Skoda has done it again with the new Kodiaq SUV. Following in the footsteps of the excellent Superb and with a huge weight of responsibility on its shoulders, the Kodiaq has lived up to expectations. It covers all the bases by not only being comfortable, practical and good to drive, but it’s also cheap to run, easy to live with and solidly built.
By offering a wide range of trim levels and a variety of punchy and smooth petrol and diesel engines, the Kodiaq should be on the shopping list of those after space on a budget or, further up the range, those wanting premium levels of equipment and comfort. The option of front or four-wheel drive only increases its broad appeal.
After years of producing rather nondescript vehicles, Skoda proved it can do stylish with models such as the Yeti and Superb. The Kodiaq can be added to that list – it’s not radical or groundbreaking to look at in any way, but it has an understated class to it that belies its pricetag.
The front-end is heavily inspired by the Superb, with a sharp dual headlight design made to look like Czech crystals. It’s got a far more angular stance than the smaller Yeti SUV, too, while details like the prominent grille, clamshell bonnet and high waistline give it true SUV presence. At the back. There’s Skoda’s now trademark styling line slicing the bootlid in two, and squared-off taillights. Full LED headlights are optional on all trim levels and standard on higher-end models, and add another element of class to the Kodiaq. They also include Audi-style scrolling LED indicators, although even base models come with LED daytime running lights and LED taillights.
Lesser trims make do with 17-inch alloy wheels, which do look a bit small in the wheelarches, although step up to SE spec and above and you’ll get 18-inch items with optional 19-inch alloys to give it that butch SUV look that buyers crave. Base S models also look a bit basic with black plastic mirror housings and door handles, though SE gets body coloured items. Chrome window trim, coloured UV-insulating glass, while anodised silver roof rails mark out top models.
Inside, the design is a mixture of familiarity and new. The wood-like inlays covering the dash won’t be to all tastes, but they do make the Kodiaq feel more upmarket than something like a Nissan X-Trail. There’s a chunky centre console with just the right amount of buttons and switches, while the focal point on higher spec models is the new eight-inch Bolero touchscreen with a glossy black facia and touch sensitive buttons. The design is a step on from the Superb’s. It’s a shame that Skoda isn’t bringing in the VW Group’s Virtual Cockpit digital instruments until next year, although the standard dials are clear and crisp.
Quality in general is good, too –in fact the Kodiaq isn’t far off the level of upmarket sheen found in higher-end VW models now. Plastics are largely solid and plush throughout, while details like fabric-lined door bins and soft-touch materials help to make you forget that the Kodiaq is considerably cheaper than something like a Land Rover Discovery Sport. The layout is thoughtful and intuitive, with clearly labelled buttons and touchscreen functions all where you expect them to be.
Sat-nav and infotainment
Technology is another area where the Kodiaq stands head-and-shoulders above rivals. First off, there’s a new generation of infotainment debuting on the SUV before it filters down into other Skoda models in the range.
Lesser models make do with a 6.5-inch screen, but step up to SE-L and you’ll find a bright, crisp eight-inch Bolero system (optional on lesser trims). Both models get a DAB radio, Bluetooth and connectivity tech such as Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Mirrorlink. However, the latter also comes with sat-nav and a ‘Phone-box’ that incorporates wireless smartphone charging in front of the gearlever.
The Bolero touchscreen also features a new Skoda Connect service. It offers two services: ‘Infotainment Online’ offering real time traffic updates and map changes, and Care Connect, an emergency SOS call system in the event of an accident. The smartphone app it includes can also give you a status report on the car and even send sat-nav instructions directly from your phone to the car.
Buyers of larger SUVs like the Kodiaq are unlikely to be too interested in how it handles bends at speed, but its reassuring to know the big Skoda offers a very good ride and handling balance on the whole. Combine that with the strong performance and decent refinement of the engines, and it’s got potential to be a class leader.
This should come as no surprise, given our favourite five-seat SUV is currently the SEAT Ateca, which shares its platform with this Skoda underneath. The Kodiaq doesn’t quite offer the sporty, agile handling of its Spanish sister, but its still an enjoyable drive for a car of this type thanks to decent body control, a slick gearshift and accurate (if a touch too light) steering. Only in really fast cornering do you notice the extra weight of the Kodiaq’s bigger body and seven seats.
Of more interest to buyers is the ride, and there is a proviso with this. We’ve tried Kodiaqs with the optional Dynamic Chassis Control, but without it fitted the SUV isn’t quite as adept at handling bumps. It’s still well controlled and less fidgety than a Nissan X-Trail, but sharp bumps can occasionally intrude and it feels a little firm in town. With Dynamic Chassis Control fitted ‘Normal’ mode is a good compromise between agility and comfort, with Comfort mode making it too floaty and Sport mode making it unsettled over rough roads.
We’ve yet to try a Kodiaq with the larger 19-inch wheels fitted, which could upset the ride. As SUVs go, however, it’s a comfortable car. It’s also very refined, with only a little wind noise from the mirrors and little in the way of road noise to speak of.
Engines
If you really want to stick to the Kodiaq’s cheap starting price you’ll be in the 124bhp 1.4 TSI. It’ll likely feel pretty underpowered in the big Skoda, though, so we’d recommend upgrading to the 148bhp version.
With 250Nm of torque it’s reasonably punchy and pulls well for its size. We’d expect it to feel less zesty yet just about adequate with five kids and a load of luggage on board, however. Its real selling point is refinement, as at idle you’d barely know it was on and it only gets raucous above 4,500rpm. It’ll be a great choice for town dwellers or those doing low miles.
The vast majority of Kodiaq buyers are expected to plump for a diesel, though, and we’d recommend doing the same, The 148bhp 2.0 litre offers plenty of performance for most needs, and a gutsy 340Nm of torque means it’ll handle being heavily laden with a family, or towing, better than the petrol. The 187bhp diesel is even swifter and more refined as it doesn’t need to be revved as much, but it costs more to buy as its only available on high spec models.
The Kodiaq sits on the same MQB platform as first debuted on the Superb. It’s also found in the Ateca and Tiguan, while almost all of the powertrains and technology are already found across the VW-Group’s architecture. While it’s too early to say for sure, that part sharing should make the cars more reliable as any problems should have been identified on previous models.
Skoda also has very high satisfaction ratings in our 2016 Driver Power survey, with five models in the top 25 cars out of those surveyed. Reliability and build quality scores are very good, too, meaning the Kodiaq should be dependable and built to last.
Although Euro NCAP has yet to test the Kodaq for crash safety, we have every reason to believe that the model should get a full five-star safety rating. The Superb on which it’s based achieved that score, while a strong platform and raft of safety systems should make it one of the safest SUVs around.
All Kodiaqs come fitted with front assist and city emergency braking as standard, as you would expect. There is also blind spot detection, lane keep warnings and multi collision braking. Optional, or standard on higher spec models, systems include adaptive cruise control, lane assist, trailer assist, predictive pedestrian protection, rear cross-traffic alert and traffic sign recognition.
Warranty
All Kodiaqs come with a typical (but unremarkable) three-year, 60,000 mile warranty as standard. Although there is the option to extend that to five years and have the mileage capped at 100,000 miles for additional peace of mind. Kia’s Sorento comes with seven years of cover as standard, however, while the Hyundai Santa Fe gets five years of cover.
Servicing
Servicing costs have yet to be announced by Skoda, but we predict them to be roughly the same as the Superb: for that car it currently costs £139 for an intermediate (10,000-mile) service and £259 for a full 20,000-mile service. Fixed price service plans will also be available in due course.
This is the area the Skoda Kodiaq has to excel at to succeed and, thankfully, it largely does. It’s not oversized on the road, yet it offers excellent levels of space for most passengers and a class-leading boot.
Alongside the space on offer, visibility is very good. Skoda has resisted the urge to give the Kodiaq a coupe-like rear end (that looks set come later with a Kodiaq-based coupe SUV). Instead, the boxier design allows for a decent view out front, while every model comes with either parking sensors or a reversing camera so manoeuvring into spaces isn’t too hard for a car of this size.
Storage is also excellent in the Kodiaq. The front passenger has access to a centre console bin, phone storage, a number of cupholders, plus two gloveboxes – a conventional one and one with a flip up lid behind the wood-style dashboard panel. Rear passengers also have neat tray tables with built in cupholders and lights.
This being a Skoda, there’s also a number of neat ‘Simply Clever’ touches dotted about the cabin. These range from two small umbrellas hidden in the front doors, to plastic door protectors that pop out on the door edge to protect from car park dings. There’s also a torch built into the boot, cupholders that hold bottles in place to let you open them on the move, an ice scraper, a bin for the driver’s door and rear headrests that fold out to let you rest your head on the side.
Size
The Kodiaq is exactly 4.7m long, while it’s 1,882mm wide and 1,676mm tall. Those figures are just a few millimetres longer, wider and shorter than the Hyundai Santa Fe, but the Kodiaq’s wheelbase is a considerable 91mm longer. That means more passenger space but with very little effect on manouverability. Surprisingly, though, the Kodiaq is around 160mm shorter than the Superb.
Legroom, Headroom and passenger space
This wouldn’t be a Skoda if it wasn’t spacious. The Kodiaq has tonnes of occupant space up front, while headroom is impressive in the rear, too. Legroom isn’t quite as cavernous as the longer Superb even with the seat slid all the way back, but it’s more than adequate.
Children or young teenagers will find the third row of seats offers enough head and legroom, though that depends on whether the middle row has been reclined or slid forward. Adults won’t have much fun back there, but you could argue that this class of car isn’t designed to seat seven fully grown adults.
Boot
The Kodiaq’s boot is class-leading – there’s no doubt about it. Five-seat models have a whopping 720-litres back there, and that’s before you’ve folded the seats down. Seven-seat models reduce that to 630-litres with the third row folded down, although both of those figures are taken when the middle bench is slid as far forward as possible. Still, there’s no arguing with an impressive 2,005-litres with all seats folded- that trumps the X-Trail's 1,982 litre space and smashes the Hyundai Santa Fe’s 1,680-litre load bay.
With all seven-seats in place, the Kodiaq still has a very impressive 270-litres of bootspace – about the same as your average supermini. The Kodiaq can tow up to 2,000kg depending on the engine, which is competitive.
The Skoda Kodiaq isn’t just one of the cheapest seven-seaters to buy, it should also prove to be one of the most cost effective to run. While the flagship variants are thirstier and can get expensive, keep things sensible with a mid-spec variant and you can have your cake and eat it.
The most efficient model in the range is the DSG equipped 2.0 TDI 150 diesel, for now – there’s no ultra-frugal Greenline model offered yet. It’s capable of 56.5mpg on the claimed combined cycle and emits 131g/km of CO2, numbers that put it on a par with a lesser-powered 1.6-litre Nissan X-Trail and ahead of the Hyundai Santa Fe. Add four-wheel drive to that and you’ll be looking at 49.6mpg and 149g/km, while switching to a manual gearbox makes it 51.4mpg combined and 141g/km. The more powerful diesel claims 49.6mpg combined, which is barely any worse.
The entry-level petrol engine with 124bhp manages a decent claimed 53.3mpg combined and emits 139g/km. Stepping up to the 148bhp version reduces that to 44.8mpg and 143g/km, while adding four-wheel drive brings that down to 39.8mpg and 163g/km. The flagship 2.0 TSI petrol claims 38.2mpg combined and emits 170g/km of CO2.
Insurance groups
Provisional insurance groups for the Kodiaq make it look considerablly cheaper than the competition. The base 1.4 TSI starts from group 14E, which is five less than the most basic Nissan X-Trail. Even the top-spec 2.0 TDI 190 slips in at group 20. That should mean decent savings, particularly for younger buyers.
Depreciation
Residual value figures for the Kodiaq have yet to be released, but we expect it to do at least as well as the Superb in terms of holding its value second hand. Expect the petrols to retain around 40% of their value after three years, while the diesels should fare even better.
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