THE Geneva Motor Show in March will see the first appearance of a new variant of the recently launched Skoda Kodiaq SUV.

Named the Kodiaq Scout, the big seven-seat Czech-built SUV comes with all-wheel-drive as standard, sits on 19-inch alloys and has special underbody protection for off-road driving.

It will be offered with a choice of two petrol and two diesel engines - 150bhp and 180bhp petrol, and 150bhp and 180bhp diesel.

As far as styling goes the Kodiaq Scout comes with tinted rear window and rear side windows and silver-coloured details and the radiator grille is framed by a silver-coloured trim. The roof rails, housing of the wing mirror, the side window trims as well as the front and rear underbody protection are also silver in colour.

The Scout is also fitted as standard with 19-inch alloy wheels specially created for this model plus it bears a small badge with the model designation on the front wing and the glove compartment.

Equipment level is high and based on Kodiaq SE trim level. It comes with off-road assist, a rough-road package with underbody and engine protection as well as a front and rear park assist.

Standard kit includes variable drive modes with Eco, Comfort, Normal, Sport, Individual and Snow settings and can be used to vary the engine output, automatic transmission, power steering and air conditioning.

Inside, the Kodiaq Scout has a multifunction steering wheel, LED ambient lighting in ten colours, Alcantara-covered seats embossed with a Kodiaq logo, Alcantara door trims, steel pedals, textile floor mats and the Kodiaq logo also appears in the front door sills.

On the technology front, the Kodiaq Scout comes with a top-of-the-range Columbus navigation system which has a 9.2-inch monitor, a Wi-Fi hotspot and an LTE module for high speed smartphone connectivity.

Also included is Skoda's Area-View camera system to give an all-roud view of the terrain when driving off road.

At the moment there's no on-sale date or any inidcation of pricing although it's likely the Scout will sit at the top of the Kodiaq range which is priced from £21,495 to £34,895.