It was in April last year when Skoda first unveiled the Kodiaq facelift. It went on sale in Europe sometime in July 2021. And now, the SUV is here. It has arrived in three variants – Style, Sportline and L&K. Their prices, in the same order, are Rs 34.99 lakh, Rs 35.99 lakh and Rs 37.49 lakh. Besides featuring a refreshed design inside and out, the Kodiaq is now a petrol-only model. That’s in line with all other offerings from the Czech brand.

Regardless of which variant you settle for, the three-row people haulier will come with the same powertrain. That comprises a 2.0-litre TSI engine producing 188bhp/320Nm, a 7-speed DSG and a permanent all-wheel-drive system. That’s the same setup you’ll find in the Volkswagen Tiguan, which went on sale recently. And as for the engine-transmission combo, that does duty in multiple other models, including the Audi Q2, Audi A4, Skoda Superb and the Skoda Octavia.

Coming to the list of creature comforts, it includes stuff like three-zone automatic climate control, powered, heated and ventilated front seats with memory function for the driver, panoramic sunroof and an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Other features, such as automatic LED headlamps, a 10-inch digital instrument cluster, wireless mobile charger and ambient lighting, are also available.

Safety is top-notch too. You get features like rain-sensing wipers, electronic stability control, ISOFIX anchorages for child booster seats, a tyre pressure monitoring system, a rear-view camera and a traction control system. For driver assistance, there’s cruise control, electromechanical parking brake, hill-start and hill-decent assist and auto-dimming IRVM. Of course, the list of features will depend on the variant chosen.

As time would have it, the Kodiaq facelift doesn’t really have a direct rival at the moment. However, pricing-wise, it falls amidst the Citroen C5 Aircross, Volkswagen Tiguan, MG Gloster, Toyota Fortuner and the Isuzu MU-X. Another way of shopping in that range is opting for something smaller but with a luxury badge. Examples include the BMW X1, Mini Countryman and the Audi Q2.