► Our 2023 Skoda Kodiaq vRS review
► Range-topping seven-seater on test
► Latest SUV switches from diesel to petrol
The Skoda Kodiaq vRS is the top-of-the-range model in the popular crossover family, bringing a dose of vRS sportiness to the stoutly sensible values of the seven-seater family workhorse. You can read our regular Skoda Kodiaq review here.
Does a fast Kodiaq offer the best of both worlds? A salve to the family man and woman who may lust after the fizz of sportier models from their youth? Or a mash-up of values that don’t quite sync, like the worst kind of fusion cuisine?
Read our detailed Skoda Kodiaq vRS review for the answer; we have the definitive verdict having lived with one for three quarters of a year in the detailed CAR magazine long-term test.
How sporty is the Skoda Kodiaq vRS?
The Kodiaq is a big, heavy car. Stretching to 4699mm long in order to accommodate three rows of seats, it’s no wonder the kerbweight tops 1752kg. Skoda compensates by fitting the ubiquitous 2.0-litre turbocharged TSI engine you’ll find in other sporting VW Group cars.
Out goes its predecessor’s 2.0-litre bi-turbodiesel in favour of the familiar 2.0-litre four-cylinder TSI engine mustering 242bhp and 273lb ft, linked here to all-wheel drive and a seven-speed twin-clutch automatic transmission.
It’s basically a Golf GTI drivetrain that’s quick enough for a claimed 6.6sec scamper from 0-62mph and 144mph all-in. Sounds great, but we worry that switching from derv to petrol will hammer economy, trading the diesel vRS’s 44mpg for a claimed 31.7mpg here. CO2 emissions stand at 198-202g/km.
Is it quick?
Acceleration is always brisk, the DSG gearbox hastily scavenging for lower gears at the twitch of your right foot. It’s something of a Q car, although the Velvet Red paint job and aero alloys undo some of that discretion.
As does the synthesised exhaust burble, which pedestrians comment on; start up with the gearbox in Park and it’s a workaday four-pot, flick the DSG transmission to D and the soundtrack becomes a bassy fake rumble. It’s rather synthetic.
You can tell this is the vRS by the addition of overfussy 20-inch Sagitarius alloys, athletic bumpers fore and aft, gloss black roof rails, grille and door mirrors and full LED Matrix headlamps (which actively shutter around oncoming traffic and have already proved excellent in the depths of a British winter).
At least those wheels are easy to clean, being predominantly flat. The standard all-wheel drive is handy during slippery conditions; the Kodiaq vRS is predominantly front-wheel drive, the Haldex central clutch sending drive rearwards only if the front tyres are slipping.
Economy
There’s a surprising turn of speed in the 2023 Skoda Kodiaq vRS, but this is not a car to enjoy driving fast: its responses are blunted by that tall bodyshell and 1.8-tonne kerbweight. Driven enthusiastically, fuel economy plummets to the mid, or even low, twenties.
This is a pretty heavy thirst for what’s purportedly a family chariot. We averaged around 30mpg in the CAR magazine long-term test over six months of more typical driving.
It seems odd that Skoda dropped the previous Kodiaq vRS’s bi-turbodiesel which averaged a real-world 40mpg – part of the fall-out from Dieselgate, the scandal whose repercussions still reverberate around the automotive sector seven years on.
Speaking of the fuel filler flap, we do love the sensible touches dotted around the cabin: there’s an ice scraper built in – matching the small Skoda umbrella that slides out from the driver’s door.
Skoda’s absolutely bossing this kind of ‘Simply Clever’ thoughtfulness.
Kodiaq vRS interior
Step inside and you’ll notice sports seats, a three-spoke leather wheel with DSG paddles and a flurry of equipment to justify the price hike. There aren’t many options available on the vRS but the CAR magazine long-termer had nearly £5k of extra equipment.
Skodas have long been associated with roomy interiors: ever since the Octavia invented the Golf-and-a-half market in 1996 and the original Superb let the world stretch out and say ooooh five years later, the frontier of space has become a Czech staple.
Don’t be surprised, therefore, to discover that the Skodiaq is a voluminous family car, straddling the SUV/crossover/tall estate car niche. It’s already become a smash hit among middle-aged friends with growing broods, drawn by the marriage of spaciousness and decent value.
It’s even got a sunroof, as demonstrated below during warmer months. I mean, when’s the last time you opened up a sliding glass panel on your car?
It stirred memories of my 1980s childhood, a time when an opening roof seemed unfathomably glamorous, exciting even. It’s probably fair to say we’ve benefited from the airy, sun-bathed cabin more frequently than we’ve actually opened it up, but still.
Seats and switchgear
Climb onboard and accommodation is indeed generous. Our vRS model has striking sports seats whose Alcantara trim is grippy and plush, although the carbonfibre-effect upholstery on the squabs is an acquired taste. The cabin is a well-judged balance of the physical (heating and cruise controls) and the digital (audio and navigation) via the large 9in touchscreen as part of the standard-fit Columbus sat-nav.
Phone connectivity works well and we found it easy to pair with Apple or Android devices. This all works seamlessly and wireless mobile charging means you’re always topped-up on arrival.
The electrical architecture and virtual dials are echoingly familiar from the VW Group parts bin, but the Kodiaq feels like a Skoda and that means quality is strong and the interior ambience sits just the right side of feeling too premium and overpriced.
One annoyance: the digital fuel gauge is hard to read – too few digital markers make it tricky to judge the last few miles of range left in the tank.
Adapting your Skoda Kodiaq for carrying dogs
Man’s best friend needs looking after in transit. Britain is a nation of dog lovers and the pet industry estimates there are 12 million pooches, many of whom travel in cars with their families. Doing so safely and diligently requires some prep, however.
We turned to the Skoda accessories catalogue to equip our Kodiaq appropriately. A dog guard is a must, if you are to keep your four-legged family friends in the boot in an emergency stop (or worse). Sadly, the days of integrated cargo nets built into the load cover are over, so we picked the official Skoda grille (£299) that bolts behind the second-row seats.
It’s a little fiddly to fit (and remove, if you need to use the third row), but once installed it’s solid and keeps all luggage – furry or otherwise – safe and secure. Along with a reversible loadbay protector (£83), we now have a canine-proof Kodiaq.
Verdict
We really rate the usefulness of the Skodiaq Kodiaq vRS. Its impressive family-carrying capabilities, the easy-to-operate third row of seats and the common-sense logic percolating its interior. It’s so sensible.
If you are looking for a hot hatch on stilts, it somehow never quite lights your emotions, though. It’s a clinical, mathematically rapid family wagon – just don’t expect to take the long way home just for the sake of it, or emerge beaming from the driver’s seat.
What it’s lacking in character, it more than makes up for in practicality and common sense.
Read our other Skoda reviews here