2019 Skoda Kodiaq Laurin and Klement: Five things you need to know

Tuhin Guha Updated: January 03, 2019, 08:13 PM IST

The Skoda Kodiaq is the Czech carmaker's first three-row SUV. It is also the brand's flagship. It was available in India in a single Style trim level since its debut here in 2017. The firm has now expanded the range to include the Kodiaq Laurin and Klement. Here's a broad look at the new SUV.

A cosmetic update

The 2019 Skoda Kodiaq Laurin and Klement SUV is now the top-spec variant of the Kodiaq. It gets minor updates to the exterior to differentiate it from the less expensive Style variant. These are chrome inserts on the grille and the rear bumper, silver roof rails, two new paint options, Lava Blue and Magnetic Brown, and the Laurin and Klement monogram on the front fenders.

Gets more features on the inside

The Kodiaq in its Style trim is already quite generous with its feature list. It comes with ambient light, a powered tailgate, three-zone climate control, a panoramic roof, powered seats for the front passengers, nine airbags, LED lighting, eight-inch infotainment with ten speakers and so on. Add to this the unique Skoda touches like the umbrella in the doors, the door protectors and the portable boot-light. In the L and K trim, all of this is accentuated with piano black inserts on the dash and door pads, new upholstery, a 360-degree camera, an all-digital Virtual Cockpit instrument cluster and metal scuff plates and pedals.

No mechanical changes

The Kodiaq L and K's diesel motor remains unchanged. It is the same 2.0 litre turbocharged diesel motor which puts out 150PS (3,500-4,000rpm) and 340 Nm (1,750â"3,000rpm). This is mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox and a front-biased AWD system. This same motor does duty in many other Volkswagen group cars. These include the Passat, Tiguan, A3 and Superb. The Kodiaq also shares its basic underpinnings with these cars through the VW's MQB Modular Transverse Matrix modular architecture. This architecture underpins all its transverse, front-engine, front-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive cars. Advantages are in terms of packaging, weight-saving and safety.

The All Wheel Drive system

The Kodiaq is equipped with an all-wheel-drive system which gives it more versatility than a similar FWD car. This system is the fifth generation of this technology for Skoda, the first AWD Skoda car debuted in 1999. The system uses an electronically controlled multi-plate clutch. A series of sensors for wheel speed, steering angle, longitudinal and lateral acceleration, accelerator pedal position, engine speed and so on continuously evaluates the current driving conditions. The electronics process this data and change the distribution of torque between each wheel.

The system is by default front-biased but depending on road conditions can evenly distribute power to all wheels, or become rear-biased. It can send up to 85 per cent power to a single wheel if all the other wheels lose traction. It also comes with an Electronic Differential Lock on both axles which prevents individual wheels on the same axle from spinning. The spinning wheel is slowed down and more torque transmitted to the wheel with better traction. This also helps the car corner better, it brakes the inner wheel, which is under less load, to stop it from spinning.

Its Price

The Kodiaq L and K is priced at Rs 35.99 lakh (ex-showroom). This is Rs 1.15 lakh more than the Style variant. This price puts it between slightly larger, most simplistic body-on-frame construction SUVs like the Toyota Fortuner and Ford Endeavour. It also happens to be cheaper and larger than offerings from luxury brands like the Volvo XC40 and BMW X1.