Welcome to the Parkers long-term test of the Skoda Kodiaq. On this page you’ll read our experience of family life with this popular seven-seater SUV, where we’ll explore what it’s really like to live with every day.

Tested by cj hubbard

Report 1: The Skoda Kodiaq makes a great first impression

‘That’s quite the colour!’ or similar has become something of a catchphrase for our new Skoda Kodiaq long-term test vehicle. Officially labelled Bronx Gold metallic, it’s a striking shade that arguably only its creator could love. Doubling down, Skoda has adopted the full-width front lightbar trend that’s doing the rounds right now, only it’s backlit the top of grille rather than run a solid strip, creating a kind of illuminated toothiness that seems to leave other nocturnal road users somewhat bemused.

Anyway. Welcome to the latest in my quest to find the perfect family car. And despite some queasiness about the colour I’m already – rather unexpectedly – thinking Skoda might have cracked the formula and delivered the goods. From a practicality perspective, for a family with young children, this thing is immediately pretty spectacular.

It is also pretty massive, which helps. But as our photographer Stuart points out, in side profile it’s very much got the body proportions of an estate car – and surprise, surprise it does indeed have a massive boot.

What kind of Kodiaq is it?

I’ve been riding a wave of plug-in hybrids recently, so this time around we’ve gone for a diesel. Probably seems a bit 2005, but with a few getaways with the extended family planned for the months ahead, I felt that the possibility of seating for seven outweighed the ability to travel on electric power alone for up to 62 miles at a time on this occasion. For sadly, the Kodiaq iV PHEV model is only available with space for five occupants.

The diesel is question is a 2.0-litre TDI turbo with 193hp and a chunky 400Nm of torque (pulling power), which ought to make light enough work of a 1.8-tonne SUV, even with seven people onboard. This powertrain also comes with all-wheel drive as standard, which has the potential to be useful in the onset of a Darlington winter, and like every Kodiaq now, it’s fitted with a DSG automatic transmission.

It’s also finished in the popular middle-ranking SE L trim, which includes some key standard equipment – such as the clever active matrix LED headlights with ‘all-weather lighting’ functionality, hopefully easy-to-clean eco-leather upholstery, and variable-height boot floor.

That’s in addition to the vast amount of safety kit, the active driver aids, impressive 13.0-inch infotainment system and associated controls, twin wireless phone charging, and tri-zone climate control that are the among the long list of what’s fitted on all UK Kodiaqs.

Basic price for our Skoda Kodiaq 2.0 TDI 193 DSG 4x4 at the time of build was £46,255.

What about optional extras?

This Kodiaq comes to us from the press fleet, so we didn’t get any sort of hand in its final specification. As a result, it has mixture of what I’d class as essential extras, some I wouldn’t probably have bothered with, and some things missing I’d always spec on a family car when available.

The Good Stuff:

• Winter Package – heated outer middle-row rear seats in addition to the standard front items, plus heated steering wheel – £240
• Simply Clever Family Package – enhanced side airbags, blinds and sunshades for the rear windows, extra storage compartment, a protective side molding, and twin media holders that attach to the front-seat headrest legs (not something we’ll use, but even so) – £640
• Steel space saver spare wheel – better than the can of gunk in an emergency – £170

The less vital:

• Light and View Plus Package – a confusing further enhancement of the lighting system that includes the extra grille illumination and additional driver assistance sensor; yet to be convinced any of this is necessary, but it doesn’t cost much – £170 
• Performance Package – adds Dynamic Chassis Control suspension; I tend to prefer a carmaker to have made a single decision on suspension settings, but I may yet be persuaded here – £945
• Electric tow bar with adaptor – not something I thought I’d need, but a colleague already has his eye on the Kodiaq for towing his racecar, so may prove a useful addition and will be essential for many – £1,270
• Different 19-inch alloy wheels – same size, different look; nice to have if you like them – £210

Things missing from my family orientated perspective:

• Keyless entry on the rear doors – the handles appear to have the facility, this car does not; with two small kids, the easier it is to get in, the better – only appears to be offered as part of various pricey Convenience Plus Packages
• Simply Clever Cargo Package – adds restraining nets, extra storage and reversable boot mat; again, useful with small children – £190

Any highlights or observations so far?

Aside from the obvious comments about how much space it offers – which really is decent, even coming out of a Volvo XC90 – a few things do instantly stand out.

The trio of ‘smart dials’ on the centre console are surely one of the best innovations in interior controls in quite a while. Tapping the middle one gives you access to a number of useful functions – including fan speed, ventilation direction, driving mode – and makes these much easier to use while driving compared with diving into the touchscreen. The two outer ones control temperature and the heated seats. Modern yet functional. More of this, car interior designers, please.

Having twin wireless phone chargers is excellent. The slightly under-sized front cupholders are not. Access to the rear most seats is reasonably ok for the moderately limber, once you know which levers to activate, and you can get medium-sized adults back there without too much distress – or even a tiny 91-year-old great-grandmother (though she is particularly spry).

I mentioned the media holders above. These are quite clever in the way they can hold everything from a phone to a tablet. However, they install in such a manner that it appears easy to damage the front headrests. I took them off immediately, as experience tells us moving pictures in a moving car makes our children more prone to travel sickness.

The pop-out door protectors are a neat touch. Nice to see these on something other than a Ford.

Anything else we need to know right now?

As an ex-press fleet demo car, the Kodiaq arrived with over 6,000 miles already completed – so nicely run in.

First impressions of the engine and gearbox are that the VW Group’s diesel engines are starting to feel a little under-developed compared with the more popular petrol derived alternatives, or perhaps it’s just been a little too long since I’ve had a diesel daily. It’s quite noisy at times, and the transmission is occasionally lazy in its response, in a manner I associate more with older DSG-equipped vehicles.

Still, with a variety of driving modes to choose from, I expect I’ll figure out an optimised setting that best suits me.

Report 2: Milton Keynes, we have a problem…

In my introductory report on our Skoda Kodiaq 2.0-litre TDI long-termer I spoke out what a great first impression the big greeny-brown beast had made. Unfortunately, it almost immediately developed an electronic fault that clearly wasn’t about to go away on its own.

Sadly, this echoes the experience with my previous Skoda Octavia long-term test vehicle, which was also struck down by an electrical issue not long after coming into my possession – although that was a brand new car, whereas the Kodiaq came to me after living some life on the press fleet. Perhaps I generate some kind of electro-magnetic field that Czech automobiles are particularly susceptible to?

Anyway, in the Kodiaq’s case, it seems to be an issue with a sensor package at the front of the car. I’m basing this on it generating four assisted driving errors relating to the Side Assist (blind spot monitoring), Lane Assist (keeps you in the lane, warns you if you’re drifting from the centre of the lane, and so forth), Front Assist (related to the adaptive cruise control and the autonomous emergency braking), and the dynamic cornering lighting system.

None of these are mechanically relevant, and it still drives fundamentally well. But since the errors pop up every time you turn the Kodiaq on, it has had to return to Skoda’s base in Milton Keynes for a once-over and repair.

In the meantime…

I’ve ended up in a facelifted Octavia Estate. Which is an interesting comparison to the Kodiaq in a number of ways. Certain things aren’t surprising – the Kodiaq is bigger, and therefore more spacious. But I wasn’t expecting the SUV’s steering to feel sharper; the Octavia is noticeably more dynamically relaxed in general, in fact.

Part of this, I think, is over compensation for the Kodiaq’s greater height. Something that’s further reflected in the slightly less fidgety ride quality of the lower-slung estate car. There are a few more physical buttons in the Octavia, still, too, though you do miss out on the clever rotary controllers.

Overall, I’m looking forward to getting the more practical Kodiaq back. But since the entry price for the two models is nearly £10,000 apart, you’d like to think that would be the case, wouldn’t you? And for the money, the Octavia wagon remains a superbly rational buy, and one of the best estate cars you can get.