The spacious and confident Kodiaq ticks all the right boxes, says Euan Doig
TALK ABOUT STRIKING A NAIL with perfect accuracy. Škoda has long been known for producing sensible, practical cars, but until 2016 it hadn’t entered the wonderful world of SUVs.
Then along came the Kodiaq, which was pretty much the ideal family vehicle. And now that it has been around for six years or so, there are numerous examples on the used car market.
As we’ll see, the Škoda stacks up pretty well if you’re in the market for a previously owned tow car.
What’s it like inside?
If what you’re looking for is a Swiss Army knife of a car, then the Škoda Kodiaq is an excellent place to begin your research.
For a start, there’s loads of space, no matter whether you’re sitting in the front two seats or the middle row. Headroom and legroom are both very plentiful, so even if there’s someone tall up front, anyone behind won’t feel cramped.
So long as you avoid the base model, there are a further two seats in the boot, which enhance the Kodiaq’s adaptability. Bear in mind, however, that these seats are designed to be used by children on shorter journeys – an adult will struggle to fit, and will almost certainly be asking you, “Are we there yet?” before too long. These two seats have no Isofix fittings, either.
The two seats fold down to leave you with a huge boot area and a flat floor. Indeed, the luggage capacity expands from a small 270 litres with all seven seats in use, up to 2065 litres with all five rear seats folded down. The boot’s also pretty big when the middle-row seats are upright.
All of the materials in the cabin feel nice and squidgy, and all models in the line-up are well equipped, so long as you skip the entry-level vehicle.
SE models come with auto lights and wipers, rear parking sensors, dual-zone climate control and cruise control.
Moving up to SE L brings keyless go, an electrically operated tailgate, sat nav and adaptive headlights.
How does it drive?
The 187bhp 2.0-litre diesel engine is the one to go for. This gives the car a good spring in its step, and means there’s no sense of it struggling when towing.
Many buyers opted for the twin-clutch DSG automatic gearbox, which is worth seeking out, because it takes the strain out of towing. Meanwhile, the steering is light, so parking is easy, even if a tad more weight would be appreciated at faster speeds.
The car’s legal towing limit is 2000kg, although its 80kg noseweight is a little on the light side.
Although it remains unflustered at speed on motorways, the Škoda can be p
