Bay Harbour: August 07, 2019

PAGE 16 Wednesday August 7 2019
BAY HARBOUR
Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
Kodiaq RS continues Skoda sport tradition
Motoring
Ross Kiddie
THERE’S NO denying that sport
utility vehicles are the cars of
choice for today’s buyer. Sales
figures globally are heavily biased
in that direction.
The choice is overwhelming,
especially in the mid-size
sector. If family or recreational
requirements facilitate the
need for an SUV, but you want
something just a little bit different
in your purchase – something
biased towards sporty – then
Skoda has the car for you, the
Kodiaq RS.
The Kodiaq has been with
us for a year or so now, and it
lands here in three variants, an
entry-level model at $44,990, a
high-grade Sportline at $64,990,
and just recently an RS model has
joined the ranks. The RS sits at
$71,990 and is characterised by its
flashy looks, inside and out, and
high power driveline.
Herein lies a secret. Under
the bonnet sits a 2-litre diesel
engine, and while you wouldn’t
ordinarily expect diesel to be the
basis for performance, you have to
remember that Skoda, in the past
has had many sports models with
diesel engines, and I can report
that is a concept the company does
very well, even in motorsport.
In the Kodiaq, the
turbocharged four-cylinder unit
pumps out 176kW and a feisty
500Nm at the bottom end. The
latter is the ingredient that makes
the RS so special, not only is the
specific output high, maximum
torque is available from 1750rpm
to 2500rpm, which is the area
where the engine wants to
constantly work. As a result, there
is dynamic engine performance,
mid-range boost will offer a
4.2sec overtaking time (80-
120km/h), and an off-the-mark
time of 7sec to make 100km/h
from a standstill.
Even if you aren’t in a hurry,
there is a constant willingness
from the engine that tantalises
the driver, and if you take into
account there is manufactured
exhaust sound which throbs
constantly, the RS is hard to drive
without wanting to give it some
freedom.
There are several drive modes,
and depending on which is
activated the exhaust sound can
be encouraged or left in a more
subtle tone. The Kodiaq is also
a pretty useful off-roader, there
are modes which channel power
more usefully through the fourwheel-drive
platform.
SKODA KODIAQ RS: Sporty variant with diesel engine.
There is also another element
which adds spice to the
driveline, power is channelled
through a seven-speed direct
shift transmission, and this
configuration is one of my
favourites.
DSG is more of a manual-type
gearbox, although there are only
two foot pedals; the beauty of
this is the lack of load through
the transmission, engine power
is mostly unimpeded, and
with quick shifts the feeling of
performance is well enhanced.
I took the test car through
some of the tight, hilly roads
close to Sheffield, and although
the weather had closed in and the
roads were greasy I felt at ease in
the RS. Grip in the first instance
is supplied by sticky Pirelli
Scorpion tyres (235/45 x 20in)
and they offer substantial steering
feel along with direct turn-in.
It has to be remembered the
Kodiaq has traditional SUV
handling, it sits high at almost
1.7m, and with long-travel
suspension it isn’t as nimble as
a sedan, however, the spring
and damper rates arrest body
movement well, along with the
parameters that allow for high
occupant comfort. You’d expect
nothing less from this Czech
Republic manufacturer which has
drawn significant build quality
direction from the Volkswagen
group.
Perhaps one of the most
exciting aspects the RS offers is
the point-to-point ability, it will
lunge out of corner and blast
without lag through the paddle
shift system to the point where
speed needs to be chiselled off,
high grade brakes take care of
that and with the grip naturally
associated with four-wheel-drive
• Price – Skoda Kodiaq RS,
$71,990
• Dimensions – Length,
4699mm; width, 2087mm;
height, 1685mm
• Configuration – Fourcylinder,
four-wheel-drive,
1968cc, 176kW, 500Nm,
seven-speed automatic.
• Performance –
0-100km/h, 7sec
• Fuel usage – 7.7l/100km
the RS feels well attached to the
road, it is dynamic and forceful
when asked to respond.
This is all from a car which
has a vastly different role to play
as well, it is the quintessential
mid-size seven-seater that also
looks after its occupants in terms
of fitment and specification and
safety. At $72k it needs to be well
appointed, and I can report it
leaves little to chance.
It also has fuel economy on its
side, Skoda claims a combined
cycle average of 7.7-litres per
100km (36mpg).
It takes a very special car to
win the New Zealand Motoring
Writer’s Guild Car of the Year
Award and the Kodiaq took
honours for 2017.
Obviously, that recognition
speaks for itself, the RS adds
another ingredient into the
equation, it certainly captured my
attention with its performance,
economy yet practicality all
thrown in for good measure.
Ferrymead
Relentless:
A Story of Grit and Endurance from the
First Person to Kayak the Tasman Solo
by Scott Donaldson
The story of Scott Donaldson’s relentless journey to
be the first person to cross the Tasman sea solo in a
kayak
Unpredictable and unforgiving, the Tasman Sea is one
of the most hostile stretches of water in the world. An Australian
adventurer attempted to kayak across in 2007, disappearing
without a trace. In 2018 Kiwi adventurer Scott Donaldson spent
two months alone at sea to achieve a world first. It was his third
attempt, having fallen a heartbreaking 80 kilometres short in 2014.
Donaldson’s world first is an inspirational story of dogged
perseverance, true Kiwi grit and relentless endurance.
Tidelands
by Philippa Gregory
England 1648. A dangerous time for a woman to be different . . .
Midsummer’s Eve, 1648, and England is in the grip of civil war between
renegade King and rebellious Parliament. The struggle reaches every
corner of the kingdom, even to the remote Tidelands - the marshy
landscape of the south coast.
Alinor, a descendant of wise women, crushed by poverty and superstition,
waits in the graveyard under the full moon for a ghost who will declare
her free from her abusive husband. Instead she meets James, a young
man on the run, and shows him the secret ways across the treacherous
marsh, not knowing that she is leading disaster into the heart of her life.
Suspected of possessing dark secrets in superstitious times, Alinor’s
ambition and determination mark her out from her neighbours. This is
the time of witch-mania, and Alinor, a woman without a husband, skilled
with herbs, suddenly enriched, arouses envy in her rivals and fear among
the villagers, who are ready to take lethal action into their own hands.
WIN THIS BOOK
ENTER TO
WIN
THIS BOOK
book
release
We have one copy of Relentless to give away, courtesy of Take Note Ferrymead. To be in the
draw, email giveaways@starmedia.kiwi with Relentless in the subject line or write to Take Note Book
Giveaway, Relentless, Star Media, PO Box 1467, Christchurch 8140. To be eligible for the draw, all
entries must include your name, address and contact number. Entries close Tuesday, August 20.
Winner of How to Escape from Prison is Maryn Curry of Akaroa.
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