Most would recognise the Skoda brand for the latest batch of New Zealand Police cars. These are Superb station wagons but they are not the hero vehicles for the Skoda brand – that is the Kodiaq. The Kodiaq is Skoda’s most substantial vehicle – a seven seat SUV with five variants in the line-up, the most spectacular of which is this, the RS model.

Skoda has always had an RS in the Kodiaq range, and it has always been the beast of the bunch, making it immensely popular with those who want something a little sexier than a seven seat SUV. The RS of today has changed significantly from the RS of 2017: it’s more eco-friendly, it has a more purposeful design, it has cutting edge connectivity concepts including, but not restricted to, the Laura voice assistant feature which allows the driver to communicate verbally with the vehicle, as well as Skoda’s SmartLink system.

As to being eco-friendly, the biggest change to the Kodiaq RS for 2022 is a new turbocharged petrol engine replacing the turbo diesel of the previous models. This raises the power to a substantial 180kW, which keeps the traditional RS performance levels intact, but delivers a much more refined and linear power delivery. You don’t lose the hallmark Kodiaq ‘growl’ either.

The Kodiaq is a 4x4 with a specific off-road function to supplement the drive selector for complete driving confidence over a variety of terrain. When it comes to being on tarmac, the 7-speed DSG transmission brings out the inner F1 driver of every Kodiaq RS owner.

In short, the Kodiaq RS of 2022 is a more sophisticated generation of what has gone before, but unlike many next generations, the Kodiaq RS kept all that ensured it won numerous local and international awards – and built it into the new and much improved 2022 model. The Skoda Kodiaq for 2022 is an RS kicker of a performance SUV and its better than ever.

For more information go to https://www.skoda.co.nz/models/new-kodiaq/new-kodiaq-rs