Skoda's VisionS previews its big 4x4, due in the Autumn

It's a concept for now, but won't stay that way for much longer. Meet the new Skoda VisionS - a big, 4.7m long seven-seat SUV that previews an upcoming SUV. We'll see a production version by Autumn.

A near-5m length makes the VisionS concept bigger than not only the Yeti, but a Land Rover Discovery Sport. Like the Disco, it's three rows of seats ensure it's a full-fat seven-seater.

It's handsome too, dontcha think? It carries over the Vision C concept saloon's sharp styling, with that familiar Skoda face, four LED lights, a fat rear end rounded up by shallow tail lights, and something called a 'tornado line' running across the sides.

Skoda's chief designer Jozef Kaban told TG its squared-off wheel arches and up-high quad lights could become a staple of Skoda's SUV line-up, somethng which will expand over the coming years. Its bold, almost Jeep-like grille, meanwhile. could be something that separates it from the rest of the Skoda range.

Beneath the skin, there's a high-tech but sane plug-in hybrid drivetrain, for the concept at least. It combines a 1.4-litre petrol engine with two electric motors, meaning four-wheel drive and a total of 222bhp. Its 0-62mph time is pretty brisk, at 7.4secs, while up to 148mpg is promised. The VisionS can also manage 30 miles of electric-only driving.

Expect a production version, meanwhile, to fully utilise the VW Group's store of petrol and diesel engines, though given the VW Group's electrification push, expect hybrid systems in Skodas to come.

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