From Pick‑up to Estate: Why the Skoda Kodiaq Is More Than Just an SUV

The Skoda Kodiaq, a seven‑seater priced at £55,000, proves to be more than a conventional SUV. In a long‑term test, Deputy road‑test editor Richard Lane compared it to an Audi SQ5, noting the SQ5’s limited cargo space for a fridge, whereas the Kodiaq comfortably fits one. Lane also spent time in a Vauxhall Mokka and a Corsa, but the Kodiaq’s practicality stood out. He loaded the vehicle for a couple of nights in a shepherd’s hut, stacked it with old flooring and rubbish from his youngest’s flat to a recycling centre, and hauled a load of shed‑building materials, including 2.4‑metre‑long boarding, from a DIY shop. While the cabin isn’t long enough to fit those items behind the front seats, the space between the seats can be used by loading through and onto the centre armrest. Because the gear selector sits on the steering column, items up to 2.6 or 2.7 metres long can be accommodated. Lane placed a rag on the armrest to protect the leather or pleather from scratches, noting the sawdust from freshly bought feather‑edge cladding. He remarked that the Kodiaq, though a £55,000 car, feels plush and is not merely utilitarian. The seats fold flat with a single pull of a fabric loop, and the thick carpeted seatbacks give it a more willing holdall feel than more overtly luxurious cars. The vRS variant is the least utilitarian of the Kodiaqs, featuring big supportive seats, red stitching, and a bulky cockpit that “sort of melds the feeling of a pick‑up truck with a mid‑’90s JDM coupe,” Lane said, calling it “weird but appealing.” He noted that the Kodiaq, while billed as an SUV, resembles an estate more closely, being much longer than it is tall. Skoda still produces popular family estates like the Octavia and Superb, but the Kodiaq is not a traditional SUV. It offers easier ingress and egress than an Octavia, is less efficient but incredibly practical, and challenges the conventional SUV label.