‘Big Bear’ is a friend of travelers and families
When it launched in 2017, the Skoda Kodiaq was an instant hit. Since then, more than 14,000 copies have been sold in the Netherlands, which is certainly a good score for a car in this segment. Although the autumn of his career has now arrived, the Kodiaq is still in great demand. Is it still worth it after almost six years? Owners share their experiences.
The Skoda Kodiaq comes at a favorable time. New, practical family MPVs are falling out of favor while the demand for space wonders remains. The Kodiaq, optionally available with seven seats, is for many families the dream successor to cars such as the Citroën C4 Picasso or Seat Alhambra.
Space offer Skoda Kodiaq
The space is already good at Skoda, emphasizes the owner of a Kodiaq 2.0 TDI. “Positive experience after 2,000 km is that it is more spacious than Citroën C4 Grand Picasso, the largest MPV in its class. People up to about 1.65 m can normally sit in the third row of seats, which was a must for me with 5 growing kids.”
“In the front you can sit comfortably on the fine sports seats,” the owner writes about his Kodiaq Sportline Business from 2018. “The rear seat is slidable and offers enormous legroom in the rear position. The luggage space is also more than adequate at around 650 litres.”
Although not every ‘Skodiaq’ is equipped with the sports seats with integrated headrest, the standard furniture also receives compliments. “The Skoda has a nice interior, good seats and is very quiet inside when driving. Long holiday trips are very doable in this car. A wonderful travel car for the family!”
How does the Kodiaq drive?
As already mentioned in the previous paragraph, the Kodiaq is very suitable for long journeys and has a mostly comfortable chassis. This is emphasized several times in reviews. “It is special to experience how easily you can cover my (very) large travel distances with this car, and how fit you get out,” compliments the driver of his Kodiaq TDI from 2019.
“The Skoda lends itself to comfort, so that’s how I drive it. Whereby I think it ‘slides’ surprisingly well through the corners for such a high car”, is the conclusion of another owner about his 190 hp 2.0 TSI Sportline Business. “I deliberately chose the 19-inch wheels for ride comfort and rolling noise, rather than the 20-inch wheels,” he adds.
A good choice, confirms the driver of a Kodiaq with 20-inch wheels. “I must honestly say that the 20-inch wheels have a significant impact on comfort. Especially short bumps, such as transverse ridges on the highway, are very noticeable due to those large and heavy wheels.”
For the caravan, the Kodiaq turns out to be a great towing vehicle. “I can only conclude that I have experienced the Kodiaq as an exceptionally stable and also very comfortable towing vehicle,” writes the owner. “It can easily handle more than the approximately 1,200 kg I had behind it.”
Driving aids and infotainment
It is almost striking how little the multimedia and navigation system is mentioned in the reviews. This owner makes an exception: “The audio from Canton has a phenomenal sound, the navigation is clear, fast and can be operated with voice control. The telephone gives enormous peace of mind; the other end of the line feels as if you are sitting next to them.” Can we cautiously conclude that the infotainment of the Skoda Kodiaq may not be groundbreaking, but is therefore also relatively problem-free?
The same applies to the driver assistance and assistance systems, the adaptive cruise control and lane assist do their job, according to owners, as good as exemplary. “Adaptive cruise control works great, especially on the highway. Anticipates nicely for a car in this price range.” When using the lane assistant, it is important to keep an eye out for rush-hour lanes, as they regularly occur on Dutch motorways. “Lane Assist has trouble with rush-hour lanes and sometimes wants to follow the insertion area.”
Disturbances and annoyances
The big Skoda also seems to be immune from structural problems. One owner reports: “When turning to the left, a mechanical sound is heard, according to the dealer. They are confident that it is safe and that it will be fixed in a next model year, but my car … bad luck!” Another has to do with an automatic handbrake that does not release in time, a malfunction that seems to be caused by the DSG computer. After replacing it, the problem is solved.
Engines and drive Skoda Kodiaq
The large Skoda was supplied with a large number of conventional powertrains, a (plug-in) hybrid is and was not available. In the price list you will currently only find the four-cylinder 1.5 TSI Greentech with cylinder deactivation. “The 1.5 is a wonderfully smooth-running engine when warm, spicy enough and relatively economical in terms of consumption.”
This engine performs slightly less pleasantly in combination with a DSG automatic transmission: “Getting accelerating on the highway ensures that the automatic transmission quickly downshifts and the engine starts to roar. This is nice (and useful) for the mountains, but in the Netherlands it makes the driving experience less refined.”
In general, based on the reviews on this site, we can speak of a Czech success. In any case, this owner was so satisfied that he ordered another Kodiaq from his new employer. “Have looked at alternatives, but keep coming back to the Skoda Kodiaq. Why take something else if you like the current one, right?”
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl