Toyota Fortuner has just got a new rival that comes with tons of features that offers comfort for all the occupants inside.

The 2025 Skoda Kodiaq has officially launched in India at a starting price of Rs. 46.89 lakh (ex-showroom). Positioned as the brand’s flagship SUV, the second-generation Kodiaq is assembled locally via the CKD route at the brand’s facility in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Maharashtra. It made its India debut at the Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025 in Delhi. The SUV is available in two variants – Sportline and the top-spec Laurin & Klement (L&K), with the L&K trim priced at Rs. 48.69 lakh (ex-showroom).

Design and Exterior Upgrades

The new-gen Kodiaq embraces Skoda’s Modern Solid design language, maintaining its signature Kodiaq identity while offering a more mature and premium look. It features a bold butterfly grille with an integrated LED light bar, Crystallinium LED headlamps with a welcome function, sleeker tail lamps with a full-width light stripe, and a sculpted body profile that gives it a commanding road presence.

Sportline variants come with sporty gloss black accents, while the L&K trim gets dark chrome highlights. The SUV rides on newly designed 18-inch alloy wheels. In terms of dimensions, the new Kodiaq measures 4,758 mm in length, 1,864 mm in width, and 1,659 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 2,791 mm. Compared to its predecessor, it’s longer by 61 mm.

Premium Interiors and Feature-Rich Cabin

Inside, the 2025 Kodiaq offers a more luxurious and tech-loaded experience. The cabin layout differs slightly between the trims. The Sportline gets an all-black interior theme, while the L&K comes with premium Cognac leather upholstery.

Key features include a 12.9-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a 10.25-inch fully digital driver’s display, a new Smart Dial setup for controlling climate and infotainment functions, ventilated and powered front seats with heating and cooling, panoramic sunroof, ambient lighting, wireless charging, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The audio system is handled by a 13-speaker (725W) Canton system on the Sportline, while the L&K variant offers a 14-speaker setup for an enhanced audio experience. Acoustic front windshield and side windows reduce cabin noise for added refinement.

Boot Space and Practicality

The second-row seats offer a sliding function for added flexibility, and even with all three rows in use, the Kodiaq offers a practical 281 litres of boot space. With the third-row seats folded, capacity expands to 786 litres, and when both second and third rows are folded flat, it opens up to a massive 1,976 litres of cargo space.

Engine, Performance and Mileage

Powering the 2025 Skoda Kodiaq is a 2.0-litre 4-cylinder TSI turbo-petrol engine producing 201 bhp and 320 Nm of torque. This is 14 bhp more than the previous generation. The engine is mated to a 7-speed DSG automatic transmission with an AWD system as standard. Skoda claims a fuel efficiency of 14.86 km/l.

Safety and Driver Assistance Features

On the safety front, the 2025 Skoda Kodiaq comes well-equipped with 9 airbags as standard, electronic stability control (ESC), a 360-degree camera, hill start assist, hill descent control, front and rear parking sensors, rain brake assist, park assist, and a tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS). However, it does not offer any Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), which some of its rivals now provide.

Verdict

With its refreshed design, performance upgrades, advanced features and safety tech, the 2025 Skoda Kodiaq is set to take on strong competitors in the premium SUV segment, including the Toyota Fortuner, Jeep Meridian and Volkswagen Tiguan R-Line. Starting at ₹46.89 lakh, the Sportline trim undercuts several rivals while still offering a premium package, making it an appealing option for buyers looking for a 7-seater SUV with luxury, practicality, and all-weather capability.