What a Car - UK - (2020-04)

whatcar.com April 2020 55

entry-level Titanium trim with

the least powerful engine in the

line-up: a 123bhp 1.0-litre petrol.

With an asking price of just over

£20,000, is it worth the extra?

Our final contender is the Skoda

Kamiq, which has impressed us in

match-ups against the Volkswagen

T-Cross and Kia Stonic. For the first

time, it’s appearing here in 1.0 TSI

115 SE form, which could be the

sweet spot of the range.

DRIVING

Performance, ride,

handling, renement

Although it doesn’t have much

less power on paper, the Captur

is well off the pace here. Whereas

the Kamiq and Puma can cover

0-60mph and 30-70mph in about

9.5sec, the Captur takes a full two

seconds longer. That’s not good on

a short motorway slip road with

a car full of people. The Captur

also has flat spots in its power

delivery, where acceleration seems

to tail off, only to increase again as

engine revs rise further.

Special mention should go to the

Puma’s mild hybrid technology.

It can’t drive the car on electricity

alone, but a small electric motor

attached to the engine boosts

low-rev urgency and improves fuel

economy. That means the Puma

pulls from as little as 1000rpm –

500rpm earlier than the Kamiq

and nearly 1000rpm sooner than

the Captur, so you have adequate

acceleration from lower engine

speeds. Changing gears is a joy in

the Puma, too, while the Kamiq’s

gearshift is also slick, but the

Captur’s is long and a bit vague.

The Captur’s engine can’t

match the Kamiq’s and Puma’s

for refinement, either. The only

downside to the Puma’s engine

is that it sounds boomy when it’s

asked to pull hard from low revs in

a high gear, something the Kamiq

avoids. Around town, the Puma’s

automatic stop-start system works

almost imperceptibly, thanks to

the hybrid tech. The Kamiq fires

up again smartly, too, but the

Captur takes ages to wake up and

is frustratingly easy to stall.

Overall, the Puma is the quietest

at 70mph, with the least wind

and road noise. You’ll notice more

gustiness in the Kamiq, along with

some slight engine noise, but the

Captur suffers most from wind

noise and there’s a bit of whine

from the gearbox.

As for ride quality, the Kamiq

is the most comfortable of our

contenders on all types of roads. Its

suspension is soft without being

wallowy, and only particularly

vicious ruts and bumps can be felt

through your backside. The Captur

somehow manages to feel >>

Slightly rm edge to the ride is totally acceptable, given the agile, enjoyable handling

Captur’s sluggish 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbocharged engine is way off the pace

It isn’t as much fun as the Puma, but the Kamiq handles tidily and is very comfortable

FORD PUMA

RENAULT CAPTUR

SKODA KAMIQ

BEST

RIDE

BEST

HANDLING