims, LED headlights and DRLs, roof rails, ambient interior lighting, heated and auto-folding wing mirrors, keyless entry and push-start, dual-zone climate control, and USB-C ports.

The mid-grade Sportline moves to a drive-away price of $56,990, representing a $3000 jump over the 132TSI Sportline it replaces, but it upgrades the standard fitment to include full ‘Matrix’ LED headlight clusters, upgraded rear LED clusters, luggage nets and puddle lamps.

The Sportline also offers 20-inch alloy wheels, Alcantara sports seats, a sporty exterior design package with blacked-out highlights, paddle-shifters for the dual-clutch transmission, driving modes, LED fog lights with cornering function, and a ‘progressive steering’ program.

The base Style and mid-spec Sportline continue to be motivated by the same 132kW/320Nm petrol four-cylinder turbocharged engine from the pre-facelift model, driving all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.

The biggest changes for the 2022 model year are reserved for the top-spec RS grade. The RS dumps its previous 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder diesel engine (176kW/500Nm) in favour of a 2.0-litre turbo petrol unit producing 180kW/370Nm. The brand claims this new engine saves weight and is more enjoyable to drive thanks to a more free-revving nature.

The RS is also the only Kodiaq which gets a price-cut for this year, with an updated drive-away price tag of $73,990, $1000 less than the outgoing diesel model.

The tough-looking RS swaps the diesel engine for a petrol one to go with its tough looks.

It also now includes Matrix LED headlights, luggage nets, welcome lights, an upgraded 20-inch wheel design, leather interior trim with ventilated front seats, and a space-saver spare wheel.

This joins the existing slew of equipment which includes heated front seats, ‘RS Design’ bodywork, carbon-look interior trim, a panoramic sunroof, adaptive dampers, auto parking assist, rear auto braking, a gesture control electric tailgate, an extra key, an off-road driving mode, a premium 12-speaker audio system, 360-degree camera suite with an auto-parking feature.

All Kodiaqs score city-speed auto emergency braking, front and rear parking sensors, adaptive cruise control, driver attention alert, a tyre pressure monitoring system and nine airbags, however only the top-spec RS gets lane-keep assist with lane departure warning, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert as standard.

There is a list of individual options for the Style and Sportline, however money can be saved by purchasing one of the packs. The ‘Tech Pack’ ($3000 for Style, $2900 for Sportline) includes adaptive dampers and drive mode selections, a 12-speaker audio system, auto parking assist, gesture tailgate, and off-road driving mode, while the ‘Luxury Pack’ ($6500 for Style, $3700 for Sportline) includes the Matrix LED headlights, electrically adjustable ventilated front seats in leather trim with heated seating all-round, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keep assist with lane departure warning, 360-degree camera coverage, and paddle-shifters for the transmission.

Large option packs essentially allow buyers to build their own variant (Sportline pictured).

As with other VW Group products, the updated Kodiaq range will be available with fixed service pricing in either three- or five-year packs to be added at the time of purchase at a significant discount. Prices for these packs had not yet been locked in at the time of writing.

The facelifted Kodiaq in Style and Sportline grades will be made available in dealers “before the end of the year” while the top-spec RS won’t be available until early 2022.

Skoda Kodiaq MY22 pricing (drive-away)