The car 2021 Skoda Kodiaq 2.0 TSI Sportline Run by Max Adams, reviewer

Why it’s here To show if a used petrol Skoda Kodiaq Sportline is a better bet than the similar-looking vRS

Needs to Prove that it can be a practical seven-seater with reasonable running costs, while providing more interest than a regular Kodiaq

Mileage 11,257 List price when new (2021) £42,665 Price new with options £43,905 Value now £35,690 Test economy 33.9mpg Official economy 33.6mpg

I feel a bit like one of those children in an Enid Blyton novel writing a letter home to their parents, because I’ve only got positive things to say about my Skoda Kodiaq.

We really have been getting on as famously as five mystery-solving children, because it gets me where I need to be – whether it’s the supermarket, work or the airport – without any fuss. Indeed, the Kodiaq (or 'Skodiaq', as I've lovingly named it) has been a very useful large SUV so far, and has even helped me in a little game I've been playing.

You see, sub-editor Chris Haining has managed to achieve 38.5mpg from his petrol-powered, four-wheel-drive Mazda CX-5. I'm trying to beat that figure over time, so it's pleasing to see that despite covering many miles in recent weeks, a light right foot has meant my fuel economy is growing, currently to a shade less than 34mpg. That's already better than the Kodiaq's official economy, too.

The Kodiaq's driver's seat is extremely comfortable, and while it's only me driving at the moment, if you regularly need to swap drivers, each person can save their seating position – as well as those of the door mirrors – using handy buttons on the side of the seat.

In fact, this used Kodiaq is packed with convenient touches because it's fitted with the optional Family Pack. They include roller blinds in the rear door windows, which allow you to open the window for fresh air – something you can't do with cheaper stick-on blinds. 

The pack also includes a handy bin in the driver’s door pocket to help keep the car tidy, along with pop-out door-edge protectors that are supposed to protect your paintwork from damage if you have a careless parking incident. 

So far, the only careless parking incident has been one of my own making: I forgot which long-stay Heathrow car park I’d left my car in after a late and delayed flight back from a work event abroad, and ended up in the wrong one. If only there was some way the Kodiaq could prevent human error.

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