Skoda Kodiaq 2019 Review

It is no surprise that the large seven-seat Skoda Kodiaq SUV replicates Volkswagen’s stretched-out, also seven-seat Tiguan Allspace.

The two are based on the same Volkswagen Group MQB architecture and use the same 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine, as well as the same AWD driveline – dubbed 4MOTION in the Tiguan – and the same seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.

Still, Skodas have a distinct identity. There’s a cross between Germany and Eastern Europe, with a certain pleasant tactility that owes much to Volkswagen Group engineering. In fact, Skoda has gone from once being seen as a cheap, Eastern Bloc alternative brand to Volkswagen to become a desirable and characterful alternative to many status-laden European vehicles.

The Skoda Kodiaq comes as a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol AWD, in two grades: The base 132 TSI and the $4000 more expensive 132 TSI Sportline driven here. It gets bigger, 20-inch VEGA alloy wheels, blacked-out window frames and roof rails, subtle revisions to front (a mini spoiler below the bumper) and rear ends (mainly the dual, squared-off and tapered exhaust outlets) and a more luxe interior using higher-grade suede/leather trim, a power driver’s seat and a sportier, flat-bottom steering with gearshift paddles.

Surprisingly the Skoda Kodiaq doesn’t present with the price advantage Skodas have traditionally been known for.

The 132 TSI Sportline is tagged at $51,490 (including on-road costs) and brings mostly the same safety gear as the cheaper, $47,490 entry-level 132 TSI Kodiaq.

The clincher here is the extra dollars that must be forked out for safety items that tend to be included as standard in its price-equivalent competitors such as the Highline-spec Tiguan Allspace and Mazda’s CX-9 in AWD Sport guise.

Although low-speed autonomous emergency braking and adaptive cruise control are factored-in on both Kodiaq models, the cost starts to ramp up if you want more. To get lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert, it’s necessary to stump up for the optional Luxury Pack – which also brings front and rear seat heating, and surround-view cameras – for a total cost of $3400.

If you’d like adaptive chassis control, self-parking capability, hands-free tailgate operation, wireless phone charging and a premium 10-speaker CANTON sound system, the optional Tech Pack, costed at $2600, awaits your tick on the options list.

The warranty/servicing provisions are nothing if not competitive: Underpinning the Kodiaq is a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty with one year of roadside assist that can be extended year by year up to the full warranty period provided the car is serviced at a Skoda dealer.

Capped-price servicing is accessible via an on-line calculator that advises the cost of each service conducted at 12-month/15,000km intervals (whichever comes first).

One of the things that hooks most Skoda owners is the company’s focus on a certain degree of thoughtful ingenuity.

The Skoda Kodiaq will surprise and delight with features such as the umbrellas secreted in the front doors, the LED torch in the boot, the pop-out edge-protectors that activate when any of the doors are opened and the little rubbish bin sitting in either of the front side pockets.

The cabin is unquestionably spacious – until you get to the third-row seats which have their limitations in both legroom and easy access, gained only through using both hands to tilt the backrest and slide the whole centre-row seat forward. They also fail to provide air-venting for those who may be seated back there.

But with Sportline Kodiaq’s 235/45 tyres wrapped around those elegant 20-inch alloy rims, there’s plenty of low-profile rubber on the road to provide adequate grip, along with prompt responses from the quick steering which swings from lock to lock in just 2.2 turns (faster than the Tiguan Allspace).

Although the 132kW/320Nm 132 TSI engine doesn’t provide the same surge as the 162 TSI (162kW/350Nm) Tiguan Allspace, the Kodiaq’s claimed zero to 100km/h figure of 8.2sec is nevertheless quick enough, partly helped by the slightly lower 1701kg tare weight (the 162 TSI Allspace is quoted at 1769kg tare).

In terms of fuel consumption, our Sportline Kodiaq’s average 9.1L/100km, recorded during a week of driving in urban and freeway conditions, didn’t come close to matching the claimed 7.6L/100km.

Introduced to the Australian SUV market in mid-2017, the Skoda Kodiaq has remained essentially unchanged – apart from a $6500 more expensive diesel that was offered until 2018 – as a seven-seat, all-wheel-drive SUV.

Over that period, the prices have nudged up only slightly, by $1200 for both the regular 132 TSI Kodiaq and the Sportline.

The Skoda Kodiaq is a rewarding, highly-competent large SUV to drive. It is imbued with unmistakable character and rates as more than merely spacious for five passengers. The third-row seating – as is the case with much of its competition – is for small kids, or emergency short-distance accommodation.

Load capacity is exceptional, beginning with what sounds like a meagre 270 litres behind the third row seat, then expanding progressively to 630 litres with that arrangement tucked away, and then to a massive 2005 litres as everything (bar the front seats) is laid flat.

Cabin accoutrements are generous, with a full range of convenience items including sat-nav, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, auto-dimming rear-view mirror and a “voice enhancement” system that helps maintain verbal communication while on the move – and is initially a bit disconcerting as it produces a very subtle echo within the cabin that tends to be more easily picked up by kids than adults.

The Kodiaq, with a typical example Skoda’s simply-clever thinking to be found in the towbar that swings from out of sight below the rear bumper at the flick of a switch in the boot, offers reasonable towing abilities too.

The braked capacity of two tonnes equals the likes of Mazda CX-9 and Hyundai Santa Fe, but falls a bit behind its Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace relative which quotes 2400kg.

Dimensionally, the Kodiaq is a close equivalent to the Tiguan Allspace, but (apart from wheelbase) sits a bit below the Hyundai Santa Fe and is well short of Mazda’s CX-9 which overshadows many sub-$70K light-duty SUVs.

The Skoda finds a nice sweet spot though. With its sharp SUV handling It drives like something smaller, yet rides with the assuredness of a larger vehicle, proceeding with levels of silence that make for a handy, spacious and fatigue-free interstate tourer.

It might be a minnow in terms of sales (year-to-date figures to May 2019 show Skoda has sold just 729 Kodiaqs compared to 7833 sales for the segment-leading Toyota Prado heavy-duty off-roader – which isn’t a true competitor anyway) but it’s a light-duty SUV that offers plenty of personality and is, for some, a refreshing change from the well-ensconced European prestige marques.

And the Kodiaq’s year-to-date sales for 2019 are 25.7 per cent up on 2018, which is statistically pretty reassuring in a generally declining segment. Even though the percentages come off a low base, the Kodiaq is the stellar performer in the Skoda range.

The Skoda Kodiaq 132 TSI Sportline is an endearing seven-passenger SUV that becomes moreso as familiarity increases. The Euro charm is backed up by quality, competence and practicality that place it right up there in a refined and defined market segment.

But the need to reach for the options list to find safety levels equivalent to many of its rivals is a real shame. It undercuts the value-for-money proposition that has been such a traditional Skoda strength.

How much does the 2019 Skoda Kodiaq 132 TSI Sportline cost?
Price: $51,490 (including on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 132kW/320Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch
Fuel: 7.6L/100km (ADR Combined); 9.1L/100km (as tested)
CO2: 176g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP (2017)