Skoda Kodiaq and Vauxhall Insignia
A breakdown and a welcoming
Mileage 9476 List price £34,800
Target Price £32,634 Price as tested £31,615 Test economy 38.0mpg
I CAN’T DECIDE how forgiving to be. On one hand, the Kodiaq broke down, and a brokendown car is always a nuisance. But on the other hand, it suffered nothing more complex than a dead battery.
I’d noticed that there were times when the Kodiaq sounded laboured as it cranked into life, with the engine churning on the starter motor for perhaps half a second longer than normal. Then one day it didn’t spring into life at all, and I was left stranded.
On that occasion, I was just a bus ride from home and parked in a secure car park. So I dutifully returned the next day with some jump leads, borrowed a different car and got the Kodiaq running again.
Just a few days later, I pulled up in a parking space while picking up one of my children. It was cold outside, so I left the engine running. The stop-start function kicked in as my eightyear-old clambered aboard, the engine shut down and… it refused to refire. A long walk with a tired child was a true test of patience.
Yet there is an upside to end on. It took a few
days for the Kodiaq to be seen, diagnosed and fixed – the battery couldn’t hold its charge, so it was replaced under warranty – and during that time I drove a variety of other, very decent cars. But when I slid back into the Kodiaq’s comfortable driver’s seat and found that every switch and dial was where I wanted it and there was a storage cubby for every eventuality, I felt my driving life was back in order again.
It’s easier to forgive the odd foible when a car makes life better most of the time.