The demands for the SUVs are increasing tremendously in the recent years, and thus the global car majors have been flooding the international markets with innumerable stunning new SUV models. Czech car maker, Skoda is not falling behind in the SUV competition and its latest Kodiaq SUV says that. The new Skoda Kodiaq is a dashing and sleek looking contemporary SUV model which has been gaining a lot of appreciation lately. The Skoda Kodiaq is expected to launch in the car market of India in 2017 and has been making headlines for its styling and capabilities that it will be bringing to the Indian SUV market.
Post its Indian launch, the new elegant and classy looking Skoda Kodiaq will be primarily locking its horns with the successful Ford Endeavour. Now, it is a well known fact that although Skoda cars are known for their premium quality and are well respected in India, it does not have the brand appeal of the American car major Ford. So, let us try to figure out how fair a chance the new Skoda Kodiaq has of receiving good amount of success when put against the impressive Ford Endeavour. Here’s a look at these two dashing SUVs pitched side by side:
Skoda Kodiaq Vs Ford Endeavour
Design & Dimensions
The Skoda Kodiaq looks contemporary, stylish, sleek while also offering the muscular stance of an SUV. It global styling is meant to charm with its sleek design features including sleek headlights and distinctive tail light design. The overall appeal is highly classy and premium.
The Ford Endeavour’s styling is also appealing and impressive. It is stylish as well as bold with strong styling features to make the capable premium SUV exude power and style from all the angles. The Endeavour’s international styling appeal is clearly visible through its design language while not being over the top. So, we have a well established elegant looker here as well.
Both of these future rivals in India are true premium SUV models. And thus, these offer the kind of space, comfort and support on the inside that they are meant to offer. So, they are naturally full-sized SUVs. Both the vehicles offer a seating accommodation for seven adults. However, the Endeavour is longer than its Czech rival and also rides on a longer wheelbase. The Endeavor also gets a stubby and smaller boot, which along with its longer dimension’s results in more cabin space and better legroom. Nevertheless, the Kodiaq is no lesser in terms of space and makes up with its wider body offering more comfortable seating for three adults at the rear. Kodiaq also offers the largest boot space in the segment at 720 liters that can be further expanded to 2,065 liters by folding the rear seats. The Endeavour offers 450 liters of cargo space that can be increased to 2,101 liters.
Features
In terms of features, the two SUV rivals differ a lot again, although both are fully loaded with an array of features being premium SUVs. For instance, the Ford Endeavour offers the terrain management system as a standard offering, while the Skoda Kodiaq offers the off-road mode and the Driving Mode select as optional features for the AWD variants. Both the vehicles have highly comfortable and plush cabins and both offer an advanced touchscreen infotainment system along with navigation. The Endeavour offers a muscular looking steering wheel and a more powerful looking cockpit befitting the mighty SUV, while the Kodiaq goes the more elegant way with a stylish three-spoke steering wheel and overall sleek styling.
In terms of safety features though, both of these SUVs are equally loaded. So, one can’t go wrong while choosing any of these when it comes to great safety measures, as is expected from a premium SUV model from global biggies.
Under the Hood Specs
Being powerful and premium Sports Utility Vehicles, both the Skoda Kodiaq and the Ford Endeavour are pretty similar when it comes to the under the hood mechanical bits, although they have engines that are again poles apart. The Endeavour comes powered by two diesel engine choices namely a 2.2 liter and a massive 3.3-liter unit. On the other hand, the Kodiaq comes equipped with only one 2-liter diesel motor that comes in two different power tunes. The Kodiaq offers a max power output in two different tunes of 150 PS and 190 PS, while the Endeavour offers 160 PS and 200 PS from its 2.2 and 3.3 liter mills respectively. The Kodiaq torque outputs are also considerably lesser than that of the Endeavour’s engines. Thus, the Ford SUV is definitely a more powerful vehicle than the Skoda SUV. However, the Skoda Kodiaq is expected to offer better ride and handling than its American rival. However, the on and off-road performances and handling comparison between the two SUVs can be only done, once the Skoda Kodiaq actually lands up in India.
Skoda India is also expected to offer the 2.0-liter turbocharged petrol mill option in the country. This powerful petrol motor mill pumps out 180 PS and 320 Nm of torque in the Kodiaq and could also drive the upcoming new Octavia vRS in India.
Conclusion
The Skoda Kodiaq and the Ford Endeavour seem to be highly aggressive rivals and we can expect to see some great battle among the two in the Indian car market. These two premium SUVs are very similar while also very different from each other at the same time. They are both visually appealing, have spacious interiors, are similarly loaded with premium features and safety equipments and their performance capabilities also seem to be similar. However, they have distinctive styling, have different dimensions, dissimilar interior styling and are aimed at different sets of premium SUV buyers.
The Skoda Kodiaq and the Ford Endeavour primarily differ in the way they are equipped to serve different purposes and requirements of the buyers. While the Endeavour is meant for hardcore off-roading and defeating the challenges of various tough terrains, the Kodiaq is a subtle all-purpose SUV which aims at offering comfortable city drives along with occasional off-road adventures. So, they are really aimed at two different sets of SUV aficionados.