NAME a car with more choice than a Kellogg’s Variety Pack?
OK, I’ll tell you.
Skoda’s Kodiaq.
Five seats or seven.
Front-wheel drive or AWD.
Petrol, diesel or plug-in hybrid.
From £36k.
The Czechs are currently carpet-bombing the family car market with consistently class-leading or near class-leading cars of all types.
Octavia is Skoda’s BMW 3 Series. Hatchback or estate.
Outgrow an Octavia or fancy something SUV-shaped? Kodiaq.
I don’t say this lightly, Skoda has reached the absolute peak of family transport with this car.
Vast boot. Quality interior. Useful tech. Few cars blend all of those things together as well as a Kodiaq.
Now let’s start with the engine line-up.
Much like you and me, Skoda knows that diesel is still the best fuel for loads and long distances — and it’s actually quite clean too. So they’re sticking with it.
It’s going to be a long time before you get 600 miles out of an electric car.
Or tow a caravan any meaningful distance.
We averaged 48mpg testing the £39k diesel on twisty B-roads — and we weren’t even trying to be good.
Longer motorway runs will top that.
The 1.5-litre petrol turbo isn’t juicy either with clever cylinder deactivation tech combined with a 48v mild hybrid.
Then there’s the new plug-in hybrid that’ll do up to 75 miles in e-mode.
All versions are hooked up to a smooth automatic gearbox.
Which brings me nicely to the interior. The gear selector has been repositioned up by the steering wheel, freeing up space in the centre console for your bits and bobs.
Little details like that make a big difference.
Those twin screens are standard. Two wireless phone chargers, standard. Heated front seats, standard. The fit and finish is class. The smart dials for air con and volume could be nicked off a Range Rover. There’s an umbrella in the door. Only Rolls and Skoda do that.
The head-up display and massaging seats cost extra but at least you have the choice.
The rear cabin is equally well thought out with cup holders, phone holders, charging ports, sun blinds and lots of space in all directions. The sliding middle seats allow for more knee room/cargo space.
The five-seater has a massive 910-litre boot. The seven-seater is 340 litres, still bigger than many superminis.
Fold the back seats down and you’ve got a van.
So that’s the Skoda Kodiaq. The do-it-all SUV for modern families.
Not plain and boring like Corn Flakes.
Full of chocolatey goodness like a bowl of Coco Pops.
