SKODA has played in the fringes of the Australian new-vehicle market for 10 years, but the all-new Kodiaq should change that with a combination of refinement, dynamics, space, versatility, comfort and value.

Just be sure to tick the $2500 Tech Pack option for the adaptive chassis control that provides both a soft ride to go with the agile handling.

At under $50K it ought to give leading players like the somewhat larger Mazda CX-9 a real fright, especially if you don’t need a five-metre-long SUV.