Classy Kodiaq now bigger and better than ever

It’s a full on SUV available with either five or seven seats and keenly priced – against premium competition that is.

That does not mean its cheap. This latest model comes with a variety of trims and engine options and with the choice of two or four-wheel drive and uprated suspension.

It is right up there challenging the likes of its VW and Audi siblings, not to mention the likes of Volvo and Range Rover.

It has been around for a while now, since 2016, and had a mini makeover to offer, what the manufacturer describes as taking sustainability and efficiency to the next level.

This is as a result of textiles used for the seat upholstery, the carpets in the cabin and the luggage compartment as well as the headliner being made of 100 percent recycled materials.

It also offers for the first time LED Matrix headlights and ergonomic seats.

It is available with two diesel and two petrol engines delivering various outputs and the first Kodiaq plug-in hybrid powertrain.

It is bigger both inside and out and in the seven-seat version, passengers in the third row of seats now have 920 millimetres of headroom, 15 millimetres more than in the predecessor.

It certainly looks the part and offers a comprehensive equipment list and includes just about everything you could need for a seven seater.

It has an imposing, high off the ground road presence, sitting on 20-inch alloys and featuring sport front and rear bumpers, spoiler with integrated LED brake light and Sportline badges on each wing.

Black accents, roof rails, door mirrors and radiator grille also enhance the sporty look.

This model is packed with standard kit including the usual electric aids and gizmos, plus rear view parking camera, auto dimming mirror, climate control and a full complement of safety equipment.

It now features a 13-inch display, innovative smart dials and haptic controls. The touchscreen operates the sat nav, infotainment and smartphone connectivity, which includes ŠKODA Connect  which provides live journey information and real-time navigation details plus remote access to assistance.

The dashboard itself has SportLine plaque with sports dials, alloy pedals and sporty badging throughout the cabin – just to remind you in case you forget which model you are driving.

There is a smart multifunction sports steering wheel and the rest of the dash layout is clear and logical  with the entire cabin feeling put together with high-end material and quality finish,

It offers good head and legroom and in practical terms, five adults can be seated in comfort, with the third rearmost pair only really suitable for children or adults on shorter journeys.

Luggage capacity has also increased and in the five-seater version, up by 75 litres to 910 litres without folding the rear seats. With the rear seats folded down, capacity has increased by 40 litres to 2,105 litres.

The 190PS petrol engine driven here is smooth, flexible and economical. Mated to seven-speed DSG auto box, it proves a comfortable drive, slipping seamlessly through the gears.

Acceleration is brisk for such a big vehicle and hits 60mph in just over seven seconds while delivering decent economy of around 35mpg. It is a fine motorway cruiser, with little noise intruding into the cabin, apart from a little wind noise at times.

This all-wheel-drive versions also offer various drive modes to cope with prevailing conditions.

Handling also decent for this type of model, with little body roll, while the ride adapts well to road or rougher terrain

If not quite a full fat go anywhere 4x4, the VW group’s offroad capability is already well established and should prove more than capable of handling all but the roughest of terrains.

Factfile

• Kodiaq Sportline 2.0 TSI 190 PS 4x4 DSG

• Price: £44,330

• Mechanical: 1,968cc, 190PS four cylinder petrol engine driving all wheels via seven-speed DSG auto gearbox

• Max speed: 132mph

• 0-62mph: 7.8 seconds

• Combined mpg: 35.1

• Insurance group: 18E

• CO2 emissions: 185g/km

• Warranty: 3 years/60,000 miles