BHPian codezilla recently shared this with other enthusiasts:The Skoda Kodiaq Experience – A Sunday Well Spent!Let me begin with a big shoutout to Team-BHP, @Aditya, @Omkar and of course koda India for putting this event together. Hats off, folks – it was super well-organised, smooth, and went without a single hiccup. The day kicked off at Westin Gurgaon where a bunch of excited BHPians gathered. After a solid breakfast and a short but crisp briefing, we were handed over the keys (err, fobs) to our rides for the day. Each Kodiaq had three enthusiasts, and I was paired with @jimnylife and @DDISclatters in a shiny Silver L&K. Good company, good car – what more do you need on a Sunday? The plan: a drive to Neemrana Fort by mid-day, a quick product session, brunch, and then head back. Each of us got about an hour behind the wheel and the rest of the time to explore the car as passengers. Which basically means two things: plenty of time to poke around the car’s features, and endless hours of car banter with fellow petrolheads – the perfect combo. The route itself was brilliantly chosen: wide highways, broken village roads, a few gnarly patches that looked tailor-made to test suspension, and even some uphill/downhill sections near Neemrana. To keep things even more interesting, the heat was relentless – so the AC also got tested properly. On the way, we even came across an accident, which explained why this car’s safety suite matters a lot in our driving conditions. A quick briefing at Westin, Gurgaon All set for the drive! Some rough patches and heavy traffic Enroute! A massive accident forced us to take a short detour. Kodiaqs parked with beautiful Neemrana fort in the background The Car – Impressions Engine The 2.0L TSI with 201 bhp and 320 Nm is just a hoot. Smooth and strong all the way – plenty of punch whether crawling in traffic or cruising past 100+. It delivers power linearly, without fuss, and just keeps hauling without running out of breath. With the quick 7-speed DSG keeping it in the right gear, the car genuinely pulls like a train. Ride Quality Honestly, this part surprised me. Being a German monocoque SUV, I was expecting the suspension to be on the stiffer side, tuned for stability over outright comfort. But nope, the Kodiaq managed to strike the sweet spot. Over nasty potholes, speed breakers, and broken patches, there was barely a thud to complain about. Yet, at speed, it stayed absolutely planted. Even on the worst sections of road that would make you second-guess most “premium” SUVs, the Kodiaq passed with flying colours. Handling This is where koda flexes its DNA. The steering was responsive, well-weighted, and precise. Zipping through gaps in traffic, taking sharp bends, or even sweeping across fast curves felt effortless. Sure, being an SUV, some body roll is there, but it’s very well contained. For its size, this thing can actually hustle – dare I say, it comes surprisingly close to BMW-like handling. Gem of an Engine! The precise Steering Wheel! Just a pretty shot of Kodiaq with Neemrana Fort! Other Features Seats: Absolutely fantastic. Big, supportive, adjustable in every which way, and comfortable even for tall 6-footers. Under-thigh support was spot on, lumbar adjustment perfect, and the ventilation worked like actual magic under the hot sun. The massage seats for driver and front passenger were the highlight, with multiple modes. The “Deep Tissue” especially… wow. It legit made me want to just sit there after the drive was done. Only complaint – wish they were offered for rear passengers too, since this SUV will mostly see chauffeur-driven use. Interior Quality: Premium overall as expected from a ~50 lakh SUV, with soft-touch materials on most touchpoints. That said, I did notice some cost-cutting – hard plastics lower down, slightly squeaky AC knobs, and a couple of dodgy stitches on the leather. It’s not bad, but not perfect either. Just about par for the course at this price. Infotainment & Audio:The touchscreen is crisp, large, VERY responsive and has a neat interface. Drive modes, music, and settings were easy enough once you found them, but until then the icons and menus were a bit confusing. Definitely a learning curve here.The Canton sound system though? Big letdown. No real depth – mids and lows are missing, bass was okay-ish, and the preset profiles were pretty bad. Even fiddling around with the equaliser couldn’t save it. For an L&K to have audio that underwhelming is disappointing.Air Conditioning: Another weak spot. Cooling was strictly average. A strange quirk: if you manually set the fan, it never goes to max. Only in Auto mode does it actually ramp up and try to cool properly. Even then, performance was just about passable. koda India really needs to iron this out. Ample storage and legroom So many types of massages to choose from Good enough knee room for rear passengers and the smartphone holder Neat finish for the side doors Miscellaneous Bits Hill Descent Control: Tried briefly on our way down from Neemrana, and it worked as promised. No drama. Safety Concerns: The car actually allows you to unlock doors while driving – even above 50 km/h! And the central lock/unlock button is right on the centre console (classic German quirk). This feels unsafe, borderline dangerous really – Skoda needs to fix this. At least the child lock on the driver’s side console can help with rear passengers in the interim. Bonnet Release: Big plastic knob that’s easy to find and use. Practical… but being plastic, you can’t help but worry about its longevity. Tyre Monitoring: No direct TPMS, just a pressure warning system. Feels outdated at this price. Also, the tyre pressure sticker is tucked away inside the rear-side passenger door – good luck finding it if you don’t know! ADAS Hardware: The car already has ADAS tech built-in, but koda India has kept it deactivated for now. Rumour is they might enable some features later with an OTA update. Fuel Economy: On our “spirited” run, the Kodiaq gave us around 8-9 km/l. The engine is E20 compliant, but no clarity yet if it’ll take E27 when that rolls out. Simply Clever Touches: As always, koda brings some brilliant little utilities:Ticket holder on the windshieldRemovable rear bottle organiserClever tray/boot dividersUmbrellas stashed in the doorsDual wireless chargers (although one wasn’t working in our car)Oddly placed tyre pressure sticker Only tyre pressure warning system Plastic boot release trigger (maybe flimsy) Simply clever organiser Simply clever door protector ADAS Hardware Rear passenger blinds E20 compliant Wrapping it Up To sum it up – what an awesome Sunday! Driving the Kodiaq back-to-back in so many conditions was fun, but what made it truly special was the company of fellow BHPians. The conversations, the geeky debates, and the mutual admiration for all things on four wheels made the day perfect. A heartfelt thank you once again to Team-BHP, koda India, and the Mods for putting this together. I really hope we see more of such drive events in the future. Because at the end of the day, nothing beats driving, laughing, and nerding out about cars with fellow enthusiasts. Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.
