A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME...
The Skoda Kodiaq has an awful moniker, but when a car is this good it still smells sweet
The Skoda Kodiaq is a great car with a rubbish name
Once upon a time, the very name ‘Skoda’ was a joke. Now – as the new Kodiaq amply proves – the only funny thing about Skoda is the names they give their cars.
Back in the dark ages of the 20th century, when the Czech Skoda works was bled white to pay tribute to the Soviet empire, its products were a byword for unreliability, shoddy production and drab styling. In those dismal days however, Skoda models bore elegant, classical names like Octavia, Fabia and Felicia.
Since 1990, when Volkswagen bought the company, Skoda cars have risen to the highest summits in the automotive world, garnering critical praise, awards and top ratings for customer satisfaction. At the same time, however, they have acquired some of the most gruesome names ever to be stuck on an unfortunate box of metal – such as Roomster, Superb, Yeti and Rapid.
Continuing that regrettable tradition, we now have the new Kodiaq – a wonderful, large, sevenseat SUV, which is as good in every respect as 4x4s with snooty brand names and price-tags that are tens of thousands of pounds more expensive. Yet it comes with a moniker that no self-respecting customer could repeat with a straight face.
But Skoda’s first seven-seat SUV more than holds its own as a direct competitor for Nissan’s X-Trail, Kia’s Sorento, Hyundai’s Santa Fe and Land Rover’s Discovery Sport. In some respects – such as interior space for passengers and luggage – it knocks spots off the lot of them.
The punchy 150 bhp two-litre diesel engine in our test car can push this big car from 0-60 mph in under 10 seconds with a top speed of 135 mph but average fuel consumption throughout our week’s loan was 44.3 mpg (the manufacturer claims 51.4). Few of the Kodiaq’s rivals can match those figures but none can surpass its driving dynamics for pleasure and involvement.
Such a large SUV is hardly likely to zip through corners but, on country roads, the Kodiaq has a sharpness, agility and absence of sickening body roll that is more to be expected from a good saloon car than a 4x4. Moreover, the Kodiaq makes this rapid progress in sepulchral calm.
The electronically-controlled all-wheel drive system continuously varies the supply of power between the axles and, to save fuel, will decouple the rear axle drive when the car is cruising. An off-road button enhances grip.
Our test car was the top-spec Edition version, which comes with full leather and was loaded with kit from its silver roofrails to its electric tailgate. The eight-inch touchscreen with satnav, DAB radio, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is easy to operate.
The all-in price of £32,750 for our test car reflects that luxurious level of trim and specification. Even so, you wouldn’t be able to pick up any one of the Kodiaq’s rivals with all those extras at anything like that price. The SEL trim takes the price of that Kodiaq below £30,000, making it our 4x4 under £30,000 in 2017’s Scottish Field Cars of the Year – a fully-deserved accolade for the car that may offer the best value-for-money on the market
today.
The Kodiaq makes rapid progress in sepulchral calm’