Thinking man's SUV

I've driven the Kodiaq for 3,000 kms now and just finished 2 months. To start with, it disappointed me coz it stalled on the very first day. Got a warning that engine was overheated and to stop the car. The service guys came over, took the car and came back the next day. It was fine only for 2 days and the service guy had to come over and top-up the coolant. After that, I can say is that it has been a smooth and exciting drive. The mileage is low in city conditions. About 8 kmpl. But on the highway, put on cruise control and drive at around 100 kms/hour and it gave a mileage of 17 mph. It even gave me 20 kmpl when driving at about 80 km/hr. Great features packed into the car. Park assist, auto lights, rain sensing wipers, triptronic gears, speed limiter, cruise control, front seat adjusters, multi-panel instrument panel, full length panoramic sunroof. And then the Skoda specials - The boot opens with a swipe of the foot, head light washer spray, umbrellas packed into the front doors, detachable torch light in the boot, detachable tray in the boot, door protectors, head rests that have side cushions in the back row seats....Very thoughtful features. The L&k version with chrome touches on the roof rails, exhaust pipe, front grill and body coloured bumpers definitely appealed to me. I love the sound system. The entire family has raved about it and my boys love the car in entirety. The feedback is that Skoda can perhaps improve on the dashboard cluster and the auto gear shift. The third row is just okay, meant only for kids but well, you cant have everything. For the main thing now, which is driving pleasure. It stacks high. I've driven other premium cars and this is really cool. The discomforting factor with Skodas was always the service costs. I've driven the Laura and Superb for a few years and while the cars were great, the parts and service costs were dubious. The 1 lakh km warranty or 4 yrs warranty gave me the necessary courage to buy this car. Plus the 66,000/- service package for 60,000 kms or 4 yrs was very helpful in making the decision to buy. A friend of mine told me that it is a thinking man's SUV. That description makes sense to me.