Skoda Kodiaq
seven-day drive

STUART KIDMAN spent a week with Skoda’s very first seven-seater, launched in April. Did he rate it?

Skoda Kodiaq

By STUART KIDMAN

Posted on 21 July 2017

When it arrived in April, the Skoda Kodiaq received a good deal of fanfare, promising Volkswagen-quality underpinnings at a pocket-friendly price. And although it’s difficult to argue the Kodiaq has shaken things up all that much, it’s still a very attractive prospect for those who need either the space or the pulling power of a big car. What Car? has named it the best large SUV in its 2017 Car of the Year Awards, so it must be good right? I spent a week with the Kodiaq. We arranged to take the same car tested at our annual Tow Car Awards, the 2.0 TDI 190PS SE L 4x4 DSG 7st (phew!), following which our judges described it as “a good tow car, rather than a great one”. The judges were disappointed by its performance when faced with a crosswind and said the low-speed ride “can feel a bit lumpy”. I don’t disagree with either comment, though generally the Kodiaq deals well with humps and bumps and handles well for a large car.