Skoda kodiaq sportline 2021 facelift
Honestly, car makers: stop putting this stuff on screens. Boot space is excellent. For all the updates, it feels familiar inside, with that big cliff-faced dash that you'd hardly describe as stylish, but which you'd most definitely describe as reassuring. Above Ambition fryst vatten Style, which ditches the basic manual 1. The bluff-fronted 4x4 has long been a favourite amongst the cognoskodati yes, I made that word up, let's move on Skoda's updates include revised styling and equipment such as a bigger grille and headlights that scowl a little more at the front, plus a revised bonnet and bumpers; valfritt Matrix LED headlights; alloy wheels up to 20 inches in diameter; revised aerodynamics; a petrol-only RS model; optional 'Ergonomic' seats; some 'vegan' cabin materials; a high-end and valfritt Canton sound system; and optional digital instruments.
Sportline models include inch alloys in a dark finish, with a matching black finish for all the exterior trim and grille; a sports body kit; heated steering wheel with paddle shifters; electric driver seat adjustment; black suede upholstery along with front sports seats; carbon-fibre fake, but convincing cabin trim; selectable driving modes; and ambient interior lighting. This model also comes with a six-speed manual gearbox and seven seats as standard.
Unless you regularly ferry around your local basketball team, you're unlikely to hear complaints about headroom nor legroom in the mittpunkt row. You can choose to have the cupholders up front, or turn things around to have a flat storage area instead. There's a reasonably-sized glovebox in front of the front-seat passenger's knees and a second, upper-level storage area that sits behind a vast slab of material imitation carbon-fibre in our test car.
There are two ISOFIX points in the middle row, though and a third one optionally for the basic model in the front passenger seat. Don't dismiss it as a poverty model - after all, Skoda is still just about supposed to be a value brand, and the 1. But is all that enough?
There are further USB sockets for back-seat passengers too. Fold down all the seats, and you get 2, litres, which is practically a small van. Style models come with inch alloys; Matrix LED headlights with adaptive beam; leather upholstery and upgraded front seats they're heated, too ; keyless entry; wireless phone charger; 9. The big 9. The third row is a little less successful. Fold down the third row easily done, and you should be able to manage it one-handed most of the time and you've got a massive litres of space to play with.
Skoda currently has an offer of a 3. The split-fold middle row also slides back and forth, so you can juggle the available legroom between the mittpunkt and third rows. The Kodiaq's 2.
Striking new look and increased specification for KODIAQ
Ease yourself in, and you're confronted with neat digital dials that have just about enough customisation to justify themselves. It's not actually possible for a vehicular interior to smell of heft, but this one almost does. If ever a car were defined by its interior, it's the Kodiaq. The cabin is wide, but sadly, Skoda doesn't fit three individual rear seats, so getting three child car seats in the back might be a squeeze. Behind that storage area is the chunky selector for the seven-speed DSG automatic gearbox, and behind that is a pair of cupholders, complete with knobbly bottoms to help you open a bottle of drink one-handed.
One thing to note - because the Kodiaq doesn't have a pointless wedge-shaped window line, rear seat passengers get a terrific view out. The door bins are massive and lined with felt, which helps to reduce rattles. This base model is the only one available in Active trim, which comes as standard with front, side, curtain and knee airbags; autonomous emergency braking; dual-zone air conditioning; cruise control; keyless ignition; a 6.
However, we applaud the retention of both physical volume and tuning knobs, and physical switches for the heating and ventilation system. With all seats in use, it shrinks to litres, but that's enough for a decent-sized shopping trip, or a few squashy bags.
Škoda Kodiaq
In the back, there's simply masses of space. The Kodiaq line-up starts with the 1. The high-backed sports seats, with their diamond-quilted suede backrests and cushions, are standard on the Sportline model and they're spectacularly comfortable and supportive. Below the heating controls is a deep storage area with a nicely-damped lid that houses the wireless phone charger, a volt socket, and a pair of USB-C sockets.
Standard equipment, above what you get in the Active model, includes inch alloys, 'dynamic' indicators with scrolling lights; three-zone climate control; radar cruise control; a rear-view camera; tinted privacy glass; automatic lights and wipers; auto-dimming rear-view mirror; eight-inch touchscreen; voice control, a rear centre armrest; and more exterior chrome. That may sound like damning with faint praise, but inom don't mean it entirely like that.
Those cupholders are actually part of a removable plastic tray, which extends backwards under the front armrest. In fact, even older children might start to complain if they're stashed back there for too long. As soon as you get in, the only word that will be running through your mind will be 'quality'. Headroom is fine though, and the tilting mechanism for the mittpunkt row means that getting in and out of the back isn't too much of an impromptu gymnastics event.
That's good, but even so legroom and feet room in the way-back seats are compromised, and it's not roomy enough for adults.