Cleverly packaged size will be a key part of the Kodiaq’s appeal.
This is a five/seven-seat SUV measuring less than 4.7 metres at the kerb – and therefore only 40mm longer than an Octavia hatchback and shorter than a Superb saloon.
It’s very marginally longer than a Mitsubishi Outlander and a Nissan X-Trail – the cars whose market position the Kodiaq most closely threatens – but considerably shorter and smaller than the decidedly less European-feeling Sorento.
To those who want an SUV that delivers large on interior space without looking so large outwardly, that may be a strong selling point.
As a result of being comparatively compact and using the advanced MQB platform as its basis, the Kodiaq is relatively light.
Entry-level models, powered by a 123bhp 1.4-litre turbo petrol engine and driven exclusively by their front wheels, weigh less than 1.5 tonnes, says Skoda. Although the claimed kerb weight of our diesel, four-wheel-drive, fully loaded test car tops 1750kg, that’s still a good 150kg less than many equivalent seven-seat 4x4s.
