SEVEN THUMBS UPS

THREE ROWS OF SEATS IN A PACKAGE WITH AMPLE DYNAMIC ABILITY. KODIAQ RS EXITS HAVING MADE ITS USP CLEAR

- MIKE STEVENS

SKODA KODIAQ RS

Price as tested $67,440 [+ORC]

This month 642km @ 10.2L/100km

Overall 3028km @ 10.4L/100km

LET'S OPEN THIS conclusion with some context. Only recently, Volkswagen launched the stupendously rapid Tiguan R SUV in Australia. Wearing a price tag of $68,990 before on-road costs, the Tiguan R is $13K pricier than the 162TSI that previously acted as the hero model - but the bigger spend gets you 235kW and 400Nm and a 0-100km/h time of 5.1 seconds. Worth it? Arguably yes, when most SUVs with comparable performance are more expensive models from premium marques.

It's not the Tiguan R we've got on test here, but at $67,440 before on-road costs, our Kodiaq RS and its 180kW/370Nm 2.0-litre turbo petrol four might seem poor value when held up against the top-shelf Tiguan.

But it isn't. True, the Kodiaq RS isn't as quick or as capable, but with a 0-100km/h time of 6.6 seconds, it's no slouch and the similar money gets you the third row of seating that more and more buyers are looking at as a must-have.

Ultimately, you're looking at a horses-for-courses assessment. If what you need is seven seats, and what you want is a sports package with more poke and prowess than the average hauler, you'll lean more to the Skoda than you will the Volkswagen. You don't need to agonise over a pros-and-cons list to make that call.