Skoda Kodiaq vRS - ABC Leasing

Car & Driving
The independent definitive Skoda Kodiaq vRS video review
How will you view?

This is a sample, showing 30 seconds of each section.

    v.SURPRISING(some text hidden)

    By Jonathan Crouch


    Ten Second Review word count: 86

    Skoda's idea of a performance mid-sized SUV is different to many other rival brands - and more appealing for that. The Kodiaq vRS, now featuring petrol power, sells for the kind of money that could alternatively buy you a faster premium-badged crossover but this seven-seat Czech contender delivers more character, more space and family flexibility, more traction, more equipment: more of just about everything really. None of which would matter if this wasn't really a credible piece of performance engineering. But, rather surprisingly, it actually is.


    Background word count: 136

    In the normal run of things, you wouldn't consider a Skoda Kodiaq, the Czech brand's mid-to-large 7-seat 'D'-segment SUV, as being an ideal candidate for performance engineering. It's a family conveyance intended for suburbia rather than Silverstone. Firming it up, adding on a body kit and shoe-horning a powerful engine beneath the bonnet ought to make little sense. Yet, against the odds, it did with the original version of the Kodiaq vRS, which featured a bi turbo 2.0-litre diesel engine and was one of our favourite family SUVs, until emissions legislation forced this variant out of production. Unwilling to abandon the idea of a sporty Kodiaq, Skoda has re-introduced this top variant to the line-up as part of this model line's mid-term update, this time with 2.0-litre TSI petrol power. Surprising Skoda? In this case, yes.


    Driving Experience word count: 303

    The old diesel-powered Kodiaq vRS actually held the Nurburgring Nordschleife lap record (for 7-seat SUVs), so from that, you can gather that this crossover isn't a complete duffer through the turns. Pointless accolades of that sort speak of Skoda's rather desperate need for this model to be taken seriously as a performance car - which you can understand to some extent. It's not only the manufacturer branding here that rather handicaps this car in the showroom but also its crossover genre, its 7-seat interior and, as if all that wasn't enough, a rather exalted price tag. So in the unlikely event you were even aware that this car existed, you might easily dismiss it out of hand. But you shouldn't. Not if you want family transport with seven seats, a bit of character, sensible running costs and a searing sense of speed anyway, not a combination easy to find for less than £50,000 in today's market. In place of the previous bi turbo 240PS 2.0-litre TDI diesel unit, the Kodiaq vRS now uses the VW Group's familiar 2.0 TSI petrol powerplant, the same one offered by lesser Kodiaqs with 190PS, but here tuned up to 245PS. The 62mph from rest sprint occupies just 6.6s, 1.1s quicker than the 190PS 2.0 TSI model can manage. It's also nearly half a second faster than the old diesel vRS. Various drive modes are on offer and thanks to standard adaptive damping, those settings influence ride quality - as well as steering feel, throttle response and the change timings of the DSG paddleshift auto gearbox that's necessary to harness the twin turbo powerplant's prodigious grunt. Plus there are huge brakes and proper off road tractional capability too, including a selectable 'Snow' mode. In addition, you can tow a trailer weighing up to 2.5-tonnes. It's all very practical.


    Pictures (High res disabled)

    Scoring

    Category: Compact Car

    Performance
    70%
    Handling
    50%
    Comfort
    80%
    Space
    90%
    Styling
    70%
    Build
    70%
    Value
    50%
    Equipment
    80%
    Economy
    60%
    Depreciation
    40%
    Insurance
    50%
    Total
    65%
    Mobile
    Narrow
    Narrower
    Normal
    Wide