Skoda’s Kamiq is a ‘small’ crossover vehicle, but in actual fact, is one of the largest cars in its class with some really interesting and future forward aspects.
Special mention : They’ve used terminology such as SUV which fits in with the crowd, if you wanted though, you could call it a great looking mini estate.
Needs work : Well it’s not the space, because as a Skoda, it has loads of that. And it’s not the cool engineering quirks, because there’s plenty of those. It must be, no, they’ve removed the badge and added some lovely typography. Oh, there’s a bit of a step between where you flatten the rear seats and the boot floor.
Specs: As tested
| Max Power 115 BHP | Petrol / Manual |
| 0-100 km/h in 10 seconds | Road Tax €200 |
| Starting price €21,475 as tested €29,146 | Boot litres 400 – 1,395 litres |
Skoda has finally been let of the leash and the design has leaped ahead inside and outside, on all the new lines. A few new techie drops for the Skoda brand have also appeared, the twin segment headlights that for the first time, have daytime LED running lights on the Kamiq.
You’ve also got directional indicators which point in the direction you’re turning. We’ve seen them on plenty of premium cars like Audi’s and Jaguars but Skoda is offering it at a low price point.
At the back you’ll see some stylish Skoda typography in letters just like the Scala, rather than just the Skoda circular badge. Another clever feature is the plastic strips that automatically pop out to cover the edges of the doors as they open. There’s also the clever umbrella in the front passenger door, a ticket holder on the windscreen, an ice scraper in the fuel filler cap that also doubles as a tire tread gauge, a screen wash cap that turns into a funnel and even a rechargeable torch in the boot. One of the most impressive things about the Kamiq is its interior.
With cars like the T-Cross, the interior isn’t as forward looking as the Kamiq, and that’s because they’ve got hard dashboards whereas the Kamiq uses lots of quality soft touch material on the top of the dashboard and the tops of doors, and the soft leather on the steering wheel feels quite fine-grain expensive as well. In fact the only thing that does feel a little bit cheap is the slab of plastic on the face of the dashboard.
If you go for entry-level Active trim you’ll get a 6.5″ touchscreen infotainment system which grows to a more respectable 8″ on Ambition models. Style trim has an even bigger 9.2″ screen and all three systems have Bluetooth with Apple Carplay and Android Auto phone mirroring as standard. The range topping 9.2″ system is easy enough to use apart from being a bit slow to respond to presses at times.
They all come with Skoda’s new voice assistant that can sometimes recognise natural speech as well as just simple commands. On Style models, there’s a 10.5″ display behind the steering wheel with the virtual cockpit which gives you the option to configure the display exactly how you want it.
There’s 26 liters worth of storage space dotted around the interior with cubbies everywhere. The Kamiq is based on the same underpinnings as the T-Cross and the Arona but it’s one of the biggest cars in its class and that’s because it has a longer wheelbase creating a ridiculous amount of space for rear seat passengers.
The Kamiq really takes care of its passengers, it’s one of the few cars in it’s class that has heated rear seats if you want them, plus the two side windows give you a great view out, which usually helps with anyone suffering from travel sickness. Boot space is a generous 400 litres, one of the best figures in the class and exactly the same as the Seat Arona but slightly less than the T cross. That’s only because the T cross has sliding rear seats which you can’t option on the Kamiq. What you can get is a height adjustable boot floor, which gets rid of the annoying lip at the boot entrance and the step you’re left with when you fold the rear seats down. The Kamiq is also one of few cars available with an optional folding front passenger seat which means you can slide really long objects through the boot right up to the dashboard.
There’s no doubt that the Kamiq is a great car for the city. The slightly elevated driving position is about 40 millimeters above the road than in a Skoda Scala for instance, which gives a great view down the road ahead. The Kamiq has a tighter turning circle than many of its rivals. It’s also really easy to drive partly thanks to the swift manual gearshift.
Around town the Kamiq has a comfy and stable ride. Kamiq’s can come with optional sport chassis control which is Skoda’s name for its enigneered suspension which sits the car 10 millimeters closer to the road and also gives you the option to effectively stiffen or soften the suspension. The ride comfort becomes noticeably better above about 60 KM/h and the Kamiq is smooth on the motorway and more agile than you would imagine, especially if you keep it in the less economical 5th gear (out of the 6 available), which tightens things up when maneuvering around objects or between lanes. Generally around town, the most used gears are the 2nd and 3rd when nipping in and out of traffic, which is what makes the Kamiq fun. It may not be powerful, but you can use these lower gears to tighten it up and have a little fling about town.
Of the four engines offered, the cheapest is a 95bhp 1 litre petrol which will probably be the big seller of the range.
The next variation of the same basic 1 litre engine has 115 bhp and is certainly worth considering especially if you plan to frequently carry a lot of passengers or you live in a hilly area because it gives you a slightly better acceleration and a little more pulling power. The range-topping 1.5 litre petrol and 1.6 litre diesel seem a lot harder to recommend because they’re likely to push the price of the Kamiq into territory of altogether bigger SUV’s.
The most economical engine in the range is the 1.6 litre diesel and that will officially do 58.9 mpg but to be honest we can’t see many reasons to go for that engine as the 1 litre, 115 bhp petrol can do 50.3 mpg. All versions of the Kamiq get roof rails as standard and it’s one of the few cars in it’s class with an electric tailgate.
Overall the Kamiq is a brilliant small SUV and it stands a pretty good chance of beating it’s closest competitor, the T-Cross, on which we will have a full review coming soon.
Equipment as tested
17” Alloy Wheels
Full LED headlights w/ Adaptive Frontlight System
Full LED rear lights
Dynamic indicators front/rear
Dual zone climatronic air conditioning
Rear view camera
Lane Assist
Front Assist with City Emergency Brake
Predictive Passenger Protection
Multi-Collision Braking
Rain sensing wipers
Bolero 8” infotainment including Wireless SmartLink and Bluetooth
Power folding exterior mirrors
Auto-dimming rear view mirror
Keyless start system
Dark tinted privacy glass
Umbrella compartment in driver’s door
Leather steering wheel, gear stick knob and handbrake handle
Two USB-C slots
ŠKODA Optional Extras
Brilliant Silver Metallic Paint €627
18” ‘Crater’ alloy wheels €413
Dynamic Pack (Front sports seats and sports steering wheel, aluminium pedals and black roofliner) €612
Comfort Pack (KESSY FULL Keyless Entry, Electric Tailgate and electric driver seat) €724
Panoramic Sunroof €970
Annual Road Tax – €200
Fuel Economy 0 – 5.5L-6.8L/100km
Total as spec’d: €29,146