JOHN MURDOCH'S DRIVE TIME: We take a look at the Skoda Kodiaq and Renault Captur

In this week's instalment of Drive Time John Murdoch takes a look at the second generation of the very successful Skoda Kodiaq which arrives this summer with a choice of engines and five or seven seats. He also finds that the popular compact Renault Captur SUV is about to get a facelift with arrivals starting in the Autumn.

The second-generation of Skoda’s popular Kodiaq SUV will arrive in the next couple of months and will be priced from £36,645.

The Czech car maker has also revealed the new Kodiaq will be available with a choice of engines including a plug-in hybrid.

More than 850,000 examples of the first-generation model have been delivered worldwide with the UK being the brand’s second-biggest market with more than 55,000 Kodiaq sales.

The new Kodiaq will be available with five drivetrain choices, including the plug-in hybrid which will have an all-electric driving range of more than 62 miles and rapid DC charging.

The PHEV drivetrain will be available with five-seater variants of both trim grades in the new range and although prices have still to be announced Skoda says the combustion engine models will top out from £46,225 for a 2.0-litre, seven-seat diesel model.

There will be a choice from five- and seven-seater models, with two trim grades, SE and SE L available from launch.

A new SportLine variant will join the line-up later in the year.

The new Kodiaq features a 10.25-inch virtual cockpit, a 13-inch freestanding infotainment screen with satellite navigation and wireless charging with cooling functionality for two smartphones.

It is automatic only with a shift-by-wire gear selector that moves to the steering column, freeing up space in the central console area.

The entry-level 1.5 TSI e-TEC 150ps features a mild hybrid petrol set up to boost efficiency while a higher output 2.0 TSI 204ps engine comes with all-wheel drive as standard.

Diesel customers can choose between a 2.0 TDI unit that develops 150ps and priced from £38,945, and a more powerful version of the same engine that generates 193ps and comes with all-wheel drive as standard.

Seven-seat models are priced from £40,205.

MAJOR CHANGES FOR RENAULT CAPTUR

A new look is planned for the Renault Captur as the popular compact SUV gets a major facelift.

Similar in design to that Renault is using on its new Scenic, the Captur features a multi-faceted grille, a more horizontal bonnet and a new design for the headlights which will now be LED on all three trim levels.

There are also revisions at the rear including a transparent back light housing which shows the structure of the light units inside while the interior now has Renault’s OpenR Link infotainment system with Google built-in and operated via a 10.4-inch vertical touchscreen.

Two engine choices will be available, a 1.0-litre TCe 90 and the E-Tech full hybrid 145 while trim levels comprise evolution, techno and esprit Alpine.

There’s also a new dashboard screen which is up to 10.25 inches wide.

No leather or chrome is used in the trim as part of Renault’s plan to phase out animal-derived materials by 2025 and all the upholstery includes recycled fabrics.

USB-C sockets, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and a wireless smartphone charger will be standard across the range.

The new Captur is scheduled for release in the autumn and while prices are still to be announced it is expected they will show a slight rise over the current models which start from £21,500.

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