2021 Skoda Kodiaq RS spied

Photographers have snapped pictures of a camouflaged Skoda Kodiaq RS towing a trailer in the European Alps, giving us an early look at the upcoming mid-life refresh for the Czech brand’s flagship SUV.

Look closely and you’ll notice minor revisions to the front and rear fascias, namely the head- and tail lights, as well as redesigned bumpers and a more upright front grille like the brand’s latest models.

It’s likely the most significant changes will happen inside the cabin and under the skin, with the Volkswagen Group’s latest infotainment systems (including wireless Apple CarPlay), more sophisticated driver assistance systems, and the potential for ‘eTSI’ 48V mild-hybrid petrol powertrains.

For the Kodiaq RS seen here, it’s unclear whether the 2.0-litre bi-turbo diesel will get any major upgrades other than revisions to meet ever-tightening emissions laws in Europe, or perhaps get a mild-hybrid system as well.

Like the related Volkswagen Tiguan – which is due to be revealed in facelifted guise before year’s end – the updated Kodiaq should also get a plug-in hybrid version, sporting the company’s electrified iV branding.

The Kodiaq iV could be an RS model like the Octavia, drawing upon the same 180kW/400Nm 1.4-litre plug-in hybrid system as the Mk8 Volkswagen Golf GTE and Octavia RS iV.

It’s unclear when the updated Skoda Kodiaq will be revealed, but given Volkswagen and Seat are both revealing updated versions of the Kodiaq’s platform mates, it’s likely we’ll see an updated Skoda before the end of this year ahead of a 2021 sales launch.

Stay tuned to CarExpert for all the latest.