Skoda Kamiq
We know the Kamiq is one of the most practical small SUVS, but what’s it like to live with? Let’s nd out
THE SKODA KAMIQ is big by small SUV standards, so it’s a logical choice for someone like me who’s looking to downsize without abandoning the practicality of a larger vehicle. Although it’s based on the same underpinnings as the Seat Arona and Volkswagen T-cross, the Kamiq’s front and rear wheels are farther apart, so there’s more room inside the car.
Of the engines available, I chose the more powerful of the two 1.0-litre turbo petrols, with 113bhp, because I do a lot of motorway miles and live at the top of a hill. I’m glad I did, because it comes with a six-speed manual gearbox instead of a five-speeder, and that means the revs stay low at motorway speeds, making long trips relatively quiet and relaxing.
In fact, the little three-cylinder engine copes easily with motorway driving and only struggles occasionally when I fill the car with five adults and ask it to scale the North Downs. In these instances, I have to quickly change into a lower gear, keep the revs up and ignore the sounds of protest from under the bonnet.
Inside, there’s plenty of room for me and a couple of passengers, and the load space is impressively large with the rear seatbacks folded flat. On a recent garden centre trip, I managed to squeeze in six privet bushes, six large bags of topsoil and an assortment of flowers – impressive for a car not much larger than a Volkswagen Polo.
However, when my teenage daughter and her grandparents all had to climb into the back, they were crammed in so tightly that they looked like sardines in a tin. Leg room may be good for a small SUV, but shoulder room isn’t adequate for three adults; if we all need to go on longer trips in future, we’ll take two cars.
And that will mean I can enjoy the car’s pretty decent handling. Although it hasn’t quite got the finesse of our top small SUV, the Ford Puma, the Kamiq is still able to put a smile on my face on a twisty road.
In SE L trim, it comes with a list of standard kit longer than my arm, including a 9.2in infotainment touchscreen with sat-nav, a digital instrument panel, a driver fatigue sensor, dual-zone climate control, blindspot monitors and lane-keeping assistance.
My biggest splurge from the options list was on adaptive LED headlights with a cornering function and ‘dynamic’ indicators (£1050). Living on an unlit country road, I really appreciate the way the beam alters in spread and length depending on the type of road and driving conditions. It’s also great that the headlights dip automatically at appropriate times so they don’t dazzle oncoming drivers.
Another expensive but desirable option is a panoramic sunroof (£935), which really brightens up the interior, especially for rear seat passengers. And although I resent having to pay for a spare wheel, I was pleased that I could add a space-saver on the Kamiq.
I love all the traditional Skoda convenience items that come as standard, too; there’s an umbrella in the driver’s door, an ice scraper in the fuel filler cap and a removable, rechargeable LED torch in the boot.
Even at this early stage, it hasn’t all been plain sailing with the Kamiq, though. The infotainment system has failed to load up properly a couple of times, resulting in silent journeys. On other occasions, it has loaded up but had no sound, and the Apple Carplay phone connectivity intermittently stops working. When you spend as much time in the car as I often do, such issues can be a real pain.
LOGBOOK Skoda Kamiq 1.0 TSI 115 SE L
Mileage 3804
List price £22,570 Target Price £21,160
Price as tested £28,370
Options tted Full LED headlights (£1050), exclusive paint colour (£975), panoramic sunroof (£935), Skoda sound system (£525), 18in Vega Aero alloy wheels (£520), Sport Chassis Control (£495), front and rear parking sensors (£360), rear-view parking camera (£300), high beam control (£225), keyless entry and stop/start (£215), space-saver spare wheel (£150), silver haptic decorative insert (£50)
Test economy 44.5mpg
Of cial economy 47.1mpg (combined)
84 August 2020