The new Skoda Kodiaq is here and your family wants it

Well, it's the first Kodiaq with plug-in hybrid power; it gets new looks with fancy matrix LED headlights and a new interior with Smart Dials, giant infotainment screens and (another first) a head-up display. Autonomous driving aids are also uprated, and there are more Simply Clever features to back up the famed brolly-in-the-door, ice-scraper-under-the-fuel cap tricks of the old model.

Fundamentals that made the original Kodiaq such a success remain, though, meaning the new model is still available with seven seats, has an interior that's even roomier than the very roomy cabin of the old, and has the option to specify four-wheel drive, keeps its all-weather credentials. 

Is it as good-looking as the handsome old car? With the usual concessions to subjectivity, we're not sure. There's a fussiness to the new car's front end and C pillar, which means it lacks the chiselled solidity of the old car. On the bright side, active flaps in the grille and the design of the front and rear bumpers improve aero, posting a 0.282 drag coefficient for any fans of a CD rating.

On a more objective note, overall dimensions have barely changed – the new car is 60mm longer than the model it replaces, but its 2,791mm wheelbase is identical. Finally, you can choose from wheels 17-20 inches in size and from nine colours – two solid, seven metallic – including new and bling Bronz Gold shown here. 

The new TOP Matrix LED headlights are also worth mentioning. Fitted as standard on the bestselling Sportline model, they are 15 per cent more potent than the old model with 36 separate light segments and scrolling indicators; they also perform a sequential light dance when you lock and unlock the Kodiaq. Fan of a light show? Then, you can also specify your new Kodiaq with a horizontal LED strip under the bonnet's leading edge and with an illuminated grille.

To our eyes, the interior is more of a triumph than the exterior. The raised brow design of the dashboard matches the Octavia in design, only the Kodiaq has more generous swathes of posh trim pieces. You can satisfy your interior designer itch by choosing from interior design ambiences, including the primary finish, Loft, Lounge or ecoSuite, covering everything from Mustard Yellow stitching to sustainably treated Cognac leather or wool-based upholsteries.

The infotainment upgrades are more striking than the colour combinations, headed by a massive 13-inch touchscreen that rises like a phoenix from the dashboard's centre. It's an option that replaces the standard 10-inch screen and comes with the standard-fit 10-inch digital instrument binnacle. As you'd expect, you get voice and gesture controls in the 13-inch display, and the Kodiaq comes armed with four USB-C plugs powerful enough to charge a laptop. Options include the aforementioned new head-up display, a 14-speaker Canton stereo that replaces the standard eight-speaker stereo and a cooled wireless phone charging pad that can accommodate two devices simultaneously.

Thankfully, Skoda's hasn't plunged ergonomics into disarray in the pursuit of the interior's clean new look; no, the new Smart Dials look like they could live up to their name, giving you direct (and haptic) access to the car's stereo, sat-nav and ventilation system without having to put finger to touchscreen. Even the gear shifter has moved, Mercedes style, to a stalk behind the steering wheel to free up more storage space in the central console.

Space (or, more precisely, the large quantities you get of it) is one of Kodiaq's biggest sales drivers, and the new model gets useful increases in critical areas. You'll find an extra 15mm of headroom in the third row of seven-seater models, while the boot capacity has increased by a more tangible 70 litres with all seats in place, giving 340 litres in total. Fold the back row down, and that increases to 840 litres or 2,035 litres with all the back seats flattened. Five-seater models do even better with a 910-litre boot that rises to a 2,105-litre maximum capacity.

Skoda has also armed the Kodiaq with more of its Simply Clever features, which now include a clean cloth for the infotainment screens hidden in the dashboard, rear-seat storage space on the back of the centre console and door edge protectors first seen on the old Ford Focus. 

The Skoda's range of engines will likely appeal to families as much as the interior practicality, headed up for the first time by the Kodiaq iV plug-in hybrid. Its 1.5-litre petrol engine and electric motor have a total output of 204PS (150kW) and a pure electric range of more than 60 miles, which should make for cheap commuting backed up by the security of petrol power when you're inevitably let down by our country's flakey charging network. The petrol-electric combination spins the front wheel via a six-speed DSG gearbox. Downsides? The electrical gubbins drop boot capacity down to a none-too-shabby 745 litres.

The rest of the range – petrol and two diesels – comes with a standard seven-speed DSG. The 150PS (110kW) 1.5-litre heads up the conventional powertrains and features 48V mild-hybrid tech, giving an electric boost at low speeds and allowing the car to coast on the motorway. The other petrol is a 204PS (150kW) 2.0-litre with four-wheel drive fitted as standard.Meanwhile, The diesel range comprises 2.0-litre versions with either 150 (110kW) or 193PS (142kW), with four-wheel drive as standard. 

Skoda has also broadened your options on how your Kodiaq drives with new (optional) Dynamic Chassis Control adjustable dampers that allow you to adjust through a broader range of firmness that, in theory, should mean the new car can be both more comfortable and sportier than the car it replaces. 

And if your interest in driving a sensible family SUV wanes, which, in all honesty, we could understand, the new Kodiaq comes with the option to specify an uprated suite of self-drive gadgets that can accelerate, brake and steer the car better than they did before. New features include Exit Warning, which aims to stop you from wiping out cyclists with a swinging door and remote self-park that can slide the car into space when you're outside the vehicle. 

If you like everything you've read about the new Skoda Kodiaq, then it's time to introduce you to the Sportline model (shown in blue) – the version you'll most likely buy if sales of the old model are anything to go by.

Like R Line to VW or ST-Line to Ford, Sportline gives your Kodiaq sporty looks without the inherent increased running costs of it actually being sporty. In simple terms, the Sportline gets unique 19-inch wheels, moody black accents, fancy TOP Matrix LEDs on the outside, and one-piece Suedia microfibre-wrapped seats on the inside.

The new Skoda Kodiaq is expected to cost from around £35,000 – expect more to be confirmed before the end of the year.