Long-term test: Can the Škoda Kodiaq vRS keep up with family duties?
With small children doing their best to put the Skoda Kodiaq vRS’s interior to the test, Becca Chaplin finds out if it’s really as Simply Clever as it
As a parent with three children, it feels almost impossible to find a genuinely good family car these days. There are plenty of SUVs claiming to be ‘family friendly’, but very few seem to have been designed by someone who’s ever wrestled a toddler into a car seat in the rain.
I’ve come to the conclusion there are a few basic things every family car should have, yet so many manufacturers still get them wrong. For me, it’s simple: keyless entry on every door, at least three ISOFIX points across the second row and plenty of practical storage. It sounds obvious, but it’s surprising how many cars miss the mark.
That’s why the Kodiaq feels like it’s been designed by people who actually have children.
With seven seats, three ISOFIX points across the middle row and another on the front passenger seat, it gets the fundamentals right straight away. The third row folds neatly into the floor, leaving a huge boot, while thoughtful touches are everywhere.
There are removable bins in the door pockets to stop them becoming home to months’ worth of wrappers and crumbs, plenty of cupholders for everyone on board and clever storage solutions dotted throughout the cabin.
It’s all very… well, Simply Clever.
There is, however, one thing that’s driven me quietly mad during my time with the car.
The Kodiaq only has keyless entry on the front doors and boot.
It sounds like the definition of a first-world problem, but anyone with young children will probably understand. The daily routine goes something like this: walk up to the rear door carrying a toddler, pull the handle, remember it won’t unlock because the key’s still in your pocket, walk back to the front door, unlock the car, then return to the rear and continue the wrestling match.
Repeat that several times a day and you start wondering why rear keyless entry wasn’t included. If it’s an option somewhere on the configurator then, please, Škoda, let me know.
Earlier this summer I finally gave the Kodiaq a proper test on a long weekend road trip with my four-year-old son. We left everyone else at home, but it was still remarkable how much mess one small child can create.
Thankfully, the interior took it all in its stride. Muddy shoes, dropped snacks and sticky fingers cleaned up without fuss thanks to the hard-wearing materials, while the front passenger ISOFIX meant he could travel beside me. He thought sitting in the front was the best thing ever and it made the long drive much more entertaining for both of us.
That trip also reminded me that this isn’t just any Kodiaq – it’s the vRS.
Under the bonnet is a 265PS 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine, and it transforms the car’s character. A route packed with twisting roads and mountain passes showed there’s far less body roll than you’d expect from a seven-seat SUV, while the DSG gearbox is quick to respond and there’s plenty of performance when you need it. It never forgets it’s a family car, but it never feels boring either.
After several months of living with it, I don’t think I’d change much.
At just over £58,000 as tested, it isn’t cheap, but it’s an awful lot of car for the money. Seven seats, four-wheel drive, a premium-feeling cabin and enough equipment to keep the whole family happy make it difficult to think of another SUV that offers the same blend of quality, practicality and performance at this price.
Personally, I’d skip the Bronx Gold paintwork in favour of something a little more understated – an all-black vRS would be my choice – but that’s about it.
Inside, it’s exactly how I’d have it. The chunky physical dials and buttons on the dashboard and steering wheel are refreshingly easy to use, especially when you’re trying to adjust the climate control while answering the hundredth “Are we nearly there yet?” from the back seats. The ventilated seats have also been an absolute godsend during this summer’s hot weather.
That’s what sums up the Kodiaq for me. It’s full of clever little features that don’t necessarily sell cars in a showroom but make family life just that bit easier every single day.
There are faster SUVs, more luxurious SUVs and certainly more expensive SUVs. But after several months behind the wheel, the Kodiaq vRS has proved something much more valuable. It’s one of the few modern family cars that manages to be genuinely practical without being remotely boring.