Skoda Kodiaq VRS

A holiday, a fault and a recall make for a busy month for the VRS

IMUST BE SOME KIND OF VW GROUP MQB platform expert, having covered many miles in our Audi RS3 and Cupra Leon Estate (both MQB Evos to be precise) as well as our Kodiaq VRS in recent weeks. Such a talent for understanding the ‘Modularer Querbaukasten’ – literally, ‘Modular Across Kit’, signifying its transverse engine applications – surely makes one a prime candidate for ‘he who must be avoided’ at any reasonable dinner party. Did you know that MLB is the longitudinal engine version? That’s L for ‘Langs’, or ‘long’ in English? Please try and stay awake – and could you pass the salt while you’re at it?

Anyway, I borrowed Aston Parrott’s Kodiaq (from the MQB A2 group, don’t you know) for a family holiday, where its additional luggage capacity and extra seats would prove handy. Its performance capabilities (reasonable, although I wonder if our old diesel-powered Kodiaq VRS was better, however unfashionable it is to say it) and its dynamic qualities (pretty average, but then who gets ‘on it’ on a family holiday anyway?) were of little importance.

However, unexpected excitement transpired in the form of a coolant warning light appearing on the dashboard. It’s such a novelty for any modern car to develop a fault, I wasn’t sure whether to believe it at first, not helped by the light then going out before appearing again. I checked the coolant level, but not before also wondering whether I could detect a weirdly sweet smell when we parked up. Sure enough, the coolant level looked a little low, and it continued to very slowly drop further until I topped it up.

Once back home, I was just about to call Skoda when an email pinged in from them saying there was a recall on the Kodiaq VRS and asking if they could have it back. How timely. Apparently the plastic engine cover can get dislodged and interfere with the workings of the engine, which doesn’t sound like a good thing, so they wanted to remove it. And so the VRS disappeared back to the mothership on the back of a flatbed once I’d raised the alarm over the coolant, and upon checking, it was found that there was indeed a small crack in a coolant pipe.

The Kodiaq is back with us now, and while it’s not much of an evo car, it is a swift, practical and rather likeable vehicle to have around.

Adam Towler (@Adamtowler)

Date acquired March 2022 Total mileage 2801 Mileage this month 790 Costs this month £0 mpg this month 29.1