BUY, LEASE OR FINANCE A SKODA KODIAQ FROM OSV - https://bit.ly/3RSlfmq

Skoda has established itself in the mid-sized SUV segment with this Kodiaq, a model now usefully upgraded with a smarter look, both inside and out, and some more efficient engines. You can still have seven seats and four wheel drive. And, whatever spec is chosen, you still get class-leading passenger space. It can still tow up to 2.5-tonnes too - and has one of the largest boots in the class. In other words, you'd have to take this contender seriously.

Market and Model

There are seven trim levels - 'SE', 'SE Drive', 'SE L', 'SE L Executive', 'Sportline', 'L&K' and 'vRS'. Prices start from just over £31,500 for a base petrol variant but if you want 4WD or almost any kind of diesel, you're going to be spending in the £35,000 to £40,000 bracket - or more. That's about the same kind of money you'd need for obvious family SUV rivals that offer a 7-seat options, cars like Kia's Sorento and Peugeot's 5008. Comparable mid-sized 7-seat SUV models like Land Rover's Discovery Sport and Hyundai's Santa Fe will cost you more. The top Kodiaq vRS performance petrol variant costs around £48,000.

New options available with revised Kodiaq models include bigger 20-inch wheels, Matrix intelligent LED headlamps, cooled massaging front seats, a 'Virtual Cockpit' 10.25-inch instrument binnacle display screen and an enhanced Canton sound system. You might also want to look at upgraded the centre-dash infotainment screen from 8.0 to 9.2-inches.

There's also the opportunity of using a 'Skoda Connect' package that gives you various online services, remote access to your car via a downloadable app and a 'Care Connect' system that provides emergency assistance. As for safety, well a 'Front Assist including City Emergency Brake' system is standard, using a radar to scan the road ahead for potential accident hazards as you drive. Adaptive Cruise Control, a 'Driver Alert' system to combat fatigue and a 'Traffic Jam Assist' system are all optional.

Cost of Ownership

Family-sized SUVs used to be thirsty things, but things have had to improve a lot as this market segment has become more popular. The efficiency performance of this Kodiaq illustrates that very well. All the diesel and petrol engines on offer here feature turbocharged direct injection and fulfil EU6d-TEMP emission standards. As you'd expect, all the powerplants feature a Stop-Start system, brake energy recovery and a powerful thermo-management set-up, contributing to low consumption. As a result, the 2.0 TDI 150PS DSG diesel model manages up to 52.3mpg on the WLTP combined cycle and up to 141g/km of WLTP-rated CO2. It benefits from new 'Twin Dosing' tech that reduces NOx pollutants by up to 80%. The 1.5 TSI 150PS petrol variant manages up to 42.8mpg and 150g/km.

Summary

Skoda took its time in bringing us a larger family-sized SUV but what's been delivered with this Kodiaq is a very complete package. The 7-seat option is particularly popular and most customers tend to choose to specify this car in a version that gives them 4WD. You'd certainly have to be quite addicted to badge snobbery to choose a pricier Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace over this Czech contender, the Tiguan after all, using exactly the same engineering and offering less interior space.

Otherwise, all the things that have made Skoda's smaller Crossover models so appealing also apply here. You get 'Simply Clever' design features, decent levels of efficiency and a car built to stand the test of time. We think the Kodiaq will continue to be a familiar sight on our roads.

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