Text and photos by Timo Eskeli

The first impression is that this car has the makings of a sales success. The car is spacious, nice looking and has just the right amount of luxury.

However, the car is unlikely to irritate many with its looks. It’s not a car that’s been forced into a life of eccentricity.

So far, Škoda has been particularly successful with the Octavia’s staggering sales results. The Octavia is known as a good car to drive at a reasonable price.

Škoda’s big SUV has been a long time coming. Now it seems that the time is ripe. The Kodiaq is the Czech carmaker’s first large SUV.

The car’s popularity is reflected in its delivery time, which, according to the importer, is currently between 8 and 9 months.

There are certainly users for this type of car. I myself feel that I belong to the target group of users of this car. I need a versatile car.

Sometimes you need a lot of space, you need to be able to tow a car trailer and a boat, sometimes you need to go on less favourable surfaces.

The design of the car shows a strong resemblance to Audi’s SUVs in the side profile. The front end, on the other hand, is typical of a Škoda.

A big car

The size of the car is difficult to perceive, especially from a distance. But once inside, you realise it’s a relatively big car. The car measures 4.70 metres in total. The test-drive version has three rows of seats, making a total of seven.

The car is powered by a two-litre, 190-horsepower diesel. The first reaction is to wonder how much power is needed for such a massive car and for such a massive purpose.

However, the performance is surprisingly good. The car takes off very briskly. Of course, I immediately threw on the Sport setting, which gives the best performance and the firmest chassis.

As it happens, there was also an opportunity to test the car’s traction. There was a car trailer in the yard with a nearly two-tonne car on top of it. Go ahead and test the traction of a four-wheel drive car.

The combination came along just fine. The truck behaved very calmly, even though the load was a bit backwards, which makes towing more of a challenge.

The Kodiaq has a towing capacity of 2.5, tonnes, which is good news for enthusiasts and professionals who need to move large trailers in their work.

Very versatile

The good thing about the truck is its versatility. The car converts from a seven-seater passenger car to a large minivan. At the moment there is around 2,000 litres of luggage space.

There is plenty of room on the rear seats. You can also adjust the seats to get the optimum seating position. The third-row seats are suitable for the smallest members of the family or adults for short journeys.

The Kodiaq is a well-balanced package overall. It will indeed be interesting to see how well customers find it in the face of stiff competition. In terms of price, the product is at least competitive in its size category.

The Kodiaq is available in both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive. The cheapest front-wheel-drive version costs just over EUR 30 000.

The cheapest four-wheel drive model costs just under €36 000.

The test-driven model is the top of the range and costs just over €60,000 with all the options.