Felt that the car isn’t very nimble from the get go, there is definitely a hint of turbo lag. This was in Comfort mode.
BHPian Shreyas Aterkar recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
I finally got to test drive the Kodiaq. The test drive car was brand new, White L&K. It had less than 1k on the odo – they have just got the car. The dealer also had a Lava blue L&K ready for delivery. I have also booked Lava blue L&K. Coming to the test drive:
- It was a short test drive, for 4-5 kms.
- Felt that the car isn’t very nimble from the get go, there is definitely a hint of turbo lag. This was in Comfort mode. However, in Sport mode the lag felt lesser.
- Once it picks up speed, the pull is pretty good but not as good as the A4. I am sure on the highways, as mentioned by fellow members, the car will be pretty good.
- I got into a comfortable seating position pretty easily and could see the bonnet upfront. The visibility was good and the car did not feel too big. Felt this is a good size for an occasional 7 seater.
- Quality upfront is good with top part of the dash covered in soft plastics. The top part of the first row doors are also soft touch. However, thats about it, the rear door pads are all hard touch, the lower part of the front doors are also hard touch. They are well put together but they are no where near the cabin that A4 had. But you cannot get all.
- Space in the 2nd row was quite good, given that the seats can be adjusted. The third row, as very well known, is strictly for children. My younger daughter, who is 7, was fine but my elder daughter, who is 11 & 5’1”, was not able to fit with 2nd row seats pushed back. However, she could still sit for small drives with 2nd row seats pulled slightly forward. This set up was comfortable for 2nd row passengers as well. So don’t think its a deal breaker for us. We want an occasional 7 seater when parents/in-laws/other relatives are visiting otherwise a 5 seater with a big boot especially for the road trips.
- The MY2023 models have a door protector and its good quality and the mechanism is well “Simply Clever”.
- The ride was absorbent but I did feel some suspension noise on road undulations. I asked the same to the sales guy accompanying me for the test drive, but he said it is normal. One of the reasons to change my Citi is the noise that the suspension makes on road undulations – I want a silent drive experience. I don’t want to get into the same mode with the Kodiaq. The dealer said, its nothing abnormal. I also spoke to fellow member Jangra and his experience has also been great. Fellow member SilverSmoke also gave a positive feedback. So maybe I am thinking too much or the test drive car was just too new & it may not have undergone a complete PDI.
- One thing that bothered me was the light switch. When I was rotating it from Auto to other modes, the whole round dial also moved. I was shocked to see this. Again a request from fellow members to share if this is the case in their cars as well or just it may be an issue with the test drive car. Can this be fixed?
In summary, it is a great car, I have only 3 concerns:
- The relatively slow start. I think I can live with it.
- The suspension noise – here is where I request fellow members to share their experience.
- Some parts did not give a really quality feel. May be this is a compromise that I make for getting otherwise a great package.
Note: I had extensively test driven the A4 and was about to finalize the pre BS6.2 car – had great offers running and would have got it for less than the Kodiaq and that too with 5 yrs extended warranty and service package, but space was a big constraint because of which we had to let go such an awesome deal. I also test drove Meridian, Hycross and Legender but concluded that Koidiaq is the best compromise to make while changing our 2017 City.
Keyword: Test drove the Skoda Kodiaq L&K after booking it: 9 key observations