- Doors and Seats
NA
- Engine
NA
- Engine Power
132kW, 320Nm
- Fuel
Petrol 7.6L/100KM
- Transmission
NA
- Warranty
NA
- Ancap Safety
5/5 star (2017)
Family Road Trip: Ningaloo Reef in a Skoda Kodiaq
A thousand-odd kilometres and a couple of days in to an epic West Australian journey with the Skoda Kodiaq and my mission with the new seven-seat SUV was becoming clearer: to catch it out and out-clever the first affordable European seven-seat SUV available Down Under.
On paper it looks strong and out of the blocks the car is a few points ahead, but as I lean in to the middle row footwell I clock my noggin on one of the brackets for tablet computers bolted on to the back of the front-seat headrests. At the time I hadn’t thought much of it, but when my five-year-old repeated the feat a few days later (in a hail of tears) it went down as an early – albeit small – points deduction against a car planned to change the perception of the Czech brand.
Too clever for its own good? It’s too early to call it, but clearly there’s more to the Kodiaq story.
The trip
Our journey kicked off in Perth with a vast coastline to explore.
The targets were Shark Bay (home to Monkey Mia) and Ningaloo - Australia’s other reef – to the north.
More than 1200km of expansive bitumen littered with everything from caravans (there were plenty), road trains (enough) and kangaroos and emus (our coat of arms is bountifully safe).
While the Kodiaq is a seven-seater, the third row isn’t reporting for duty for this trip, instead folding neatly into the floor to create a 630-litre luggage area.
Our sizeable stack of bags had the airport cabbies convinced we needed a maxi-taxi to transport crew and gear. But it shoehorned in the Kodiaq with surprising ease. Such is its baggage-swallowing ability we shift the middle seats rearward slightly to give our five- and seven-year-olds more toddler legroom, in the process creating a spacious kid cave.
Cruise control
With the cruise control dialled up the Kodiaq makes for easy motoring. The 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo engine isn’t particularly powerful, with just 132kW. But there’s a hearty 320Nm mid-rev shove courtesy of a nicely tuned turbo that allows for relaxed motoring.
While it calls for premium unleaded, it doesn’t use much of it; amble along around 100km/h and you can sip 7.0 litres per 100km or less.
But we’re keen to take advantage of the higher 110km/h limits common throughout Western Australia, sacrificing some efficiency for less time watching a procession of white lines.
The myriad caravans and occasional road train were quickly disposed of, the sweet four-cylinder happily revving to 6200rpm before cleanly slotting into the next of its seven ratios.
The swiftness of the transmission to dice down a gear or two makes for sprightly responses and easy overtaking, albeit ones that requires a decent prod of the throttle to keep those revs momentarily high.
Kid friendly
Unintended headbutts aside, the Kodiaq was winning hearts in the rear. Retractable side blinds were regularly employed to block out the morning and evening glare. And decent door pockets and a folding arm rest add to the hidey holes kids do so well at sniffing out.
Those tablet holders were a mixed bag; handy for watching movies, but less of a novelty when engaging in a game, at which point it made more sense to revert to holding them on laps.
That said, for kids prone to motion sickness, having screens up high could save unwanted washing.
Speaking of which, the mix of Alcantara and leather on the seats makes for a classy but versatile finish that’s easily cleaned, as we discover during an early inspection; no bodily excretions, but the occasional wayward crumb and escaped sultana that required rescuing.
One of the Kodiaq’s party tricks is its door protectors that pop out to cover the edge of the paint. They’re a great backup for kids eager to alight, although not perfect, occasionally misaligning with the scallops and curves on doors of other vehicles.
Forward thinking
Up front, there were no complaints from my co-pilot.
The sound system, by relative unknown Canton, has decent bass and clarity for above-average audio quality at this end of the market. It also syncs nicely to our iPhones using Apple Carplay, although - as is common with the tech - there’s the occasional gremlin to upset the streaming order.
At one stage Spotify wants to play at double speed, requiring a reboot by reconnecting. Another time Apple Maps misses a turn, one that could have led us to another part of the continent by the time phone range had returned. We’ll blame those one on Palo Alto’s finest rather than the car.
Elsewhere, separate temperature zones eliminate any climatic disagreements and there’s ample storage for the odds and ends that seem to accumulate with every kilometre.
A big mention, too, to the small bin in the front door, something that takes care of those little bits of rubbish that can so easily make a home elsewhere (and, seemingly, anywhere) cars.
On the road (again)
Long and (vaguely) straight sums up a lot of WA roads. But there are enough bends to allow the suspension and steering to do their things.
Even heavily laden, the Kodiaq is confident and points accurately, its grippy 19-inch Hankook rubber holding on beautifully.
There’s still that tendency to lean, but it’s nicely contained, making for a semi-sporty temperament, by SUV standards.
Undulations and bumps are quickly and efficiently dealt with, too.
Early in our adventure I muck around with the Adaptive Chassis Control that is part of the Launch Pack fitted to our car. Able to subtly soften or stiffen the shock absorbers with the Comfort or Sport modes, it’s the mid Normal model that delivers the best compromise for our tastes.
Somehow the around-town low speed suspension compliance seems more compliant than its 110km/h performance.
That said, it eats away the miles with ease.
And off-road
The Kodiaq isn’t a full bore off-roader and, as such, is not designed to faithfully follow the bull-barred behemoths common out here.
I’m also constantly conscious of the space saver spare tucked under the boot floor. All of which limits where we can (or can’t) go.
Watching a Prado struggle (just) over some soft sand near Coral Bay is enough for me to raise the white flag, opting against the very real prospect of getting bogged. Yet that was one extreme.
In between there were many opportunities to utilise the full-time four-wheel drive system, from pristine beaches – such as that around Little Lagoon, near Denham – to trails and craggy hills.
Selecting the Off-Road mode dials up electronics (including traction control) better suited to low grip situations.
With one or two wheels spinning it’s impressively effective in channelling drive to where there’s grip.
Easing up a steep, rocky and rutted trail and the Kodiaq makes surprising progress, all the while being careful not to leave scars underneath.
Less impressive is the twin clutch gearbox, which sometimes needs to build revs to launch, occasionally re-engaging with too much vigour. At one stage while starting off in soft sand the momentary pause almost gets us stuck.
It’s a reminder that despite the many advantages of such transmissions – quick shifts and improved efficiency - there are times when a traditional auto would do a cleaner job.
Later, it’s with some regret I backed out of crossing Yardie Creek, the most challenging part of the Coral Coast drive. Seeing a Hilux ute get stuck in sand tempered my enthusiasm, although in hindsight some careful wheel placement and planning – as well as momentum and pace - likely would have seen the Skoda through.
The finish line
Heading back to Perth gives us our first splash of rain in weeks.
During a brief stop it’s an opportunity to use the umbrellas built into the front doors. Sure, they’re small – but they’re a lot better than the umbrellas that don’t exist in anything south of a Rolls-Royce.
Hiding under the umbrella also gives me a chance to add up the scores, adding another point for the addition of such water repellers.
The Kodiaq is not perfect, then again no car is. And it doesn’t reset the seven-seat benchmark. But it does provide an impressive mix of ability - on- and off-road - in a sensibly-sized wagon with value aplenty, right down to its five-year warranty.
Does it have the goods to put Skoda on the map?
It’s less quirky than others in the lineup, but dials up the cleverness - with varying degrees of success.
Handing back the keys back I thought we’d caught it out.
A credit card has mysteriously gone missing, presumably swallowed by a small crack in the centre console.
The dealer quickly removes some plastic panels but it didn’t reveal the missing money eater, suggesting the car was better at hiding than I thought. Or my plastic fantastic had gone missing elsewhere.
A win all-round then.
Skoda Kodiaq 132TSI Price and Specifications
The car: Skoda Kodiaq 132TSI
Price: From $42,990; $49,590 as tested
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo petrol
Power: 132kW at 3900-6000rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1400-3940rpm
Distance travelled: 3634km (including freeway, back roads, beaches, tracks, and city peak hour)
Claimed fuel use: 7.6L/100km (95-octane premium unleaded)
Fuel use: 9.2L/100km
The route
Our WA adventure left Perth for the spectacular Pinnacles only a few hours north.
From there it was the coastal road through Geraldton and Carnarvon.
Things get narrower following the turn-off to Coral Bay and Exmouth, where the starkness and vastness of Australia are on display.
Following a thorough exploration of Ningaloo Reef (do it!) it was backtracking to Shark Bay on the way to Monkey Mia, where side tracks allow for exploration of all manner of sand and rocky tracks.
Back on the highway south to Perth and it was the fastest route back, taking a detour in the Swan Valley on the way into town.
The full stop on a memorable road trip that reinforces how much more you can see in a car.
Back to basics
It was only a decade ago Australians hadn’t heard of Skoda. The Volkswagen-owned Czech brand arrived with plans to offer European engineering smattered with Czech thoughtfulness in a more affordable package than those offered by its parent company.
It’s been a slow burn and the brand has faced increased competition from a market that has evolved enormously and dealt with everything from aspirational Chinese newcomers to a dying local industry.
But as the German-owned Czech brand blows out the candles on its tenth birthday locally the Kodiaq has arrived as arguably its most significant new model.
The Kodiaq lobs in a market where substance, practicality and value are king. Hyundai and Kia managed to barge down traditional brand boundaries to make their respective Santa Fe and Sorento SUVs loved by families the country over.
The Kodiaq arrives with a simple model range; for now there’s just a single petrol model, although a diesel will follow within months.
At 4697mm long and 1882mm long the Kodiaq is shorter and narrower than key seven-seat large SUV rivals such as the Toyota Kluger and Mazda CX-9. No surprises, then, that it’s not quite as spacious inside.
However, it’s larger than the popular Nissan X-Trail, Honda CR-V and Mitsubishi Outlander, mid-sized SUVs each now available with seven seats.
In some ways, then, the Kodiaq occupies a neat middle ground that should prove appealing to families of two, three or four kids.
The $42,990 (plus on-road and dealer costs) price, too, also undercuts the big SUVs by thousands once you factor in the all-wheel drive system that costs extra on most rivals.