Hi all, this is a little rant of my though process when I had to make the tough decisions of choosing between the Skoda kodiaq and Seat Tarraco .
This is my list of pros of the things that I like for each vehicle and why I ultimately chose the Tarraco over the Kodiaq, this is all my personal opinion,
Pro - Tarraco
1. Exterior Styling - This is subjective obviously and I think both cars looks great, most car reviewers agree that the Seat looks the best out of the Tiguan / Kodiaq / Tarraco segment.
Kodiaq brings a very rugged outdoor styling and looks better off-road than the Tarraco, while the Tarraco looks better on the tarmac.
What I like about the Kodiaq is that it doesn't look like a 7 seater, the shape gives the illusion that it is a smaller car while the Tarraco looks more like a 7 seater / wagon. However Tarraco front end styling with the new lights are really cool.
What I didn't like about the Kodiaq is the Square shape wheel arc which provides too much "thigh gap" on the rear wheel and I don't like being able to see the mud under the wheel arc. The normal rounded wheel arc in the Tarraco suits my taste more as it makes the car looks a bit lower.
2. Interior Styling - Cockpit dash, vents - I much prefer the Tarraco interior styling, the Kodiaq Vertical air vents, and positions are a turn off to me I don't know why the dash felt bulkier and I think it sits slightly higher giving less frontal visibility (could just be my perception)
3. Driving profile knob, volume knob - A couple of little things that I love are the rotational knobs, a volume knob is a must-have for my wife and we hate press & hold on a screen to turn the volume up / down, it's just faster with the knob. I think you can still get volume knob in the kodiaq but in lower trim level.
The Kodiaq doesn't have a driving profile knob, it has a "mode" button instead
4. Digital Dash - Seat Digital Dash design and colour scheme are much better, I like how the screen is tailored to the curved shape of the dash while the Kodiaq dash is pretty much a rectangle shape. And I think the screen itself is a bit better, seems to have deeper black than the Kodiaq version
5. Gear shifter - Prefer the Tarraco / Tiguan style shifter than the Kodiaq, just feels and look more modern, the kodiaq shifter is quite ugly imo.
6. 140KW TSI Engine - Tarraco has the new gen 140KW TSI engine which is slightly better than the 132KW that the kodiaq, more power and better fuel econ somehow this is a big plus.
7. Quieter Cabin - Tarraco cabin is noticeably quieter than the Kodiaq, the Kodiaq really sounds and feels like I'm driving a truck or something.
8. Softer headrest / 4 way adjustable - Didn't notice this at first but the Tarraco headrest also adjustable forward and backward like the Tiguan, and feels softer than the Kodiaq which is only 2 way adjustable.
9. Dark roof lining - This is a pro and con in a way, Dark roof lining feels more premium than the standard beige, however, if you don't have the sunroof it can feel too dark and claustrophobic. I have a sunroof so it feels amazing
10. The Drive - Pretty sure I'm not imagining it but the Tarraco feels sportier to drive, I think because of the newer TSI engine and the DCC might be tuned better. I didn't really notice the difference as much in the Kodiaq DCC switching to sports mode.
Pro - Kodiaq
1. Price - In NZ Kodiaq of the same spec is better priced by about $3-$4K NZD and it is also more popular than the seat and likely have better resale value. I really had to battle with the Seat dealer to get them to match Kodiaq prices, I almost bought the Kodiaq because of this.
2. (Sleep pack) Second row Blinds + Sleep Headrest - I love this option in the Kodiaq I wish Tarraco have one, but in the end, it wasn't available to me unless I want to do factory order and pay full price.
3. Perforated Leather seat / Ventilated seat - The leather seat in the Kodiaq is much better than the Tarraco. The Perforation gives it a more premium look and feels a lot softer and added bonus it is also ventilated which is amazing, shame Tarraco doesn't have this option
4. Heated Steering - WHY is Tarraco missing this option ?! once you get Heated Steering you don't want to go back, this is a big sacrifice to me.
5. Umbrella in-door - Love it but I'm concerned that this makes the door thicker than necessary making it harder to get out in tight spaces.
6. Door protector - Also love it, but I'm concerned with jamming the Kids finger, it almost got me when I was demoing the car.
7. Multi-color ambient lighting - Cool standard feature, Tarraco only have a single color, just nice to have.
This is my list of pros of the things that I like for each vehicle and why I ultimately chose the Tarraco over the Kodiaq, this is all my personal opinion,
Pro - Tarraco
1. Exterior Styling - This is subjective obviously and I think both cars looks great, most car reviewers agree that the Seat looks the best out of the Tiguan / Kodiaq / Tarraco segment.
Kodiaq brings a very rugged outdoor styling and looks better off-road than the Tarraco, while the Tarraco looks better on the tarmac.
What I like about the Kodiaq is that it doesn't look like a 7 seater, the shape gives the illusion that it is a smaller car while the Tarraco looks more like a 7 seater / wagon. However Tarraco front end styling with the new lights are really cool.
What I didn't like about the Kodiaq is the Square shape wheel arc which provides too much "thigh gap" on the rear wheel and I don't like being able to see the mud under the wheel arc. The normal rounded wheel arc in the Tarraco suits my taste more as it makes the car looks a bit lower.
2. Interior Styling - Cockpit dash, vents - I much prefer the Tarraco interior styling, the Kodiaq Vertical air vents, and positions are a turn off to me I don't know why the dash felt bulkier and I think it sits slightly higher giving less frontal visibility (could just be my perception)
3. Driving profile knob, volume knob - A couple of little things that I love are the rotational knobs, a volume knob is a must-have for my wife and we hate press & hold on a screen to turn the volume up / down, it's just faster with the knob. I think you can still get volume knob in the kodiaq but in lower trim level.
The Kodiaq doesn't have a driving profile knob, it has a "mode" button instead
4. Digital Dash - Seat Digital Dash design and colour scheme are much better, I like how the screen is tailored to the curved shape of the dash while the Kodiaq dash is pretty much a rectangle shape. And I think the screen itself is a bit better, seems to have deeper black than the Kodiaq version
5. Gear shifter - Prefer the Tarraco / Tiguan style shifter than the Kodiaq, just feels and look more modern, the kodiaq shifter is quite ugly imo.
6. 140KW TSI Engine - Tarraco has the new gen 140KW TSI engine which is slightly better than the 132KW that the kodiaq, more power and better fuel econ somehow this is a big plus.
7. Quieter Cabin - Tarraco cabin is noticeably quieter than the Kodiaq, the Kodiaq really sounds and feels like I'm driving a truck or something.
8. Softer headrest / 4 way adjustable - Didn't notice this at first but the Tarraco headrest also adjustable forward and backward like the Tiguan, and feels softer than the Kodiaq which is only 2 way adjustable.
9. Dark roof lining - This is a pro and con in a way, Dark roof lining feels more premium than the standard beige, however, if you don't have the sunroof it can feel too dark and claustrophobic. I have a sunroof so it feels amazing
10. The Drive - Pretty sure I'm not imagining it but the Tarraco feels sportier to drive, I think because of the newer TSI engine and the DCC might be tuned better. I didn't really notice the difference as much in the Kodiaq DCC switching to sports mode.
Pro - Kodiaq
1. Price - In NZ Kodiaq of the same spec is better priced by about $3-$4K NZD and it is also more popular than the seat and likely have better resale value. I really had to battle with the Seat dealer to get them to match Kodiaq prices, I almost bought the Kodiaq because of this.
2. (Sleep pack) Second row Blinds + Sleep Headrest - I love this option in the Kodiaq I wish Tarraco have one, but in the end, it wasn't available to me unless I want to do factory order and pay full price.
3. Perforated Leather seat / Ventilated seat - The leather seat in the Kodiaq is much better than the Tarraco. The Perforation gives it a more premium look and feels a lot softer and added bonus it is also ventilated which is amazing, shame Tarraco doesn't have this option
4. Heated Steering - WHY is Tarraco missing this option ?! once you get Heated Steering you don't want to go back, this is a big sacrifice to me.
5. Umbrella in-door - Love it but I'm concerned that this makes the door thicker than necessary making it harder to get out in tight spaces.
6. Door protector - Also love it, but I'm concerned with jamming the Kids finger, it almost got me when I was demoing the car.
7. Multi-color ambient lighting - Cool standard feature, Tarraco only have a single color, just nice to have.
