What_Car_UK_-_August_2020

SkodaKamiq1.0 TSI 115 SE L

Mileage 3804

List price £22,570 Target Price £21,160

Price as tested £28,370

Options tted Full LED headlights (£1050),

exclusive paint colour (£975), panoramic

sunroof (£935), Skoda sound system (£525),

18in Vega Aero alloy wheels (£520), Sport

Chassis Control (£495), front and rear

parking sensors (£360), rear-view parking

camera (£300), high beam control (£225),

keyless entry and stop/start (£215),

space-saver spare wheel (£150), silver

haptic decorative insert (£50)

Test economy 44.5mpg

Ofcial economy 47.1mpg (combined)

84 August 2020 whatcar.com

THESKODAKAMIQisbigbysmallSUV

standards,soit’salogicalchoiceforsomeone

likemewho’slookingtodownsizewithout

abandoningthepracticalityofalargervehicle.

Althoughit’sbasedonthesameunderpinnings

astheSeatAronaandVolkswagenT-Cross,the

Kamiq’sfrontandrearwheelsarefartherapart,

sothere’smoreroominsidethecar.

Of the engines available, I chose the more

powerful of the two 1.0-litre turbo petrols,

with 113bhp, because I do a lot of motorway

miles and live at the top of a hill. I’m glad I

did, because it comes with a six-speed manual

gearbox instead of a five-speeder, and that

means the revs stay low at motorway speeds,

making long trips relatively quiet and relaxing.

In fact, the little three-cylinder engine

copes easily with motorway driving and only

struggles occasionally when I fill the car with

five adults and ask it to scale the North Downs.

In these instances, I have to quickly change into

a lower gear, keep the revs up and ignore the

sounds of protest from under the bonnet.

Inside, there’s plenty of room for me and

a couple of passengers, and the load space

is impressively large with the rear seatbacks

foldedflat.Onarecentgardencentretrip,I

managedtosqueezeinsixprivetbushes,six

largebagsoftopsoilandanassortmentof

flowers–impressiveforacarnotmuchlarger

thanaVolkswagenPolo.

However,whenmyteenagedaughterand

hergrandparentsallhadtoclimbintotheback,

theywerecrammedinsotightlythatthey

lookedlikesardinesinatin.Legroommaybe

goodforasmallSUV,butshoulderroomisn’t

adequateforthreeadults;ifweallneedtogo

onlongertripsinfuture,we’lltaketwocars.

AndthatwillmeanIcanenjoythecar’s

prettydecenthandling.Althoughithasn’t

quitegotthefinesseofourtopsmallSUV,the

FordPuma,theKamiqisstillabletoputasmile

onmyfaceonatwistyroad.

InSELtrim,itcomeswithalistofstandard

kit longer than my arm, including a 9.2in

infotainment touchscreen with sat-nav, a

digital instrument panel, a driver fatigue

sensor, dual-zone climate control, blindspot

monitors and lane-keeping assistance.

My biggest splurge from the options list was

on adaptive LED headlights with a cornering

function and ‘dynamic’ indicators (£1050).

Living on an unlit country road, I really

appreciate the way the beam alters in spread

and length depending on the type of road

and driving conditions. It’s also great that the

headlights dip automatically at appropriate

times so they don’t dazzle oncoming drivers.

Another expensive but desirable option

is a panoramic sunroof (£935), which really

brightens up the interior, especially for rear

seat passengers. And although I resent having

FIRST

REPORT

We know the Kamiq is one

of the most practical small

SUVs, but what’s it like to

livewith? Let’sndout

to pay for a spare wheel, I was pleased that I

could add a space-saver on the Kamiq.

I love all the traditional Skoda convenience

items that come as standard, too; there’s

an umbrella in the driver’s door, an ice

scraper in the fuel filler cap and a removable,

rechargeable LED torch in the boot.

Even at this early stage, it hasn’t all been

plain sailing with the Kamiq, though. The

infotainment system has failed to load up

properly a couple of times, resulting in silent

journeys. On other occasions, it has loaded up

but had no sound, and the Apple CarPlay phone

connectivity intermittently stops working.

When you spend as much time in the car as I

oftendo,suchissues can be a real pain.

Skoda Kamiq 1.0 TSI 115 SE L

Optional Sport Chassis

Control means ride

comfort can be adjusted

LOGBOOK

Claire Evans

[email protected]