A new generation of the Skoda Kodiaq RS seven-seat functional SUV is in store for Australia until next year.
The director of Skoda Australia, Michael Irmer, has shown local media that the new Kodiaq RS will be available in dealerships between April and June 2025 (second quarter of the year), following the arrival of the popular style in November.
Reports last year suggested that a new Kodiaq RS (pictured above via X-Tomi) had been greenlit following the fate of the original, which launched in Europe in 2018 as a diesel before switching to petrol for its 2021 facelift.
Specifications are yet to be confirmed, but the top likely candidate under the bonnet is the new 195kW edition of the 2. 0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine familiar from Volkswagen and Skoda.
It is planned to be used in the new Volkswagen Tiguan R-Line as well as the newer Skoda Superb expected here in 2025, and represents an improvement over the existing 180 kW/370 Nm Kodiaq RS edition of the 2. 0-litre engine.
The outgoing Kodiaq RS uses an engine tuning sold as an option on the Tiguan in Europe (under the flagship R), so it makes sense to do the same on the next model.
It is expected to be paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and all-wheel drive.
MORE: 2023 Skoda Kodiaq RS review
For the current 180 kW model, an acceleration time of 6. 6 seconds is indicated from 0 to 100 km/h. The new styling would likely be faster and with more power, but it would have to add more weight with a larger, stiffer body.
The Kodiaq Diversity is expected to hit Australian showrooms in November with a single engine: a 150kW edition of the same 2. 0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder.
Pricing and specs are yet to be confirmed, its larger frame and new generation worth an increase from the existing entry price of $56,490 in the car, which rises to $76,890 in the car for the 180kW RS.
Journalist