Skoda 1000 Reviews

Skoda has applied the RS badge to its performance models over several decades and the second-gen version of the large, three-row Kodiaq SUV is the latest offering from the Czech maker to mix practical business with dynamic pleasure.

Skoda's large SUV goes PHEV at a sharp price.

The head of a long-lived car brand has questioned the actual level of threat from Chinese brands like BYD, saying they have more bark than bite currently in Australia.

The Berry family knows three-row family cars, having long-term tested many including the GWM Tank 500, Kia Carnival and Mitsubishi Outlander. So, how will Skoda's new Kodiaq Sportline seven-seater SUV stand up over the coming months? So far, so great!

One of Europe’s cheapest small cars will live on in Australia – for now. While the Skoda Scala’s future hangs in the balance due to shifting buyer preferences, plunging sales and a new-model onslaught that includes value EVs like the coming Epiq, its Fabia kid brother is treading just enough water to justify continuing importation.

Chinese auto giant Chery may have kick-started the Chinese push into the Aussie new-car market, but in recent years a slew of other challengers from China have joined it.How’s this for a laundry list of newcomers within the last few years? BYD, Deepal, Foton, Geely, a ramped up GWM Haval, JAC, Jaecoo, LDV, Leapmotor, MG, Omoda, Smart, XPeng and Zeekr, with Aion, Avatr, GAC, Jetour, Lepas, Lynk & Co, Skywell and others waiting in the wings.Phew! Talk about an onslaught… and that’s not even taking into account other arrivals like Cupra from Spain, a reinvigorated Mahindra from India and a reborn Smart from Germany (via China).So, as an established competitor in this market do you adopt a siege mentality, pull the doona over your head and hope it all goes away or embrace the fluidity and look for opportunity in chaos?Clearly Skoda Australia Director Lucie Kuhn is an opportunity seeker because when recently asked about the dynamics of the current market, she told CarsGuide, “The Chinese will be with us. We can’t avoid it.“I think it is obvious that for every OEM in the Australian market right now the situation will be quite challenging. “But it will be for everyone, it’s not only for Skoda. It will also be for the big players a challenge to face mainly an influx from China.“It’s a matter of how you take this topic. Do you perceive it as a threat or an opportunity?” she said.And Kuhn sees Skoda’s relatively small scale as a potential advantage.“When you operate in rather niche volumes the threat of getting somehow harmed is smaller than maybe for the brands that have really significant market share.“The Chinese will grow pretty strong and get their market share; this is obvious. The next three years will be intensive for everyone.” And when asked if the brand’s ‘clever’ positioning still does enough to stand the Czech brand apart with so many new players coming in, her position is clear.“We believe so. I think in (the next three years) we have something to offer, to empower the brand, to increase the awareness, to offer this European value, consistency in products, safety, servicing, the customer experience that is around it. “I am quite sure that we will keep going and growing our sales, as well,” she said. And with a recent product refresh up and down the local Skoda range her confidence appears to be well placed.New products coming into the local Skoda portfolio include the recently launched MY26 Kodiaq (now with a flagship RS version), updated Octavia RS, fourth-gen Superb and the just-arrived Elroq compact EV SUV arriving in tandem with the updated Enyaq medium EV SUV.And soon enough they will be joined by the city-sized Epiq EV SUV and a production version of the large three-row Vision 7S, both confirmed for Australian sale by 2027.

The Volkswagen Group’s long-awaited response to cheap electric vehicles (EVs) from China is shaping up to be one of next year’s most important global debutantes.

The Skoda Enyaq Coupe 85 Sportline for 2026 continues from the original, pre-facelift version released in Australia in September, 2024, introducing a new look as well as a second body style that should appeal to family-orientated consumers – a more-practical SUV wagon shape.Like the base 60 Select, both versions are only available with a rear-mounted electric motor driving the rear wheels.Starting from $59,990 before on-road costs, the new 85 Sportline SUV wagon is competing head-on with the likes of the BYD Sealion 7, Kia EV5 and Tesla Model Y.It also lines up against closely-related cousins within the Volkswagen Group riding on the same 'MEB' platform – the VW ID.4, Cupra Tavascan and Audi Q4 e-tron. Going for the Enyaq Coupe 85 Sportline from $65,990 means you’ll need to fork out another $6000.Unlike the base 60 Select, the 85 Sportline scores a larger battery at 82kWh for more WLTP range and stronger performance from its electric motor.The 85 Sportline shares the entry-level Enyaq’s advanced driver-assist systems (ADAS) technologies like autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and adaptive cruise control are included.There are also seven airbags, a reversing camera, a 13-inch touchscreen display with wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, a wireless charger, digital radio, heated front seats, three-zone climate control, a powered tailgate, charging cables, a seven-year warranty and an umbrella.Then the 85 Select brings matrix LED headlights, leather with synthetic-suede trim, powered, heated and massaging front seats, heated rear seats, regenerative-braking paddles on the steering wheel, 20-inch wheels and more.For goodies like a surround camera view, a head-up display, premium audio, adaptive dampers and 21-inch alloys, you’ll need the Ultimate pack as a $5000 option.Note that the Enyaq Coupe 85 Sportline adds a glass roof, but the SUV wagon buyer must fork out another $2000 for a panoramic sunroof with sunshade.Neither versions come with a spare wheel, sadly, just a tyre-repair kit.The 85 Sportline’s electric motor delivers a healthy 210kW of power and 545Nm of torque, propelling it from zero to 100km/h in 6.7 seconds on the way to a 180km/h top speed. Underneath is MacPherson-strut suspension up front and a multi-link rear end.The combined energy consumption figure is 15.9kWh/100km on average for the 85 Sportline SUV wagon and 15.5kWh for the Coupe version, due to the latter’s superior aerodynamics. Their WLTP ranges differ as a result, coming in at 547km and 561km, respectively.Charging to 100 per cent full using a normal power socket could take 40 hours, or about 12 hours with an optional 7.0kW Wallbox, while a 20-80 per cent top-up on a 50kW DC fast charger needs about 80 minutes, or half that with a 100kW charger.

Skoda Australia has added the finishing touch to its new, second-generation Kodiaq line-up with confirmed pricing and specification for the RS performance flagship version of the large, seven-seat SUV.

The Skoda Enyaq 60 Select is the least expensive of the Czechian brand’s mid-sized family SUV EV range, which was facelifted just one year after the series' debut in Australia.For now, it is available only with a rear-mounted electric motor driving the rear axle, and ushers in a new-to-Australia body style in the guise of an SUV wagon shape.Kicking off from $50,990, before on-road costs, the 60 Select is aimed at luring buyers away from popular alternatives like the BYD Sealion 7, Kia EV5 and Tesla Model Y.The significance of the Enyaq is that it is the first SUV of this size in Australia to use the Volkswagen Group’s advanced 'MEB' dedicated EV architecture at this lower price point, making the entry-level grade usefully less-expensive than the closely-related VW ID.4 Pro from $59,990, Cupra Tavascan Endurance from $60,990 and Audi Q4 45 e-tron from $84,900.To help keep the price down, the 60 Select uses a smaller, 63kWh lithium-ion traction battery, rather than the others’ 82kWh item, as well as a lower-powered electric motor, but the resulting 410km of range and 150kW performance is more than adequate for most people’s needs.Plus, the base Enyaq is fairly-well equipped, with full advanced driver-assist systems (ADAS) technologies, including autonomous emergency braking (AEB), lane-support help and rear cross-traffic alert.There are also seven airbags, front/rear parking sensors, a reversing camera, keyless entry/start, adaptive cruise control, a 13-inch touchscreen display with wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, a wireless charger, digital radio, heated front seats, three-zone climate control, a powered tailgate, charging cables, 19-inch alloy wheels, a seven-year warranty and even an umbrella in one of the doors. But no spare wheel, sadly, just a tyre-repair kit.The electric motor by the 60 Select’s rear axle makes 150kW of power and 310Nm of torque, propelling the Czech-built EV from zero to 100km/h (0-100km/h) in 8.1 seconds, on the way to a 160km/h top speed. Keeping all that in check, so to speak, are MacPherson struts up front and a multi-link rear suspension set-up.With its 63kWh battery, what’s the 60 Select like for efficiency? The combined energy consumption figure for the grade in Europe is 15.1kWh/100km on average, for a WLTP rated range figure of 410km.As a comparison, the $9000 more-expensive 85 Sportline with 210kW/545Nm and a larger, 82kWh battery bumps that up to 547km, and can sprint from 0-100km/h in 6.7sec.Charging to 100 per cent full from empty at home using just a regular socket might require about 30 hours, or under 10 hours with an optional 7.0kW Wallbox. A 20-80 per cent top-up on a 50kW DC fast charger needs about an hour, or half that time with a 100kW charger.One of the benefits of the smaller-battery 60 Select is that those charging times can be cut roughly by about 20 per cent compared to the 85 Sportline.