Say hello to…
…the Skoda Kodiaq vRS. It’s the top-of-the-range, performance flagship version of the manufacturer’s big, versatile SUV. In this full-fat guise, it’s also a seven-seater and has four-wheel drive, but cheaper and leaner five-seat, front-wheel drive versions are available. All the above means it’s both the fastest and the priciest Kodiaq available, with a P11D value of £51,445 (the entry-level 1.5 TSI e-TEC SE model has a P11D of £37,545), a 265hp 2.0-litre TSI engine, a 0-62mph time of 6.4 seconds and a 143mph top speed.
All the above also means the vRS is not the efficiency stalwart of the range, and you’re looking at official fuel economy figures of 33.9-33.4mpg and CO2 emissions of 189-192g/km. In context, that isn’t terrible for a car with of this size and clout, because it’s a hefty thing at almost 4.8m long and with a minimum kerb weight without the driver of 1,827-1,935kg.
Those proportions mean it’s immensely practical, irrespective of the number of seats, and, being the range-topper, the vRS is very well kitted out. Standard equipment on top of everything you get with the lower trim levels – themselves hardly meagre – includes the likes of 20-inch black polished alloy wheels, a Canton sound system, artificial leather/suede seats, front electric memory seats and an electric tailgate.
Is The Skoda Kodiaq vRS Suitable For My Fleet
If we’re honest, the vRS is the least appropriate Kodiaq for conventional fleets, purely on tax grounds, because it sits in the top 37% BIK bracket – although it might well appeal to a minority of cash allowance takers swimming against the electric tide. Avoid the performance powertrain and instead choose the 1.5 TSI iV 204 plug-in hybrid – at 6% BIK – and the Kodiaq makes a lot more sense. Look at the model overall, rather than the figures or a particular trim level, and it’s a splendid all-round SUV with heaps of space.
Leasing A Skoda Kodiaq vRS
At the time of writing, Gateway2lease was offering the Skoda Kodiaq vRS for £674 a month on a 3+36 contract with 10,000 miles a year and nine months’ rental up front. Gensen Reports forecasts monthly maintenance bills of £38 and Class 1A NIC comes in at £193 a month.
Driving A Skoda Kodiaq vRS
The vRS sub-brand has always done subtle performance well and is arguably the opposite of Renaultsport. It’s not that Skoda hasn’t ever gone the bright green or yellow paint route, but the police like unmarked Octavia vRSs in more innocuous shades for a good reason. We wouldn’t go so far as to call the Kodiaq vRS a Q-car – red brake calipers behind 20-inch alloys disqualify it – but a rear diffuser and a modest grille badge are much more early Golf GTI than modern performance special with a name spanning the width of the boot.
The 2.0-litre TSI engine is a long way from cutting edge and, bluntly, a performance special of this size and shape feels as though it could handle more power. The 2.0-litre TDI Kodiaq has 400Nm of torque – exactly the same amount as the vRS – and the 204hp TSI petrol will hit 62mph in 7.5 seconds next to the vRS’s 6.4, so it’s not an earth-shattering jump in performance.
It’s still a quick old thing for its size, though, and there’s a pleasing grunt and growl when you give it some welly – a rare find in today’s large SUVs. Its proportions, again, mean it wallows through fast corners, though likely less than other Kodiaqs, courtesy of the rear sports shock absorbers. There’s no requirement to drive it like a vRS, though, and it’s arguably at its best at low revs on a motorway, with easy access to power for slip roads, lane changes and overtaking. It’s more comfortable and refined than your average sporty special, too.
The Kodiq’s strongest suit is really nothing to do with the vRS sub brand, rather, once again, its size and shape. The vRS is only available as a seven-seater, which means it has a 340-litre boot with all the seats upright (about average for a C-segment hatchback), which increases to 845 litres with the rearmost seats folded and 2,035 litres when all five back seats are down. The petrol five-seater is even more spacious, with a 910-litre boot and 2,105 litres with all rear seats folded, while the PHEV – a five-seater only – sacrifices a little room but is still large, at 745 litres seats up and 1,945 seats down. Whatever way you look at it, the Kodiaq has heaps of room inside.
FleetandLeasing.com Verdict On The Skoda Kodiaq vRS
A charming and very practical throwback to a seven-seat performance petrol, but fleets should pick the hybrid – not the vRS.
Skoda Kodiaq
- Model: Kodiaq vRS 2.0 TSI DSG 4×4
- Power: 265hp
- Torque: 400Nm
- Max speed: 143mph
- 0-62mph: 6.4s
- Official mpg: 33.9-33.4mpg
- Test mpg: n/a
- CO2 emissions: 189-192g/km
- BIK tax band 2025/26: 37%
By Jack Carfrae
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