New Skoda Kodiaq vRS goes on sale – costs from £44,635

The new Skoda Kodiaq vRS, this time around with a petrol engine, goes on sale in the UK with prices starting from £44,635.

It’s four years since the Skoda Kodiaq arrived as Skoda ventured into SUVs to bolster sales, so it was due for a bit of an update, which arrived in April as Skoda facelifted the Kodiaq to keep it competitive.

The bulk of the new Kodiaq range went on sale here in the UK in May, but not the refreshed Kodiaq vRS. But now Skoda fixes that with the announcement that the new Kodiaq vRS will cost from £44,635.

This time around, in a clear sign of the decline of diesel-engined cars, the Kodiaq vRS comes with a 2.0-litre petrol engine, borrowed from the VW Golf GTI, and good for 242bhp which means 0-62mph in 6.6 seconds.

The Kodaiq vRS also gets a new seven-speed dual-clutch ‘box sending the power to all four wheels, together with adaptive dampers and progressive steering which can be tweaked with Skoda’s Dynamic Chassis Control.

Cosmetic changes are basically the same as the rest of the new Kodiaq range, but the vRS gets 20″ alloys, red brake calipers, vRS bumpers, black roof rails, grille and mirrors, and twin tailpipes.

Inside, you get vRS sports seats, red stitching, leather steering wheel, Skoda’s Virtual Cockpit with 10.25″ screen, and 9.2″ infotainment with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Safety stuff includes AEB, Travel Assist, Parking Assist and more.