Skoda Kodiaq vRS
GOODBYE £ 42,870 OTR/£47,350 as tested/£526pcm WHY IT’S HERE It’s TG’s favourite family SUV – but faster. Worth £42,000, though? DRI V ER Jack Rix
WHEN WE DRIVE A CAR FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME, IT’S OFTEN A FLEETING
encounter! A few hours on a decent road somewhere marginally less likely to be raining than the UK! We have to form an instant opinion as to whether it’s any good" and if we recommend buying one and living with it for a few years! Sometimes we get that wrong # a car grows on us or the hype subsides! That’s why we run a long$term fleet" to learn what living with these cars is really like # the reality of marriage" as opposed to first$date fireworks! For a car that hasn’t fared well in its first drive" it’s like granting an appeal!
With the Kodiaq vRS" I was hoping to find enough evidence to overturn our initial verdict% good car but too expensive and dynamically not worthy of the vRS badge! I can now report… that we were spot$on! Get us!
Make no mistake # there are many things I like immensely about the Kodiaq vRS! It’s seriously comfy # even on those spangly &'in wheels # the Alcantara seats are superb" it looks as good as any seven$seat SUV I’ve seen" the engine is as punchy as a &!'$litre diesel gets and there’s enough space to avoid any arguments with my wife and her inability to pack light! It’s also a Skoda" which in this case is both a blessing and a curse!
A blessing because it’s now the brand that says I’m shrewd" sensible and aware that this is basically a VW that costs less! A curse because the whole point of buying a Skoda is you’re making a rational car$buying decision" you’re putting function before form without sacrificing on quality! Except at ()*k as tested" the vRS removes the rationality!
It’s a fantastic car to live with" so long as you ignore the fact that you’re hosing money at a load of mostly unnecessary engine" chassis and cosmetic upgrades" at which point is a Kodiaq what you really want? I applaud Skoda for pushing the boundaries of the brand" but I couldn’t sleep at night recommending you spend this sort of money here! Appeal denied!