- 3 hours ago
The second-generation Skoda Kodiaq looks familiar at first glance, but the real story is in the details, the packaging, and the surprising mix of space, tech and quirks. In this test drive and review, the new family SUV is put under the microscope to see whether it really deserves the praise it gets in Germany and the UK.
The car is longer than before, with revised headlights, a new grille, updated tail lamps and a more modern cockpit with two screens instead of an analog cluster. Inside, there is more storage, a smarter center console, three physical rotary controls, and a practical seven-seat layout with plenty of legroom. The review also digs into the claimed boot capacity, the comfort of the seats, the diesel and petrol engine range, and the plug-in hybrid option.
It is not all praise, though. The infotainment logic, buried ESP settings, aggressive lane keeping assist and a few front-camera glitches raise questions about the electronics. On the road, the Kodiaq is competent, reasonably quick in diesel all-wheel-drive form, and still feels like a big, capable SUV for real-world family use.
For viewers searching for a Skoda Kodiaq review, family SUV comparison, 7-seater SUV test drive, diesel SUV impressions, or a practical new car review, this is a detailed look at the 2024 Skoda Kodiaq and how it fits into the crowded crossover market. It is also useful for anyone comparing the Kodiaq with rivals like the Kia Sorento, Honda CR-V or Hyundai Santa Fe.
The car is longer than before, with revised headlights, a new grille, updated tail lamps and a more modern cockpit with two screens instead of an analog cluster. Inside, there is more storage, a smarter center console, three physical rotary controls, and a practical seven-seat layout with plenty of legroom. The review also digs into the claimed boot capacity, the comfort of the seats, the diesel and petrol engine range, and the plug-in hybrid option.
It is not all praise, though. The infotainment logic, buried ESP settings, aggressive lane keeping assist and a few front-camera glitches raise questions about the electronics. On the road, the Kodiaq is competent, reasonably quick in diesel all-wheel-drive form, and still feels like a big, capable SUV for real-world family use.
For viewers searching for a Skoda Kodiaq review, family SUV comparison, 7-seater SUV test drive, diesel SUV impressions, or a practical new car review, this is a detailed look at the 2024 Skoda Kodiaq and how it fits into the crowded crossover market. It is also useful for anyone comparing the Kodiaq with rivals like the Kia Sorento, Honda CR-V or Hyundai Santa Fe.
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MotorTranscript
00:00are you looking for a family mpv well you're out of luck because there aren't many around
00:05so you have no choice but to look for a family suv either way you really don't care what you're
00:10going to drive so you may just as well end up with the skoda kodiak this is the second generation
00:16of
00:16the czech export hit which sells better in germany and the uk than it does in its home country
00:22let's find out if it's as good as the germans and the brits think it is
00:41i also recorded a comparison of the new skoda kodiak and the facelifted kia sorento
00:46channel members get to watch this video early and without ads
00:55so
01:05so
01:26skoda is part of the volkswagen group so you can be sure facelifts are so saddled you can barely
01:31notice them and new generations can be mistaken for facelifts although the second generation skoda
01:36kodiak is six centimeters longer than its predecessor and now measures almost 476 centimeters
01:42in length it's basically a result of three centimeters longer overhangs front and rear
01:47while the wheelbase remained virtually unchanged at 279 centimeters at just over 186 centimeters the
01:55new kodiak is around two centimeters narrower than its predecessor but this could be a matter of
02:00differently shaped fenders because the interior feels about the same the new kodiak is also about
02:06168 centimeters high which is some two millimeters lower than the outgoing model and this is reflected
02:12in two millimeters lower ground clearance so has anything changed the headlights you may not notice
02:20at first so i'll tell you the first generation facelift model had seemingly obsolete indents in
02:26the bumper which are now filled with the wider lower parts of the headlights and the upper part of the
02:31headlights is now a bit thinner also these are second generation led matrix headlights what does
02:38it mean apparently there are 50 percent more light sources and they are 15 percent brighter and this
02:45should mean better lighting of the road while at the same time more fluid cutting out of other vehicles
02:51so as not to dazzle other drivers unfortunately i won't be able to show it to you because on the
02:57third day of the test i saw a bunch of error messages related to all the front camera based systems
03:03such
03:03as traffic sign recognition collision warning lane keeping assist or the automatic headlights
03:11the grill features some bling which is reflected in the stripe running across the tailgate
03:15and there are new tail lamps as well this really sounds like a facelift
03:20the biggest change visible from the side is the d-pillar with satin finish on the selection trim
03:25and piano black finish on the sportline trim and this is also new only two trims but both with a
03:33lot of
03:33kit as standard the vw group brands are known for creative approach to many issues for example emissions
03:43or boot capacity as i explained earlier the second generation kodiak has almost identical external
03:50dimensions to the first generation and i would assume the inside is the same however boot capacity
03:55has magically exploded from 720 liters in 2017 through 835 liters after the facelift to 910 liters in the
04:04second generation let's assume the boot has 120 centimeters depth is 110 centimeters wide and 55 centimeters
04:12high to the window line assuming a regular cuboid we'd have 726 liters and in order to expand said cuboid
04:20to 910 liters we'd have to make the boot 15 centimeters deeper and wider scoda designers may be simply
04:28clever but not that clever i assume the exorbitant cargo volume was achieved by measuring the boot
04:35of a unicorn base spec five seater with front wheel drive no spare wheel with the seats in their second
04:41row pushed all the way forward backrests set vertically etc and maybe maybe then they managed to achieve 910
04:49liters what do you see here is about 550 600 liters depending on the floor position and with the
04:55seats pushed forward all the way we may get close to 720 liters reported back in 2017. also this is
05:03a skoda
05:04and i don't see many simply clever gadgets it seems skoda no longer boasts about them in its press release
05:10there is only mention of the umbrellas in the doors and the ice scraper being responsibly manufactured
05:16okay there are levers to fold the second row backrests but these don't go all the way down
05:21you have to go around and push them to lock flat the shopping bag hooks are large and the cargo
05:27cover
05:27fits under the boot floor the floor has a hook which means you can go about arranging stuff in the
05:33boot
05:33and the floor won't hit you in the head no changes in the rear a lot of legroom with the
05:42seats all the way
05:43back and still decent amount of legroom with the seats all the way front leaving some space for
05:50passengers in the optional third row by the way in the first generation the proportion of clients choosing
05:56five or seven seat versions was 60 40 just like the seat splits however the backrest splits 40 20 40
06:04and the backrest angle is adjustable there is third zone climate control two usb-c ports
06:12a 12 volt outlet side seats are heated there are pockets in the front seat backs in the doors
06:20and there are cup holders in the armrest more noticeable changes are in the cockpit and one
06:28could assume this is enough for a new generation however due to new regulations regarding safety
06:34systems and resulting need to further digitize the cars some brands changed entire interfaces and cockpit
06:41layouts without waiting for the facelift or new generation like bmw for example where traditional
06:46cockpit was replaced by a two screen panel from a given production week depending on a model
06:55skoda now also has two displays no more analog instrument cluster also the gear selector is behind
07:00the steering wheel like on vw id models or in the skoda eniac manual gearbox is no longer an option
07:06so
07:07there was no point occupying real estate on the tunnel where we now have more space for a double wireless
07:12charger cup holders cubbies and even a wiper for the screen
07:20an interesting design exercise are the three physical multi-function dials
07:25the two on the sides are for temperature and seat heaters as well as seat ventilation
07:30if the car is equipped in this option the middle knob can control volume fan speed fan direction
07:36or map zoom in the ph ev variant it apparently can also control powertrain modes next to the knobs
07:44are some buttons for basic climate related functions everything else is on the infotainment screen
07:51the infotainment system is uh is it didn't crash but its logic eludes me for example in order to turn
07:59off
08:00esp or put it on in sport mode for some reason you have to go into the main menu click
08:05vehicle then
08:06select the vehicle view then select brakes and this is where esp settings are now how often do you need
08:14to access those settings probably not very often so it's fine if they're buried deep down in the menu
08:19right well no because this one time i'll really need to turn esp off i won't remember where to look
08:25let's imagine i'm on a family skiing trip and i get stuck in a parking lot in the snow not
08:30a problem
08:31i've got an suv with all-wheel drive i just need to turn off esp to get some momentum the
08:36kids are
08:36screaming of course and the missus is giving me the i should have married andrew talk because clearly
08:41we're all going to die in the parking lot next to the fish and chips joint but that doesn't matter
08:46because she's already imagining herself in the arms of some lumber sexual high school crush now i'm
08:52trying not to panic and find a bloody esp setting off to get us unstuck and salvage any remaining
08:58dignity i have did i paint a realistic enough picture anyway moving on skoda cleverly uses new
09:09upholstery to mask that not much has changed inside beside the new screens there is still a double glove
09:15box storage under the armrest is slightly different but the door pockets are still big
09:21of course this and other upholsteries are more responsible than you when you cut out the
09:26plastic window from the envelope to separate your recycling properly i like this design selection lounge
09:32upholstery though i imagine it's not something for families with small kids they'll probably choose
09:37responsible leather aka that recycling envelope window and your other trash unfortunately there doesn't
09:45seem to be a beige option anymore just black or brown the seats are very comfortable they have a broad
09:52range
09:53of adjustment and settings can be saved with buttons regardless of driver profiles which aren't really
09:58necessary unless you want to take advantage of some additional phev settings
10:18skoda kodiak is available either with front wheel drive or all-wheel drive the base engine is a 1.5
10:24liter
10:24tsi or etsi and vw speak 150 horsepower engine as you're watching this the 2 liter 204 horsepower tsi
10:32petrol engine with all-wheel drive should also be available to order then we have a 2 liter diesel 150
10:38horsepower front wheel drive or 193 horsepower all-wheel drive and finally there is the 1.5 liter tsi based
10:46phdv with front wheel drive and system output of 204 horsepower the claimed electric range is more than 100
10:53kilometers and there's even 50 kilowatt dc charging this test car is the all-wheel drive diesel claimed
11:030 to 100 kilometers per hour time is 7.8 seconds there are no eco normal sport or off-road
11:09modes just a
11:11sport setting for the gearbox and sport esp the sport esp along with the sport gearbox setting unlock launch
11:17control yes your 2 liter diesel has launch control and that allows it to achieve 7.8 seconds from
11:24standstill to 100 kilometers per hour in normal mode it's 8 seconds and a bit because the computer is
11:30trying to keep emissions in check fuel economy driving normally is in the low 7s combined skoda promises
11:37between 6 and 6.6 liters per 100 kilometers combined
11:44the suspension is in my opinion too stiff but i suppose you can do yourself a favor and skip the
11:50optional 20 inch rims driving impressions are like in a family suv it goes straight it goes around corners
11:57kind of it breaks i have a feeling soundproofing has improved slightly since the last generation
12:04and that's even without the optional front side acoustic windows that or i'm just going deaf with age
12:12so many driver aids are mandatory these days that there's no point listing what this car has as
12:17standard you can turn off isa with a couple of clicks of buttons on the steering wheel same with lane
12:23keeping assist which is still too aggressive for my liking if it works because as i mentioned at the
12:32beginning of this episode all front camera based systems stopped working maybe it's enough to
12:40disconnect the battery terminal and everything will reset itself i don't know maybe it's a bigger service
12:47job i don't know but i don't like it this is a brand new car
12:59skoda offers several park assist features actually it offers two and the third one will come soon the
13:04third one is remote parking via the app the car will be able to park perpendicular or parallel in a
13:10selected spot while the driver controls it remotely via the app of course you have to be within four
13:15meters from the car for it to work then there's your regular automatic parking in a spot which the car
13:22sees
13:22but the drivers behind the wheel and finally there is so-called trained parking the car remembers the
13:28location and maneuvers and repeats them to park here i encountered the same problem as in the vw id5
13:34skoda is unable to drive up a small incline in my driveway and now let's do my all-wheel drive
13:42diagonal
13:43approach test i stop halfway up this incline so that two wheels on the diagonal have limited traction
13:49and then i try to get going again since there are no off-road modes i just tried the normal
13:54mode
13:55with esp on and off it's clear the skoda hasn't been designed for this but in the dry it made
14:02it okay
14:02good luck in the snow she should have married andrew andrew drives an old defender and i hope
14:08she freezes her skinny bum off in it prices of the second generation skoda kodiaq start at 41 990 euro
14:24for the front wheel drive mild hybrid in selection trim it costs four and a half grand extra to get
14:30the sport line the cheapest diesel costs three and a half thousand euro more than the petrol and a phdv
14:36will set you back at least 48 500 euro this all-wheel drive diesel in selection trim with options cost
14:42sixty one thousand five hundred euro the skoda kodiaq offers a lot of interior space decent performance
14:50and it's not ridiculously expensive because expensive it is and the electronics don't inspire confidence
14:57remember the good old days when we used to worry about electronic gremlins acting up in a 10 year old
15:02car
15:05and what do you think about the second generation skoda kodiaq let me know in the comment section below
15:12if you like my sarcastic down-to-earth and possibly mildly amusing car reviews join me every friday at 3
15:19pm central european time and don't forget to subscribe and like this video as it helps me
15:24with the youtube algorithm thanks for watching and i will see you in the next one