This is our best look yet at the Skoda Kodiaq vRS
Skoda has shown the Kodiaq vRS officially, but remains coy about what's in the official picture
Latest spy shots show the model almost undisguised, except the lower parts of the front fascia
...incidentally, they'll be the bits which most notably mark the car out from the normal version
It'll get a 237bhp biturbo diesel four-cylinder engine
...which currently features in top-spec versions of the Volkswagen Tiguan
The VW Tiguan 2.0 BiTDi BMT 240 4Motion produces 240bhp and 369lb ft of torque
These help the Tiguan accelerate to 62mph in 6.5sec — or the same as a current-generation Ford Focus ST or Lotus Elise Sport
Top speed of the 237bhp Tiguan is 142mph — the same as a Ford Fiesta ST200
The Kodiaq vRS will likely closely match these figures.
Large trapezoidal exhausts at the rear follow the styling of the Octavia vRS
Development of the upcoming hot Skoda Kodiaq vRS is well under way, ahead of its launch later this year; Skoda has even previewed the car on social media, showing the car at the hands of Nürburgring driver Sabine Schmitz.
Autocar confirmed the model last year, and now spy photographers have caught the first glimpse of the car testing at the Nürburgring.
It will be the second model in Skoda’s vRS line-up, which currently only consists of the Octavia vRS. The UK and Germany will be sales hot spots for the hot Kodiaq given that, in Britain, 20% of Octavia sales are of the vRS version.
A 2.0-litre diesel biturbo engine delivering 237bhp, already used in the Volkswagen Tiguan, is expected under the bonnet of the Kodiaq vRS, according to Autocar sources. It is also likely to make it into the next Octavia vRS, which is due in 2020. A source told Autocar that the Kodiaq vRS will have “lots of torque”. The Octavia vRS is available in both petrol and diesel, but the bulk of sales are for the latter.
The VW Tiguan 2.0 BiTDi BMT 240 4Motion produces 240bhp and 369lb ft of torque. These help the Tiguan accelerate to 62mph in 6.5sec — or the same as a current-generation Ford Focus ST or Lotus Elise Sport. Top speed is 142mph — the same as a Ford Fiesta ST200.
The Kodiaq vRS is likely to come close to these figures but, given its extra heft, probably won't match them. By comparison, the Octavia vRS TDI 4x4, which has 181bhp and 280lb ft of torque, reaches 62mph in 7.6sec and also tops out at 142mph.
The performance SUV is likely to get the four-wheel drive system from the Octavia vRS as standard, rather than being offered in front-wheel drive form with 4WD as an option.
Skoda CEO Bernhard Maier confirmed to Autocar earlier this year that there will be a Skoda Kodiaq vRS later this year, but remained coy about its performance arm beyond that. He said: “VRS has been successful for a number of years in some markets. That is why we are thinking about it for other models as well. We have our biggest campaign yet ahead of us by 2020. We have to filter out which ideas customers want most and which help the brand best.”
The brand previously sold a Fabia vRS, before ending production in 2013 due to poor sales. However, Skoda is understood to be planning a return to the hot hatchback market with a Fabia vRS hybrid in 2020.
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