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Skoda Kodiaq vRS

v.SURPRISING (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

Jonathan Crouch finds in Skoda's improved Kodiaq vRS all the car he might ever need....

Ten Second Reviewword 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.

Backgroundword 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 Experienceword 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.

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Pictures (high res disabled)

Statistics (subset of data only)

Min

Max

Price:

£44,635.00 (At 23 Jul 2021)

Insurance group 1-50:

30

CO2 (g/km):

198

Max Speed (mph):

155

0-62 mph (s):

6.6

Combined Mpg:

32.5

Length (mm):

4697

Width (mm):

1882

Height (mm):

1676

Boot Capacity (l):

270

2005

Scoring (subset of scores)

Category: Crossover or SUV 4x4s

Performance
70%
Handling
50%
Comfort
80%
Space
90%
Styling, Build, Value, Equipment, Depreciation, Handling, Insurance and Total scores are available with our full data feed.

This is an excerpt from our full review.
To access the full content library please contact us on 0330 0020 227 or click here

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