MOTORING The Kodiaq’s styling is what you’d expect a big


Skoda SUV to look like, with a clear, precise and clean- cut shape, marked out by a distinctive, shoulder line. The wide radiator grille is quite striking and the narrow, raked headlights are distinctive. On the inside, it is obvious that the Kodiaq is much


bigger than the Yeti, offering ample room for heads, legs and knees. The boot’s huge too, large enough in fact to


accommodate the optional fold-out third seating row that rivals simply can’t offer. If you stick with the five- seat variant, there’s a 720-litre cargo area, extendable to 2,080-litres once you fold the rear bench. Golfers will love this car. Prices start around £21,495 for a base petrol version


but if you want 4WD or almost any kind of diesel, you're going to be looking in the £25,000-to-£33,000 region. Even entry-level variants get Skoda’s ‘Swing’


infotainment system with a 6.5-inch screen. It can be supplemented with a smartphone Bluetooth connection


and the ‘Skoda Smart Link’ set-up. As you progress further up the ladder, all the cute options become standard, so worth making your list of preferred options and seeing which spec level has them before buying them as options on your basic car. As for safety, a ‘Front Assist including City


Emergency Brake’ system is standard, using a radar to scan the road ahead for potential accident hazards as you drive. Adaptive Cruise Control, a ‘Driver Alert’ system to combat fatigue and a ‘Traffic Jam Assist’ system are all optional. Family-sized SUVs used to be thirsty things, but


things have had to improve a lot as this market segment has become more popular. Skoda has taken its time in bringing us a larger


family-sized SUV but what’s been delivered with this Kodiaq looks to be a very complete car. The seven-seat option is going to be popular, as


might be the 4x4 option. This Skoda looks to be on an all-out attack on its rivals.


The Skoda’s styling is what you’d expect from an SUV


Record first quarter for UK used car market


The UK used car market got off to a strong start in 2017 with a record number of vehicles sold in the UK in the first quarter. According to data released by


the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), 2,133,956 used cars changed hands in the first three months of the year, 3.4% more than in 2016 resulting in the biggest-ever volume seen in Q1. Diesel and petrol sales


remained steady, with gains of 5.6% and 1.6% respectively. Of the 851,569 used diesel cars sold in Q1, one-in-five were the latest low emission Euro 6 models. More motorists also took


advantage of the wide range of alternatively-fuelled hybrid, electric and hydrogen cars entering the second-hand market, with registrations rising 43.2% to 21,320 units. Mike Hawes (pictured), SMMT


Chief Executive, said: “A buoyant used car market combined with strong residual values is good news for the sector, with motorists benefiting from the


wide range of models and high- tech safety and connected features entering the market. “Diesel cars remain as popular


as ever, with consumers now able to take advantage of the low emission Euro 6 diesels available in the used car market. It’s also positive to see sales of used electric and hybrid vehicles rise, reflecting what we have seen in the new car market. To ensure this growth is maintained and the benefits of low emission vehicles spread quickly throughout society, continued investment in infrastructure, incentives and a tax regime that encourages demand is essential.”


business network June 2017 57


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