The base price of the Skoda Kodiaq range has dropped to $49,990 drive-away with the introduction of a new front-wheel drive mild-hybrid powertrain.
However, unlike the last time the Kodiaq range started at under $50,000 drive-away – all the way back in 2020, unless you count runout deals for the previous generation – you don’t get a third row of seating, nor do you get all-wheel drive.
The Kodiaq Select Hybrid (mHEV), as Skoda calls it, is however available with a seven-seat configuration for an extra $2000 at $51,990 drive-away.
The new entry-level Kodiaqs arrive in Australia in March 2026.
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In both five- and seven-seat guise, the Kodiaq Select Hybrid (mHEV) uses a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine producing 110kW of power and 250Nm of torque, mated with a 48V mild-hybrid system and a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.
Claimed combined cycle fuel consumption of 6.0L/100km in five-seat guise, or 6.1L/100km as a seven-seater.
It replaces the short-lived Select 4×4, one of the variants that debuted the second-generation Kodiaq range here in 2025. This was priced at $56,990 drive-away, and used a 140kW/320Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine with quoted fuel consumption of 9.2L/100km.
This powertrain can still be found in the Sportline, priced at $61,990 drive-away, which slots in under the Select PHEV ($68,990 drive-away) and the hot RS range-topper ($76,990 drive-away).
Standard equipment on the new mild-hybrid Select variants includes:
- 19-inch alloy wheels
- Automatic LED headlights
- Power tailgate
- 13-inch touchscreen infotainment system
- Satellite navigation
- Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
- 10-inch Virtual Cockpit digital instrument cluster
- 2 x 15W wireless charging pads
- 45W USB-C charging outlets
- 8-speaker sound system
- Power-adjustable driver’s seat with memory
- Heated front seats
- Cloth upholstery
- Leather-wrapped steering wheel
- Tri-zone climate control
Standard safety equipment includes:
- Adaptive cruise control
- Autonomous emergency braking
- Pedestrian and cyclist detection
- Crossroad assist
- Blind-spot monitoring
- Lane-keep assist
- Rear cross-traffic alert
- Safe exit warning
- Traffic Jam Assist
- Traffic sign recognition
- Travel Assist
- Front and rear parking sensors
- Reversing camera
- Front, front-side, rear-side and curtain airbags
A panoramic sunroof is a $2000 option, while you can purchase pre-paid five- and seven-year service packs for $2990 or $3990 respectively.
There’s no sign of the Signature Package, which Skoda previously indicated it would offer on the mild-hybrid Select as it would on its plug-in hybrid sibling. This package includes features like leather upholstery and a surround-view camera.
We’ve contacted Skoda Australia to confirm if this will be introduced later.
There’s a choice of seven exterior finishes, with Velvet Red metallic costing an additional $770 but the following available for no extra cost:
- Bronx Gold pearlescent
- Race Blue metallic
- Moon White metallic
- Black Magic pearlescent
- Smokey Silver metallic
- Graphite Grey metallic
There’s now a mix of five- and seven-seat Kodiaqs, with the plug-in hybrid Select offered only as a five-seater and the new mild-hybrid Select offering a choice of seating layouts.
In five-seat guise, the Select Hybrid (mHEV) has 828L of boot space.
The Kodiaq is a direct rival for its corporate cousin the Volkswagen Tayron, which is priced from $48,950 before on-road costs and which is also available with 150kW and 195kW all-wheel drive variants plus a newly introduced plug-in hybrid.
However, the base Tayron 110TSI Life does without the Kodiaq’s mild-hybrid tech and an older 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine with higher quoted fuel consumption of 7.6L/100km.