Small Skoda crossover received a new nose and some technical updates.
No class has grown as fast in recent years as that of the B-segment SUV/crossover. However, Skoda never managed to make the Kamiq as much of a runner as the more frivolous French competition. An old-fashioned facelift should change that.
An all-new Skoda Kamiq, it’s about time!
Yes and no. The Kamiq has been on the market for five years, but Skoda is still waiting with a completely new generation and is giving the crossover a facelift so that it stays up to date. Sales in the Netherlands are now somewhat disappointing. It also looks very nice next to the now somewhat cooler Skodas such as the Kodiaq and the Enyaq. This facelift should do something about that, because it is one from the book: the nose has been seriously overhauled.
A hip new nose.
Also engine news?
In some cases the drivetrains were upgraded. The 1.0 goes up to 115 hp. However, in all cases where the Kamiq is used as the first car, we would recommend going for the 1.5 TSI with 150 hp. That is a four-cylinder with a pleasant running performance and a wide power range. But unfortunately, that engine will not be available in the Netherlands! While it is almost as economical and therefore not much more expensive from a tax perspective, which would make it unaffordable, something that is the case with diesel versions. However, according to the Dutch importer, the typical Kamiq customer always chooses a 1.0. The one percent that does want more power is not enough reason to bring a whole extra version to the Netherlands. Remarkable. So we make do with the 115 hp of the 1.0. Fortunately, it is an excellent engine of its kind, which also gives the Skoda some speed up hills.
A bit of Skoda is spacious, that’s fine here too, isn’t it?
Certainly! The feeling of space is still overwhelming. In the front you sit low in the slightly raised car, in our case on sports seats from the somewhat sportier (in terms of furnishings) Monte Carlo edition, with plenty of space around you. Of course, there are pleasant places and spaces everywhere. The back seat is an oasis of space. Your feet can fit well under the seat and even the taller Dutch people will never hit their knees. It’s so spacious that it doesn’t stand out, it just looks like a car from a higher class. Direct competitors such as the Renault Captur, Peugeot 2008 and Ford Puma do not even come close to the seating comfort in the back seat of the Kamiq. At 400 liters, the trunk is also above average. If you fold the rear seat, you go to just 1,400 liters.
Very spacious rear seat.
And how does a Skoda Kamiq drive?
Driving the car is very pleasant. It is nice that the softness that characterized Skodas a few years ago has somewhat disappeared. They are still comfortable and exceptionally good cars to drive. The Kamiq still lacks the appearance of a Kodiaq, but the handling is more than excellent for this segment, even at high autobahn speed. The Czech is also not afraid of some quickly taken corners: good understeer if you go too fast and that’s it. The biggest problem is still that many competitors are more frivolous in driving behavior and appearance and that noticeably counts when we look at the sales figures. However, Skoda has managed the non-emotional and therefore hard to measure things very well.
Also some minor changes to the rear.