2025 Skoda Kodiaq iV Review: The Art of the Reasonable

The automotive industry often behaves like a fashion house, obsessed with the new and the radical, but Skoda has always been the department store that sells good winter coats. The 2025 Skoda Kodiaq iV is exactly that sort of garment. It is a large, second-generation SUV that sits comfortably in the D-segment, offering a pragmatic alternative to the flashier, more expensive metal cluttering German dealership lots. It competes directly with its corporate sibling, the Volkswagen Tiguan, and Asian rivals like the Mazda CX-60 and the Kia Sorento. However, where the Kia demands nearly 60,000 Euros for a plug-in hybrid powertrain, the Kodiaq iV starts at a more palatable 48,530 Euros. It is a car for people who calculate price-per-liter of cargo space in their heads.

The headline figure for this new plug-in hybrid model is the electric range, which Skoda claims has made a significant leap over the previous generation. The manufacturer rates the Kodiaq iV at approximately 123 kilometers on the WLTP cycle, a number that looks impressive on a spec sheet and suggests that most daily commuting could theoretically be done without waking the petrol engine.

We must be realistic about these laboratory figures, however. In hindsight, WLTP ratings are often optimistic scenarios involving tailwinds and very light right feet. In the real world, driving at highway speeds of 130 km/h or in colder German winter temperatures, you should expect that number to drop by about 25 percent. A realistic prediction for daily mixed driving would be closer to 85 or 90 kilometers. That is still enough to cover the school run and a commute to the office, but it is not the three-digit miracle the brochure suggests.

The battery pack making this possible is a 25.7 kWh lithium-ion unit using NMC chemistry, situated under the rear seats. This is a substantial size for a hybrid, bordering on what early full EVs used to carry. The chemistry choice prioritizes energy density, which is how they managed to squeeze that much capacity into a platform that still needs to carry a fuel tank and an exhaust system. The most significant engineering choice here, however, is the thermal management and charging speed. Unlike many competitors that limp along with slow AC charging, the Kodiaq iV supports 50 kW DC fast charging. This means you can actually top up the battery during a grocery run, rather than needing to leave it plugged in overnight to gain any meaningful range.

Under the metal, the Kodiaq rides on the MQB Evo platform, a shared Volkswagen Group architecture that serves as the skeleton for everything from the Golf to the Passat. It pairs a 1.5-liter TSI four-cylinder petrol engine with an electric motor integrated into the six-speed DSG transmission. This setup sends a combined 204 horsepower to the front wheels. It is a clever packaging decision because it avoids the complexity of a rear axle motor, although it does mean this heavy SUV is front-wheel drive only. The transition between electric and petrol power is generally smooth, though the 1.5-liter engine can sound a bit strained when asked to move two tons of SUV up a steep incline without electric assistance.

The suspension utilizes MacPherson struts at the front and a multi-link rear setup, but the real story is the optional DCC Plus adaptive chassis control. This system uses two-valve dampers that can independently control rebound and compression. In practice, this allows the car to float over German cobblestones with a surprising degree of isolation. It is not a sporty ride, nor does it try to be. The body roll in corners is noticeable, reminding you that you are captaining a large vessel rather than piloting a speedboat. It prioritizes comfort above all else, which is the correct decision for a family hauler.

Inside the cabin is where Skoda has made its most definitive statement against the industry’s obsession with touchscreens. They call them “Smart Dials.” These are three rotary knobs with small digital displays embedded in their centers. They control cabin temperature, seat heating, and volume, depending on how you toggle them. Using a touchscreen for climate control is like trying to organize a spice rack while riding a unicycle, whereas these dials are intuitive, tactile, and safe. You can operate them without taking your eyes off the road. It is a relief to see a manufacturer acknowledge that physical feedback is superior to a sleek glass surface when you are moving at speed. The rest of the interior is well-screwed together, using sustainable materials that feel durable rather than luxurious.

There are other practical touches that show Skoda understands its audience. The cargo space in the PHEV is 745 liters, which is massive, although you do lose the underfloor storage found in the pure petrol versions. My son, who usually ignores my test cars to stare at his phone, actually noticed the umbrella hidden in the driver’s door and thought it was “cool,” which is high praise from a teenager. The infotainment screen is large and crisp, but the software can still be occasionally sluggish on startup. However, the presence of wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto mitigates most of the native system’s annoyances.

Reliability for this new generation is a calculated wager. The 1.5 TSI engine is a known quantity within the Volkswagen Group and has been refined over years to iron out early timing chain issues. The six-speed DSG is also a mature technology, robust enough for the torque figures involved here. The main concern lies with the electronics. The Volkswagen Group has struggled with software stability in its recent MQB Evo cars, with users reporting infotainment blackouts and glitchy driver assist systems. While the mechanicals are sound, the complex integration of the hybrid system and the new MIB4 software architecture introduces potential points of failure that did not exist in the simpler, first-generation models.