Skoda's new SUV: testing out the concept

The offer of exclusive access to a million euro concept car is always enticing, particularly when it is to take place at a firm’s traditionally secretive test centre. Expectations are of a secret Bond-like lair, or a glamorous glass tower filled with the latest tech wizardry.

In reality the cloak of secrecy is best achieved through urbane banality. Skoda’s testing centre is located in the middle of a building site at its massive production plant just outside Prague, in Mladá Boleslav.

Yet, despite its modest surroundings, behind the door of the nondescript warehouse was a vision: the Vision S to be precise. And it’s a vision that has been causing nightmares for Skoda’s rivals since the SUV concept was unveiled at this year’s Geneva Motor Show.

There, the Vision S was the surprise star of the show. The SUV is a five-door six-seater that sits squat on the road. It's the same length as a Hyundai Santa Fe at 4,700mm and is 1,910mm wide. Vision S has a long 2,790mm wheelbase with a nice low roofline (1,680mm).

Vision S was built to showcase the firm’s design direction and is externally at least a strong indicator of what Skoda’s new five/seven-seat Kodiaq SUV will look like. With Vision S Skoda’s design team has put all its thoughts, hopes and ideas for future SUVs and general connectivity in to a very handsome package.

Ultimately Skoda can only do what its owner Volkswagen allows it to do, so has the firm been let off the leash? What makes the Vision S unique to Skoda and where is the Czech influence?

Bohemian crystal plays a big part in the concept, with sharp lines and clever use of beautifully-styled glass, cracked glass and composites on the exterior and interior. The concept delivers a premium look with lots of bling. Dual headlight clusters either side of the bold front end are a new feature that future Skoda SUVs will have. The bonnet is a gorgeous clamshell single pressing.

Overall, the car hints of a romantic encounter between a BMW X5 and Range Rover Evoque.

Czech Cubism is another element that is evident, especially in the side mirrors and sculpted rear lights. Design team member Merwan Khiat proudly points out some more design elements that Skoda will be using going forward, such as the distinctive wheel arches and new SUV grille with double vertical uprights/bars (Skoda cars have single ones).

We can expect to see all these features in the next Yeti (due in 2018) and the Kodiaq, launching in the autumn.

Connectivity

The concept’s interior is all about connectivity for all occupants. When you carefully open any door via a cool pop-out handle you see a slot for an iPhone on the interior handle. The idea is that the phone tells the car who is sitting in that seat and sets everything up for that individual. Everybody in the car can access their own display screen. The driver will be able to do this too when the level of future autonomous driving allows it.

Up front there are two dash-mounted 16-inch screens. The interior is awash with touchscreens, but as Vision S is a concept and not up to the usual robust attention of a cynical journalist, the screens displayed a rolling movie of the types of functionality that could be available.

While still in the warehouse I got behind the wheel for a brief driving experience.

Vision S, unlike many concepts, can actually move under it owns power – electricity in this case. It’s a hybrid so there’s an automatic gearbox, 1.4-litre petrol engine and a couple of electric motors. Electric, hybrid and internal combustion engine power could all feature as the uniquely adapted VW Group MQB platform has been designed just so. I was able to crank up the almost priceless Vision S to about 15km/h as I orbited the interior of the secret facility trying to avoid the odd concrete pillar.

Vision S is a credit to its design team, which is made up of 20 nationalities – including an Irish clay modeller.

Skoda has a rich heritage dating back to 1895 when mechanic Václav Laurin met with bookseller Václav Klement and they started designing and building bicycles together. By 1899 they were building motorcycles and by 1905 they were building automobiles and then things really took off.

After the second World War, Skoda was nationalised and became AZNP and acquired the monopoly on car production in Czechoslovakia. After the Velvet Revolution of 1989, foreigners were finally allowed to invest in the country and Volkswagen came along in 1991 turning the firm from low-quality functional budget cars to the competitive quality offerings we now know.

The Vision S concept and the Kodiaq production car represents another milestone for the firm. The next big thing from Skoda will be the use of plug-in hybrid technology that is due in 2019 in the Superb.

Why not bring hybrids to the market sooner? Money, Skoda says – the numbers have to add up first.

Production

The grizzly question is how similar will Kodiaq be to Vision S.

I understand the under bumpers of the production SUV will be less dramatic, the pop-out door handles will probably go and the huge 21-inch alloys that look brilliantly menacing will be a more realistic size when the car starts production later this year. The interior will be more conventional. Kodiaq will be launched at the Paris motor show in September. Skoda Ireland hopes to have production for delivery in January/February and will hopefully have some left-hand drive examples in showrooms later this year so buyers can see it in the metal and place orders.

In terms of engine choices, expect two diesel versions to dominate the market: a 1.6-litre and a 2.0-litre.

It is exciting times at Skoda and the new Kodiaq should be a big hit, with pricing expected to be similar to that of the new Superb, which would mean it starting at slightly over €30,000 and rising to around €45,000 depending on engine choices and options.

To judge by the reactions of rivals at Geneva, Skoda’s entry into the larger SUV market is going to cause a major shake-up to the market. The Kodiaq will hit a sweet spot in the family motoring market at a time when the brand has established itself as the sixth biggest brand on the Irish market.

Skoda’s vision of being a top five player looks likely to become reality.