On paper, the previous generation Skoda Kodiaq looks like an almost perfect family crossover. A spacious interior, a roomy trunk, decent ground clearance, and a wide range of powertrains create the impression of a versatile everyday car. It is not surprising that the model has long enjoyed stable demand. But real owners' reviews show that behind the external practicality lies a whole set of solutions that can be very annoying in everyday use.
One of the owners notes that the car really copes with the tasks of traveling out of town, to nature or to the forest. The trunk with niches under the floor allows you to transport everything - from tourist equipment to inventory. However, the joy quickly turns into irritation when winter comes. After rain and subsequent frost, the door locks may simply freeze, and it is impossible to open the car either from the outside or from the inside. There is no manual unlocking, and the only way out is to penetrate through the trunk, followed by warming up the interior.
A separate topic is the DSG gearbox. In the city, it is still tolerable and even helps to save fuel, but outside the asphalt and on the climbs it behaves unpredictably. Owners complain about delays, jerks and uncertain operation when maneuvering. This is complemented by fogging headlights, cigarette lighters that do not turn off automatically, and standard wipers that turn into "wooden" ones even at positive temperatures. All this looks strange for a car with a considerable price.
There are also many complaints about the interior. The front seats are called hard and poorly suited for people with a normal athletic build: the lateral support almost does not work, and the shape of the seats is more like a bench. On long trips, this leads to fatigue and back pain. The quality of the upholstery is also disappointing - after a year, the seams begin to fluff, creating the feeling of a worn-out taxi, and not a family crossover.
The climate system of the second row is formally declared as a separate zone, but in fact it works sluggishly and inefficiently. In winter, it barely supplies warm air, in summer - cold air, and this almost does not affect the comfort of passengers. The solution with wipers hidden under the edge of the hood does not add convenience either: it is beautiful, but in winter it turns into a constant headache if you do not put them into service mode at every parking.
Other owners go even further in their assessments. Some call Kodiaq a "monument to their own stupidity", recalling the high fuel consumption of versions with small engines, long warm-up in winter and regular visits to the service. There are stories about replacing the DSG gearbox as a whole at mileages of about 20–25 thousand kilometers and dangerous situations on overtaking, when the transmission suddenly lost traction.
Even versions with a manual gearbox did not escape criticism. Complaints concern extremely short gears, unpleasant noise during gear changes and the smell of burning clutch even at early mileages. In some cases, the clutch failed by 7–8 thousand kilometers, accompanied by smoke and a pungent odor. Add to this the fragile plastic bumper mounts, problems with multimedia and weak paintwork - and it becomes clear why some owners eventually switch to models of other brands, considering the experience with Kodiaq unsuccessful.