[Jangra]

Very nicely articulated @adi_petrolhead

My 10-month review of Kodiaq Sportline

Like my initial ownership review, let me start with Negatives

After coming from my Vento, the car doesn’t feel like it has 1.8x additional power – especially in the city. Though I understand it weighs 1.4x times
This one is very subjective – After driving an SUV / crossover for 10 months, I have realized my love for Sedans. The driving position of an SUV feels like sitting on a chair vs a sedan that feels like a bean bag. Later feels very comfortable and sporty. Like others, never found a right driving position and it creates elbow fatigue on a long drive as the right side armrest is far from reach. Finally ordered this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004W0QISM...roduct_details which helps to a great extent.

Each morning wife and I fight over who gets Vento, as it’s not so easy maneuvering this bear Kodiaq in the city of Metro construction aka Bombay. Experience is further ruined by the bikers and autorickshaws who ride like a maniac

Keep getting low battery warnings now and then. Though it has never prevented the car to start in the cold mornings OR after being 15-day stationery, it does create a little bit of anxiety

Nit-picking but Skoda navigation turns off Good maps from CarPlay. I like to have Skoda maps on the instrument cluster while Google maps on the infotainment display.

Folding and raising 3rd-row seats requires the second row to be adjusted slightly. Not a big deal calling it out as it’s a pain.

Positives

Like others have called out – Engine & gearbox. It doesn’t need any elaboration – its butter smooth, and with time, it behaves far superior in stop-and-go traffic than the DSG of my Vento

Car makes me feel special. It is two or three segments above my Vento and it feels like it. The quality of materials used, the music system, Alcantara black sports seats, and the silence of the cabin elevate the entire experience of my journey.

And the looks, Man! This one look prettier than any car under 75lacs. Am I right?

The 3 positives more than compensate for the negatives. However, sometimes when I retrospect my decision to buy this over 2-year-old 5 Series – 530d, I want to believe it was a better decision as this is a car that does it all. But the enthusiast in me still feels a bit compromised, especially now that I realized I am a sedan guy. I do feel sometimes trading my Kodiaq with something more enthusiastic, but I know that would not be a wise decision. Time will tell

[Fun_to_drive]

Originally Posted by adi_petrolhead

Everyone here knows, that if you park your car and walk away without looking back, you’ve got the wrong Simran. I just hope the Kodiaq’s stint in my life is a safe and trouble free experience, otherwise I could have just gotten another Octy (RS245) when I had the chance.

In my society there is a walking trail where i park my car. And not only after i've parked the car, but every time i m walking on the trail my head keeps turning towards it every 3 seconds. My wife says if Kodiaq was a girl, i would've been in jail for eve teasing as i stare at it so much. Its the best car in the 40-50 lacs segment, and all of us evaluated all possible options. There's always be that "what if" feeling for some car or the other no matter what you buy.

[vjbox]

Originally Posted by adi_petrolhead

Positives:

Engine:
1. Refinement: Earlier I did complain that the engine was feeling gruff. But overtime, after first service, things have improved. Overall the power delivery is jerk free, engine note is smooth. But fully depressing the A pedal, the surge of power is decent till you reach about 4000 rpms, or 120 km/h, and then the curve flattens. Don’t get me wrong, this is not a bad thing at least for me as I never cross 120 km/h even on expressways, and you still have enough grunt to overtake quickly using the paddles.


Gearbox:
1. Shifts have improved over time. Jerk free and smooth operation(cue to start humming: Smoooooth Operatoooor). Only at extreme crawling speeds when the DSG is struggling between D1 and D2, does it make its presence felt.
2. When you use the paddle shifters, the DSG does give you a sort of kick with every upshift, that is enjoyable, where as downshifts are perfectly rev matched and jerk free. Driving in the ghats uphill with manual mode is extremely fun! Downhill, the gears hold to lower gears to keep unprecedented acceleration in check. The sensors in the DSG just work.

Comfort:
1. No complains here. Suspension even without DCC is apt for my usage as I barely go over rough patches, newly paved 6 lane highways make the car just keep going like its on rails. Never felt that it should have been softer / stiffer. Its just right!

Congrats on the 15K milestone. Future Kodiaq Owner here (hopefully soon) and I wanted to check with you on these.

1. How is the Kick down acceleration over time? I only had a brief test drive and didn't quite experience this thoroughly. Lets say you are at 80 or 90 speeds , need to overtake a couple of long trailers on a high way and you are in normal mode. Is the grunt enough or do you end up switching to sport just for quick overtakes ? I mean its the mighty 2 TSI and DSG after all we are talking about, but I am just curious about how they play together in a vehicle of this size. I am used to the outright burst of acceleration with my Volvo ( not a fair comparison I know given the size and spec) and I enjoy effortless overtakes. Don't want to miss this aspect, although I am prepared for a slight compromise.

2. How good is the experience over bad roads and potholes ? Do you end up slowing down considerably (like I do with my Volvo given its low profile tyres) or are you able to glide through with confidence? This aspect is crucial for me as we end up traversing various terrains and an SUV was in order for majorly this.

[sachinjoseph]

Anyone else fedup with the long wait? I booked mine in August 2022 in Bangalore and still waiting with no clear indication as to when or if it will ever be delivered. If there was another equal contender in my mind, I would’ve jumped ship. Since there aren’t any, I’m just waiting but surely losing my patience.

Has anyone got any confirmed info about when Skoda plans to start deliveries? TIA.

[adi_petrolhead]

Originally Posted by sachinjoseph

Anyone else fedup with the long wait?

The new X1! I feel is a true competitor. Enquire, book, TD, I feel it’s a good product now, not bare bones like the earlier X1.

Originally Posted by vjbox

Congrats on the 15K milestone. Future Kodiaq Owner here (hopefully soon) and I wanted to check with you on these.

1. How is the Kick down acceleration over time?

2. How good is the experience over bad roads and potholes ?

Kick down acceleration is a non-issue. You won’t feel the need to switch to S or manual mode for overtakes from 80-90 km/h.

The big pot holes, hit bad, that’s the suspension set up for the Sportline. But I rarely find myself slowing down for minor undulations on highways. Rough roads shouldn’t be an issue and you can take some liberty on trails. Not something I’m worried about at all.

[Vocalanesthesia]

Originally Posted by vjbox

1. How is the Kick down acceleration over time?

2. How good is the experience over bad roads and potholes ?.

Hi.

1. A pedal to metal push of the accelerator usually does it, though I prefer to switch to sport mode to make sure of it though. Another reason being the need to feel the sheer power of the engine once In a while whil still keeping FE to a bare decent 8kmpl. I drive in Kerala, so the gaps to cover while accelerating are medium but the on coming traffic gives very minimal time to cover the distance. So for me, Sport is the way to go.

2. Its a mixed bag in this aspect. Small potholes and bumps are swallowed with ease, especially compared to my Old First Gen Creta and my Wife's XUV300. But for bigger ones, the thud from the suspension, especially considering the presense of DCC on L and K, is quite scary. Kodiaq is no Meridian. Meridian eats up bad roads better I felt, but my experience is limited to a test drive but of the same route I take for work.

Hope these answers are sufficient and hope other owners too pitch in. Good luck and hope you get your Kodiaq soon.

[CEF_Beasts]

Originally Posted by adi_petrolhead

The new X1! I feel is a true competitor. Enquire, book, TD, I feel it’s a good product now, not bare bones like the earlier X1.

Want to point out that the U11 new generation X1 is getting a 3 cyl 1.5L petrol engine making ~140hp and 4 cyl 2.0L diesel engine making 150hp.

In my books the 2.0L TSI + AWD Kodiaq trumps the new X1 by a big margin in the performance department.

[adi_petrolhead]

Originally Posted by CEF_Beasts

Want to point out that the U11 new generation X1 is getting a 3 cyl 1.5L petrol engine making ~140hp and 4 cyl 2.0L diesel engine making 150hp.

In my books the 2.0L TSI + AWD Kodiaq trumps the new X1 by a big margin in the performance department.

Looking at options available in the UK, I assumed it’ll come with at least the 2.0 petrol motor. Although the diesel unit is not bad at all! And that interior is all new, huge departure from old X1, the size has increased overall, almost same boot space as the Kodiaq. It should be considered if one plans to switch to diesel. Why would they even bother making a 3 cyl variant? Why?!

[CEF_Beasts]

Originally Posted by adi_petrolhead

Why would they even bother making a 3 cyl variant? Why?!

The reason is the upcoming CAFE 2 Norms that will be implemented in the coming months.

[Fun_to_drive]

Originally Posted by sachinjoseph

Anyone else fedup with the long wait? I booked mine in August 2022 in Bangalore and still waiting with no clear indication as to when or if it will ever be delivered. If there was another equal contender in my mind, I would’ve jumped ship. Since there aren’t any, I’m just waiting but surely losing my patience.

Has anyone got any confirmed info about when Skoda plans to start deliveries? TIA.

I got the car in 45 days from the booking date. Made 3 bookings at different dealerships and got lucky with one. Try talking to other dealers, skoda deliveries is not as streamlined and dealers themselves have a lot of control.

[vinjosep]

Originally Posted by nks81

I am having a few issues with KESSY.

1. When I have the key in my pocket, and I open the car from driver side it opens. But the rest of the doors don’t open by other passengers. I have to open from inside.
2. The other day, I had the key in my pocket and I went to the front passenger side and it wouldn’t open? Do I always need to open driver side first?
3. the gesture open for boot never worked for me.

Anybody has any pointers, would be highly appreciated. Maybe im stupid!

Mine is a Kodiaq end-of-2019 L&K TDI with the Virtual Cockpit.

In the settings, I've kept "Door locking - Single Door" & also "Easy Open" checked. With this I'm able to open the passenger doors in a 2-stage action from the driver's side. I'm yet to perfect this action though. Also I'm able to unlock the front passenger's door with the key in the pocket.

This is how it goes for the 2-stage. In the first motion, I insert 4 fingers of my right hand into the cavity behind the driver-door handle while not touching the handle. The vehicle responds with an audible click, the follow-me-home headlamps switching on, dashboard booting up etc indicating the driver's door is open. I follow with a light tug of the inside portion of the handle with 4 fingers or so and at the same time slightly/ almost tap the sensor outside the handle with the thumb or a gesture similar to a tap. The rest of the doors unlock with an audible though different click.

When I do all the above actions consciously, it doesn't work many a times & end up locking the doors again but it works when done in a single fluid action.

[el lobo 6061]

Originally Posted by nks81

I am having a few issues with KESSY.

Anybody has any pointers, would be highly appreciated.

Originally Posted by vinjosep

When I do all the above actions consciously, it doesn't work many a times & end up locking the doors again but it works when done in a single fluid action.

VW/Skoda & all German cars have this feature of unlocking wherein there are 2 options.

Option 1: Press Unlock one time and all car doors open.

Option 2: Press Unlock one time and ONLY driver door opens.
Press Unlock second time and then all passengers/co-driver doors open.

Works both from key and from inside the car.

You need to figure out where this setting is and go for option 1.

As I always find option 2 complex when with friends/families.

[Aakash29]

Hi Everyone!

Just got my Magic Black Kodiaq L&K yesterday in Gurgaon and had a couple of noob questions. ( Planning to share the buying and first drive experience in a separate Post )

1. The car only came with a User Manual. No Service Booklet or Quick Start guide as I had seen in some reviews by european youtubers. was this the same for all of you ? Also, there's no 100 km inspection service like most other brands ?

2. How do I get the damn wipers up ?. The Car Cleaner scratched up the wipers trying to get it up (That's how he marks which cars have been cleaned) but couldn't as it was obstructed by the hood. The Sales guys at the showroom told me there's a setting for this but couldn't do it when asked to demonstrate.

3. Extended Warranty and Service package are delivered 45 days and not at the time of delivery ? Was it the same with everyone ?

4. I chose not to go for the 3m Ceramic coating provided by the showroom but realized now that the paint is really prone to scratches ( Minor scratches on the hood during the Wiper Incident ).

What's the Best Place in Gurgaon/ Delhi NCR for this. Got the Graphene (G10 Crystalshield) done from Ceramic Pro in Ahmedabad for my Tuscon last year but its no match for the daily cleaner swirls ). Planning to go for a tried and tested Ceramic coat and looking for shops who know what they are doing.

Thanks a ton !

[cool_dube]

Originally Posted by Aakash29

Planning to go for a tried and tested Ceramic coat and looking for shops who know what they are doing.

Many congratulations on your Kodiaq - wishing you lacs of happy and safe km on it

My 2 cents - ceramic coating will not be of much help when it comes to preventing scratches and swirls. PPF is a better solution for that. Ceramic coating helps with retaining shine and freshness of the paint, preventing bird-droppings etc. from leaving permanent stains on the paint, etc. Hope this helps.

[Fun_to_drive]

Originally Posted by Aakash29

Hi Everyone!

Just got my Magic Black Kodiaq L&K yesterday in Gurgaon and had a couple of noob questions. ( Planning to share the buying and first drive experience in a separate Post )

1. The car only came with a User Manual. No Service Booklet or Quick Start guide as I had seen in some reviews by european Youtubers. was this the same for all of you ? Also, there's no 100 km inspection service like most other brands ?

2. How do I get the damn wipers up ?. The Car Cleaner scratched up the wipers trying to get it up (That's how he marks which cars have been cleaned) but couldn't as it was obstructed by the hood. The Sales guys at the showroom told me there's a setting for this but couldn't do it when asked to demonstrate.

3. Extended Warranty and Service package are delivered 45 days and not at the time of delivery ? Was it the same with everyone ?

4. I chose not to go for the 3m Ceramic coating provided by the showroom but realized now that the paint is really prone to scratches ( Minor scratches on the hood during the Wiper Incident ).

What's the Best Place in Gurgaon/ Delhi NCR for this. Got the Graphene (G10 Crystalshield) done from Ceramic Pro in Ahmedabad for my Tuscon last year but its no match for the daily cleaner swirls ). Planning to go for a tried and tested Ceramic coat and looking for shops who know what they are doing.

Thanks a ton !

Many congratulations on your Purchase. I am sure the car looks awesome in Black. I would suggest go for a ppf while the car is in new condition, to lock this showroom look and shine.

1. Yes the car comes with the User's manual.
2. Not sure, but try fiddling with the right side steering lever that controls the wiper.
3. Not quite 45, but it does takes a few weeks to get delivered.
4. Go for TRAUTO, they are one of the best in the business.