Skoda Kodiaq vRS

FIRST DRIVE We put the flagship version of Czech brand's award-winning family SUV through its paces on British roads

- By Tom Jervis

IT'S fair to say that many value the status and image of a range-topping performance SUV more than the dynamic capabilities it offers. That means the Skoda Kodiaq vRS is something of an oxymoron, being the flashy flagship model for a brand known mostly for its mature modesty.

Unlike the standard Kodiaq, which clinched the Auto Express Large SUV of the Year title for 2025, the new vRS version sidelines (but doesn't ignore) practicality and comfort, and instead promises a focus on driver enjoyment.

Key to this extra excitement is a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, which puts out a meaty 261bhp and 400Nm of torque.

Sound familiar? Yes, this is the same unit as in the Volkswagen Golf GTI. In this application and thanks to the extra grip provided by four-wheel drive, the Kodiaq vRS will haul its 1,800kg bulk - 77kg more than the old car - from 0-62mph in 6.4 seconds and onto a top speed of 144mph.

Those are some pretty keen numbers, although the vRS doesn't feel as rapid as you might expect; because it's petrol-powered, there isn't the low-end shove you'd find in the Kodiaq's electrified equivalent, the Enyaq vRS. Makes you wonder whether the extra oomph from the uprated motor in the Clubsport version of the GTI might be more appropriate for a car of the Kodiaq's size.