I'm Living With A Skoda Kodiaq Again And I'm Overjoyed

Although it was never planned, I seem to have become Car Throttle’s Skoda Correspondent. And that’s just fine by me - I’ve loved every Skoda model I’ve had on long-term tests over the last few years. There’s just one problem - none have been quite as good as the Kodiaq.

I last ran one of these as CT’s dependable YouTube crew car four years ago, and I’ve wanted one ever since it went back. It was comfortable, good to drive and incredibly practical. So, imagine my delight when I found out ‘our’ slightly annoying but mostly good Octavia vRS was to be replaced with - you guessed it - a Kodiaq.

Last time we had a 1.4-litre TSI petrol version, which did a better job powering such a big car than you might imagine. The 148bhp TDI diesel we now have does make more sense, though. It’s only a little more powerful, but it has way more torque - its 250lb ft peak figure is 100lb ft more than our old petrol.

All of this extra go isn’t hugely obvious off the line, though. Like every Skoda automatic I’ve ever run, the gearbox is really laggy off the line. Once it’s finally got its act together, the Kodiaq pulls away well. 0-62mph takes 9.8 seconds, and in terms of fuel economy, I’ve so far averaged 43.6mpg.

The Kodiaq is an SE L, which comes with a decent range of stuff including electronic boot release, keyless go, 19-inch wheels eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system. There’s only one option, £610 Graphite Grey metallic paint, bringing the total price to £37,245. If I was doing the speccing, I’d add a reversing camera. This is such a big car, it could really do with one. A tow bar would be nice too, given how the trailer hauling laws have changed in the UK.

Ours is pretty much fresh off the boat, with only 241 miles showing on the clock when I took the keys. Since then I’ve bumped that figure up to just over 1000. It’s a seven-seater, and I’ve already done a couple of trips with six of those filled.

With the third row folded down, the boot is massive, which is perfect for getting all our camera gear in it. It hasn’t been used for tracking shots of other cars yet, but it’s only a matter of time.

What I have used the boot for already is baby accessories, and they take up a hell of a lot of room. The Skoda was delivered just before Christmas and the same week as the birth of my daughter, and it’s been ideal for travelling around and taking what seems like the entire contents of your house with you.

Whether it’s been for family life or work trips the Skoda is already proving itself to be useful and very easy to live with. We’ve got some big trips planned for this year and we’re excited to take the mighty Kodiaq with us.