Skoda Kodiaq long-term test: report 6
Skoda's biggest combustion-engined SUV seats seven and looks like good value, but what's it like to live with? We're finding out...
The car Skoda Kodiaq 1.5 TSI 150 e-Tec DSG SE L Run by John Bradshaw, chief photographer
Why it’s here To see if Skoda's seven-seater can provide a winning blend of comfort, practicality and economy
Needs to Tackle long trips with ease, carry bulky loads and be frugal at the pumps
Mileage 6334 List price £42,205 Target Price £37,839 Price as tested £43,005 Official fuel economy 44.5mpg Test fuel economy 40.0mpg
13 May 2025 – Fill 'er up
Leafcutter ants are amazing. I see them on nature documentaries, carrying more than twenty times their own body weight with seemingly no effort whatsoever, and suddenly the engine of my Skoda Kodiaq springs to mind.
Empty but ready to go, this hefty seven-seat SUV weighs 1635kg. Or, loaded with as many passengers and as much luggage as Skoda deems feasible, its maximum permissible weight is 2278kg. And all that is hauled around by a relatively tiny 148bhp, 1.5-litre petrol engine. That seems like an ant of an engine to deal with such a heavy burden, and one that – having to work so hard – surely has a considerable thirst at the end of a day’s toil.
In fact, it’s basically the same engine as I had in my previous Skoda Kamiq (a much lighter, more compact small SUV), albeit tuned for a bit more power and teamed with a seven-speed automatic gearbox rather than a six-speed manual. It also has mild hybrid power to help with the heavy lifting, and this wizardry seems to do the job, for the Kodiaq is anything but sluggish.
In fact, it’s basically the same engine as I had in my previous Skoda Kamiq (a much lighter, more compact small SUV), albeit tuned for a bit more power and teamed with a seven-speed automatic gearbox rather than a six-speed manual. It also has mild hybrid power to help with the heavy lifting, and this wizardry seems to do the job, for the Kodiaq is anything but sluggish.
There’s a hint of hesitance when pulling away, but I’ve never been frustrated by any lack of urgency on the open road. Granted, while I tend to travel with a boot crammed with bulky photographic gear, my Kodiaq is never close to being fully laden, but it never feels desperately short on power. Sure, there isn’t the effortless shove of an electric family SUV like a BMW iX1, but my car feels happy enough to be worked hard. And while that little engine gets a bit rowdy at higher revs, it’s more like the happy joviality of a winning rugby team than the sound of impending catastrophe.
And nor does it have the thirst of a rugby team. Every time I fill up, I wince as the digits spin on the pump, worried about just what the bar bill will look like, but when the pump clicks to signify that the Kodiaq can drink no more, I’m always impressed by its moderation. By my calculations (and ignoring the slightly optimistic on-board display), the Kodiaq is averaging 40mpg.
Okay, that’s a little shy of the 46.2mpg that’s officially possible, but I strongly suspect that figure to reflect a rather less challenging work regime than I subject the Kodiaq to. Frankly, its appetite is well earned.
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