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A 50,000 pounds Skoda? Are you serious? Serious and hilarious, because the Skoda Kodiaq NS7 might just be worth the money. 

One of the reasons is that the Skoda Kodiaq NS7 is one of my favorite cars. It reminds me of the original Audi Q7, only modernized and with much more sensible running costs. Launched around 2016, the Skoda Kodiaq was truly an automotive Leroy Jenkins and Skoda’s first shipping container on wheels. Well, not exactly Skoda’s first step because essentially here we have a second-generation Tiguan, which was rebadged as the Kodiaq for Skoda and Taraco for Seat, and they all sit on the Jetta platform, a kind of Jetta’s final gift before its inevitable and irrevocable retirement.

The second reason it’s worth as much as 50,000 pounds is that it’s a reliable car with few specific issues. Which is a big deal for a VW, a brand where you’re not always certain you’ll reach your destination, even with a new car. Moreover, you have decent petrol and diesel engines, you have a 4×4 system, automatic transmission, and even 7 seats. And if you’re smart enough to realize it’s not a sports car and you don’t venture into the Sportline and RS area, you can go down to 40,000 pounds, the equivalent of 2 Dacia Dusters. Is a Skoda Kodiaq 2.0 TDI 200 horsepower 4×4 DSG twice as good as a Dacia Duster 1.3 TCe 140 horsepower 4×4 EDC? Well, the Kodiaq has 7 seats versus the Duster’s 5 seats, so it’s 50% better from the start.

Are there any downsides to this car? Because I’ve been praising it too much.

Yes, there are downsides, and I’m not necessarily referring to general issues. At VW, everything is optional, even the pedals. The VW Group is very modest in standard equipment, to make you spend more money for a more decent level of equipment, and I guess that’s also a marketing strategy. Very few in the industry make base models as basic as VW does. And it’s the same here. The base Skoda Kodiaq starts at 34,700 pounds at the moment of writing, and for that you get 5 seats, a 1.5 TSI petrol engine with a manual transmission and 150 horsepower. An Octavia with the same level of equipment and the same 1.5 TSI manual starts at 26,000 pounds. And here comes the question of why buy a barebones Kodiaq when you can buy an identical Octavia in terms of equipment and engine, and still have money for a 3-day vacation? And in the Kodiaq, the floor mats are optional, as well as the isoFIX, optional heated front seats, optional heated windshield. You don’t even get Bluetooth in the car, just a Bluetooth set-up kit. And I don’t know about you, but asking for 35,000 pounds for a car and not even providing floor mats, well, that sounds abit of a muggery.

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Skoda Kodiaq NS7 Engines

Petrol

• 1.4 TSI EA211 of 125 and 150 horsepower – The 125 horsepower version was only put there for brochures with the text “The New Skoda Kodiaq, starting at …”. And it was as effective at moving the Kodiaq’s rear end as Graham Norton is good at electrical and plumbing. The 150 horsepower one on the other hand is probably the most balanced petrol engine on the Kodiaq, and I do recommend it.


• 1.5 TSI EA211 of 150 horsepower – Except that the 1.4 TSI has been replaced by this engine, which is notorious for oil consumption and it’s kangarooing effect when paired with the automagic, so I don’t know what to say.


• 2.0 TSI EA888 of 180, 190, and 220 horsepower – Normally I would recommend this engine in all its glory, but then reality hits me, and I remember I was writing about the Skoda Kodiaq, which is a car as sporty as Patrizia Paglieri, and secondly, this engine is reserved for the sport editions, which start at 40,000 pounds. But at least it’s reliable.

Diesel

2.0 TDI EA288 of 150, 190, 200, and 240 horsepower – The official engine of VW buyers in general, the 150 horsepower 2.0 TDI is the only one available with a manual gearbox and probably the most balanced choice for the family man who wants the biggest and most expensive Skoda but doesn’t want to be wild all the way.  Anyway, the 2.0 TDI is a modern diesel engine, meaning it doesn’t get along with city driving at all, so use it only for long trips, vacations, etc. Otherwise, you’ll have issues with the EGR, injectors, particulate filter, and so on.

Skoda Kodiaq NS7 Reliability Issues

• Even though it’s the last train, pay close attention to the DSG transmissions with wet clutches because those are the complicated DSGs. Since 2017, the dry clutch DSG has been introduced, and that should be somewhat more reliable. Probably.


• Electrical issues, quite a few of them because otherwise, it wouldn’t be a VW/Skoda. Headlights, the tailgate opening on its own, the AC sets whatever temperature it feels like, those kinds of issues. Fortunately, they won’t all happen at once.

Skoda Kodiaq NS7 Verdict

It’s one of the most expensive cars coming out of the Skoda gate. And yet, at 35,000 pounds you possibly get all the car your family needs. So yes, this poor-man’s Q7 is definitely worth the money, even if the floor mats are optional. They would probably make the seats optional too.

Which engines do I recommend? Clearly, the 1.4 TSI with 150 horsepower for petrol and the 2.0 TDI with 190 horsepower for diesel because the 150 one is a bit anemic if you burden it with 7 people, DSG, and 4×4.