Long-termers

THE KNOWLEDGE

Skoda Kodiaq Sportline 2.0 TDI 200PS DSG

Price (as tested): £47,630 Engine: 2.0-litre diesel Power: 200bhp Torque: 400Nm Top speed: 133mph 0-60mph: 7.9 seconds Emissions: 179g/km CO2 Mileage: 4,795 This month’s highlight:

The Kodiaq really is a jack of all trades and master of most and has done everything asked of it.

OTHER CARS WE’RE DRIVING

Nissan Qashqai

Mileage: 13,412 With a cracked windscreen and a slow puncture, OE21 NXC has been in the wars lately, but both issues have now been resolved.

Dacia Jogger

Mileage: 3,096 The Jogger has arrived on the fleet as one of the most budgetorientated cars around.

Family cars have a lot thrown at them, and ‘our’ long-term Skoda Kodiaq was certainly given a thorough testing during its time with James Baggott.

I’ve been looking after our Skoda Kodiaq since February and in that time have managed to test its abilities in a number of real-world arenas. From cross-country trips to the Alps, where it excelled with load space and comfort, to full-on family life adventures back home, the Skoda and I have been through a lot.

During its time with me, I’ve been busy renovating a should-have-been-knocked-downinstead house and the Kodiaq has been an absolute godsend. Its most common habitat is the local recycling centre – and it might just be me, but on these now-weekly trips I can’t help wondering how other car owners manage with their hatchbacks and saloons.

The Kodiaq, with its third and second row of seats folded completely flat, has van-like levels of carrying space and not once has it failed to take everything I’ve wanted it to.

Family cars need to be pretty flexible as one minute they’re fully loaded with people and their holiday gear, the next loaded to the gunwales with boxes from Ikea. So it’s an ability to adapt and assist in life’s little challenges that’s so important.

Recently, family life has become a little more complicated with the addition of a new baby. Coping with the small person accompaniments is something the Skoda has helped with wonderfully. It’s not until a new baby arrives do you realise quite what a logistical challenge doing absolutely anything is. Having a car that can swallow the buggy and bags needed to sustain a little one’s trip to seemingly anywhere is very handy indeed.

Over time, I’ve nearly got used to the Kodiaq’s sluggish throttle response – a seconds-long hesitancy when you put your foot down hard at junctions or roundabouts. This borders on the annoying/dangerous and means you have to drive very differently.

While I’m on the subject of gripes I’m going to rattle off a couple more...

The first is the doors. While the clever little black plastic protectors that pop out and stop the Skoda’s or other people’s doors from being scratched are very helpful, most people struggle to close the doors properly. They need a bit of a slam, and every passenger I take leaves the door open slightly when they get in or out.

I’ve also got an issue with the warning notifications for a near-empty windscreen washer fluid bottle. The bonging once is (sort of) fine, but every five minutes while travelling at 70mph on a motorway is frankly unnecessary. I tried to explain to the car that unfortunately I hadn’t had time to fill it up between junctions as I was travelling at the national speed limit, but it ignored me. A warning light is fine; a bonging is completely surplus to requirements.

Lastly, a very modern moan, but the front cupholder is incapable of holding two hot drinks from a well-known coffee establishment without popping one of the lids off and emptying scalding hot liquid over the interior. I get this is a minor gripe, but the fact that two coffee cups cannot sit side by side without liberally applying latte over the cabin is a major design fault in my book. And yes, I am that petty.

Gripes over, the Skoda really has become a brilliant family car. While I wasn’t sold on the looks at first, the more time I spend with it, the more I admire the Sportline’s stance. It’s got a chunky, purposeful presence and looks rather smart in the striking blue paint with black trim.

It’s incredibly comfortable too and I’ve really enjoyed having the full-length panoramic sunroof and, during the scorching summer, a truly excellent air conditioning system.

Family cars really do have to be a jack of all trades and master of most, and I honestly haven’t asked the Skoda to do something yet that it hasn’t been able to. That, in my book, makes it a winner – even with those minor foibles.