The Kodiaq is our reigning 4×4 of the Year, a title it won on the strength of its all-round abilities as a family SUV. It’s practical, comfortable, well equipped and very well put together. But aside from some fun and games on the reassuringly firm sand of an Irish beach during the vehicle’s launch last summer, we’ve never really taken it off-road.
There’s a good reason for that, of course. Most Kodiaqs are two-wheel drive only – and although traction technology
has improved over time to the point where that’s more than enough to get you places on the sort of rough tracks and loose terrain that make up 99% of the off-roading people actually do in the real world, knowing you’ve got all four looking after you definitely adds a layer of reassurance when you’re out there having adventures.
Skoda does give you the choice of having your Kodiaq with four-wheel drive, though. The engine has to be diesel (there are still many people to whom this is no problem) and, as with every Kodiaq now, you get a DSG auto box as standard, so the choices are much more limited than they used to be in the days when we had a fi rst-gen Scout model on long-term test, but they’re playing the percentages and that’s what your typical SUV buyer wants. And, as evidenced by its monumental popularity, a Kodiaq is what a whole lot of them want too.
Read the full article in the July issue of Overlander 4×4 –
