FIRST UK DRIVE Top-spec seven-seat SUV put through its paces
John McIlroy John_McIlroy@autovia.co.uk@johnmcilroy
THE world, including Skoda, is pushing towards electrification – so the latest version of the Czech brand’s family SUV stalwart, the Kodiaq, may well be the peak of its combustion-engined breed. Larger than before, with even more practicality and a solid range of engines (including, yes, diesels), it impressed us when we drove it abroad in April. Now it’s time to see how it stacks up in UK spec.
A quick recap first: the new car is 61mm longer than before, and is available with a 1.5-litre mild-hybrid petrol, a plug-in hybrid based on the same motor, and two 2.0-litre diesels. One has front-wheel drive and 148bhp, while the car we have here produces 190bhp and features four-wheel drive.
It’s a gutsy performer, even in a car of this size; the range-topping motor has 400Nm of torque – enough to make the Skoda feel rapid enough if you push along. Revving it hard exposes a diesel grumble, but there’s enough low-down shove for you to leave the gearbox to shift up early, cutting the amount of revs used anyway.
With this in mind, we’d say there isn’t a great deal of difference between the 148bhp and 190bhp versions; the former is plenty quick enough in most situations, so unless you’re going to be towing, badly need the two extra driven wheels, or count on lugging around seven people on a near-daily basis, the more modest diesel will probably suffice.
It’s a more comfortable performer than the 1.5 petrol, which is refined enough, but can feel a little strained getting up to speed – and a hefty fuel tank combined with decent economy means you could, and should, see more than 500 miles to a tank from this TDI, even with people onboard.
Comfort
The Kodiaq has always focused on comfort and this certainly applies to this new version; indeed, Skoda chose Kerry in Ireland for the launch, where the roads are even bumpier and more pock-marked than most UK back routes. The chassis set-up majors on limiting the amount of road imperfections transmitted through to the cabin, and in general it does a good job of this – even if it does come with a little more floatiness over crests and sharper bumps. There’s a bit of body roll in bends, too, although the steering is consistent and nicely weighted, so it’s still easy to position what is a large car in corners.
Our 190bhp 4x4 version came with the optional DCC adaptive dampers – but while they do make the Kodia
