Test drive Skoda Kodiaq, Kia Sorento, VW Tiguan: SUV for 80 levs

Tiguan and Kodiaq cousins ​​clash featuring heavier Korean

Until now, the VW Tiguan has been the benchmark for the compact SUV model. But since the concern loves to build the strongest rivals of its main brand, it is now being attacked by the Skoda Kodiaq. And he has to defend his position against the cheap Kia Sorento.

The desert country of Dubai is the largest sand importer in the world. The reason is that the emirate mainly used sand to produce concrete. And what does the three models of SUVs have to do with it? Nothing, but we decided to start with other useless knowledge, instead of proceeding with the usual recent title research. The previous articles about Kodiak must have made you a true connoisseur of the living conditions of the people of Kodiak Island. So let's leave the bears in the woods (or on the island) and introduce our participants: Skoda Kodiaq 2.0 TDI with 190 hp, seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and dual gearbox is being tested. Its relative, the VW Tiguan, is equipped with the same transmission and the highest level of equipment. And because we want to clarify whether the Kodiaq can compete with both high-end and bigger-budget competitors, we've included the richly equipped, larger and more powerful (200 hp litre) Kia Sorento 2,2 CRDI with all-wheel drive and a six-speed automatic transmission. So - bring fear, not us - it's time to start.

Kia Sorento with weaknesses in dynamic performance

And since they buy not by length, but by price range, let's start with Sorento. The 4,78-meter-long Korean Korean transcends not only the size, but also the price range of the compact class - because Kia sent the Sorento Platinum Edition to the test, equipped with everything you can imagine - full infotainment equipment, heated / ventilated leather furniture . , xenon headlights, 19 inch alloy wheels and more. And while a well-equipped base version with a dual gearbox and the automatic transmission itself can be bought in Germany for 40 euros, the test car costs 990 euros.

For the money, you get an impressive car that offers plenty of space. Five, or seven if desired, can easily fit here, but the VW and Skoda models offer more rear legroom. The Sorento is solidly built, features plentiful, easy to operate, and is known to have a seven-year warranty. However, in this price range, we are not talking about the number of qualities, but about their real manifestations. And here it turns out that the large seats don't provide enough lateral support, the voice control doesn't understand all the concepts, and the infotainment system doesn't offer WLAN and can't connect to the phone via CarPlay or Android Car. And for those who believe that these are secondary parts in the car, we will note several main factors.

For example, poor suspension comfort. With 19-inch wheels, the Sorento does not respond well to bumps in the road surface, overcoming rougher ones. Hard settings do not result in better road dynamics. Thanks to its stingy feedback and precise steering, the Kia SUV floats through corners, has a hard time supporting the outer front wheel, and it understeers heavily and rears out when accelerating—things the ESP system belatedly handles. Therefore, it is better to drive without stress - this is most fully consistent with the essence of the Sorento. Its 2,2-liter turbodiesel with variable geometry turbocharger pulls powerfully forward, from time to time the machine calmly goes through its six steps and only starts to rush at full throttle. However, a car often needs that much boost to keep up with others in a test. With an additional weight of two hundred kilograms, 10 hp. and another 41 Nm is not enough to reach two rivals.

The lag is increasing due to weak brakes and less complete and imperfect driver assistance equipment. High fuel consumption (9,5 l / 100 km) and a solid base price balance the benefits of a royal package and a long warranty. Because of this, it will be even more difficult to catch up with competitors - regardless of body length.

Skoda Kodiaq: feel more spacious than Q7 or Bentayga

Of course, it would be foolish to write that there are as many models of compact SUVs as there are sea sand (at least for a start). However, everyone understands that there is a wide choice in this segment. So at first we might be surprised by the high interest in the Kodiaq, which is actually nothing more than a longer Tiguan. But when we think about it, we realize that this is not a small thing. Because what were SUV models originally designed for? Long trips in a spacious car, raised high off the road and suitable for everyday use. Not many models have these qualities to such an extent. This is due primarily to the incredible amount of space offered by the Kodiaq. Although it is shorter than one Audi A4 Avant, inside it creates such an abundance of space that in this respect it easily surpasses the concern's large SUV models - the Audi Q7 and Bentley Bentayga. Ahead, the representative of the Czech Republic places the driver and passenger next to him high on comfortable soft seats.

The cozy reclining rear seat can be slid longitudinally in a range of 18 cm. How big the Kodiaq really is is best seen by the fact that even when in the forward position, there is plenty of room in front of your feet. And in the back we have a luggage compartment, which, like in the Kia, can be equipped with two folding seats. The test car had neither them nor a moving boot floor, which creates a flat area between the high interior sill and the feet, formed by the rear seats that fold in three. Carrying capacities from 650 to 2065 liters are on par with the longer 35 cm Q7 (650-2075 liters) and several hundred liters higher than the shorter 21,1 cm Tiguan.

Skoda offers the latest infotainment system

Skoda also surpasses it with its new infotainment control system, which basically involves bringing up menus to the screen using touchpads rather than buttons. Both models are well connected to the network, display on the phone display, offer WLAN and real-time traffic data. True, in operation everything is as simple as in VW, but the monitor and instruments in Skoda are not so easy to read. And since it's a matter of detail anyway, the workmanship and materials are not very good, with a fiber-releasing boot cover or removable rear backrests, for example.

So there are only a few little things to worry about in this big machine. And there are little things that make everyday life easier, like protecting the edges of the doors (with a friendly hello to the inventors from Ford) or a nest that bites the jagged bottom of the bottles, so the caps can be unscrewed with only one hand. Of course, the Kodiaq has remained true to the folklore with umbrellas in the doors and an ice scraper with a magnifying glass on the tank door - but it's time to go.

Hurry up automatic transmission in Kodiaq

Push the button and the two-liter turbodiesel starts to rumble. As with the VW model, NOX emissions are reduced by urea injection (the Sorento uses a catalyst with a soot tank). Like VW, this engine is only available with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. And just like VW, it feels incredibly powerless in terms of its 190bhp. / 400 Nm.

Yes, yes, here we have already reached a very high level of moody grumbling, but with dynamic indicators everything is fine. But in order for the car to accelerate properly, the dual-clutch transmission has to deftly line up its seven gears, which it does not do very confidently and accurately on secondary roads and after tight turns. Also on the tracks in a comfortable mode, it switches repeatedly and hastily. Thus, the Kodiaq should never be perceived as the confident and comfortable ride that one would expect from such a unit. However, the model makes up for this with its comfort and carefree character. With adaptive dampers (at an additional cost), it neatly neutralizes bumps in the pavement and glides over long waves as smoothly as other air-suspension-only cars. Even in Sport mode, the Kodiaq prefers to ignore dynamics over comfort. Among other things, due to its longer wheelbase, it turns more carefully than the VW model, provides more subtle feedback with slightly more indirect steering, tilts more, starts to understeer earlier and is held back. faster and sharper than ESP. At the same time, the car remains safe, stops better and has a full armada of assistants. However, the larger, more practical and more comfortable Skoda Kodiaq 2.0 TDI costs almost 3500 euros less in terms of equipment than the VW Tiguan. Then why should we prefer it?

Should you pay extra for a smaller Tiguan?

Yes, good question – at least until the launch of the longer Tiguan Allspace in September 2017. But perhaps for the first time, the VW folks failed to make their version better enough. The Octavia and Superb are positioned so closely as second only to their respective VW models that there is always a clear explanation for the price difference. However, this no longer happens with the Tiguan.

Until now, it has always been the most spacious of all compact SUV models, and is notable for providing passengers with about the same space as the Sorento, which is 29 cm longer. But the Kodiaq has even more room and, like the Kia representative, a larger cargo area. Even when the Tiguan's standard rear seat is pushed far forward as standard, it cannot achieve the standard carrying capacity of its two rivals.

Yes, the VW Tiguan 2.0 TDI has slightly better furniture, only it offers a digital instrument cluster and head-up display, but these are not entirely convincing arguments for spending more money on a smaller car. And since the Kodiaq weighs only 33 kilograms more than the Tiguan, the latter cannot benefit from a dynamic performance advantage. And expect a little more power and good manners from the Tiguan than from the 190hp 400-liter TDI. and XNUMX Nm, as well as a more confident choice of gears from the gearbox with two clutches. And now she starts to "stutter" from time to time on secondary roads with turns.

Tiguan stays more confident on the road

These are not real weaknesses. As before, the Tiguan masters things overall better than most of its competitors. Part of that feeling is down to the chassis setup, which, with adaptive dampers (at an additional cost), ensures consistent comfort. However, at a tighter setting, the VW model responds a little more than the Skoda Kodiaq, but does not tolerate shaking. So it gets around corners faster, changes direction more nimble, stays neutral longer as speed increases, starts slipping understeer later, and then ESP has to get it back on course with careful intervention. The steering responds more intelligently. But as with the minimally lower fuel consumption (7,5L/100km - 0,2L less than the Kodiaq), it doesn't earn many points and this time the Tiguan only manages to fall far behind the first. instead of, as usual, significantly ahead of the second.

If the inhabitants of Wolfsburg and Mladá Boleslav intended to keep the Kodiaq at some distance from the Tiguan, it turns out - and thus we conclude the opening theme - these plans were built on sand.

Text: Sebastian Renz

Photo: Hans-Dieter Zeifert

Evaluation

1. Skoda Kodiaq 2.0 TDI 4×4 – 451 points

Top notch performance - incredible space, exceptional comfort and lots of practical details, high levels of safety and low prices. Kodiaq wins the challenge.

2. VW Tiguan 2.0 TDI 4Motion – 448 points

So far, the Tiguan has been a class in itself. However, here the smaller, but more agile, superior safety and quality Tiguan only manages to take second place due to the higher price.

3. Kia Sorento 2.2 CRDi 4WD – 370 points

Larger in class and significantly better equipped, the Kia Sorento is suitable for anyone who enjoys a quiet and comfortable ride. But the suspension is stiff and the brakes are weak.

technical details

1. Skoda Kodiaq 2.0 TDI 4×4	2.VW Tiguan 2.0 TDI 4Motion	3. Kia Sorento 2.2 CRDi 4WD
Working volume	1968 cc	1968 cc	2199 cc
Power	190 k.s. (140 kW) at 3500 rpm	190 k.s. (140 kW) at 3500 rpm	200 k.s. (147 kW) at 3800 rpm
Maximum torque	400 Nm at 1750 rpm	400 Nm at 1900 rpm	441 Nm at 1750 rpm
Acceleration 0-100 km / h	8,6 with	8,5 with	9,6 with
Braking distances at a speed of 100 km / h	34,6 m	35,1 m	36,9 m
full speed	210 km / h	212 km / h	205 km / h
Average consumption fuel in the test	7,7 l / 100 km	7,5 l / 100 km	9,5 l / 100 km
Base Price	39 440 EUR (in Germany)	40 975 EUR (in Germany)	51690 € (in Germany)

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