Is Skoda’s hot SUV worth £43k?

The new Skoda Kodiaq aims to offer both performance and practicality. Jack Evans finds out if it measures up

Think of Skoda and what springs to mind? Practical estates perhaps, or maybe a series of rugged SUVs. Well, the Czech company also has a bit of form with making incredibly lowkey yet punchy performance versions of its production cars and this - the Kodiaq vRS - is a sporty take on the brand’s popular seven-seater. Despite being revealed some time ago, this is the first chance that we’ve had to get behind the wheel and we headed to Spain to see if this sportier Kodiaq can actually deliver.

WHAT’S NEW?

The Kodiaq vRS may look pretty close to the standard car but Skoda has added a little sparkle to many of the components to lift the whole driving experience. Yes, a new engine has been added, but it has also retained the excellent practicality for which the standard car is famed. It’s a contrast, therefore, that this is a car which can seat seven in comfort yet is also the holder of the fastest time for a seven-seater SUV around the Nurburgring. WHAT’S IT LIKE TO DRIVE? Accelerating from a standstill doesn’t feel very quick initially, until you glance at the speedometer and realise you’re travelling a fair bit faster than expected. This is continued by the impressive mid-gear punch - the Kodiaq pulls really strongly and there’s more than enough go for overtaking safely. The Kodiaq vRS feels like a much smaller car to drive than it actually is, and that’s no bad thing at all. WHAT’S IT LIKE INSIDE?

All I loved about the regular Kodiaq remain, with comfortable seats and large windows making for a cabin’s genuinely spacious. Things are turned up a notch in the vRS thanks to quilted Alcantara door cards, bolstered sports seats and swathes of carbon-fibre-effect trim. The boot tops out at a cavernous 2,005 litres with all seats flat. All this in a car capable of hitting 60mph in under seven seconds. Not bad. WHAT’S THE SPEC LIKE?

As a result of the vRS sitting at the top of the Kodiaq food chain, Skoda has included all manner of equipment as standard, including those 20inch alloy wheels as well as

LED headlights and tail lights. Gloss black exterior trim pieces come as part of the car’s overall cost, along with tri-zone climate control, front and rear parking sensors and an area view camera. THE VERDICT

This vRS takes the best bits of the Kodiaq - practicality, build quality, spaciousness - and adds the ability to enjoy a quiet, twisty road should the chance arise. It’s there for people who want to be able to get five kids, their gear and the dog all in the car but still want to have a little fun behind the wheel. It’s just a shame about the high price, had it been a touch lower, this would have been an even more compelling prospect. Price: £43,000

Engine: 2.0-litre bi-turbo diesel

Power (bhp): 237

Torque (Nm): 500

Max speed (mph): 136

0-60mph: 6.8 seconds

MPG: 35.3 (under WLTP testing) Emissions (g/km): 167