SOMETIMES it's the little things that catch your eye. Even with a mightily impressive vehicle like the Skoda Kodiaq.

Skoda has always been able to add little innovations like the umbrella in the door and torch in the boot. Now add a handy ice scraper in the fuel flap and the clever pop out rubber door guards to protect the paintwork in tight parking spaces. They all part of the 30 Simply Clever features, seven of which are completely new.

The Kodiaq is available with either five or seven seats and keenly priced, certainly the lower spec models which challenge the full range of SUVs from the cheapest to even the likes of Land Rover at the upper end of the scale.

Starting at £22,190, even the base model is well equipped with alloy wheels, electric windows, touchscreen, DAB radio and air con.

This model adds extra goodies like adaptive cornering lights, privacy glass and heated front seats.

It is the Czech company's first seven-seater and comes with a variety of trims and engine options and with the choice of two or four wheel drive.

This model, the Scout, is new to the range, and the seven-seater specifically targets the 4x4 community with its rugged look and special features that set it apart from other models in the range.

These include offroad front and rear bumpers, a rear diffuser, Scout plaques on the front wings and silver door mirrors, 19-inch alloy wheels and ‘rough road package' that includes a engine guard and underbody stone guard. Also included are daytime running lights. It is sharp looking and attracted plenty of attention.

The interior is classy, with wood effect finish to dashboard, Alcantara trimmed seats and door panels, and Scout plaque on the dashboard and aluminium trimmed pedals and LED ambient lighting.

The centrepiece is the touchscreen which operates the sat nav, infortainment and Smartlink connectivity, which includes for the first time the Connect infotainment system which provides live journey information and real-time navigation details plus remote access to assistance.

The rest of the layout is clear, logical and well put together in what is now typical Skoda style.

It is a large cabin with good head and legroom and good all round vision. In practical terms, five adults can be seated in comfort, with the rearmost pair only really suitable for children.

Those fold into the floor, while the second row can slide forward, split 60/40 and the backrests adjusted individually, to create the biggest stowage area in its class at 2,065 litres which includes a variable boot floor.

The two-litre diesel offers two power outputs, 150ps on this model, or 190ps.

It is a smooth, flexible and economical engine, pretty much free of diesel clatter. In this case mated to the VW Groups seven-speed DSG automatic gearbox, it proves a comfortable drive, slipping through the gears without any fuss. Acceleration is brisk and economy good for this type of vehicle with 49.6mpg claimed.

On this model, Driving Mode Select allows the driver to adjust the operation of the engine and DSG management, power steering, air conditioning and other systems in Normal, Eco, Sport and Individual modes.

This model also offers Snow mode, which adapts the operation of the ABS, ASR and ACC systems, as well as the engine management and electronically controlled, all-wheel, multiplate clutch to slippery road conditions.

Handling is also decent for this type of model, with little body roll, while the ride adapts well to road, either urban or motorway, and rougher terrain.

If not the full fat go anwhere 4x4, judging its offroad capabilit against its former stablemate the Yeti, it should prove more than capable of handling all but the roughest of terrains.

New options available include new-to-brand systems Trailer Assist and Area View. The latter uses wide-angle surround-view cameras located around the car to create a virtual, top-down view and 180-degree images to the front and rear.