With such sharp styling, why wait for a VW T-Cross?
Czech marque Skoda couldn’t wait until the Geneva motor show to show off its latest model, the itty-bitty Kamiq SUV, which will complement the Scala saloon/hatch when it arrives in local showrooms early next year. The Kamiq offers the practicality & ground-clearance expected of an SUV but with the proportions of a hatch, making it perfect for the city.
“By introducing the Skoda Kamiq, we are completing our successful SUV portfolio at the lower end. As our first city-SUV, the Kamiq will captivate new customer groups for the Skoda brand, and it is therefore an important component of our model campaign.” – Bernhard Maier, Chief Executive Officer, Skoda
On the face of it, the Kamiq is very much a Skoda SUV in appearance, though here it revamps the fascia with a dual-tier setup splitting the LED daytime running lights from the main beams, with the former connected to the frame of the trademark grille. Beneath that sits a wide lower air intake which is underscored by an almost-as-wide skid plate, which is painted silver.
Moving down the side, a prominent crease connects the headlights to the taillights, and helps reduce the visual bulk of the profile. And at the rear, Skoda’s signature taillight signature is present & correct here, replete with its ‘crystalline’ visual effect. If specified with the full-LED exterior lighting package, the Kamiq also features scrolling indicators, a first for the Skoda brand.
Step inside and you’ll find a cabin that’s broadly similar to what we’ve seen with the Skoda Scala, with a central touchscreen up to 9.2-inches in size, as well as a 10.25-inch digital drivers display (though that will be an option). Thanks to the larger MMI screen there’ve been a reduction of buttons on the centre console, lending it a cleaner look.
The cabin can be specified with niceties like ‘Suedia’ not-suede, ambient lighting (with a dazzling choice of three colours), and either 8- or 10-speaker audio systems, as an upgrade from the basic model’s 4.
Being a Skoda, it wouldn’t be complete without a healthy dose of practicality. And with 400L of space behind the rear seats and a maximum of 1395L with them folded, the Kamiq’s got you covered.
Forced-induction is the name of the game under the bonnet, with a 1.0-litre turbo-petrol triple kicking off the range in either 70kW or 85kW guises. The lower of the two tunes gets only a 5-speed manual, while the higher-powered version gets either a 6MT or a 7DSG automatic.
Move up a rung and you get the 1.5TSI petrol mill, with 110kW and 250Nm, with the same choice of transmissions. This engine will likely make it to our market, along with the higher-tuned 1.0-litre triple, as a manual offering isn’t likely to fare very well. There’s also a 1.6TDI turbodiesel with 85kW and 250Nm, though it’s highly unlikely that that’ll see daylight here (though this writer would like to be proven wrong).
The Kamiq comes with the very latest in advanced driver assist systems from Skoda, including adaptive cruise control (up to 210km/h), driver drowsiness alert, ‘Crew Protect Assist’ (which closes the windows and pre-tensions the seatbelts should it detect an imminent collision), blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert. There are also as many as 9-airbags in the Kamiq depending on variant, as well as an optional automatic high-beam function.
The Skoda Kamiq has been confirmed for the Australian market, with introduced expected towards the tail-end of Q1 2020, after the arrival of the Skoda Scala. The Kamiq will prove to be a strong contender in the segment, going after rivals like the Honda HR-V, Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross, and Suzuki Vitara, while also having to duke it out with its half-sibling the Volkswagen T-Cross.
Looks like 2020 will be the year of the funky crossover, eh?
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