Tim Britten•26 Aug 2021

REVIEW

Skoda Kamiq 110TSI 2021 Review

Name: Skoda Kamiq 110TSI 2021 Review
Brand: Skoda

Skoda’s first small SUV points the way to where the Czech brand is heading – and we like the direction

Model Tested

Skoda Kamiq 110TSI Limited Edition

Review Type

Road Test

Skoda’s first small SUV has hit the ground running in a growing market segment. With its high levels of safety, equipment, practicality and thoughtful design touches, it’s unmistakably a Skoda and positions itself at the pointy end of the class.

Czech brewing

The Skoda Kamiq arrived late last year, and after a hiccup that prompted a stop-sale order on 110TSI models (lifted in February), has immediately positioned itself as a strong contender among a voracious field in the burgeoning small SUV class.

Based on the same Volkswagen Group platform as the also-new Skoda Scala small hatchback, the Czech brand’s first compact crossover comes up against top-flight models such as the Hyundai Kona, Mazda CX-30 and Nissan QASHQAI – all of which were standout performers in our recent Best Small SUV 2021 mega-test.

The Kamiq, which has already had its share of accolades in Europe such as the 2020 German Red Dot award for outstanding product design, comes with Skoda’s slightly left-of-centre thoughtfulness backed by solid safety expertise, excellent packaging, ever-improving quality and a proficiency at minimising the ride/handling compromise that escapes many a car-maker.

It’s suffused with the sought-after, but often hard to define, Euro charm.

Higher points

The 2021 Skoda Kamiq has entered the fray with not so much a knockout blow, but with determinedly competitive pricing via a small range positioned at the higher end of the scale.

The launch line-up included the Skoda Kamiq 85TSI at $26,990 plus on-road costs, the more powerful 110TSI Monte Carlo from $34,190 and the top-spec Limited Edition – on test here – with the same 110TSI engine from $35,490 plus ORCs.

Skoda recently announced a forthcoming MY22 update which will drop the 85TSI engine, leaving only the 110TSI in service for now, while the Kamiq Limited Edition essentially becomes known as the Kamiq Signature.

The Kamiq Limited Edition basically crams in all the stuff that’s optional with the Monte Carlo, such as leather trim, heated seats front and rear – with power adjustment for the driver – wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and Skoda’s Virtual Cockpit, which replicates much of what’s shown on the centre dash screen.

Features that are standard across the Kamiq range include a powered tailgate, air vents for the rear passengers and lots of clever Skoda features such as the umbrella in the driver’s door and the inbuilt windscreen washer funnel that keeps things dry and tidy when you’re filling the washer bottle.

In an age where you expect to pay more for even mundane features such as floor and (double-sided) boot mats, or a copious supply of webbing and hooks in the luggage compartment, Skoda throws all these in as part of the package – at this top-end model, at least.

The only listed option on our Kamiq LE is the Velvet Red paint job which adds $1100.

Safety matters

At this top rung of the range, the 2021 Skoda Kamiq is fitted standard with a full bag of safety technology including adaptive LED headlights, autonomous emergency braking (AEB) in forward and reverse, pedestrian avoidance, adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, rear cross traffic alert and self-parking capabilities.

There’s really not much left out, although one of the few things we’d have liked was a multi-camera bird’s-eye-view function to supplement the reversing camera.

All Kamiq variants carry a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating, based on European testing conducted in 2019.

Delayed response

The 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine found in the 2021 Skoda Kamiq 110TSI pumps out the same 110kW/250Nm as the smaller 1.4-litre unit in the Volkswagen T-Roc, but is quoted with better economy and CO2 emissions figures of 5.6L/100km and 128g/km respectively.

Volkswagen claims 6.2L/100km and 142g/km for the T-Roc, which could be explained by the fact the T-Roc tends to be the heavier of the two. The 110TSI Style T-Roc is 1319kg compared with the Kamiq LE’s 1237kg.

Skoda uses that to advantage in road performance. The Kamiq’s lighter weight gives it slightly better 0-100km/h acceleration, getting there in 8.4sec, where the T-Roc is quoted at 8.7sec.

Although the figures fall somewhat short of making the Kamiq a full-blooded sports SUV, it always feels more than adequate on the road, where time spent in the passing lane is brief and hill-climbing is tackled with a nice, torquey verve.

If there’s a downfall, it’s that the Kamiq’s seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission can feel a tad sluggish off the mark – though once you’ve become accustomed to that characteristic it can be side-stepped through a bit of extra forcefulness and driver anticipation. Once kicked-down, it becomes almost manic.

The engine’s torque characteristics probably don’t help either. Although the full 250Nm are already at work by 1500rpm, not too much of that seems to be evident lower in the rev range.

In the end, though, the engine is nicely revvy, with its 6000rpm redline matching the point of the maximum 110kW. It’s pretty smooth, quiet and lacks breathlessness at the high end of the rpm range.

And although our recorded 7.2L/100km fuel consumption over a week of driving fell well short of the claimed 5.6L/100km, the Skoda Kamiq seemed thrifty in use and the 50-litre fuel tank depleted itself with a welcome reluctance on the preferred diet of 95-octane unleaded.

We’d say a cruising range of close to 700km would be attainable.

Family friend

Like its Scala sibling, the 2021 Skoda Kamiq is packaged to provide comfortable space for at least four adults (with five at a pinch), along with their luggage.

In fact, although the boot capacity of 400 litres is less than the (longer-bodied) Scala’s 467 litres and the maximum seats-folded space is said to be 1395 litres – or 15 litres in arrears of the Scala – in real-world use it’s hard to detect anything other than incremental differences.

As in the Scala, there’s a profusion of netting in the boot – along the sides, on the floor and under the parcel tray, along with handy hooks to hold things with an extra degree of security. The Kamiq LE’s power tailgate is also a welcome upmarket inclusion.

In the cabin, there’s plenty to help keep the driver well-informed, comfortable and alert (driver attention monitoring is standard), the seats are absorbent and well-shaped and there’s a relatively unobstructed 360-degree view thanks to the generous glassware and the side windows that stretch right back to the Kamiq’s rear extremities.

If you were questioning at this point whether or not the Kamiq offers any worthwhile advantages, especially in terms of packaging, over the Scala hatchback, you would probably have a viable argument.

But because the Kamiq is nominally an SUV, it does have some advantages, particularly on poorly-groomed roads, over the more-or-less conventional Scala hatchback.

Here, the Kamiq does offer a few things, ground clearance for one. At 188mm from the road to the closest underbody contact point, it’s got a handy 39mm advantage over the Scala. And, perhaps explaining away the slightly reduced load capacity, there’s less rear overhang that might catch you out – off the beaten track or, in urban conditions, with deep and abrupt gutters.

A nice, bright set of roof rails able to carry up to 75kg also helps expand the load-carrying ability and makes the Kamiq’s reduced internal luggage space something of a moot point. Both Skoda Kamiq and Scala set their braked towing limits at 1250kg.

The Skoda Kamiq is competitive in terms of warranty and servicing. There’s a five-year/100,000km warranty, 12 months of roadside assistance and a choice of three or five-year service packs, priced at $800 and $1400 respectively with servicing due every 12 months or 15,000km.

Class contender

Like the Skoda Scala in some ways but not in others, the 2021 Skoda Kamiq SUV is not to be taken lightly in its segment.

It brings a degree of competence that tends to stand out among small SUVs, along with a restrained but nicely balanced style that should appeal to more conservative buyers.

As with many of its competitors it shouldn’t be taken too lightly in terms of its size, either. The Skoda Kamiq might share much with the Volkswagen Polo but there’s never any suggestion it’s a tight fit for, say, a family comprising two adults and two children providing the latter aren’t under-18 basketball players.

And in this age of identity-seeking, Skoda cars – all of them – have the benefit of displaying some degree of individualism. The company’s new generation of sharp-edged models makes for easy recognition without the visual challenges of the over-sculpted, temporarily-modish lines so prevalent in many market segments.

Consider these things alongside the Skoda Kamiq’s undoubted competence on the road, its inbuilt safety and ever-improving quality – as we’ve said before, it’s not so long ago that Skoda was where you went if you didn’t think you could afford a Volkswagen – and you have a brand that places long-term integrity ahead of short-term expediency.

The Skoda Kamiq may not threaten many of its high-flying small SUV competitors any time soon, but if the Czech company holds true to its current philosophical directions, it is well on the way to securing a more prominent spot in the Australian marketplace.

How much does the 2021 Skoda Kamiq 110TSI Limited Edition cost?
Price: $35,490 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 110kW/250Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 5.6L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 128g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2019)