Skoda Kodiaq vRS review: the seven-seater that wants to be fun

It's not often a manufacturer tries to make a seven-seater interesting to keen drivers. If you happen to be blessed with overly productive loins, you're resigned to a life of mediocre family transport.

That said, there are a few notable exceptions. Vauxhall's Zafira GSI gave petrolheads a reason to be cheerful, and now there's this: The Skoda Kodiaq vRS.

On the face of it, it's the perfect proposition for the car-mad dad. It has a 262bhp 2.0-litre petrol engine lifted from the Volkswagen Golf GTI, a seven-speed DSG gearbox, and four-wheel-drive. It can scrub off a 0-60 sprint in 6.4 seconds and has a top speed of 143mph.

At the same time, it's an incredibly competent family workhorse, with acres of space, superb comfort, well-integrated tech, and the usual Skoda cleverness, like umbrellas in the doors and ingenious storage solutions.

The trouble is, it doesn't actually feel all that fast. While 262bhp might have been exciting back in the MPV days, it's pretty standard in a modern world filled with beefy SUVs with 400bhp or more on tap.

And it's not as if it's much of a B-road blaster, either. The steering is nicely weighted, but hardly responsive, and although it rides well, it can't hide its size and weight. Grip levels are fine, and it's nice to have some dynamic driving settings, but this is still a big family car. And you can't muck about with physics.

That's not to say it's a complete damp squib, far from it. There are lots of sporty details in the interior to remind you you're in something special, and that DSG gearbox is a delight, even if it does cut in when you "forget" to change up as you're pushing on.

There's even a synthetic exhaust note being pumped into the cabin called "Dynamic Sound Boost", and it's genuinely quite entertaining - at least at first. The burble at startup is quite reminiscent of a rorty V8, but you might find yourself turning it off on the motorway. It can become a bit tiresome.

The best thing about the Kodiaq vRS, though, is the platform it's on. The Kodiaq is Skoda at its best, and few cars can match it for practicality, build quality, and sheer usability.

It leaves you feeling thankful that cars like the Kodiaq vRS exist in the first place. Yes, there are more powerful and exciting family hacks, but you simply can't touch the Kodiaq in terms of cabin space and fitness for purpose.

If you're tasked with hauling a proliferation of infants around but you still want to let out your inner Stig from time to time, buy a standard Kodiaq and spend the vRS premium on an old Boxster or something.

But if you just want a practical seven-seater with a bit more fire in its belly than the usual dreary offerings out there, the vRS will push your buttons. Just not very hard.