With Sabine Schmitz at the wheel, no less.
Czech carmaker Skoda is enjoying a huge wave of success thanks to its range of SUVs, with the momentum beginning first with the large Kodiaq SUV. Based on the MQB platform that underpins every major Volkswagen Group product, the Kodiaq is a firm favourite in the large SUV class, and its offering of seven seats means it’s a properly versatile offering.
However, there are some who feel that despite the Kodiaq being an enormous three-row SUV, it should also be fast, and agile, and sporty. To that end, Skoda has been teasing us for months about the possibility of hot, RS-badged SUVs and it seems that we finally have something more concrete now: A teaser, of a Kodiaq RS, being thrashed around the Nurburgring.
Set for debut at the Paris motorshow, the Kodiaq RS was given to ‘Ring-master Sabine Schmitz, who earned the moniker ‘Queen of the ‘Ring’ with her knowledge of the track and claim that she’s been round it more than 20,000 times. Notably, she outdid Jeremy Clarkson when the latter tried to set a record time in a Jaguar S-Type diesel, beating the Brit TV host by a good 47-seconds. In fact, in filming that segment, the TopGear crew had such a hard time keeping up with Schmitz (despite them using an S-Type R chase car) that they had to rope in Jaguar test driver Wolfgang Schubauer in order to maintain pace.
So her credentials here are beyond reproach. No wonder Skoda’s claiming that the Kodiaq RS prototype has claimed some sort of title. Not sure which, but they’re definitely alluding to a title.
The Skoda Kodiaq RS is rumoured to use some kind of 2.0-litre forced induction mill, either a petrol or a diesel. In the unleaded camp, there’s a possibility of the 206kW TSI mill that’s presently employed in the Volkswagen Arteon R-Line, which would leave the currently-available 132kW flagship Kodiaq petrol mill for dead. In the oiler camp, there’s a possibility that the Kodiaq RS could use a 177kW/500Nm mill that’s been used in the top-spec VW Passat there. Though, this is all still speculation.
What we know for certain is that the Skoda Kodiaq RS will feature a raft of aesthetic changes to denote its more potent nature, including reprofiled bumpers on either end, bigger alloy wheels, prominent exhaust tips, and a smattering of RS badges. You know, for good measure.
The Skoda Kodiaq RS will debut at the Paris Motor Show at the beginning of October. So stay tuned to CarShowroom as we bring you more updates as they come.
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