It’s pronounced like ‘Hammock’ and it’s the SUV spinoff of the much-lauded Scala wagon/hatch, which already sets up Skoda’s latest release well. Skoda NZ, of course, is excited because the Kamiq allows the brand to play in the most popular market segment.
It isn’t going to be an easy road – even for the Simply Clever brand – to go up against 31 competitors, some of whom are listing registrations in four digits.
And to further challenge Skoda, there are ‘sister’ brands playing in the market, but this hasn’t stopped Skoda introducing the Kamiq, which clearly suggests the New Zealand distributor is confident in its product offering.
Skoda’s SUV models start with a K and end with a Q, the Kamiq being the latest and smallest. Then comes Karoq and finishes – for now – with Kodiaq, which is the largest and been with us the longest.
Kamiq has won the hearts of many. European critics especially are very enthusiastic about Kamiq, which is tipped to receive a few awards this year.
How will it fare here? Well, its early days yet but the Kamiq’s future is looking bright, playing as it does in the most hotly contested segment in the market.
Kamiq comes to us in three guises: the entry level Ambition with the 85kW, 999cc turbo petrol engine, Ambition+, and the top end Monte Carlo, these last two run the 110kW, 1500cc turbo petrol engine, with all variants commonly using a seven-speed, direct shift (DSG auto) gearbox.
The Ambition (tested) is the most keenly priced of all the Kamiq models in terms of its entry-level pricing first and foremost, but also for its performance.
The 999cc engine has the best fuel efficiency and the least C02 emissions of the range.
Being an entry level, there are some bits ‘n bobs which you don’t get, but this is par for the course. As with just about any brand, the mid-spec is the one to go for and the little extra you pay is generally worth it.
The air conditioning is manual rather than Climatronic as in the Ambition+ and the colour touchscreen is a 6.5-inch, up against the eight-inch of the Ambition+. These niceties notwithstanding, you’re not actually short-changed in comfort, convenience or safety.
Kamiq is – as expected – a five-star safety rated vehicle, which means that, in addition to the safety features normally found in a contemporary Euro – up to nine airbags, traction control, anti-skid regulation, electronic brakeforce distribution and the like, there are other safety features of a more sophisticated nature.
There is, for example, a driver fatigue alert monitor, rear parking sensors with the reversing camera, cruise control with speed limiter, lane assist and front assist with City Emergency Brake, keyless engine start and LED head, tail and daytime running lights.
The lights are actually something of a critical styling element demonstrating the new Skoda ‘face’ with chiselled angles and a split design, which is likely to be seen on more Skoda models to come. The design is more than aesthetic, it actually throws out a lot of light in places where single piece lights don’t. More Simply Clever stuff from Skoda.
We couldn’t help notice the familial resemblance between the Skoda Scala and the Kamiq, which isn’t a bad thing. Skoda says the two vehicles cover different markets, but the jury’s still out on that.
The Kamiq does have higher seats than the Scala – 40mm higher in fact, and yes, it has the anticipated Simply Clever spatial considerations we have come to expect of modern Skodas.
Interesting that the Scala still has greater boot space (by about 30 litres or so) but the Kamiq has greater headroom for rear passengers especially, the Kamiq’s 1003mm trumping the Scala’s 982mm.
Kamiq does well on the open road, with excellent agility and – as a point of line honour – delivers a healthy lack of body-roll which you might anticipate with SUVs – even the small ones.
Around town, the Kamiq affords outstanding visibility, more so perhaps than the Scala; and this is the way it should be: hatch to SUV with notable improvements but an intact and obvious heritage.
SPECIFICATIONS
Skoda Kamiq Ambition
BODY TYPE 5 door SUV
DRIVE Front wheel drive / 9 speed auto
ENGINE TYPE 3-cylinder turbo petrol
ENGINE CAPACITY 999 cc
MAX POWER 85kW
MAX TORQUE 200Nm
L/100KM (COMBINED) 5.5
CO2 EMISSIONS 125g/km
LOAD CAPACITY 400 litres
ANCAP RATING 5 Star
PRICE $30,990
