Skoda Kodiaq review

The Kodiaq’s starting price looks very tempting indeed, but this only gets you five seats and the modest 123bhp 1.4 petrol engine. The biggest-selling engine is the 148bhp 2.0 diesel (badged 2.0 TDI 150) and this costs thousands of pounds more, although it still undercuts rivals such as the Kia Sorento.

Resale values are expected to be above most keys rivals’ and the Kodiaq will almost certainly cost you less in monthly repayments than cars such as the Sorento and Nissan X-Trail if you’re buying on PCP finance.

Meanwhile, the Kodiaq’s official fuel economy and CO2 emissions aren’t as appealing as an equivalent Peugeot 5008’s, but are similar to the Sorento’s; bear this in mind if you’re a company car driver looking for cheaper benefit-in-kind tax. That said, in our real-world True MPG tests, the two-wheel-drive 2.0 TDI 150 automatic model managed a respectable combined 43.1mpg.

Use our True MPG calculator and see what your car really does to the gallon

We reckon SE trim makes the most sense. It’s so much cheaper the next-level SE L, yet it still gets you dual-zone climate control, rear parking sensors, automatic lights and wipers, a decent infotainment system and cruise control. Even after you've added the seven-seat option and a few other choice extras (we'd recommend keyless entry/start, folding tray tables, adjustable lumbar support and rear-seat backrest release handles), you'll still be quids in.

SE L trim is worth a look, though; it adds sat-nav as standard and you get plenty of other creature comforts, including adaptive LED headlights, Alcantara seats, keyless entry and start, and a powered tailgate.

The upper trims, while fulsomely equipped, are too pricey to recommend, while entry-level S trim is rather basic, although you do get essentials including air conditioning.

The Kodiaq is too new to have featured in any of our reliability surveys, but Skoda as a brand is a strong performer. It finished 13th (out of 32 brands) in our latest survey, just below Kia but well above Nissan, Land Rover and Peugeot.

What’s more, most of the Kodiaq’s oily bits are shared with other cars in Skoda’s line-up, including the Superb, so they are tried and tested. If anything does go wrong, you are covered by a three-year/60,000-mile manufacturer’s warranty; this is okay, but nowhere near as comprehensive as Kia’s seven-year cover.

Safety body Euro NCAP awarded the Kodiaq five stars (out of five) for safety in 2017. It scored well for adult protection and solidly for child protection, falling just a few percentage points behind rivals such as the X-Trail and Sorento. Partly by dint of having autonomous emergency braking (AEB) that also looks out for pedestrians fitted as standard throughout the range, it outscores the Sorento (which has AEB on only the top-spec trim) in the pedestrian protection category. The X-Trail is even safer for pedestrians, though, thanks to its squishier bonnet.

Lane-keep assist and blindspot monitoring are standard only on range-topping Edition models, but can be added to cheaper trims. There’s also the option to add rear side airbags, a driver fatigue sensor and travel assist. The latter can recognise road signs and display them on the dashboard.

Security expert Thatcham Research awarded the Kodiaq a four-out-of-five rating for resisting being broken into, and the full five stars for resisting being stolen.

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