What is it?
The Skoda Kamiq is the newest member of the Volkswagen Group's family of teeny-tiny SUVs, joining the likes of the Seat Arona and Volkswagen T-Cross in this fashionable new corner of the car market.
As with its relatives - not to mention the Skoda Scala hatch, which is effectively the same thing but closer to the ground and with a different face - the Kamiq is based on VAG’s MQB-A0 supermini architecture. So you get MacPherson strut-type suspension up front and a torsion beam at the rear, while a small-capacity engine drives the front wheels exclusively.
In the case of our top-spec SEL test car, the engine in question is a 1.0-litre three-pot that's paired with a six-speed manual ‘box. It develops 114bhp and 148lb ft, and enables the Kamiq to sprint from 0-62mph in a leisurely 9.9sec.
This is an engine we’ve sampled before, so it’s unlikely we’re in for any surprises as to how effectively it performs. But, as that test drive took place in France, this is our first chance to give the Kamiq a proper shakedown back on home soil.
Its Scala sibling is slightly larger than the class norm and, on its standard, passive, suspension, exhibits an occasionally patchy ride. This comes as proof that VW Group’s supermini architecture could only be stretched so far in terms of the ride refinement and comfort the platform can offer. Similar to the Scala, the Kamiq is larger than its Seat and Volkswagen counterparts, but this particular Kamiq is fitted with Skoda’s optional Sport Chassis Control adaptive damping. Can this help avoid the pitfalls that troubled the hatch on British roads?
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Another dreary cupboard on
Another dreary cupboard on wheels. I so much prefer the Yeti.
Seems pricey to me but then
As for the reviewer commenting that it takes a leisurely 9.9 seconds to 62? That's not leisurely, infact for a small engined car of this size I'd say it's quite respectable and more than you need, of more relevance is mid range performance. What was he expecting? Porsche Macan performance?
Jesus Christ!
What a beautiful toaster!