The Koda Kodiaq Would Likely Cost $24,995 In The United States

You want a Škoda Kodiaq. Your neighbor wants a Škoda Kodiaq. I want a Škoda Kodiaq. Naturally, we all want Škoda Kodiaqs, because the grass is always greener on the other side.

But what if the Kodiaq wasn’t only available on the other side of the Atlantic? What if persistent talk of a potential North American Škoda return resulted in a Kodiaq on sale at a dealer near you? How inexpensive would the Kodiaq need to be in order for your persistent desire for unobtanium turn in to a real purchasing decision?

Škoda would likely charge in the neighborhood of USD $24,995 if the Kodiaq, set to go on sale across the pond in April 2017, made its way to the United States.

Admittedly, the 2017 Kodiaq’s on-the-road £21,495 base price equals $26,400, but a simple exchange calculation is never an accurate predictor of new vehicle prices.

The Kodiaq, Škoda’s elongated version of the next-generation Tiguan built by its Volkswagen corporate overlords, will top out at £34,895 with a 190-horsepower 2.0-liter diesel, a DSG, and all-wheel drive in top-spec Edition trim. If Škoda wished to sell the Kodiaq in North America, the 180-horsepower 2.0-liter TSI with the DSG and all-wheel drive would be more fitting. That Kodiaq is priced from £31,445 in the UK, but it’s not available in any of the three lower-trim levels; only the top two.

A mid-grade Kodiaq with all-wheel drive and seven seats at £27,745 appears to be a more appropriate target for North American price comparison. That’s roughly 3 percent less than the base price of a 5-door Volkswagen Golf GTI, or approximately $25,000 in the United States. That’s about $4,000 less than the least expensive all-wheel-drive Kia Sorento (delivery included), which does not include seven seats or either of the Sorento’s upgraded engines. With all-wheel drive and the $940 third row option, the 2016 Nissan Rogue costs $27,970 including fees.

Back to base prices, the Kodiaq’s £21,495 base price makes the Škoda £900 less costly than the least expensive Nissan X-Trail, Nissan’s equivalent to North America’s Rogue. Translated to U.S. terms, this would result in an fees-included $23,250 Kodiaq price, undercutting the Honda CR-V — America’s best-selling utility vehicle — by $1,495.

Škoda, Volkswagen’s Czech budget brand, reported record global new vehicle sales volume of 1,055,500 units in calendar year 2015, producing slightly more than one-quarter of that volume in China.

Škoda’s rapid growth — European sales have tripled since 2000 — has occurred despite a lack of SUVs. Prior to the Kodiaq’s arrival, the closest thing in Škoda’s lineup to an SUV is the MPV-ish Yeti Outdoor.

Timothy Cain is the founder of GoodCarBadCar.net, which obsesses over the free and frequent publication of U.S. and Canadian auto sales figures. Follow on Twitter @goodcarbadcar and on Facebook.