New Skoda Kodiaq RS Spied Putting Its GTI-Sourced Engine To Use at the 'Ring

Caught doing its thing at the Nurburgring in Germany and on the roads close to the famous racetrack, the new Skoda Kodiaq RS features a few stylistic changes over the lesser models.

The front bumper is sportier. It has a taller and narrower central air intake and reshaped side vents. Skoda gave it a new rear bumper with an incorporated diffuser and large tailpipe trim. The side skirts appear to have been tweaked, and the wheels should be exclusive to this model, which retains the same split-headlamp signature as the second-gen Kodiaq models and rear lighting signature.

Additional changes will be found beneath the skin as the car manufacturer has revised the chassis. The new Skoda Kodiaq RS is expected to sit closer to the asphalt than the regular variants. The lowered center of gravity and presumably stiffer ride will improve its cornering ability. Uprated brakes likely provide the stopping power to this agile mid-size crossover, which shares its MQB Evo construction with Europe's Volkswagen Tiguan and Passat and its low-slung sibling, the Superb.

The old gasoline-powered car packed a 242-horsepower (245 ps/180 kW) 2.0L four-banger, whereas the upcoming Kodiaq RS is expected to retain the four-pot recipe, albeit with more oomph. The latest Octavia RS packs the same motor as the VW Golf GTI, thus enjoying 261 horsepower (265 ps/195 kW). In all likelihood, this is the mill found under the hood of the pictured high-rider, though with an all-wheel-drive system that will improve its traction compared to the FWD Octavia RS and Golf GTI. There is no plug-in hybrid system on deck, as the tester had no visible charging port.

Certain outlets believe the new-gen Skoda Kodiaq RS is due in 2025. However, given that its lesser siblings have been around for roughly one year and that the latest prototype that became the focus of our spy photographers' camera lenses barely featured any disguise on its body, we expect it to premiere sooner. The official unveiling date is yet unknown, though our bet would be for a potential premiere before the end of 2024.

Mind you, Skoda is famous for releasing all kinds of teasers ahead of the grand unveiling, so we expect to see the upcoming 2024 Kodiaq RS (vRS) in a more official environment in the near future. We also expect to see some official sketches of the car, albeit with a beefed-up design that has almost nothing in common with the real thing.