Skoda Kamiq 2020 Review - International

The name of the Skoda Kamiq is an Inuit word that roughly means ‘second skin’, which apt because this compact SUV will seamlessly fit into your life and be quietly, brilliantly competent while it’s at it.

But does that make it desirable? Does the Kamiq do enough to stand out from an increasingly congested small SUV-like crossover crowd? That’s tougher to say.

Skoda Australia is eager to get this thing into showrooms, knowing it could be the biggest seller the company has. But when you’ve got established rivals from all sorts of manufacturers – Asian and European alike – already in situ, then you kind of feel the Kamiq has a tough fight on its hands in terms of tempting customers to deviate to the Czech brand.

Especially as it is, like many Volkswagen Group products, not imbued with an abundance of personality. However, that might be its only serious flaw, because in all other regards this is immediately a very strong contender in the fight for car-consumer dollars.

It starts with the crisp looks, a hallmark of Skoda these days and a sort of subliminal marketing effort by the company to remind worldwide buyers of the Czech Republic’s crystal glassware heritage.

This is further enforced by details marked in the LED front and rear light clusters, striated as they are with sharp lines, and the overall effect is of a pleasing, compact shape for the Skoda Kamiq.

It’s kind of easy to sum it up glibly as nothing more than a shrunken Karoq, although we reckon it has just enough identity of its own to stand on its own four tyres.

But while we like the way the car looks and admit it suits some bold colours (Rallye Green, anyone?), if we’ve got one criticism of the appearance of the little Skoda then it’s how truncated and busy the back section of the crossover looks in profile. It doesn’t seem quite proportional aft of the back doors.

This is because the Skoda Kamiq has the longest wheelbase in its class, at 2651mm, leading to very short overhangs front and rear. This is to the benefit of interior room; the company is delighted to claim that 730mm of rear legroom is better than anything else on the market, while it’s also the widest vehicle in its segment at 1793mm as well.

And with a 400-litre boot, rising to 1395 litres with the rear seats folded, we’re inclined to say there’s not a better machine of this size for housing four adults (or, at least, two adults and two tall children) in comfort, while offering a decent boot.

Skoda has also made great strides with interior quality too, actually making the Kamiq’s cabin feel a little more upmarket and plush than that found in the Volkswagen T-Cross on which this machine is based.

There are soft, squidgy plastics on all the major touchpoints and the textures and appearance of everything is supremely well-judged. Little flourishes like perforated leather behind the interior door-handles ensure you think you’re in something from several market segments higher.

With the same interior as Skoda’s new Scala hatch, the Kamiq also has the marque’s most technologically advanced displays, the best being a 9.2-inch touch-screen for the centre stack and a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster that’s a derivation of both Audi Virtual Cockpit and Volkswagen Active Info Display.

This high-class infotainment supports both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto on all models, so if you don’t like the Czech company’s operating system then you can hook up your own smartphone instead. Its also has a feature called e-SIM which means the Kamiq is always online – allowing for greater connectivity at all times and over-the-air updates as well. Behind the wheel, there is no competitor that has a finer ambience than a well-specified Skoda Kamiq.

It should be safe, too, with nine airbags and kit like Front Assist with Predictive Pedestrian Protection, Lane Assist and Multi-Collision Brake as standard, while options will include Side Assist, Crew Protect Assist, Rear Traffic Alert and Adaptive Cruise Control.

This far out we haven’t got exact Australian prices and specs as yet, but spec for spec the Skoda Kamiq will undercut the larger Karoq (currently priced from $29,990) and perhaps even the similarly sized Volkswagen T-Cross with a starting price in the $25,000 ballpark.

Throw in some of Skoda’s Simply Clever features, like door-edge protectors, a torch in the boot, an umbrella in the door, a credit card clip on the windscreen and an electric tailgate, among others, and you’ve got a compelling proposition when it comes to the passenger compartment.

Power comes from a choice of tried and tested Volkswagen Group engines. A 110kW 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine will form the apex of the Kamiq’s motive units but emissions ratification means it’s not available from launch in Europe.

It might be ready to join its stablemates here in Australia by the time the Kamiq lands in 2020, but as of right now we’ve not sampled it. Right now in Europe, choices amount to a 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol TSI, which comes in either 70 or 85kW forms, and an 85kW 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel.

The TDI has the edge on torque, maxing out at 250Nm when the 1.0-litre motor will either deliver 175 or 200Nm (Australia’s Kamiq 110TSI will offer 250Nm), but it’s a bit louder, a bit gruffer than the petrol and it also makes the Kamiq feel heavier to drive overall.

While it comes with a six-speed manual as standard or a seven-speed DSG dual-clutch auto as an alternative, neither transmission will allow the front-drive-only Kamiq TDI to hit 100km/h from rest in less than 10 seconds.

Neither the entry-level 70kW TSI, which is paired to a five-speed manual, nor Europe’s potentially biggest-selling 85 TSI triple will come to Australia, but the latter is a lovely engine.

It’s not massively fast, of course, despite the fact that as a manual it is claimed to just dip below 10 seconds for the benchmark 0-100kmh sprint, clocking 9.9sec time (the seven-speed DSG takes exactly 10sec), but it stays so quiet and so smooth, even right out to its redline, that you’re prepared to forgive it anything.

Matched up to a light-of-shift manual gearbox, it makes driving the Kamiq TSI either gently or as quick as you like an absolute doddle.

Skodas are typically refined before they’re exciting to drive and the Kamiq is no different, but that’s not to say it’s completely boring in the handling stakes.

It’s surprisingly resistant to understeer and has nice, progressive steering with a good level of weighting, while grip levels are – like most modern small SUVs – impressively high.

Nevertheless, we’d be hard-pressed to say you’ll have a ton of fun at the Kamiq’s wheel on a twisty road, although it is not alone in this regard when it comes to compact crossovers.

The Skoda Kamiq is, though, beautifully finished in terms of ride comfort and refinement. There’s a sport chassis that rides 10mm lower than the other Kamiqs -- and therefore only 29mm higher off the deck than a Scala, whereas you get an addition 39mm on the regular models.

It also adds two-stage variable dampers, but in reality the passive springs and shocks do a perfectly fine job of soaking up the worst of road imperfections, no matter if you’re on the bigger 17- or 18-inch alloy wheels that the Kamiq can ride on.

Neither wind noise nor tyre roar make any sort of meaningful impact on the serenity of the cabin, while the seats are good and comfortable with a superb driving position possible for drivers of all dimensions.

In fact, our only main observation/criticism here is how car-like the Skoda Kamiq feels. It’s always likely with this class of crossover, because they’re based on smaller superminis, but if the objective for buying a crossover in the first place is so you can sit higher off the road, the Skoda might not be your best port of call.

Accepting that we always lower the seat in any vehicle as low to the floor as possible, the Kamiq doesn’t put you in what we’d call an imperious position above traffic. In fact, at the launch event it looked more like a compact estate car (a Fabia wagon?) and didn’t seem to stand higher in traffic than most regular hatchbacks.

Other than that, though, and the still-to-be-confirmed eco-stats, prices and specs for the range, this is a really strong showing from the Skoda, even if it’s a bit straight-laced and sensible on the surface.

The Skoda Kamiq subtly commands your respect, rather than loudly demanding it. The fact it’s so fundamentally likeable in all departments – while being the most capacious thing on the market – means this is surely the most comfortable-fitting crossover you can buy.

Kind of like a second skin, you might almost say.

How much is the 2020 Skoda Kamiq?
Price: From $25,000 (estimated)
On sale: July 2020
Engine: 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 110kW/250Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel: TBC
CO2: TBC
Safety rating: Not yet tested