You’ll have seen the vRS badge on the back of Fabias and Octavias, but in 2019 Skoda applied it to the Kodiaq SUV too. While not as sporty as the smaller, lighter vRS models in Skoda’s range, it gives seven-seat SUV buyers a more dynamic option and a bit of fun from their sensible family car.
The vRS was launched with a twin-turbocharged diesel engine in 2019, which was replaced by a turbocharged petrol unit (not dissimilar to that in a Volkswagen Golf GTI) in 2022, and was facelifted at the same time - later cars get a more squared-off front grille and less of an upturn to their headlights, for easy identification.
Alternatives include more powerful versions of the Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace and Cupra Ateca, as well as the Alfa Romeo Stelvio as a sporty option and the Land Rover Discovery Sport as a more luxurious seven-seater.
The Kodiaq vRS is a bit of a heart-over-head purchase. Powerful engines don’t turn it into a sports car, and in terms of equipment it’s not much better specified from other, more affordable models in the Kodiaq range, so if all you want is a seven-seater SUV, one of the lesser Kodiaqs makes more sense.
Depreciation though has taken some of the sting out of the car’s somewhat expensive new pricing, and for a car enthusiast seeking a still fairly sensible family wagon that has a bit of visual clout and can offer some entertainment on a twisty road, paying a little extra for the vRS becomes more appealing.
It’s still the same well-rounded family car in all other respects too. As well as seven seats you get a spacious and well-built cabin, a logical dashboard layout that doesn’t force you to do everything through a touchscreen, and you do at least get a few vRS trimmings, such as a pair of chunky sports seats.
It’s capable on the road too. Both the original diesel engine and the petrol that replaced it in 2022 have strong performance (and similar economy on paper), there’s loads of grip, and it handles and even rides well for its size. It’s refined too, and Skoda has a pretty good reputation for reliability - so even a used vRS should serve you well for some time to come.
You can get similar performance in the Skoda’s cousins, the Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace and perhaps more pertinently, the sportier (but slightly smaller, five-seat-only) Cupra Ateca. Also a five-seater but more fun to drive is the Alfa Romeo Stelvio, while for a premium seven-seat alternative, check out the Land Rover Discovery Sport.
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The choice here is primarily between the diesel engine offered from 2019 until 2022, and the petrol that took over from 2022 onwards. On paper the petrol isn’t too far away in terms of fuel efficiency, and surprisingly there’s not a great difference between the diesel vRS and higher-output petrol models in the Honest John Real MPG list either - though we’d be surprised if you couldn’t eke out more from the diesel with a light foot. Both have a good turn of pace and both actually make quite interesting noises, thanks to some clever sound generating tech, so take your pick.
The vRS is effectively a trim level itself in the wider Kodiaq range, so there’s just one model listed below, and it’s among the best-specified in the Kodiaq range. Equipment levels have changed slightly over time though so you can expect later petrol versions to offer slightly more kit than the earlier diesel cars.
The Skoda Kodiaq vRS’s dimensions are:
The Skoda Kodiaq vRS’s boot size is:
An initial price tag of more than £40,000 means that all Kodiaq vRS, whether diesel or petrol, attract a higher rate of VED from their second year on the road to their sixth. At the time of writing, this means a yearly bill of £570.
Diesel versions of the Kodiaq vRS come in at insurance group 30 (out of 50), while the newer petrol model is group 31. This is four groups and six groups higher respectively than the next most powerful diesel and petrol versions in Sportline trim, but similar to the groups 30-33 for various trim levels of Cupra Ateca.
Read our full Skoda Kodiaq vRS review