Hi,

I'm shopping around for a new car to replace my outgoing Sportage lease. I'm exploring whether my budget pushes to a car with a larger boot. I'm interested in Kodiaq, probably around the SE L mark, facelift version.

 

I don't need a 7-seater car - as in, I don't need 7 seats. If I go larger, it would be for the boot. And I understand the Kodiaq's 5-seat model offers more boot space than the 7-seat.

 

But I also believe 5 seats is only on the base SE model.

 

The question, then, is ... given all the customisation options, is it viable to start with Kodiaq SE as a base and spec it up to something like SE L equivalence?

 

A local dealer I briefly chatted with today, between his other customer visits, said it's possible but the seat upgrade, in particular, would be very expensive.

 

Any thoughts on this?

 

Thanks.

Welcome to the forum.

 

Others will maybe be able to answer.

 

?

When does your car need replaced? 

Best check just how long a Factory Order might take to get to a dealers as there are issues being blamed on the 'Chip shortage' and maybe other things, 

but cars built and ready for delivery can be a safer bet than the 'maybe / sometime' build & delivery ones.

1 minute ago, e-Roottoot said:

Welcome to the forum.

 

Others will maybe be able to answer.

 

?

When does your car need replaced? 

Best check just how long a Factory Order might take to get to a dealers as there are issues being blamed on the 'Chip shortage' and maybe other things, 

but cars built and ready for delivery can be a safer bet than the 'maybe / sometime' build & delivery ones.

 

Lease ends July 31, and I'm absolutely coming up against the challenges you mention... microchip shortage, customer demand. What's more, if I went Sportage again, I'd like the almost-announced facelift, which is reckoned for March availability, or, if I pushed up to Sorento, that's supposedly six months - even four months for a current-gen Sportage. The cars I'm looking at are Kodiaq and Tarraco, maybe Sportage/Sorento, maybe 5008/C4 Grand Spacetourer/CR-V. It's a perfect storm. I will have use of other family cars (Corsa and Seat Leon estate), so it's not a disaster, but still really tough to buy at the moment.

 

Anyway, it was sort of an in-principle question, notwithstanding all those issues - the idea of taking an SE base and loading it up to SE L equivalence to benefit from the extra boot space in a 5-seat model.

 

But I guess you're saying, even assuming that's not cray, the supply issues may be compounded further by a custom-spec of this kind (?).

You’d be better comparing the 5 seat/ 7 seat boot space before choosing a spec you don’t really want.

Depending on what options you want to add an SE could easily become more expensive than an SEL, and for the slight increase in boot space starting with 7 seats, even though you don’t need them, might be the better option.

I ordered a new facelift Kodiaq Sportline last week and delivery is not expected till December.

 

Edited 25 June, 20214 yr by Kenny R

OT, last night a Blacked out car drove past when i was at a junction and i nipped on to see what it was as it looked mean and i thought it was  new Ford Puma.

Got behind it at the lights and even the KIA badge was blacked out and it was a Sportage.  Mean looking thing.

As above, I wouldn't spec up a base model of any type with lots of extras to match a higher trim model.

 

It almost always turns out expensive.

 

Many of us chose an SEL because it has a very good basic spec.  Think LED lamps, KEYLESS, hot seats, NAV as standard. 

You can't get that on a "prestige" German machine for the same money.

 

The fact it has 7 seats is a bit of a novelty (that I do use occasionally).

 

I've never worried about the small difference between a 5 seater boot and a 7 seater boot.

 

Right now, my 7 seater, flat floor boot is sitting with the tailgate about 6 feet from my front door as we load up with a TON of stuff for a self catering holiday on  a caravan site (8 bed mobile home to be precise). It's cavernous.

It'll be dearer to spec up an SE to SEL standard in two ways:  up front, the individual extras will cost more than the package.  Then, at trade-in time, the offer will be based on a SE (not an SEL), with only a slight uplift for all the extras.   (That also applies to a leased car, as likely future trade-in value is taken into account in the monthly payments.)

 

Check out, at a dealer's,  the boot sizes 7-seat vs 5-seat, as Kenny R says.  If the side-to-side and front-to-back measurements are most important to you, the 7-seat will be just as good (and will provide a flatter floor, making it easier to load long items).

 

If it's the overall total volume that matters - perhaps because you often want to load a large number of small items - then the 5-seat does give more volume, in the well where the rearmost seats would otherwise be fitted.

Edited 25 June, 20214 yr by DaveMiller

Cavernous. Always more space to add little things 

 

It takes 10 minutes to remove the rear two seats. It's definitely not the same as having the 5 seater boot, but it would be an easy way to reclaim extra space, if that is your main concern. With the added flexibility of being able to put the seats back in if you ever need them!