New Skoda Kodiaq Sportline: Review by a Volkswagen Vento owner

My Vento will be up for an upgrade in 4 years, and I’m sure I will be looking for a pre-worshipped 530D then.

BHPian Jangra recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Buying a new car is never an easy decision. I envy those who know what they want, and then there is us, cross-shopping all body styles between 3 segments.

PS: There are many legends here who writes their Ownership review so well including proverbs and analogies, I’m a vanilla writer but will try to cover the recommended aspects

The car I currently own is a 2016 Vento TSI 1.2 Highline – Reflex Silver (45k km driven). So, the TSI engine and DSG gearbox are known territory for me. Touchwood – no horror breakdown experiences.

The need for a second car was driven by a return to the offices and a “want” of a feature-rich luxury car. I did not limit my choices based on the car size OR body style as I knew my Vento is going to be the beater car. Love my Vento but long term ownership of her some other day

MY KODIAQ SPORTLINE Review:

Let me start with

What I Dislike

• After driving a Vento in the city for 6 years, driving a Kodiaq is a task. Though it doesn’t feel big on a highway, it sure is a task manoeuvring Kodiaq in city traffic.
• Tiguan felt relatively quicker in acceleration even though 0-100 is claimed faster on the Kodiaq
• No TPMS – so silly from SKODA to not offer this on a 44lac car (Tiguan and Kodiaq L&K has it)
• DQ381 Wet Clutch behaves the same way as my DQ200 in Vento. Jerky and confused at low speeds even in Normal and Eco mode. Don’t even bother driving it in Sports mode in City traffic
• No hill descent control / off-road mode (Tiguan and Kodiaq L&K has it)
• No lever in the boot to fold down middle seat.
• Folding and unfolding the last row of seats is annoying – you first have to slightly slide the middle seat to the front and reduce the recline angle. And then undo what you did after you lift the last row
• Automatic Climate control turns the air re-circulation mode “OFF”. In city drives with pollution, I prefer it to be “ON” and that means Auto Climate control has to be off. Even my Vento allows Auto mode with air re-circulation “ON’
• Under the bonnet, wire harness of battery and headlights are exposed (picture attached at the bottom)
• Auto tilt ORVM while reversing works sometimes and doesn’t work the other times (fair to say 50% of the time). And when it works, it refuses to come back to its normal angle when put on the D mode – making it worse while parking. So decided to turn the setting off completely
• Wireless charger is useless. Even in an hour journey with CarPlay on, it charges less than 10% and makes the phone very hot. Didn’t use it after 3-4 similar results
• In our Indian parking / Mumbai parking condition – Park assist never works
• Reverse camera quality is strictly average. I don’t even bother to look and ok to rely on parking sensors
• Alcantara seats – It does look classy, but attract lint, dust, hair and makes it visible. High maintenance, but if you can keep it clean, it looks classier than the L&K cabin. Unless there is a liquid stain – takes only 2-3 min of cleaning after every drive.
• Nit-picking but all my attempts have failed to stick an idol on the dashboard. Soft-touch dashboard are really repellant to even the 3m double-sided stickers
• Can not figure out a way to mount an iPad holder for second-row seats – thanks to sports seats in the front.
• The placement of the START / STOP button should have been changed with this facelift.

What I Like

• Looks – I love it every time I approach it OR see it on the road. Since 2017, I’ve been a fan of how the Kodiaq looks and owning it is a VERY special feeling. I can easily spend long time just drooling over the looks (many pics attached later in the thread)
• The engine gearbox combination is just lovely to drive on highways. It’s quick and smooth
• Suspension on the SPORTLINE has a balanced tuning for city and highways. The ride feels compliant at high speeds and acceptable at low speeds.
• No rattles whatsoever! These CKD units are assembled by top skilled people. Pothole, sudden speedbumps, rubble strips – nothing creates a rattle of any kind. Now that’s true German.
• The reassuring thud is next level compared to my Vento
• Touch and feel of materials used inside the cabin screams luxury
• Music system – Oh man! Adjust the equalizer to your liking before you make your judgement – It will be even more amazing!
• Love the way how classy Alcantara sports seats looks (it’s in my DISLIKE section for another reason).
• Awesome looking Alloys – better looking than L&K
• Noise insulation – The cabin insulates you really well from the outside.
• The third row is not useless after all. It is my daughter’s favourite spot when the second row has 2 people already. Have even attached a picture at the bottom of how comfortable she feels
• Swipe gesture for boot works every time – literally. Was really handy on our trips to the shopping mall and Ikea.
• Headlights – Auto headlamps are new for me, but works like a charm. The throw is very impressive and night drives are no longer an issue
• Breaking ability – There was a time I had to brake hard at around 80km/hr and it sure felt safe
• Mileage is better than I expected. In the last 200+ KMS since refuelling, Avg speed has been 19km/h and Avg is 8.2kmpl (picture attached below)
• Ingress and Egress for my mom is no longer an issue

HOW DID I END UP BUYING A KODIAQ SPORTLINE

Cars I shortlisted and didn’t buy

SKODA Kushaq 1.5L Style:

Love the – Looks, rear seating comfort, a combination of 1.5 TSI motor with the DSG, music system, fairly kitted

Then why not – Coming from a 6-year-old Vento, materials inside the cabin did not impress me. Also, started seeing reports of niggles on Team-BHP from members who owned it. So dropped it.

Kia Seltos 1.4 DCT GTX Plus:

Love the – Cabin quality, sound system, All black interiors, seating position, stylish looks

Then why not – No, it’s not the crash rating – I made peace with it before shortlisting. It is the DCT, which was no match my VW Vento’s DSG. I felt the excitement of buying a new car may not last very long with this one. So dropped it.

Jeep Compass Diesel Model (S)

Love the – Body style, timeless design, Interior quality, music system, 4X4 kit, handling, Black interior, 360 camera quality and the list goes on. This one came very close to buying. Was also offered a 2.5lac discount on all colours

Then why not – No, it wasn’t the Automatic gearbox. It is the rattling issue. What bugs me the most while driving is the rattles. Even when those thermos bottles rubs against the hard plastics, I surround them with the microfiber cloth. Car I test drove was 8k driven but was rattling from every direction. SA mentioned it recently was taken for an off-road campaign, I’m like, so? He invited me to the showroom and offered me to test drive a new car. And I did, even though rattling was lesser but was clearly audible coming from the dashboard. This was also proven from many posts from the owners here on Team-BHP. Hence dropped. I really wanted to like the Jeep

At this point, we had already crossed our budget of 30lacs. An intense discussion in the family, and my lot of convincing, we raised it by another 15 for the Fortuner. Convincing was substantiated by resale value.

Toyota Fortuner 4X4 AT Diesel

Love the – Butch Looks, Badge reliability, Fortuner image, 4X4 capability, Black interiors, Resale value, sorry but that is pretty much it!

Why not – I took 3 test drives, and every time I felt tired at the end of those 20kms drives. The hard steering, bumpy ride, minimalistic interiors with no special feeling really pushed me away from it. Even those rumble strips on the road felt like a bump. If only the suspension was good, I would have made peace with the interiors, knowing the butch will clear traffic along my way. I did not check the tyre pressure, but three test drives should give a fair idea.

Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0 TSI

Elegance was launched

Love the – Looks, Plush interiors, Rear seat space, Ride, Handling, Music system, Black interiors, Build quality, Already have experience of owning a Volkswagen, pretty much everything! Nothing about this car was a dealbreaker.

Then what happened? – I booked it! Waited on the delivery

Did the search end? Of course not! The long wait makes you reflect back and confuses you even further. I then searched the pre-worshipped BMW 530D. Posted many questions and got immense help from the Team-BHP members

Found one Pre-worshipped G30 – BMW 530D – 2018 model (June-2019 registered)

Love the – Power and Torque, Brand, Image, experience thread of GTO, EVERYTHING ABOUT IT!

Then what happened – Almost sealed the deal and was ready to pick up. But all my inquiries lead me to believe something fishy – no invoice, 6 months break in the insurance, warranty laps in 3.5years (should be either 3 or 4). Couldn’t take chance with 50+lacs when still in doubt, so left the deal and continued my search.

In the midst of waiting for Tiguan (1.5months) AND searching for pre-worshipped luxury, On 8-Feb, I received a call from my SA that there is an allocated White SPORTLINE variant and promised me the delivery by Mar 10. When I asked why an allocated car would take so long, the answer was unclear. The condition of this deal was a full payment. I didn’t doubt my SA as he has been associated with Skoda for many years and we have been in touch for almost a year. I have to say that I did get cold feet but I took the chance with my SA as I believed him. So, 8-Feb is the day I booked my Kodiaq with full payment. Another thing that helped with the decision making – I was offered the launch price

Flashback to 10-Jan – I was really amazed by the sweet launch of 3 variants of Kodiaq and the prices was reasonable for what it offered. I did not book on that very day since I first wanted to take the test drive. My test drive date was 12th Feb and I was ready to book, but my SA refused to take my booking on the old price basis the orders from up the chain. On moral grounds, I did not proceed and waited on my Tiguan’s delivery.

Back from the flashback (PDI) – It was 14th Feb, a week post the full payment and I had not heard back, hence decided to check on the status of VIN# but was told will take couple more days. Just a day later at 1 pm, got a call from my SA saying the Car is at their warehouse and I could come for PDI. I could only do a brief PDI as I was at work and could only reach the dealer at 5 pm. Only one bummer was a minor scratch on the plastic wheel arch. In my mind, for a car where a 3,000kms driven L&K version is being sold without discount, I let it pass. Scratch was really minor

Booking & Delivery Experience

My dealer was JMD Skoda and I Paid Rs 42.75 OTR Bombay (incl. of Rs 18k accessories pack) plus Rs 41K for Zero Dep Insurance and Rs 66K for 4 years Maintenance pack which is a total of Rs 43.81lacs. Decided to get the extended warranty at a later date. 18-Feb – From the booking date to the delivery was 10 days which exceeded my expectation. My car was ready for delivery at 6 pm where I took an hour to look around the car, do the paperwork, test-drive my sweet love – everything worked just fine.

Not much to add to the delivery experience as it was almost night and all I wanted to do is to drive my car home and take her for a SPIN at Nariman point – which I did. Was there a cake cutting – NO? Did I care – NO. We were offered a bottle of water, the Car was wrapped with a satin red cover and that’s pretty much it.

Below is that Happy moment

Owning a Kodiaq SPORTLINE

Before I write any further, I have to admit – given a choice, I would have chosen the L&K variant for

• TPMS
• Off-road mode
• Non-Alcantara interiors (though not a fan of Beige)
• Ventilated seats
• DCC.

However, it’s overbooked and even the people who made unofficial bookings (pre- 10-Jan) have no news of their deliveries.

Where SPORTLINE scores over L&K is – substantiated by pictures

• Black interiors – After driving for a decade in the beige interior, I really wanted darker interiors
• Less chrome – After spending two weeks with my SPORTLINE, I feel the usage of Chrome is a bit overdone in L&K
• Three-spoke steering wheel with perforated leather – two spoke wheels of L&K looks really bland in front of these
• Not by much but alloys of SPORTLINE looks a tad better in my opinion

Pictures of black interiors

Fewer chrome suits the Kodiaq SPORTLINE version in this and all other angles

3 spoke perforated leather steering – looks classy

A closer look at those alloys

Look at how the SPORTLINE alloys suit the car

Today I complete 15 days of ownership and she is driven over 350kms in the mix of city and highways. Daily dives have been ranging from 5kms to 50kms.

Respected Team-BHP reviewers have thoroughly tested and provided their feedback in the official review of L&K. I will touch upon where things are different with the SPORTLINE and my opinion (if any)

Engine and Gearbox:

Same as L&K. I’m amazed and impressed with the performance of this machine and feels like an adequate (not significant) update from my Vento. I have driven this Engine and gearbox combination on the new Octavia and have to say that power delivery is in a different league in Octavia. Octavia feels much more eager at all times – this of course is attributed to its lesser weight and presence of 4X4 in Kodiaq. Kodiaq feels similar to driving a Tiguan 2TSI but felt Tiguan has a slight edge over the Kodiaq on acceleration. I felt Kodiaq and Tiguan’s power delivery is very linear and does not push you back to the seats when accelerated hard. How I wish it felt the same as an Octavia.

I don’t feel much difference in driving pleasure compared to my Vento. In fact in the city, Vento does better sprints in sports mode in city driving due to its size. Even though the Kodiaq has an enthusiast heart of 2TSI, it is meant to be driven like a Classy Gentlemen – fast on highways, sedately on the city roads. Don’t get me wrong, on expressways and straight lines, it will “almost” satisfy the enthusiast in you. Why almost – I’m spoilt by those test drives of 530D

Where this engine gearbox combination lacks is in the stop and go traffic and over the speed bumps. It jerks when slowed down from 4th and 5th gear down to 1 and 2 to cross a speed bump. Do not like that feeling but have gotten used to it from my Vento. It is a common VW DSG trait.

Suspension, Ride & Handling:

This is where it differs from the L&K variant. Unlike the three settings of adaptive suspension in L&K, the suspension set-up of the SPORTLINE version is just one. It is NOT bad news, suspension is neither hard nor is it soft. If I were to compare it with my Vento, it is a tad softer, but not by much. Pardon my ignorance but before I drove the Fortuner, I never knew what really is a hard suspension. Someone who is very particular should read the Team-BHP review of 2017 Kodiaq as I believe this one has the same set-up. On the straight line at high speed, Kodiaq SPORTLINE rides better than the Octavia – there is a section on the Eastern Expressway where I check the ride quality at high speeds, Octavia felt bouncy and the Kodiaq SPORTLINE felt complaint and planted.

On the handling side, I would never call an SUV OR a crossover “a handler”, I mean that is not what you buy them for. Coming from a sedan, I know I will have to adjust for the centre of gravity. Though Kodiaq SPORTLINE handles very well as the suspension setup is on the stiffer side. Again, for more details, please see the 2017 Kodiaq Team-BHP review

OTHER POINTS TO CONSIDERED – GOOD and BAD

– Unlock the car and it illuminates the front and rear lamps, open the door and it welcomes you with the SKODA written projected lights, and in the night, there is a very cool animated effect on the tail light when you unlock and lock the car – like below.

Apple CarPlay OR Android Auto just needs to be set up once, after which it auto connects every time seamlessly. Play a song and it will put a smile on your face – not just the bass, but the clarity and acoustics will immerse you deep in every genre. Start driving on the busy roads, and you will feel like you’re still deserted from it – thanks to the soundproofing. Gone is my anxiety to reach the destination sooner, I stick to the right lane, doing my bit to protect the car from scratches and enjoy my journey and experience with this magnificent piece of engineering.

– Unlock your car in the dark and it will kick in the “coming/leaving home function” which illuminates car headlamps, puddle lamps and all 6 cabin lights – I really find it helpful as it helps light your way coming towards OR going further from the car in dark. May not be useful if you always park in the lighted area. BUT have you never found yourself parking in the dark? That day you will appreciate it.

– Ambient lighting – In addition to all doors, it lights front and rear footwells AND, also the bottle holders in the door! was a pleasant surprise

– KESSY (Keyless Entry) on all four doors! Comes really handy as you do not need to unlock through your keys to open any of the four doors. There are many small advantages of this

– For my usage, I realized that the black interiors are relatively difficult to manage (some part of it attributed to Alcantara). Sand and shoe Dirt are more visible on black than beige

– I’m 5’10 and still rear legroom is ample (front seat is adjusted to my driving position)

SKODA Floormats that come in accessories packs are far better than any aftermarket mats. It also has the raised edges and locks/tucks in really well around all sides. Please go for it

Notice those locks

It is so silly that SKODA didn’t bother to illuminate the power symbol on its Infotainment. It’s only the rings of knobs that lights up. This will take some getting used to for you to grab the right knob

WHY are these wires exposed and not concealed in a thicker rubber all the way? Is this the same with prior Kodiaq?

The cabin feels really classy at night. There is a total of 10 colour options for you to choose how you want it to look. With Red below

– Rearview camera. Looks fine in the picture, but trust me, those adaptive guidelines and camera quality is not up to the mark. I think, even the L&K quality of 360camera does not meet Jeep compass quality

– Mileage came in the “WHAT I LIKE” part. and long term snapshot below. I think for its size and weight, its nice

– For namesake, it has 2 gloveboxes, but the space is them is not satisfactory. What I can fit in both of them only fill 3/4th of what my one glovebox in Vento

See below, I can’t even close the rear glovebox with 3 medium size sunglasses cases. I can at least fit 7 of them in my Vento’s glovebox

Some bonus angles

To sum up: Even though I have listed 16 positives over 17 negatives, SKODA Kodiaq SPORTLINE is a winner in my books. It has checked all the right boxes for me to be calling this a true “FEATURE RICH LUXURY CAR” Sure I miss the DCC and TPMS feature of the L&K, but they were not the deal breakers for me. I would rather own a car now than an uncertain period of wait.

Some pictures of PDI and delivery I had attached in the following post – https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/news/…ml#post5262039 (2022 Skoda Kodiaq Facelift Review | 2.0L Petrol DSG)

PS: I have not given up on my aspiration to own a 530D. My Vento will be up for an upgrade in 4 years, and I’m sure I will be looking for a pre-worshipped 530D then.

Keyword: New Skoda Kodiaq Sportline: Review by a Volkswagen Vento owner