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December 2017/January 2018 | $7.50
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HER OLIVIA GIVES VW VERDICT
UTE LAYS MERCEDES E E CHALLENG DOWN PRIC
R LIGHT FUSO CANTE ED TRUCK TEST
ROAD TEST | SKODA KODIAQ SUV
EVERY WOMAN LOVES TO BE TAKEN care of, and that’s the feeling I got driving the Skoda Kodiaq. It was so accommodating, it was difficult not to fall in love with the vehicle. It began the moment I pulled the door handle and it unlocked automatically, then the door-edge protectors popped out, and the remote key fob allowed push-button starting, It was easy to settle into the comfortable, cosseting seats that have cooling or heating systems, and offer both depth and height lumbar-adjustment. It was like walking into a five-star hotel when everyone is eager to take care of you. Maybe it was the interior’s darker colour, but the Kodiaq felt larger on the inside than it looked on the outside. So I was a little surprised to see a third row of seats, given that the Skoda’s body is 53mm shorter than our 10-year-old five-seat Volkswagen Touareg SUV. The Kodiaq isn’t short on cabin space. The second row seats can be slid and tilted to suit different people, and our test passengers – five-year-old and two-year-old daughters – loved the third row of seats, and their map lights, and a left-side cupholder. However, adjustable temperature fan controls are fitted to the second-row only. The easily accessible ISOfix child seat mounting points, which use a neat cover,
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are complemented by seatbelt buckle arms which make strapping them in super easy; as do the straps and tilt-release levers that are readily accessible high up on the seats. These simple little design elements make a big difference to the daily chores. In the boot, even with the third row raised, there’s still just enough room for the weekly shop and on either side are bag hooks, handy levers to drop the second row of seats, and a 12v socket. Drop the third row of seats and boot space becomes huge. I’m told there’s even a magnetic torch in the boot/spare tyre compartment, though maybe someone had souvenired this car’s; however we did find the handy umbrella in its front door pocket. Thankfully, all these trinkets are backed up by a solid drive, where that feeling of small external size is confirmed. The Kodiaq is a little lower than many SUVs, so there’s a feeling of it being a size smaller than it actually is, helped partly by the technology on board. Features like the reverse and all-around overhead camera view, and park-assist. I’m adept at reverse parking, and though using it was a little eerie for the first few times, the park-assist system worked well, even if the button dance and momentary wait for the tech to kick in meant it was sometimes faster to just DIY park.
However, when time allowed, I loved seeing the car “measure” if the spot was big enough, and very effectively guide itself in. I also loved the feel of the steering, the quietness of the engine and the supersmooth gearbox. Playing the guess-theengine capacity game, I figured around 2.2-litres, given its speed, so that’s impressive too. I suppose that’s reflected a little in the fuel use, and we saw around 10.5 litres/100km for the mostly urban driving. Not great, but reasonable given the size of the Kodiaq – dare I say it’s “bear”able… The lane-assist function felt peculiar, though very effective, when I intentionally strayed from the lane and felt the steering pull the car back into line. A couple of days just wasn’t enough in the Kodiaq; I’d happily spend months with it. I found it difficult to fault. My biggest complaint was the lack of numbers on the sound system volume control. The Kodiaq is already on our next-car shortlist. There’s a lot to love about the Skoda, and after just a few days, I loved it a lot. – Arna Evans
SKODA KODIAQ STYLE SUV AT-A-GLANCE Brief Specifications ENGINE
2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol. Maximum power, 132kW @ 3900rpm. Peak torque, 320Nm @ 1400rpm.
TRANSMISSION
Seven-speed DSG automatic, four-wheel drive.
SUSPENSION
Front, MacPherson struts. Rear, multi-element axle.
WHEELS AND TYRES
19-inch alloy wheels and 19-inch tyres.
Above top row: Driver’s seat is comfortable and cosseting and a nice place to be (left); Second row seats feature fore-aft adjustment and have adjustable backs (centre); One of many thoughtful features – an umbrella stowed in the door (right).
BRAKES
Front, ventilated discs. Rear, discs.
SAFETY
Seven airbags. Lap/sash seatbelts for all occupants, ESC, ABS, EBD.
PERFORMANCE
Turning circle, 12.2 metres. Tow rating, 2000kg braked trailer. Fuel economy, 7.4 litres/100km on combined cycle.
Above left: Good room for Amber (left) and Ella in third row of seats.
DIMENSIONS
Dimensions. Length, 4697mm. Width, 2087mm including mirrors. Height, 1675mm. Wheelbase, 2791mm.
Above right: With third row seats in use there’s still room for a week’s grocery shop.
WARRANTY
3 years/100,000km.
PRICE
$54.290.
LCV MAGAZINE RATING
4.8 out of five. Good: performance, handling, gearshift, features. Not so good: virtually nothing.
Facing page: Mid-sized Kodiaq looks small on the outside but has a surprisingly-big interior with three rows of seats.
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LCV | 21
BEST BARS. BY FAR. FOCUS ON TOWING –
LDV T60 LUXURY
Newcomer turns in impressive fuel economy when towing STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY DEAN EVANS
B
EING IMPARTIAL IS PART OF TESTING VEHICLES, but our Best Bars tow test subjects sometimes suffer from pre-conceived ideas. Often a vehicle’s negative attributes experienced during our road tests are subsequently magnified during a tow test because, naturally enough, towing is simply making the vehicle heavier, slower and less efficient. So it was with a little trepidation that we hitched up a weight to the back of the new-to-market LDV T60 ute.
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38 | LCV
The Luxury grade T60’s floaty and choppy ride didn’t win many fans during a five-up road trip. Pair that with fuel consumption figures of around 10.5 litres/100km on mostly motorway kilometres – a fair way off LDV’s quoted 8.2 litres/100km highway fuel consumption – and it was natural to be sceptical. But with just 150 kilometres on the odometer when the brand new white T60 was delivered to us, we’d had some summations
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in reserve, and held hopes for a slight improvement during our time with it. Our LDV’s virginal tow ball would get its first coupling experience hauling a reasonably hefty weight. Despite a solid and sturdy towbar design, LDV rates the T60 at just 3000kg towing capacity across the range, with another 1000kg for payload, give or take, depending on the model and gearbox. Thanks to our friends at Kennards Hire in Hamilton, we had 1700kg of double drum roller, mounted atop 500kg of steel trailer. Both came from the pool of hire items at Kennards’ new Hamilton location. Strapped down, plugged in and chained up, we hit the road for our road test loop from Hamilton to Raglan and return, a 200km round-trip. It encounters motorway, long climbs, less-than-perfect road surfaces and some twists and turns that test torque, gearing, brakes, steering and stability.
Pulling 75 percent of its maximum towing capacity, the LDV certainly felt like the weight was upon its shoulders, and felt substantially slower. In fact a quick 0-60km/h test revealed a time of 9.0 seconds, and though academic, offered a little insight into the T60’s struggle for speed. Thankfully, this test isn’t a race. On the motorway, the T60 proved more settled and more composed, qualities that were also replicated on the single-lane 100km/h zones to Raglan. Though 360Nm from the 2.8-litre VM Motori turbodiesel fourcylinder isn’t class leading, it did prove to be plenty in this scenario. Once we were away from the initial sting of standstill acceleration, the engine can be worked hard to keep up the speed. Other challenges surfaced. While holding 90km/h on the flat wasn’t a problem in the slightest, as soon as an incline appeared, it did require a kick-down and/or aggressive throttle use to keep up the speed.
Above: Road roller and trailer brought the load fairly close to the T60’s 3000kg towing limit.
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