The Great Bear

Skoda’s first SUV, the Yeti, was met with critical acclaim but commercial disappointment. Could success be written in the stars for its new SUV, the Kodiaq? Gavin D’Souza ventures off to Mallorca to find out.

- Gavin D’Souza

The island of Mallorca in Spain is not large, and once you leave the big-city vibe of its capital Palma, that immediately becomes abundantly clear. The big buildings give way to quaint little houses, the fancy yachts docked in the harbour to tiny dinghies tied to tinier jetties, and big traffic lights to small, rusty ‘Give Way’ signs at blind intersections. Oh, and the roads – they’re no longer motorways, nor are they big, four-lane boulevards. They’re beautiful in their imperfection – not 100 percent flat or smooth (but they are grippy) and about as straight as a gymnast’s ribbon. They’re also frighteningly narrow, but in the past few hours of driving, I haven’t really noticed. As I wind the Kodiaq open coming out of a corner, the DSG gearbox shifts down and I’m shot ahead, ready to pile some lock in for the next bend. And then I see the oncoming headlamps getting closer and closer. I dab the brakes, but soon I punch them hard, and cautiously roll two of the big SUV’s tyres onto the verge. This is a huge car, but it refuses to let you know that when you’re driving it.

CHISELLED GRIZZLY