Skoda Kodiaq when launched, and even now, is not only its largest car but also the only seven-seater.
It, therefore, pushes the brand into a completely new market. Here success means delivering on Skoda’s usual qualities of practicality, thoughtful design and good old fashioned value for money.
Petrol and diesel engines are offered, as well as manual and automatic gearboxes and two- or four-wheel drive. Rivals range from the Kia Sorento and Hyundai Santa Fe to the Nissan X-trail and Land Rover Discovery Sport.
Here’s a list of pros and cons.
Space in the Skoda Kodiaq
It is possible to buy a Kodiaq with only five seats. In that case you get ample room for five adults and a significantly bigger boot than an Audi Q5’s. Although, there is a ridge in the floor when the rear seats are folded.
However, most will opt for their Kodiaq with an extra two seats that fold out of the boot floor and provide enough room to carry a couple of extra passengers, albeit children rather than adults.
The second row offers plenty of room, and because the seats sit on runners (albeit in a 60:40 split rather than the 40:20:40 of some rivals). It is possible to juggle leg room between passengers. You can also slide the seats out of the way to provide decent access to the third row.
With all seats in place, you still get enough boot space to carry a weekly shop. This is helped by the parcel shelf being stowed under the boot floor while dropping them down gives a generous load area.
Those in the front benefit from lots of useful storage areas including large door bins and not one but two gloveboxes.
Comfort in the Skoda Kodiaq
The Kodiaq does not quite boast the kind of comfortable ride that makes Skoda’s Superb such a standout performer. But, it’s still a pleasant place to spend time. The low-speed ride can occasionally feel jittery, but above 40mph it smoothes out. Even on 19-inch alloy wheels it handles larger bumps and potholes with real composure. Skoda also offers adaptive suspension with an optional Sport mode to make the ride even firmer. But, I’d suggest saving your money and sticking with the standard setup.
Road and engine noise are well controlled, particularly if you opt for one of the petrol units. The diesel is equal among its VW Group peers, but still produces a noticeable rattle when started. You do hear some wind noise at motorway speeds.
Excellent seats, lots of adjustment in the driving position and a good view out over traffic all add to the Kodiaq’s credentials in the comfort department.
Dashboard Styling of the Skoda Kodiaq
The Kodiaq’s dash is exactly as you’d expect of a modern Skoda. It comes with dials that border on being cluttered without actually being difficult to read. Also excellent heater controls and a first-rate touchscreen. The latter grows from a standard 6.5-inch unit to a more impressive 8 inches as you move up through the range. All models come with smartphone connectivity in the form of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Quality feels impressive, with solid panels and no squeaks or rattles. Only if you start to really root around in the lower parts of the interior will you be able to find materials of a slightly cheaper nature.
Driving Ease of the Skoda Kodiaq
Although clearly a big car, the Kodiaq doesn’t feel nearly as wide to drive as a Kia Sorento. It has responsive controls, from the steering to the pedals. Automatic models use Volkswagen’s DSG gearbox, which produces slick shifts. Although, it feels more tuned for comfort and economy in the Kodiaq than it does in something like a Seat Ateca.
Forward visibility is also good, but large blind spots around the rear corners of the car can make reversing tricky. Even with proximity sensors fitted. As such, adding a rear-view camera or the optional Manoeuvre Assist function, which automatically applies the brakes if it senses you are about to reverse into something, could well pay for itself over time in avoided car park scrapes and dings.
An optional Drive Select system allows you to put the car into a Sport setting that adds more weight to the steering. It also improves throttle response, but it doesn’t add a great deal more to the Kodiaq’s already impressive composure.
The higher-powered 1.4 with 148bhp adds a bit of extra spark to the Kodiaq’s performance. It can cope with hauling seven people around, but most will likely be charmed by the extra mid-range pulling power of the 2.0-litre diesel, even if it still doesn’t quite have the same urge as Kia and Hyundai’s 2.2-litre unit.
Skoda also offers the Kodiaq with a turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine which delivers genuinely brisk performance but will be significantly more expensive to run.
Reliability of the Skoda Kodiaq
Skoda’s three-year, 60,000-mile warranty is a little tight these days, particularly as its two biggest rivals from Hyundai and Kia offer five and seven years worth of cover respectively.
If you’re in the market for a petrol Kodiaq the best performer is the 1.4-litre, which delivered up to 46mpg in tests, although be aware that adding 4×4 reduced that figure to 40mpg, and a DSG gearbox another one or two mpg again.
For ultimate economy the engine of choice is the 2.0-litre diesel in 148bhp guise, which returned a best of 56.5mpg in tests when fitted with an automatic gearbox, placing it ahead of the Kia and Hyundai, as well as the Nissan X-trail.
Safety in the Skoda Kodiaq
All Kodiaq’s come with seven airbags and a city emergency braking system that can automatically apply the brakes if the car senses you are about to run into the vehicle in front. Lane keeping assist, blind spot monitors and road sign recognition cameras are all available as optional extras, and every model includes a Multi-Collision Brake device that in the event of an accident applies the brakes to prevent any further uncontrolled movement of the car.
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