Kodiaq is Lord of the ’Ring
Can a diesel seven-seat SUV have proper performance credentials? Richard Bosselman finds out.
Full supercar strength or piping hot hatch, no matter how you take it, a serious performance driving experience isn’t complete without a category crushing ’Ring endorsement.
Nurburgring records are such valuable currency even cars that outwardly struggle for performance pedigree are regularly pitching for glory on the 21-kilometre circuit in the west of Germany.
With the global market for sports utilities running hot, no wonder sports utility brands see no harm in laying down a quick enough lap time to help in the marketing push.
In the seven-seater sub-category, the current pace-setter, based on a nine-minute and 29.84 second circumnavigation achieved by Sabine Schmitz (occasionally of Top Gear but, more importantly, the only woman to win a Nurburgring 24-Hour and a Green Hell expert) is the Skoda on test today.
Not that the Kodiaq RS brags about this. If anything, this newly installed family flagship plays its hand conservatively.
Even with extra aero, bigger wheel rims and the usual low-profile tyres and enhanced brake rotors its brashness is kept so in check it’s still easier to imagine it placing pitside as a service vehicle than being out on a starting grid.
The loudest it gets is with a Dynamic Sound Boost system to enhance the aural character of the exhaust note, and even this feature can be silenced if you grow tired of it.
The engine is the big point of difference. As if producing a performance SUV wasn’t enough to upset ‘‘purists’’, it pushes even further against the current market trend back to petrol engines by being diesel-powered.
A risk? Skoda hasn’t been pulled as deeply into dieselgate as some VW Group sister brands, yet undoubtedly some brand fans will be wishing there was a petrol alternative behind this badge. However, for now at least, there are no plans to run that 2.0-litre TSi.
Personally, I’d be happy with what they offer now. Anyone with experience of the regular Kodiaq turbo diesel will be impressed by this twin-turbo unit’s walloping improvement in sheer shove, felt from the get-go.
The ability to hit 100kmh from rest in seven seconds is cool, though, because Kodiaq tends to attract canny buyers, probably just as relevant is the official 6.4 litres/ 100km that it burns on a combined cycle.
That seven-seater provision isn’t mandatory. The model can also be ordered in a five-chair format, a configuration that marginally improves the sprint time but I’d warn against it. Seat count is such a powerful attraction with SUVs that dropping two would undoubtedly erode residuals. What also helps here is that the third-row seats are quite usable and when all are filled, there is still a good amount of boot space left. Plenty of storage areas are dotted around the cabin, too.
What also works for the RS is that, while maintaining all this ‘‘family-first’’ goodness, it is also a genuine driver’s car.
For sure, Schmitz certainly earned her driving fee that day, simply because even though it delivers massive urge with glorious and rewarding chassis balance, it is still a large and hefty thing to be punting around.
Yet there’s an additional depth to the chassis engineering over the lesser models and while it never comes across as being a total beast, it is a deceptively rapid performer.
It becomes most engaging in the sportiest modes, to the point where it will even oversteer in a controlled, enjoyable fashion if you jab the throttle at the right moment of transition from corner to straight.
The brake and tyre upgrades might seem excessive, but prove their worth when you punt it. Assuredly, those tyres will wear fast and be less useful for going off-seal but the Kodiaq isn’t exactly hardcore anyway, so maybe that’s not too much of a trade-off.
What’s also appealing is that the RS doesn’t divest the sensibilities that make the Kodiaq so worthwhile.
Dial back the settings and it works perfectly well as a pliant SUV. Likewise, while the interior is sufficiently altered to appeal to the enthusiast – with sports-style bucket seats and specific displays – you get the sense it’s as robust and muckresistant as the lesser versions.
Ultimately, going RS possibly comes down to accepting two factors, the more challenging of these being the price. It’s in a zone where it isn’t quite premium enough to hold easy association.
Also, there’s the growl. Skoda has been clever in engineering the tone so that it deepens and increases, depending on the drive mode and, though the ‘‘sound symposer’’ means it’s often louder inside than out, the gruffness ensures that it’s a vehicle that can be heard before it is seen.
But even when diesels sound sporty they still sound like diesels and that’s especially obvious with this one when cold-started, when it sounds no different from any regular diesel. This tailoring leaves the tone un-augmented until Drive engages. Odd, and yes, once you’re driving it sounds fine. But still, not the best first impression.