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12<br />
Thursday <strong>June</strong> 1 <strong>2023</strong><br />
Incorporating<br />
best motorbuys<br />
www.drivesouth.co.nz<br />
Skoda SUV packs powerful punch<br />
THERE OFTEN comes a point<br />
in time when you know the<br />
mode of transport isn’t fit for<br />
purpose.<br />
That happened to my wife and<br />
I just recently as our old sedan<br />
made way for a sport utility vehicle.<br />
The latter providing us with<br />
the entry and egress comfort we<br />
need as our hips give way to old<br />
age, notwithstanding modern<br />
engines are far more fuel efficient<br />
than our car that was designed<br />
over 20 years ago.<br />
Of course, being the petrolhead<br />
I am, I would have liked to<br />
have purchased something with<br />
a bit more punch from under the<br />
bonnet, but in terms of cost I had<br />
to be realistic about that.<br />
Had funds been available, we<br />
may well have purchased a Skoda<br />
Kodiaq – the RS version. It has<br />
all of the comfort ingredients we<br />
were looking for in an SUV, but<br />
under the bonnet sits the 2-litre<br />
turbocharged engine that has<br />
found its way through a raft of<br />
Skoda, Seat, Cupra and Volkswagen<br />
product, notably the VW<br />
Golf GTi.<br />
The Kodaiq RS has 180kW and<br />
370Nm under the bonnet and it<br />
entices with free-revving nature<br />
and solid turbo boost.<br />
Skoda’s marketing slogan<br />
is ‘simply clever,’ and over the<br />
years I’ve mentioned many times<br />
the little niceties that make the<br />
brand stand out from others. In<br />
the Kodiaq RS it was the plastic<br />
wheel trims that sit inside the actual<br />
alloy wheel itself, which can<br />
be removed to give the vehicle a<br />
completely different look. It’s the<br />
first time I’ve seen that arrangement<br />
and, yes, it is clever.<br />
Those features don’t come at<br />
a huge cost; sure, at $79,990 the<br />
range-topping RS will stretch<br />
some buyers’ budgets, but the entire<br />
Kodiaq range is there to lure<br />
buyers who want quality product<br />
at an affordable price. The entry<br />
level model lists at $48,990, while<br />
those in the medium grades sit<br />
in the $60,000 bracket.<br />
Of course, all models have the<br />
benefit of space, that is the way<br />
it is with the modern SUV, and<br />
the Kodiaq RS is no exception,<br />
there’s even seven seats, although<br />
the two rear seats that fold up<br />
out of the cargo section are really<br />
just for children or those very<br />
slight of build.<br />
It’s important to have balance<br />
underneath when you have<br />
healthy power outputs up front. In<br />
terms of performance it will accelerate<br />
to 100km/h from a standstill<br />
in 6.6sec and will make a highway<br />
overtake in 4.6sec (80-120km/h).<br />
Drive is distributed through<br />
a direct shift gearbox with<br />
seven distinct ratios, by the sheer<br />
nature of its design it is a quickchanging<br />
gearbox that doesn’t<br />
put any unnecessary load on the<br />
engine. Not only is the engine a<br />
real dynamo, it is also one of the<br />
most pleasing in today’s market,<br />
thrilling with its potential and<br />
sound, the automatic downshift<br />
blip reminiscent of a race car on<br />
track.<br />
All that it offers doesn’t come<br />
at the cost of massive fuel usage,<br />
Skoda rates the Kodiaq RS with<br />
an 8.3-litre per 100km/h combined<br />
cycle average.<br />
The Kodiaq RS stands up to<br />
be counted with its honesty and<br />
driveability, it has that fun factor<br />
and serious capability both onroad<br />
and off, although undulating<br />
off-road excursions would<br />
be the best bet. It’s not a serious<br />
cross-country model, but it will<br />
take the family into the high<br />
country lakes for that summer<br />
fishing trip and/or the winter ski<br />
field access road with much ease.<br />
• Price – Skoda Kodiaq RS,<br />
$79,990<br />
• Dimensions – Length,<br />
4699mm; width,<br />
2087mm; height, 1685mm<br />
• Configuration – Fourcylinder,<br />
four-wheel-drive,<br />
1984cc, 180kW, 370Nm,<br />
seven-speed direct shift<br />
automatic<br />
• Performance –<br />
0-100km/h, 6.6sec<br />
• Fuel usage – 8.3l/100km<br />
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