A legacy lasting for 22 years, the Škoda RS badge is not just admired in India-it is revered. When it came to India back in 2004, it marked the moment when, for the first time, a European car maker treated Indian customers as equals to their home markets. It cemented a reputation for the ultimate mix of performance and practicality, and now, there’s a new, even more practical performance Škoda, in the form of the Škoda Kodiaq RS—your normal family SUV, just imbued with the performance DNA of Škoda’s RS division. The performance envelope of this SUV belies the friendly and down-to-Earth Škoda badge on its nose, but that is precisely what Škoda’s RS division is known for. Let’s get up close and personal with the first-ever AWD RS from Škoda India.
At first glance, there’s not much difference between the Kodiaq RS and the regular Kodiaq, and that’s by design. Designed to be the ultimate Q-car, the Kodiaq RS has its aggression toned down, but it’s difficult to hide such raw muscle, and it tries its best to burst out. The 20-inch wheels, with 45 percent aspect ratio tyres, make it clear that while it comes with AWD, its primary hunting ground is terra firma. The black badge treatment (no relation to Rolls-Royce), like Škoda’s Monte Carlo trim, sets it apart. What’s even more likeable is the fact that apart from the two prominent vRS badges on the grille and the bootlid, it can still almost pass as a regular Kodiaq, just in a bright colour.
The understated premiumness, a Škoda calling card, continues inside with a simple, dark-themed interior, which has a huge amount of red stitching. The steering has the vRS badge on the bottom spoke, and the 13-speaker Canton audio system is capable of rivalling a lot more expensive cars. The seats are extremely supportive, while being highly comfortable. While the driver’s display is not configurable, the default theme is pretty good-looking, and the information displayed can even be changed to show oil and coolant temp, like a proper racecar!
What is configurable, however, is the engine, as the throttle response changes by a large degree when the drive mode is changed. Another thing that changes based on the drive mode is the exhaust note, which, when Road or Sport mode is selected as opposed to Eco, Comfort or Off-road, transforms into a nice little burble, and mutates into a gruff bark as revs rise. The claimed 0-100kmph is 6.3 seconds, which is completely believable, as when I put my foot down, the Kodiaq RS took off aggressively, and the number I saw on the speedo after a few seconds will remain a secret, as I have no intention of losing my license. It repeated this blistering performance with metronomic regularity, every time I wanted to hoon. With 265PS under my right foot, I confess, I wanted to hoon almost all the time, as the nearly 200mm ground clearance meant I had little chance of scraping anything. The only thing I had to be careful about was the 45 aspect ratio tyres, which were low-profile enough to sustain damage from poor road surfaces.
On the other hand, a 45 aspect ratio meant that the Kodiaq turned remarkably well, and Škoda’s semi-active adaptive suspension system (Škoda Dynamic Chassis Control or DCC for short) was an able accomplice in this, granting the kind of cornering ability that almost nullified the high centre of gravity. It still is a high-riding SUV, and while there’s no getting around the fact, Škoda engineers have tried their best to do just that, and succeeded by nearly 90 percent, as 9 out of 10 times you will not feel the height and weight of the car when driving spiritedly. Respect that 10 percent outer limit, and you’ll be rewarded with a car that is capable of some serious handling prowess. Imagine a strong man on the trapeze ropes, and you’ll get the idea.
Also, when accelerating out of low-speed corners, you can feel the shove from the rear axle, as the AWD system moves the torque around in its best effort to mitigate understeer, and honestly, it is slightly better than the Octavia RS in this aspect. While the corner entry experience is pretty similar, the Kodiaq RS’ AWD makes the difference in corner exits, and propels the near two-tonne machine out with such ferocity that you momentarily forget what you’re driving. The extra 30Nm torque definitely helps here (400Nm over 370Nm in the Octy). The variable ratio steering rack with just 2.13 turns lock-to-lock is irritating when taking tight U-turns, and sublime when flowing through sweeping corners. The brakes did experience some fade during fast downhill driving, but we expect that most drivers will not have to face that, as we really got a bit carried away!
The verdict will be short—get the Kodiaq RS if you can, but you have to wait for the next batch, as this batch, despite a ₹3.0 lakh booking amount, sold out in six minutes, all 50 units. That makes it rarer than the Lamborghini Urus, and whatever Škoda decides to price it at, it will be acceptable, because cars this capable and fun don’t come around very often!
Words: Sayantan De
Photography: Abhay Verma, Alex Toppo
