Meet the Skoda Kodiaq facelift. The SUV, which was first launched about four years ago, has now been given a mid-life update. That includes a tweaked design inside and out, new engine options and additional features. The refreshed model will be available in Europe from July 2021, while its entry on Indian shores will happen early next year.

Design-wise, the Kodiaq facelift looks sharper and, as per Skoda, more aerodynamic. At the front, the slimmer headlights boast a different DRL and pack LED units as standard. The option for Matrix LEDs is available for the first time. The hexagonal Skoda grille is more “in your face” with those double ribs and a prominent chrome surround. Besides those changes, the Kodiaq also packs revised bumpers, a gloss black rear spoiler with side finlets and slimmer, LED-powered taillamps. As you’d expect, Skoda has also introduced new wheels, which range from 17 to 20 inches in diameter.

Indoors, the updated Kodiaq features decorative strips and additional contrasting stitching on the dashboard and door panels. Skoda has enhanced the ambient lighting system, which now illuminates the footwell in one of the ten colours available while the storage spaces get white lights. Other new features include ventilated and heated front seats with massage function, Skoda’s new two-spoke multifunction steering wheel (three-spoke optionally available), 10-speaker 575-watt Canton sound system, connected infotainment systems with up to 9.2-inch displays and the option of a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster.

As with the trim levels, the engine line-up will also differ with markets. Skoda will offer the new Kodiaq with two diesel and three petrol engines, with displacement ranging between 1.5 and 2.0 litres and power varying between 148bhp and 241bhp. In India, the Kodiaq will come with a single petrol powerplant – the 2.0-litre TSI. It produces 188bhp/320Nm and comes coupled to a 7-speed DSG and an all-wheel-drive system as standard. That engine-transmission combination also does duty in the Skoda Superb, Audi Q2 and the Audi A4. Even the upcoming Tiguan facelift and the updated Tiguan Allspace will pack the same powertrain as the Kodiaq.

So, there you have it. The updated Kodiaq sure looks good and packs some serious punch. When it goes on sale in India as a three-row SUV, it will compete against the Volkswagen SUVs mentioned above and heavyweights such as the Toyota Fortuner, Ford Endeavour, MG Gloster, and the Mahindra Alturas G4.