Skoda teases the new generations of Superb and Kodiaq

New Launches 

Skoda seems to have taken inspiration from the old bus joke about waiting ages and then two come along at once. We had the arrival of the new Enyaq iV vRS back in January and now Skoda has teased us with two new cars due to be unveiled in the autumn. We don't know much yet, but we do know both the Skoda Superb and Skoda Kodiaq have had a makeover.

As is usually the case, this information comes off the back of the traditional cold weather testing. For most manufacturers, the arctic phase of testing comes towards the end of the process so they're pretty sure at that point the new car is going to be hitting the market soon.

Skoda is no different with the announcement that the new generations of Superb and Kodiaq models have successfully passed intensive cold testing in the Arctic Circle.

The fourth-generation Skoda Superb and the second generation of the Kodiaq SUV were assessed in temperatures as low as minus 30 degrees Celsius and have proven that they can cope with any winter challenge. Every part of the vehicles was scrutinised: chassis, body, engine, heating, and the entire electrical system. Skoda even tested the impact of snow on the bodywork as well as the effects of snow entering the engine compartment and air intakes.

To pass the tests, every mechanical function of the cars must perform flawlessly and the engine should start without problems at temperatures close to minus 30 degrees. All doors, the bonnet, and the tailgate as well as the fuel filler cap and the cover of the charging socket on electric vehicles must be capable of opening. The tests also cover interior functions such as heated seats, how quickly windows and mirrors demist, and even how well the central touchscreen responds when the vehicle's interior temperature has dropped below zero.

A proper assessment also involves the test drivers covering thousands of miles.

They'll check how well the vehicle copes with slush on the road, or how the front and rear bumpers perform when the vehicle hits a snow barrier. The test drivers can see how the vehicles behave on icy and snowy roads and how well the assistance systems work. Testing even includes driving over blocks of ice to see how the suspension and underbody protection perform. By the end of the testing phase, Skoda will have data on everything from whether the transmission shifts properly and the windscreen wipers and washers work right down to the acoustic behaviour of frozen parts.

Unfortunately, that's pretty much all we know at the moment.

You can see from the images that the new Skoda Kodiaq is a spacious and comfortable SUV, and the new Skoda Superb is a practical and stylish estate. Other than that, you'll need to wait until autumn for more details.

Whatever those details happen to be, it'll be nice to know you're leasing a Skoda that can handle pretty much anything the worst of the UK weather can throw at it.

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