Skoda Kodiaq Scout ‘off-road focused’ 7 seat luxury SUV launched in India
Skoda India has just launched the Kodiaq Scout, at an ex-showroom New Delhi price of Rs. 33.99 lakhs. The 7 seat luxury SUV becomes a little more butch looking thanks to the addition of body cladding all around. The cladding also increases the total length of the SUV marginally, by 7 mm. More importantly, the Kodiaq Scout gets a useful off road chop in the form of a off-road drive mode, which will vary power to the four wheels of the SUV to help it get out sticky situations. Ground clearance gets a 6 mm boost, and rises to 194 mm. There’s a rough road package that protects the engine and gearbox. These changes apart, the all wheel drive layout has been carried over from the regular Kodiaq, and the luxury SUV now gets another useful feature in the form of a tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS). This is another feature that people taking the Kodiaq Scout off the road will appreciate as low grip conditions necessitate the reduction of tyre pressure to boost grip levels. Having a TPMS really helps in such situations.
The engine and gearbox are unchanged. The 2 liter-4 cylinder turbocharged diesel unit makes a healthy 148 Bhp-340 Nm while the gearbox is a 7 speed twin clutch DSG unit. An all wheel drive layout is standard, and this is what gives the Scout some ability for soft roading, and venturing on light trails. Also, the all wheel drive system makes the SUV more planted even in difficult weather conditions such as wet and snowed out road, and adds a lot of cornering grip. Don’t mistake the Kodiaq Scout for a Jeep Compass TrailHawk, or for that matter a Toyota Fortuner 4X4. The Scout is strictly a soft roader that’s meant to handle off road conditions while driving on regular roads than a vehicle meant to go off roading as a sport/hobby.
In terms of positioning, the Scout trim of the Kodiaq sits between the entry-level Style and the top-of-the-line Laurin & Klement (L&K) trims. the Style trim is priced at Rs. 32.99 lakhs while the L&K trim costs a hefty Rs. 36.78 lakhs. If you’re thinking that the Scout will have significant lower equipment levels than the L&K trim, you’ll be surprised to learn that the off-road focused variant is actually feature-rich. From 9 airbags and 12 way power adjustable driver’s seat to a 9.2 inch touchscreen infotainment interface with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, park assist and a panoramic sunroof, the Scout trim gets most of the features offered on the L&K trim. This includes the triple zone climate control, ambient lighting and a 10 speaker, 575 watt stereo. It does miss out on the virtual cockpit style instrument cluster and the 360 degree camera.