Am I the target buyer for the second generation of Škoda’s largest SUV? Perhaps I could be as a friend, also single and in his 60s, is older still, and owns the old model. And he loves it. Yet to me, the Kodiaq is for families. Or perhaps also for families.

Most examples of this new model will have the seven-seat layout yet the car lent to me had the less popular two rows of seating. Still, that only reinforced the impression of how extraordinarily commodious the thing is. We are talking Superb levels of head, shoulder and leg room.

Amazing space

Defining that amazing space, the boot volume starts with a nine. As in 910 litres. Then, when I lifted the false floor panel there was even a spare tyre (though it costs an extra GBP170). Flip the seats and the capacity soars to 2,105 litres or if you choose the option of three rows, drops to 340 and 2,035 litres. Later in 2024, the PHEV arrives and due to where the battery is positioned, boot space is instead 745 litres and it has five seats only.

When is Škoda going to be given responsibility for teaching all other Volkswagen Group divisions how to design roomy vehicles? Without making them inconveniently wide, heavy and burdened with oversized (or too many) screens cluttered with features you may rarely use. Or else they beep-flash-nag for attention.

Many of us know people who have the money and desire to buy a new car yet keep hanging on to what they have. Because so many too-techy potential replacements turn them off. Thus it was that I showed the Kodiaq to some friends who adore their high-spec Octavia estate. Now they have a toddler and a pooch so the new SUV ought to be tempting. The good news for Škoda was they liked it. A lot.

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Will Britain again be a big market?

I have a feeling that the generation two model is going to sell up a storm. After all, the first one did, and the UK was one of the largest markets. Škoda notes that some 850,000 were produced between 2016 and 2024 with Britain taking 55,000 of those.

Built in Kvasiny but not Changsha too this time around, the Kodiaq remains a global model exported to many, many markets from the homeland of its maker. There will probably also be assembly in India soon enough but for obvious reasons, not in Russia, nor in Ukraine, unlike generation one.

As for the lack of build by SAIC-Volkswagen, let’s just say that Škoda, like many European and American marques, is not doing too well in China. Outsold even by Jaguar (YtD, locally built models). A real pity that, as the Czech brand was once a star performer in the PRC but price wars and other factors ruined that success.

Now the number four brand Europe-wide

Conversely, here in Europe, things are going very well indeed: the brand is even outselling Audi. And Peugeot. And Dacia. And Renault. And Mercedes. In fact, only VW, Toyota and BMW outperformed it in H1 (source: ACEA data for EU-UK-EFTA). The success is well spread across the region yet Germany is a recent stand-out, Škoda being the number two brand in June – something which has never happened before.

What makes this company’s vehicles such crowd-pleasers?

There has been one obvious factor in the ongoing ascendancy of Škoda; namely value for money. Something else is part of the recipe for success though, that being vehicle sizing which often sits between segments. Look at the many generations of Octavia which some reviewers and forecasters have, oddly, classified as a Compact or C segment model. Since its revival under Volkswagen Group ownership, this has always been a larger car than that.

The new Kodiaq can again be thought of as the SUV equivalent of the Octavia. In other words, more metal for the money and a little longer than the old shape model. We see that too in the new Superb: certain Škodas really are getting quite big. But the Kodiaq is just the right size for families whilst offering the surprise of all that interior space.

Refreshed platform

The 2,791 mm wheelbase is identical to that of the old model, something which proves the platform – MEB evo – is an update of what went before rather than a fresh design. The new shape looks quite different to Kodiaq 1 from every angle and no panels are shared.

When it comes to engines and gearboxes, a dual clutch transmission is standard for all. Most variants are front-wheel drive with AWD for higher-torque Kodiaqs. The plug-in hybrid will sit at the top of the range when it arrives, powered by a 1.5-litre engine and motor combination, their output being 150 kW (204 PS) with a 25.7 kWh battery.

Is 150 PS enough?

The engine most British buyers will choose is the 110 kW (150 PS) 1.5-litre TSI e-TEC, a mild hybrid. There is also a 2.0-litre TSI petrol but that one is not available in the UK. Instead, we have a 2.0-litre diesel with two power outputs, these being 110 kW/150 PS or 142 kW/193 PS. There is no successor for the RS (vRS in Britain).

A sporty Kodiaq seemed a little strange when Škoda added the RS/vRS and while sales volume was only ever fairly minimal it did help to show that the model itself was something special. Is the new shape still an SUV which draws many admirers? Without a doubt. You can at least choose a Sportline trim level, that being positioned above SE (base) and SE L.

Some might feel that 150 horses are not quite enough for a large-ish SUV weighing 1,700 kilos (and the PHEV will be some 150 kg more). The SE-spec five-seater I tested did take its time to reach 62 mph (9.7 seconds) but to its credit, returned 49 mpg (officially: 44.1-47.1mpg Combined WLTP). Emissions are good too, at 136-145 g/km, while top speed is 128 mph.

Comfort the default

The steering defaults to a light feel and there is nothing wrong with that, while nobody will be able to fault the compliance of the suspension system. There isn’t much here for the enthusiast buyer but this is not a sports car. Better to focus on all the good stuff you find after opening any of what are big, solid doors.

The dashboard is logically laid out, contains two gloveboxes, is partly covered in a tweed-like material (SE spec) and there is neoprene for the seat surfaces and some lovely felt inside the vast door bins.

Less screen time

Shifting the transmission selector to the right of the steering column has opened up even more space on what is a wide and deep central console. You do need to take a bit of time to fathom all the functions of the left-hand wand though – it took me a few moments to work out how to activate the rear wiper but I was happy Škoda specifies one.

There are three dials positioned below the central dash vents. These have multiple functions and if it does take a little time to flick between radio volume and fan speed, for example, at least you won’t instead have eyes off the road for too many seconds, stabbing at a screen instead. Lane Assist is equally quick to be deactivated for those who dislike it: just two presses on steering wheel buttons.

Summary

Pricing, size, all that space and seating flexibility plus multiple examples of intelligent design rather than over-digitalisation will surely conspire to make the new Kodiaq a well received entrant in its class.

The as-tested 1.5 TSI e-TEC SE costs GBP36,645 before options. Kodiaq prices stretch from this base variant to GBP46,225 for the 4×4 diesel.