2026 Skoda Kodiaq RS review: Australian first drive

The demand for an 'everything car' has never been greater than in 2025. By an everything car, I mean something that’s fun to drive, comfortable enough for every day, and has enough space to fit the entire family.

Now that Australia’s car style of choice has morphed from sedans to SUVs, that desire is a hard ask to fill. Once a market filled by stonking V8 Holden Commodores and Ford Falcons, the rage now is for a quick SUV.

Enter the Skoda Kodiaq RS. This model has been on the Australian market since 2019 and has undergone a few changes, including a switch from diesel to petrol for the 2022 model year and a few minor adjustments since then.

Built on the Volkswagen MQB platform, it shares underpinnings with the Audi Q3, Cupra Terramar, Volkswagen Tiguan, and Volkswagen Tayron, and positions itself as a competitor to the Volkswagen models.

This seven-seater SUV comes in several trim levels, with mild and plug-in hybrid versions on the way soon. But for now, the range-topping RS has received a facelift, with a plethora of changes across the suspension, interior, and even more power.

It’s not exactly at the level of AMG and M-powered SUVs, but it’s certainly up there to offer a more heart-racing option over a Mazda CX-80, Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento.

It certainly looks the part, but is it all show? I headed out to the Australian launch in the rainy Blue Mountains of New South Wales to see.

The Skoda Kodiaq range starts at $56,990 drive-away for the Select trim level, then jumps up to the Sportline for $61,990 drive-away, and finally the RS, which sees the biggest leap in price, all the way up to $76,990 drive-away.

Surprisingly, the facelift changes didn’t come at a massive price increase for the RS over the previous year model – just a $100 increase in drive-away pricing.

Skoda offers a plethora of options for the Kodiaq, including a $8900 Launch Edition pack to bridge the gap between trim levels, but that doesn’t mean the $20,000 jump from the base spec to RS isn’t a big added cost.

Standard equipment across the Kodiaq range includes an AWD driveline, a 13-inch touchscreen infotainment screen, a 10-inch digital instrument cluster, an electric tailgate, a heated and power-adjustable driver's seat, tri-zone climate control, keyless entry, and a full suite of safety tech.

So what exactly do you get over a standard one? Well, for starters, you get a big boost from 140kW/320Nm up to a respectable 195kW/400Nm from the same four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine and seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, translating to a claimed 0–100km/h time of just 6.3 seconds.

The next star of the show comes from adaptive suspension for damping, by using the Volkswagen dynamic chassis control (DCC). In layman's terms, each shock has two sensors that feed information back to the ECU, which adjusts comfort at each shock absorber based on road conditions.

Further exterior additions come from an RS-specific body kit, 20-inch alloy wheels, dual exhaust tips, black painted accents, matrix LED headlights, scrolling indicators, and red brake calipers.

Moving to the inside, over the base trim level, the RS features red-stitched bucket-like seats, a leather steering wheel, power-adjustable heated/cooled seats, outboard second-row heated seats, and a 13-speaker Canton premium audio system.

A lot of these things are included in that $8900 Launch Edition pack for lower grades, but you don’t get the sports seats, power upgrade, and sports body kit.

The RS is situated in a bit of a pickle, as it’s really one of the cheaper 'sporty' SUVs, but is positioned in the same category as the top-spec Toyota Kluger Grande at $85,135 plus on-road costs, Kia Sorento GT-Line Hybrid at $74,290 plus on-road costs, and the Volkswagen Tayron R-Line, which is the same car under the skin, for $73,490 plus on-road costs.

Yet none of these really market themselves as a sporty option, hence why the Kodiaq RS sits as a bit of an outlier, or so it seems in marketing terms – but more on that later.

Now that the Kodiaq has received a facelift, it's the perfect time to capitalise on price decreases for older generations – plenty of which can be found on Drive Marketplace.

From the outside, the Kodiaq doesn’t seem all that intimidating. Somehow, they have managed to squeeze seven seats into this medium SUV.

The Kodiaq is actually smaller than its rivals, like the Kia Sorento and Toyota Kluger, but somehow Skoda has managed to maximise the interior space, with the boot being one of the biggest in the class.

Hitting the button for the electric tailgate opens up to a claimed 289-litre space with the third row up, 794L with the third row flat, and 2035L with the second row down – positioning it over a Mazda CX-80, Toyota Kluger, Kia Sorento, and even a Hyundai Santa Fe.

Opening the driver's door provides more highlights. The interior is very Volkswagen Group, which means most of it is sturdy and combines excellent form and function. The RS upgrades look super swish, and it's strange seeing such aggressively sporty seats in an SUV, but it works for the car.

The three dials under the infotainment screen provide easy access to climate controls, and the middle one can even be customised as a shortcut to other car functions. It sure is a welcome addition to have a physical rotation as opposed to searching through the infotainment to do something as simple as turn down the fan speed. Plus, they look fantastic with their own little digital displays on them.

Charging is sorted by two USB-C ports in the front that also provide connection to the Apple CarPlay/Android Auto system. If you don’t want to fiddle with your charging cable, there is also a wireless charging pad across all trim levels.

There are quite a few cupholders in the front row, although some are a little bit of an odd shape, like the one closest to the front of the car that has enough space for one drink, but the other hole is too small for a regular-sized coffee cup (likely for a removable ashtray/storage bin). The centre console can be fully covered by a roller door for a sleek look, but it features plenty of storage for coin collections or other worldly belongings.

Messy car owners can rejoice as there’s no need to stack your spacious centre console with rubbish anymore. Skoda has stacked both front doors with a little bin big enough for a couple of chocolate wrappers and maybe a banana peel.

Further little stowage spots can be found in the dash on the passenger side and the glove compartment, along with side pockets on the door.

The front row overall is relatively impressive for its space, though the seats felt a little firm, with the backs of my thighs getting a bit uncomfortable, and I couldn't find a super-comfortable seating position.  

It was a similar experience with the steering wheel. I felt like I couldn’t pull it out enough to move the seat far enough for my legs to be comfortable and my arms not to be overextended at the wheel, but this is a matter of semantics for my odd, long-legged body shape.

The second row provides good leg room for someone under six feet tall, although my 183cm frame again felt a little cramped. With that being said, kids are spoiled for comfort in the back, with its own separate climate controls, heated seats, two USB-C ports, and even seating adjustment.

The sun blinds keep the direct light out of your eyes in the rear, and the seats have a tablet/phone holder to keep your rear passengers occupied on longer journeys. Although, I couldn’t imagine they would be very fun to headbutt in the event of an accident.

The third row is not a viable option for anyone over average height. An adult male would be able to fit with the second row adjusted forward, but I can’t imagine it would be overly comfortable.

Little storage pockets are the extent of luxuries you have in the third row. The third row is often a bit of an afterthought that few brands, like Hyundai, Kia and Toyota, have done well.

Still, given that this is one of the smallest SUVs in relation to its competitors, I have to admit that Skoda has done an excellent job of stuffing seven seats into it while providing plenty of boot space.

As for overall interior quality, there are some really good points, like those physical programmable dials and all of the dials and buttons on the steering wheel that feel satisfying to click.

Some of the interior is let down by things like parts of the door cards, which feel plasticky and have some give to them that I’m not overly stoked on. The suede with red stitching on the door armrests scores it some bonus points, but when you actually grab the handle to open the door, it feels a bit cheap.

As I said, the interior feels like a Volkswagen in some aspects, which is usually really good, but then there are some shortcuts. The word 'cheap' is not one you want to hear when you’re spending nearly $80,000 on a new vehicle.

The entire Kodiaq range is fitted with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard, which can be connected to via a cable or wirelessly.

Skoda has upgraded the screen from a 9.2-inch display to a 13-inch system that looks fabulous and brings the whole dash into line with current interior trends.

I would say the infotainment system isn’t the most straightforward software I’ve ever used. A lot of in-depth car information is buried a few clicks away. However, having physical dials and buttons to control most of the core components makes life easier.

Besides it taking a few attempts to even connect my phone via a cable (the car wouldn’t recognise there was a phone connected), I had disconnection issues throughout the two days I drove the car. I experienced random dropouts that would cause all music to stop for a few seconds before it resumed as if nothing had happened.

The internal software works good in some parts, with the navigation being the most straightforward, and while the screen did have some points of lag, it was mostly fine and better than a few other brands on the market.

Given that this trim level comes with a Canton 13-speaker setup, I spent some time listening to music while driving. It has some trick controls through the screen with audio adjustments that would make any music dork crack a smile, including a quick setting that allows you to adjust where you want to focus the sound within the cabin.

With that being said, I wouldn’t say that the Canton system is anything that is obviously spectacular. It does just sound like a regular car audio setup, which will make those aforementioned music dorks go back to having a frown on their face.

The head-up display is right at eye level, while the 10-inch full-colour instrument cluster is very pretty and relatively simple to scroll through, although easy to get lost in once you hit the wrong thing.

There is no official smartphone app to control or connect to the Kodiaq.

The current generation of the Skoda Kodiaq was tested by ANCAP in 2024, where it scored a five-star rating.

Adult occupant safety was the highest at 89 per cent, while child occupant protection was scored at 87 per cent. Vulnerable road user protection score 82 per cent, and the safety assist was scored at 81 per cent.

The scores are on the top end and solidify it as a safe car.

Given the fast-paced nature of our launch, nothing in the safety suite really jumped out as overzealous.

The majority of the safety features are found on the lower-spec Select Kodiaq, which includes adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, parking sensors, traffic sign recognition, driver fatigue monitoring, collision avoidance, cross-road assist, steering assist, traffic assist front and rear, collision warnings front and rear, braking assist, auto emergency braking, and even exit warning systems.

As for traction systems, all Kodiaqs are fitted with anti-lock braking, anti-slip regulation, driver steering recommendation, an electronically locking differential, torque regulation, stability control for throttle and braking, hill hold, rain brake support, and trailer stability assist.

The Launch Edition pack and RS feature an additional 360-view reversing camera and intelligent park assist that I was not game enough to test out.

Usually, more power comes at the cost of fuel efficiency, yet the RS has a claimed fuel consumption of 8.1 litres per 100 kilometres, compared with 9L/100km for the Select and Sportline trim levels. In both aspects, it’s a good number for a turbocharged AWD SUV without hybrid power.

After driving in the city, sitting on the freeway, and finally hitting some twisty turns, the Kodiaq RS returned a fuel reading of 8.4L/100km. Still, I believe it could easily hit the quoted number above with more care taken with the throttle.

That means the 58-litre fuel tank should be good for a 690km range from full to empty, but at 8.1L/100km you should be sweet for around 710km.

The unfortunate side is that the Kodiaq needs to run on 95-octane premium-unleaded fuel, which is more expensive.

It’s hard to compare with other vehicles as much of this category now has some sort of hybrid power. Still, it’s not massively inefficient compared to something like a Toyota Kluger, which returned 6.5L/100km, and a Kia Sorento, which returned 6.2L/100km in recent tests (both are hybrid).

Considering this car is on the low end of fuel economy, I’d say it’d be a pretty enticing option once the plug-in hybrid lands in Australia if fuel economy is a driving factor in your purchase.

I’ve always said that a car that drives well makes my job difficult, because there’s not much to point out, and the Kodiaq RS is no exception. It does a really good job of handling day-to-day driving.

As I mentioned earlier, the car doesn’t really look all that big from the outside, and that transfers into the driving too. It does really feel like you’re behind the wheel of a Volkswagen Golf – which is high praise for a car this size.

Interior and engine noise are well managed, with the turbocharged engine not working itself to death to move the SUV. Instead, it handles it with effortless ease that other brands need to take note of.

Around town, the steering is light, but provides enough feedback and returns to centre easily. You feel in control of the vehicle, while it's light enough that it's not tiring to drive around tight streets.

That feeling of being behind the wheel of something smaller than you’re actually driving, opens the car up to people who might be intimidated by the thought of driving something bigger than a hatchback. I would highly recommend the Kodiaq in that respect.

Something Volkswagen Group does miraculously well is the dual-clutch transmission that offers silky-smooth shifts across the seven gears it has on offer. Because it's not a traditional torque converter, you’re often expecting to feel the gear changes and a bit of a roll while stopping on a hill, but the Kodiaq had neither.

With anything sporty, there is an expectation that the car will be a little bit rowdy, but it’s far from it. Despite having the quickest 0–100km/h of its competitors (6.3 seconds), it really creeps up on you when stamping the throttle and looking down to see the speed you’re actually doing.

I’ve noticed that it is a common theme among these Volkswagen Group cars. It’s fast, but not an exciting fast, because it's done with so little resistance and theatre.

Switching to sport mode creates a bit more noise from speakers that replicate exhaust sound, but it produces a synthetic drone that is genuinely annoying over a long period. Still, it does give a more audible reference for punching the accelerator.

The handling is another surprising experience in this car. Rain had fallen over the cold mountain roads we were driving, which is less than ideal at the helm of a near two-tonne vehicle, but for the most part, the Kodiaq RS soaked up the turns quite well.

It wasn’t until I got to the faster bends that the car understeered a little mid-corner to remind me that I was indeed driving an SUV and not a Golf.

Even in sport mode, there is a noticeable amount of body roll that tends to push all the weight to the front outside tyre, which causes an understeer moment at the front and an oversteer moment at the rear. Where you feel the rear axle kick out, but the front of the car is pushing straight ahead.

I wouldn’t say this would be an issue with regular driving in dry weather, and I can’t see it being an issue in an emergency swerve, but it’s a stark reminder that no matter how refined you make the suspension, it’s still going to be an SUV at its core.

For the most part, the trick active suspension does a good job of handling harsh changes in road conditions, but it’s not a magic carpet ride, and you can still feel some of the harsher stuff through the wheel and seat.

The harsh ride at times is also accentuated by the sound of interior plastics rattling while driving over grooved road surfaces. Mostly coming from the door cards, I reached over to the passenger side to see if I could feel where it was coming from, and it seems that the plastic piece that extends out from the door lever was the source.

The Skoda Kodiaq RS is, overall, a mostly comfortable and easy car to drive, but let down by some minor suspension discomfort on the rough stuff and small interior rattles. But two issues amongst a quirky and interesting SUV isn't bad by any stretch of the imagination.

If you want to break away from a sea of Toyota Klugers and Kia Sorentos, then this is certainly the car for you.

It’s a unique brand, a beautifully styled car, and a well-sorted platform that seems to work really well in day-to-day life, succeeding as a well-built, sturdy car overall with some luxury features to bolster its status.

I wouldn’t expect anything as wild to drive as the M-power and AMG options from German counterparts, and I would say that it sits closer to a commuter than a fun toy, but it just works for a car like this, and it’s much more affordable too.  

With pricing increasing sharply at the more affordable trim levels compared to the previous generation, the RS is more attractive now. But you are still paying a large premium for a car that isn’t much different.

As is the case with a lot of niche cars, you’re paying a premium for it, which isn’t necessarily worth it on paper when you consider the options in its own range. The car isn’t niche enough to constitute an 'emotional purchase' rather than a logical one.

But with that said, I think this – the full-fat version of a tried-and-tested platform, priced under $80,000 – makes it pretty attractive compared to other brands.

Sure, it has its small letdowns, but it’s a near-200kW AWD seven-seater SUV that looks fabulous and stands out pretty well.

I’d say this car will only get more attractive when it's equipped with PHEV power early next year.

Zane Dobie comes from a background of motorcycle journalism, working for notable titles such as Australian Motorcycle News Magazine, Just Bikes and BikeReview. Despite his fresh age, Zane brings a lifetime of racing and hands-on experience. His passion now resides on four wheels as an avid car collector, restorer, drift car pilot and weekend go-kart racer.

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