Skoda Kamiq review

It's Skoda’s smallest SUV-hatchback-crossover thingy yet, fresh from a mid-life facelift. The Kamiq is dinkier and cheaper than the Karoq and Kodiaq and completes Skoda’s triplet of SUVs. At least those still sourcing their propulsion from internal combustion, anyhow.

The Kamiq essentially slots into the ‘Nissan Juke class’ and is Skoda’s equivalent to VW Group cousins like the Seat Arona and Volkswagen T-Cross. It’s also the Czech firm’s second biggest seller.

What sets it apart from its myriad rivals?

The Kamiq follows the usual Skoda playbook of prioritising roominess and pragmatic design flourishes above a car that generates outright desire. Sure, a 20-odd grand SUV will never be the epicentre of overwhelming lust, but where a Juke brings bold styling, a Ford Puma some handling nous and a Lexus LBX a whiff of business class, the Kamiq’s schtick is just being a doddle to live with.

It is, essentially, a small Karoq. Which in turn is a small Kodiaq. Where Skoda first entered the crossover marketplace with the adorable Yeti, mixing offbeat design with people carrier-like practicality, its offerings are now much more conventional. The Kamiq might be the least edgy and risky of the current Skoda range, in fact, unless you get slightly discombobulated by the two-spoke steering wheel fitted to some models.

Do you still get an ice scraper?

An ice scraper under the fuel filler cap, a clip for clamping parking tickets to the windscreen and a hidden slot to store wet umbrellas in the door… Skoda has made minor headlines with its thoroughly practical easter eggs over the years. Its greatest hits are all present here, as well as some debutants, including a ventilated wireless charging pad – to stop your phone cooking as the battery tops up – and a socket to latch phones and tablets to the front seats for rear passengers, even on the sports chairs of Monte Carlo models.

Those continue to top what’s a reasonably simple range. Gone is the old entry-level S trim, with the range now kicking off at £24k – or a mite over £200 a month – for a Kamiq SE, resplendent with 17in alloys, digital instruments, an eight-inch touchscreen and full LED lights.

Roughly two grand more buys an SE L with 18in wheels, smarter interior trim and larger screens. The Monte Carlo kicks off at £29k (or circa £260 monthly) and brings much gloss black trim, new diamond-cut 18in rims, sportier seats and techie treats like Matrix LED lights and a reversing camera.

What’s new?

Not a huge amount. The wonderful world of LED lights appears to make facelifting a car even easier, with a rejig of the illumination pattern just as successful as whole new light clusters used to prove. The daytime running lights here are slimmer, apparently, for a more assertive look, while a few grille and bumper tweaks are designed to make the Kamiq look more like a chunky SUV than before.

It still resides closer to the ‘slightly high-riding hatchback’ end of the spectrum, but we’ve no qualms. It’s a pleasant enough thing and lord knows you’ve a wealth of alternative weeny crossovers to choose instead if the styling here doesn’t grab you.

Engine wise, the Kamiq is simple. There are no longer any diesels and as yet, no hybrid. Petrol power is your only option and it’s purely front-driven with no frivolous 4x4 on the options list. A 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo offers 94 or 114bhp tunes, though the former only comes latched to a five-speed manual whereas its pokier sibling offers either a six-speed manual or seven-speed DSG auto. As does the range-topping 1.5-litre four-cylinder with its relatively punchy 148bhp. That’s certainly enough in a 1.2-tonne car and strong enough for an 8.3-second 0-62mph time. Almost a second quicker than the current Suzuki Swift Sport…

There are two verdicts possible here. The first is where we get upset that the Kamiq looks and feels so conventional, not least because Skoda surely could have carved out a Juke-style cult product by building on the legacy of the Yeti. The second sees us grudgingly accept the Kamiq knows its audience, knows how to do just enough in every department to tick the boxes and get bums on seats, and fills a small hole in Skoda’s range in a very important class.

But there’s nowt to be truly aghast at when it drives so smartly and offers an uncommon amount of legroom and storage solutions, while plenty rivals betray their rear-seat passengers’ comfort in the pursuit of coupe rooflines. Perhaps the Kamiq’s greatest strength is the same as all Skodas; long after its rivals’ styling gimmicks have ungracefully dated or simply fallen off, the core appeal of a useful, easy-going box with unpretentious features will remain.