Item: Skoda Kodiaq vRS
Rating: 2
Author: What Car? Team

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Skoda Kodiaq vRS

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Introduction

Performance & drive

Interior

Passenger & boot space

Costs & verdict

This is where the vRS looks a little shaky, with a list price that's&nbsp;well into the realm of premium-badged SUVs. It's also several thousand pounds more than the sporty-looking Sport Line version of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/skoda/kodiaq/estate/review/n17362">Skoda Kodiaq</a>. The Sportline has four-wheel drive, an automatic gearbox and&nbsp;a de-tuned 187bhp version of the same 2.0-litre petrol engine.

The vRS's high CO2 emissions (198g/km) put&nbsp;it in the top <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/check-your-company-car-tax-rate/n1255">company car tax bracket</a>. Its official fuel economy is in the low-thirties (in real-world use, it can be more like mid-twenties), which is close to the&nbsp;bigger and more powerful V8&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/audi/q7/4x4/review/n17281">Audi SQ7</a>.

On the plus side, the Kodiaq vRS does come with&nbsp;loads of features as standard, including power-folding door mirrors, interior ambient lighting, keyless entry and heated front seats.

<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/skoda">Skoda</a> managed a highly respectable 12th place out of 30 car manufacturers in the 2021 <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/2021-what-car-reliability-survey-brands/n23418">What Car? Reliability Survey</a>, putting it ahead of Seat, Audi, Volkswagen and Ford. Every Kodiaq is covered by a three-year/60,000-mile manufacturer’s warranty.&nbsp;

The Kodiaq was awarded five starts out of five for safety after testing by <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/top-10-safest-cars-on-sale-today/n20301">Euro NCAP</a> in 2017. It scored well for adult protection and solidly for child protection, falling just a few percentage points behind the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/nissan/x-trail/4x4/review/n51">Nissan X-Trail</a> and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/kia/sorento/4x4/review/n18">Kia Sorento</a>.

Automatic emergency braking <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/what-is-aeb-and-how-does-it-work/n3283">(AEB)</a> is standard and identifies pedestrians as well as cars. Lane-keeping assistance and blind-spot monitors are optional, along with rear side airbags, a driver fatigue sensor and a Travel Assist pack that can recognise road signs and display them on the dashboard.

Security expert Thatcham Research gave&nbsp;the Kodiaq a four-star rating for resisting being broken into and the full five stars for resisting being stolen.

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Once you’ve got past the seven-speed DSG gearbox’s hesitancy to get going, the Skoda Kodiaq vRS accelerates&nbsp;away with reasonable gusto.

Its&nbsp;242bhp 2.0-litre engine never makes this <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/category/sports-suv">sports SUV</a> feel quite as swift as its 6.6sec 0-62mph time would have you believe, though. While there’s enough performance in reserve for overtaking, the Kodiaq vRS is outshone by the smaller&nbsp;(five-seat-only) <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/cupra/ateca/estate/review/n17969">Cupra Ateca</a>, which manages the sprint in around five seconds.

Four-cylinder petrols are not known for being particularly tuneful, so <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/skoda">Skoda</a> adds something it calls Dynamic Sound Boost, which augments the car's natural exhaust note with an artificial soundtrack.

The result is a low grumble that’s slightly reminiscent of an old-school American V8, and which gets progressively more aggressive as you switch between its Normal and Sport modes. It’s not the worst fake noise we’ve heard, but can get irritating on the motorway (fortunately you can switch it off using a mode called&nbsp;Individual).

The Kodiaq vRS might be a big old lump but, in addition to those adaptive dampers and big wheels with wide tyres, you get Progressive Steering. It gets faster the more you turn the wheel, so the vRS feels stable in a straight line but requires less twirling of the wheel for tight bends.

Although precious little information filters up from the front tyres to the steering wheel, we doubt many will complain&nbsp;because the steering is direct and precise. Grip levels are predictably high, but the Kodiaq vRS is also surprisingly well balanced. You can really feel power being directed rearwards to stop the car pushing wide at the front.

This is nearly two tonnes of SUV, not some lightweight special, so it’ll never feel as exciting or as agile as the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/ford/puma/hatchback/review/n22293">Ford&nbsp;Puma ST</a>. Instead it lets you confidently carry plenty of speed on a twisting stretch of road and have a degree of enjoyment in the process.

That doesn’t come at the expense of the ride. Although the vRS is firmer than the smaller-wheeled regular <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/skoda/kodiaq/estate/review/n17362">Skoda Kodiaq</a>, there’s still plenty of compliance in Comfort and Normal modes to deal with all but the craggiest of road surfaces without you getting agitated.

Fuel 

Gearbox

0-62 MPH

The most powerful engine on offer for the Kodiaq, paired with the sportiest vRS trim. With 241bhp available, this will shift the SUV from 0-62mph in 6.6sec. The one to get if you want the quickest and best handling model, but it’s also the priciest.

http://example.com

2.0 TSI 245

20-tsi-245

As claims to fame go, the Skoda Kodiaq vRS&nbsp;sports SUV's fastest lap record at Germany’s fearsome Nürburgring circuit is a good one.

The Kodiaq vRS set its world-beating&nbsp;time while being driven&nbsp;by the much-missed racing driver Sabine Schmitz. Okay, so lots cars have gone round the same track faster than its 9min 29.8sec –&nbsp;but none of them have been large seven-seat SUVs.

That&nbsp;vRS ran on diesel. Now, though, <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/skoda">Skoda</a> gives you&nbsp;a turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol, and it should be even quicker because it has a touch more power at 242bhp. It should handle better&nbsp;too&nbsp;because there's not as much weight in the nose (the petrol engine is lighter).

To that end, you still get adaptive suspension and variable-ratio steering thrown in for free to help tighten up the handling. Plus, there are big 20in wheels and more aggressive styling on the outside to let everyone know you’ve chosen the vRS, rather than the regular <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/skoda/kodiaq/estate/review/n17362">Skoda Kodiaq</a>.

It's not all about pace, though –&nbsp;this is a sensible car that just happens to be rather brisk. The seven seats make&nbsp;it more versatile than other models in our&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/category/sports-suv">sports SUV category</a> and you get four-wheel drive as standard, for better traction in slippery conditions.

So how does&nbsp;the Skoda Kodiaq vRS compare with rivals such as the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/cupra/ateca/estate/review/n17969">Cupra Ateca</a>&nbsp;and (our class favourite)&nbsp;the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/ford/puma/hatchback/review/n22293">Ford Puma ST</a>? That's what we'll tell you in the next few pages of this review.

We'll rate its performance, interior quality, boot space, running costs and more so you can decide whether it's the right SUV for you.

Once you're ready to buy your next new car, we can help you make sure you get it at the lowest cost if you search our free <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/new-car-deals">What Car? New Car Buying service</a>. It has lots of the best prices, including some tempting <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/skoda/kodiaq/estate/deals">Skoda Kodiaq deals</a>.

You sit nice and high up in the Skoda Kodiaq vRS, and the driving position is hard to fault, with plenty of powered adjustments for the seat, plus lots of movement in the steering wheel.

The sports seats are comfortable, but also offer lumbar adjustment and plenty of side support&nbsp;to keep you braced during enthusiastic cornering. <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/skoda">Skoda</a> gives you memory settings, so once you've found the right position for you, it's easy to go back to it after someone else has been at the wheel.

The Kodiaq vRS’s dashboard is logically laid out and a doddle to use. There are plenty of big, clearly labelled buttons and the configurable digital instruments are crystal-clear and legible at a glance.

The car's boxy shape means visibility is good all round, and you get front and rear parking sensors to assist during tight manoeuvres. You also get powerful LED headlights to help see in the darkest of conditions. A 360-degree camera system isn’t available, but you can have a self-parking system as an option.

Infotainment is taken care of by a crisp, clear&nbsp;9.2 in touchscreen, with sat-nav as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring. The menus are easy to navigate, although the rotary dial-controlled system&nbsp;you get on&nbsp;the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/mazda/cx-5/estate/review/n19">Mazda CX-5</a>&nbsp;and others&nbsp;is easier to use on the move.&nbsp;

The Kodiaq vRS&nbsp;interior is a smorgasbord of soft-touch materials and nicely damped buttons and switches. Harder plastics are, for the most part, kept well out of sight.&nbsp;The perforated leather steering wheel, leather and Alcantara suede seats and carbon-fibre effect trims add to the plushness. Overall, it feels much&nbsp;better than the rather low-rent interior of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/ford/puma/hatchback/review/n22293">Ford Puma ST</a>&nbsp;and a step up from the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/cupra/ateca/estate/review/n17969">Cupra Ateca</a>.

Estate

One of the greatest success stories in the car world of recent decades is Skoda’s rise to become a hugely credible mainstream maker of good-value, good-sense cars.

Central to that success has been its place within the VW Group, alongside the Volkswagen brand itself, plus the likes of Seat and Audi. That has given it access to exactly the same underpinnings for its cars as the other brands, and it has complemented this by adding its own developments, from the way the cars drive and ride through to the features they have and the pricing.

The result is a range that extends from a city car to a large executive saloon, with family and large seven-seat SUVs too. There’s a wide variety of petrol and diesel engines, all of which are competitive for the class.

As a result, Skoda has a range of cars that is almost entirely class-leading or among the class leaders, and it has enjoyed long-time success at the What Car? Awards as a result.

SKODA

KODIAQ

The sportiest Kodiaq available with a bodykit, 20-inch wheels, dynamic chassis control, sports seats and digital cockpit display. 

Brisk performance, comfortable and&nbsp;seven usable seats, but not the sportiest of sports SUVs

Just because the vRS has&nbsp;had a sporty makeover doesn't mean it’s any less practical than the regular <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/skoda/kodiaq/estate/review/n17362">Skoda Kodiaq</a>.

It's a lot more practical all round than its nearest&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/category/sports-suv">sports SUV</a> price rival, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/seat/cupra-ateca/estate/review/n17969">Cupra Ateca</a>. That means there’s still tonnes of space up front, plenty of oddment storage in big door bins, a cubby under the central armrest and another in front of the gear selector.

The second row of seats can be reclined for comfort&nbsp;or slid back&nbsp;to maximise leg room. If you slide them right back, there’s a good amount of room for taller adults,&nbsp;but not as much knee room as in larger&nbsp;SUVs&nbsp;such as the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/kia/sorento/4x4/review/n18">Kia Sorento</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/peugeot/5008/estate/review/n17369">Peugeot 5008</a>, which give three adults in the back more width.

The vRS’s third row of seats is a lot less roomy than the 5008's and Sorento's. Children will be perfectly comfortable back there, but taller teenagers and adults will have to duck to keep their heads from brushing the roof lining. Leg room is reasonable&nbsp;as long as the middle seats aren't slid back too far, and it's roomier than the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/seat/tarraco/estate/review/n17865">Seat Tarraco</a> and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/volkswagen/tiguan-allspace/estate/review/n17379">Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace</a> back there.

The third-row seats stow away into the boot floor when they’re not required and are reasonably simple to put up. Only the middle seats have Isofix mounts, although you can pay <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/skoda">Skoda</a> to add them&nbsp;to the front passenger seat.

With the third row stowed, the vRS has an enormous boot. We’ve squeezed nine carry-on suitcases into the regular Kodiaq and the vRS is no less spacious. The 5008’s boot is bigger and will take 10 carry-on suitcases, while the Sorento’s is so much longer and wider that it will take a stupefying 11.

With all seven seats occupied, the vRS's much smaller boot space has room for a quick trip to the supermarket or a couple of carry-on cases. The tonneau cover pulls across the whole boot area when the car&nbsp;is in five-seat mode and slots away under the boot floor when all seven seats are required.

The second-row seats split in a 40/20/40 configuration&nbsp;to allow you to fold them down completely or mix long loads with passengers.

On the one hand, the Skoda Kodiaq vRS is highly practical and therefore a great family choice, but on the other, £45k is a huge amount to pay for a sports SUV that’s not particularly exciting to drive. Its petrol engine isn’t that much quicker than the diesel it replaces, yet is a lot less efficient. If you must have seven seats, buy the regular Kodiaq, and if you simply want something fun, look at cheaper options such as the Cupra Ateca and Ford Puma ST.

<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Strong performance</li> <li>Precise, feelsome steering</li> <li>Agile, entertaining handling</li> <li>Reasonable ride comfort</li> <li>Smart and practical interior</li></ul>

Needing a&nbsp;practical load-lugger doesn't mean you need to scrimp on power and sporting prowess. In fact, most sporty manufacturers now have dedicated sports SUVs in their line-up with 0-62mph times to rival cars half their size.&nbsp;

Porsche, for example, offers two:&nbsp;the Macan and the Cayenne, both of which offer rapid performance and seriously impressive handling, as well as providing enough space for five people and a boot capable of fitting more than seven carry-on suitcases.&nbsp;

But even&nbsp;manufacturers not usually focused on track times are getting involved in this market. The Volkswagen T-Roc R is one of our favourites, too, with a 0-62mph time of 4.8sec&nbsp;and&nbsp;fuel economy of 31.5mpg. A sports SUV&nbsp;should satisfy anyone who doesn't want to trade speed for space.&nbsp;

Sports SUV

Skoda Kodiaq vRS review

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Review of Skoda Kodiaq vRS interior by the expert What Car? team. Compare in car entertainment system, driving comfort and visibility with similar cars.

You sit nice and high up in the Skoda Kodiaq vRS, and the driving position is hard to fault, with plenty of powered adjustments for the seat, plus lots of movement in the steering wheel.,The sports seats are comfortable, but also offer lumbar adjustment and plenty of side support to keep you braced during enthusiastic cornering. Skoda gives you memory settings, so once you've found the right position for you, it's easy to go back to it after someone else has been at the wheel.,The Kodiaq vRS’s dashboard is logically laid out and a doddle to use. There are plenty of big, clearly labelled buttons and the configurable digital instruments are crystal-clear and legible at a glance.The car's boxy shape means visibility is good all round, and you get front and rear parking sensors to assist during tight manoeuvres. You also get powerful LED headlights to help see in the darkest of conditions. A 360-degree camera system isn’t available, but you can have a self-parking system as an option.Infotainment is taken care of by a crisp, clear 9.2 in touchscreen, with sat-nav as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring. The menus are easy to navigate, although the rotary dial-controlled system you get on the Mazda CX-5 and others is easier to use on the move. ,,The Kodiaq vRS interior is a smorgasbord of soft-touch materials and nicely damped buttons and switches. Harder plastics are, for the most part, kept well out of sight. The perforated leather steering wheel, leather and Alcantara suede seats and carbon-fibre effect trims add to the plushness. Overall, it feels much better than the rather low-rent interior of the Ford Puma ST and a step up from the Cupra Ateca.

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