Skoda Kodiaq 2023 review: RS

The RS is a good looking car. I reviewed the 'Moon White' metallic paint option, but I think it’s more of a looker in the other colours, particularly the 'Velvet Red' premium finish ($1100).

It looks sporty despite its size and the panoramic glass sunroof is a great feature that helps it stand out. 

The 2023 model has a new grille and headlight design and glossy black detailing to go with its RS badges. It also has 20 inch ‘Aero’ alloy wheels, and while I'm not a huge fan of the look, you can take off the plastic covers, but you would need new centre caps and wheel nut covers.

The RS is a good looking car. (image: Sam Rawlings)

Inside the sporty look feels quite masculine, and while my brother-in-law was a big fan, I found it a bit intense. There are leather-appointed seats, a sports steering wheel, gearshift and alloy pedal covers to complete the sport look, plus there's ambient lighting via LED lights that change colour depending on which driving mode you select.

For example, when you’re using the 'Comfort' setting there's a blue light in the footwells and along the doors and the dash, and of course for sport it's red to match the stitching highlights.

The Kodiaq car comes with a decent amount of space and some thoughtful storage features. The car feels like it has been designed for long drive comfort for a family of five, but it gives you the option of two extra seats or great cargo space.

The panoramic sunroof gives the feeling of more space whether you’re in the front or the middle row, and, in theory, its better for preventing car sickness. It also has a wind deflector which pops up and reduces noise.

Skoda generally makes pretty comfortable seats and this RS is no exception. The driver’s seat has electric controls, including lumbar support and so does the passenger.

My brother-in-law is 198cm (6'6") and he still had a decent amount of space in the driver’s position. You can also set up to three seat memory settings for both front seats.

The front seats and the seats near the windows in the middle row are all heated and there's cooling/ventilation in the front.

The middle row is spacious, my brother who is 196cm (6'5'') sat comfortably behind my even taller brother-in-law and thought he would be okay for a longer road trip, although he didn't have a lot of room to move around. But the third row only fits two children, maybe teenagers, but it's a very tight fit.

Unlike in a Kia Sorento or Mazda CX-8 and CX-9, there are no third-row child seat anchor points, which means you can't put a child seat in the third row, either.

But the middle row does fit three seats and there's ample room in the front passenger seat when you have a rear-facing child seat behind it.

The boot space is 270 litres with all the seats up and you would struggle to fit a decent-sized pram in. I couldn't fit a car seat in there, but if you fold the third row down, leaving five seats up, you have 630 litres. 

The car is decked out with an array of features that make it great for everyday use, the storage is fairly good for its size, the seats are seated and cooled, plus it has three-zone climate control air conditioning and a blanket to go with Skoda's signature door umbrella. 

Up front, there's a centre console with two cupholders but they only fit my small keep cup. The cup holders are part of a caddy that can also fit smaller items like your keys, and garage remote, but if you you don't like it and prefer more space, you can take it out.

The RS comes with two glove compartments and combined it provides a good amount of storage, you get bottle holders in every door, as you would expect, plus there is a centre armrest for the middle row that comes with cupholders as well.

Up front, there's a centre console with two cupholders but they only fit my small keep cup. (image: Sam Rawlings)

The rear doors come with shades that click in place for the kids, if you have a newborn you might need something a bit thicker. There are also directional air vents for the middle row, as well as the seat warmers, but no USB points. This is a surprise considering everything else the car has, and disappointing for my nieces.

In the boot, the RS has two bag hooks, that kept my grocery bags in place, as well as a small compartment with a variety of netting options. There is also a full-size spare wheel underneath the boot floor that drops down to give you a bit of extra space.

Pop-out plastic guards protecting the edge of the side doors is a great feature. It stops you from hitting other cars and objects. If only every car came with something similar. 

The RS also has puddle lamps that illuminate Skoda beside the car when it's parked in the dark. The idea is to stop you stepping in puddles.

The Skoda Kodiaq RS comes with almost all of the safety features you would expect at this price range, including adaptive cruise control, which means it automatically slows when you approach another vehicle.

It also has auto emergency braking front and rear, so it will brake the car to prevent you reversing into an obstacle, plus there’s blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and lane-keeping assist. 

The Kodiaq RS scored a maximum five star ANCAP rating in 2017, but a lot has changed in the market since then. (image: Sam Rawlings)

The car has two ISOFIX points and three top-tether child seat anchorages for the middle row which fits three child seats, but there are no points for the third row.

The Kodiaq range also comes with nine airbags including side airbags for the second row as well as the front row, and curtain airbags which cover passengers in all three rows - unlike some of its rivals including the Kia Sorento and Toyota Kluger.

It scored a maximum five star ANCAP rating in 2017, but a lot has changed in the market since then.  

There are no optional extras for the Kodiaq RS because it comes with everything and Skoda does pretty well compared to some of its European rivals in terms of ownership and maintenance costs.

My petrol usage was 9.5 litres per 100 kilometres on average during my time with it, which is fairly good given the range of driving I did, but the official number is 7.5L/100km on the combined cycle.

The RS is expensive, and compared to the Kodiaq Sportline I’m not sure it’s worth the hefty price difference for my family. (image: Sam Rawlings)

The Kodiaq comes with a five year warranty with unlimited kilometres but that is considered standard for its class. The RS needs a service every 12 months or 15,000 kilometres and you can choose from either pre-paid servicing or pay as you go at a capped price, and you get roadside assist if you get the RS serviced by Skoda. 

The RS is expensive, and compared to the Kodiaq Sportline I’m not sure it’s worth the hefty price difference for my family. But if you want a seven-seater with a real performance bent, then it's worth it if you can afford it - for the drive.