Skoda Kodiaq review

There’s an enormous amount of space in the front of the Skoda Kodiaq, with enough adjustment on the seat and steering wheel for anyone to get comfy. And, regardless of your height, you’ll get a good view of the road ahead thanks to the raised driving position.

On SE Drive and SE L cars, both the driver’s and front passenger seats come with adjustable lumbar support, which is a great feature for avoiding backache on long journeys. You can upgrade to electrically adjustable front seats, but they’re a pricey option, which makes them hard to justify.

The second row of seats will be comfortable even for six-footers, because of the acres of kneeroom and headroom back there. There’s loads of space under the front seats for your passengers’ feet, too, and seven-seat models feature reclining middle-row seats for even more comfort – you can stretch out as if you were in a limo. Admittedly, the central seat is a little bit raised and a little firm, so it’s not quite so comfy if you are in the middle row and you are sitting alongside two adults.

Unlike in the VW Touran, only the outermost middle seats come with Isofix points, so you can’t fit three child seats side-by-side. However, if you do need to transport young kids, fitting a child seat is a breeze. The vast rear doors open wide and the Isofix anchor points are clearly marked, although you’ll have to remove a pair of easy-to-lose black plastic caps to clip the seat base in place.

The most basic Skoda Kodiaq, in SE trim, comes with five or seven seats, while at the other end of the range, the Scout and Sportline models come only as seven-seaters.

In seven-seat models, the middle row of seats slides once you’ve folded down the seat backs, which helps anyone jumping into the rearmost seats. For adults to fit in the rearmost seats, you’ll have to push the middle row forwards, but even then head and kneeroom will be cramped at best: anyone approaching six foot will struggle to get comfortable, even on short journeys. There’s plenty of room for kids, though, and the seats themselves are pretty comfortable.

Speaking of kids, the Skoda Kodiaq’s huge rear windows give a great view out and the cabin’s airy feel should help reduce car sickness on long journeys.

Inside the Skoda Kodiaq, there are more than enough handy cubbies to hide away a raft of family odds and ends. The huge front door bins can easily swallow two bottles of water and there’s a large storage compartment under the front armrest.

The glovebox is pretty big, too, and there’s even a neat second cubby hidden above it. Behind the gear lever, the two cupholders are positioned so that you won’t knock anything over with your elbow when you change gear, while the small tray under the dashboard is the perfect size for a mobile phone.

Even in the back, the doors come with sizeable pockets – big enough to hold a 1.5-litre bottle each – and there are three cupholders in the central rear armrest, too. Skoda hasn’t forgotten the people in the rearmost seats, either, as the passengers are treated to a small cubby each, although they’ll have to share the single small cupholder.

The Skoda Kodiaq also comes with handy features that’ll be life-savers in daily life, such as umbrellas hidden in the doors, an ice scraper under the fuel cap and a removable magnetic torch that’s stored in the boot.

With all seven seats upright, the Skoda Kodiaq boot only has as much space as a VW Polo – about 270 litres – but that’s still just enough room to squeeze a stroller and a few soft bags in the boot.

When you fold down that rearmost pair, you have 630 litres to play with. Five-seat models can carry an even more impressive 835 litres with five seats in place, but there’s a more sizeable load lip than in seven-seat models. As a result, lifting heavy items in and out is a little more difficult.

Otherwise, Skoda has given an impressive amount of thought to making the car easy to live with. For example, there’s space under the boot floor to store the luggage cover and hide away a few small valuables. There’s also a hanging rail for shopping bags and some handy tethering hooks fitted as standard.

If you need to carry even more luggage, the centre row of seats folds in a standard 60:40 split, although only five-seat models have handy seat-folding levers in the boot – you’ll have to reach forward and use the buttons on the seatbacks in seven-seat cars.

With the rear seats folded, you’ll be able to carry 2,005 litres in the seven-seat Skoda Kodiaq and 2,065 litres in five-seat versions. Or, looked at another way, both can fit a mountain bike with both its wheels attached without any problem at all. Thanks to such a van-like load bay, you’ll find carrying bulky furniture a breeze, and the completely flat floor in seven-seat cars means you can slide heavy boxes in and out easily.