Skoda Kodiaq SUV | Video Review | CarsIreland.ie

Published on 13 July, 2017

Spacious, affordable, and exceptionally practical, the Skoda Kodiaq is the stylish seven seat option we've all been waiting for.

Overview

Overview

Named after a bear in Alaska, and based on the stunning Vision S concept seen at Geneva last year – the much-hyped Skoda Kodiaq has finally arrived, and it looks like it's been worth the wait.

Available in both five and seven seat versions - the Czech entry to the ever-expanding SUV market manages to impress on just about every front. Spacious, comfortable, and loaded with tech, the Kodiaq might just be the ultimate family wagon.

Interior Gallery

Space has always been a Skoda strong point so it comes as no surprise that it’s absolutely huge inside. The majority of cars sold will be the seven-seat model, and that makes sense considering the premium for the extra row is just €1,000. It also makes it one of the least expensive seven seat SUVs on the market with a starting price of just under €30,000.

The legroom in the first back row can be almost as generous as a Superb with the rear bench right back, but you don’t want to do that if you’ve got passengers in the last row because you’ll steal all their legroom. Divided evenly between the two, both rows get a decent amount and even adults will be reasonably comfortable in that back row (for short distances).

With that last row up, you’ve still got a bit of a boot at 270 litres. Fold them flat that grows to a massive 660 litres. If you have anything bigger than that to carry, you can fold the middle row down too to create an absolutely enormous load area of more than 2,000 litres.

All Kodiaqs come well-equipped from the ground up with standard features on the entry level Active model including air conditioning, cruise control and a touchscreen display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It also gets 17 inch alloy wheels and roof rails.

The in-betweener, and traditionally the bestselling Skoda trim is the Ambition model. That adds larger wheels, a larger touchscreen, triple zone air-conditioning, parking sensors, and a few more styling upgrades.

And finally for the ultimate Kodiaq experience there's the top of the range Style model which sees the wheels get bigger, adds full LED headlights, Alcantara leather seats, an upgraded infotainment system with SatNav and a reversing camera, and ambient lighting in the cabin.

You can also avail of a Style+ pack that adds a panoramic glass sunroof, electric tailgate, and tablet holders to keep the kids entertained on longer journeys.

Safety is well-covered by a mix of both passive and active safety features, and the Kodiaq scored the maximum five star rating on the NCAP crash test.

Our test car was the top of the range 2.0l 190 hp DSG 4X4 diesel model, but you can also have a lower powered 150 hp version, in manual with 4 wheel drive, or automatic without, although Skoda say demand for 4 wheel drive has been strong.

It's easy to see why, especially in a car of this size because you really appreciate that extra grip around corners. It should appeal even more so to country drivers as it does make it easier to cope with any tricky driving surfaces that might arise, or at least gives you the confidence to know that you could.

It was never going to have sportscar handling given the size, but the Kodiaq is still a pleasure to drive. The driving position is excellent, and gives you a great view over everybody else when you’re sitting in traffic. It's also a very quiet, very comfortable ride, that doesn’t feel half as big as it looks on the road. The parking sensors and reversing camera make it easy to manage its bulk in tighter spaces, and you can see right down to the end of the bonnet so it’s easy than some cars to judge in that way.

Running costs are reasonable considering the size. The 4X4 diesel we had can do 100 km on 5.7l of fuel, but the 2 wheel drive will reduce than to 5. It will also reduce the annual motor tax bill from €390 to €280.

For those who don’t do big mileage but still need big space, there’s also a petrol option – a 1.4l manual with 125hp, or a more powerful automatic. Both still offer relatively good fuel economy between 6 and 7 litres per 100km and have significantly lower starting prices than the diesel.

The Kodiaq may be an all new model, but many of its components and engines have been well-tested across different models within the Skoda range, and indeed the wider VW Group. This should give some peace of mind regarding reliability, and in turn help to preserve resale values when the time comes to trade it in.

It looks like Skoda have hit the nail on the head yet again with the Kodiaq, and their only problem at the moment will be meeting the demand from the queue of people trying to get their hands on one.

Facts & Figures

Sinead McCann

Sinéad is our resident car tester who has the unenviable (-ok, slightly enviable) task of reviewing all the latest new cars to hit the market. You can follow her on Twitter @smcani and on Instagram @whatshedrives