Style Czech

The Skoda Kodiaq gets a midlife makeover with a fair а amount of changes, without going overboard with its already suave styling that has attracted enough buyers for the car to be booked out soon after its launch

- Abhik Das

The SUV is dominating the motoring scene the world over and more of them are flooding into showrooms by the day. Volkswagen and Skoda have been long known for their fine examples of the breed and with VW launching the Tiguan just about a month ago, it was time for the Skoda cousin to be released. For those unaware, Skoda is part of the VW Group, being one of the many brands that make up the second-largest automotive conglomerate in the world. Thus the reference to the Tiguan is important as it shares the MQB A2 platform with the Kodiaq.

Just as the Tiguan, the styling updates to the Kodiaq are subtle, so much so that the differences would only be apparent if both the old and the new car were lined up side-by-side. The slight re-shaping of the headlamp and just a little nip and tuck to the main and lower grille is what the styling department thought was ample and it's difficult not to agree. The straight lines, balanced proportions and already appealing design is best left unadulterated just as the good old adage goes of why fix it if it ain't broke. For the sake of modernizing this handsome design, the tail lamps see a revision with added angles and full LED treatment. They definitely compliment the slightly angular headlamp update while the sides remain nearly unchanged from before.

1. Premium cabin features the new twin-spoke steering wheel, wide piano black panel smartly hides a storage compartment on the passenger side and divides the cabin into a black and beige colour scheme. Not visible here is a full panoramic sunroof. 2,3&4. The 10.2-inch colour instrument panel has multiple, selectable layouts displaying a plethora of driving data. 5. 8-inch colour infotainment display uses a mix of physical buttons and touchscreen to maximise usability. 5. Drive modes are selectable through the touchscreen or physical button behind the shift selector