• Capacious Kodiaq offers room all round
• Massive boot with seats up or down
• Relatively small footprint means parking is easy

How much space is there?

In short, loads. But more specifically, there’s a deep storage tray in front of the gearlever, large doorbins front and rear and a reasonably large front armrest, which houses a tray with two cupholders in it – all of which adds to the Skoda’s already imperious practicality credentials. 

The rearmost seats aren’t the most spacious, but room in the third row is good for this class of car and it is possible for average-size adults to get comfortable, though they won’t want to spend hours in the back. Access to the front two rows is very good, with low door sills and long doors making getting in and out easier than most high-riding off-roaders. Peugeot’s 5008 is more flexible in the middle row thanks to three individual seats, but space is comparable with the Skoda.

As before, you can find an umbrella stored in the driver’s door and a ticket holder on the windscreen by the pillar on the driver’s side.

Boot space and storage

When it comes to boot space, the Kodiaq offers much more room than similarly sized off-roader rivals. Even with seven seats in use, you get 270 litres of space to play with, and five-seat versions offer an impressive 835 litres of boot space.

Fold all of the seats away, in any version, and you’ll have a whopping 2,065 litres of space available. That’s more than large enough for most families’ needs.

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This means that the Kodiaq provides twice as much room as the Nissan X-Trail and even larger Kia Sorento with seven seats in place, while also outstripping the Land Rover Discovery Sport. As a result this Skoda is a good candidate if you plan to use all of the seats and need some room for luggage.

Handily, the boot cover also fits below the boot floor when all seats are in place – not always a given. It means you don’t have to find somewhere in your home to store the load cover, or have it rattling around the boot when you need to carry taller loads.

It’s a similar story with five seats in place, with the Skoda giving you around 10% more room than competitors. The rear seats slide by a substantial 18cm, meaning that those in the middle row can have limo-like legroom or you can slide them forward to provide enough room for two adults to use the optional third row.

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There are two gloveboxes ahead of the front passenger and the door bins for all doors can house a large drinks bottle. Those sat in the middle row will find map pockets on the front seat backs, a small storage tray beneath the middle vents and a 12v power socket.

As of 2021, the newer shape USB-C ports have been fitted, with two found up front, while an optional port can be installed by the rear-view mirror to conveniently power a dashcam.

You can also fit a roof rack or tow bar to give the Kodiaq even more versatility.

• We rate the best seven-seater SUVs for 2021

Is it easy to park?

As a large SUV, the Kodiaq is a substantial car but parking is made easier because there’s a huge amount of glass and a tall driving position, so the driver can easily see around its extremities. 

Acoustic parking sensors on the rear bumper come as standard on all models, but only SE L versions and up get front parking sensors as well. An area-view camera is also available, boosting visibility and ease of use further.

How big is it?

Safety

• Lots of standard and optional safety kit
• Three Isofix mounts across the middle row
• Seven airbags as standard

The Kodiaq has scored a strong Euro NCAP five-star safety rating, which is no surprise considering the amount of standard safety equipment fitted.

Seven airbags are standard, as are stability control and Front Assist, which monitors the road in front of the car using radar and works with autonomous emergency braking to stop the car if it senses stationary pedestrians or vehicles ahead. This system only works at up to 21mph, however, limiting its usefulness in urban driving.

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There are three Iosfix points across the middle row, and none on the optional third row, unlike the Peugeot 5008, which offers mounts on all five rear seats.

There are a number of optional features including adaptive cruise control – which automatically keeps you a safe distance behind the car in front – plus lane-keeping assist, blind spot detection and cross-traffic alert. These systems keep you in your lane and warn you of vehicles approaching from behind.

Another handy feature is Trailer Assist and Manoeuvre Assist. The former takes control of the steering when reversing to guide the car and trailer in the specified direction. The latter can automatically brake the car to avoid bumping into obstacles behind the car.

Finally, the optional Crew Protect Assist closes the windows and sunroof and tensions the seat belts automatically if the car senses that you’re about to crash.

WATCH: Skoda Kodiaq SUV Euro NCAP crash test video