Believe it or not, but I’ve been living with my Skoda Kamiq now for two months and in that time I have become very familiar with it. So far, it’s fitted into my life quite nicely with only the odd irritation creeping in.
I’m going to be brutally honest from the start. I still hold a grudge for letting go of the trusty Karoq back in July, because it did everything so well in a comfortable and effortless manner. The Kamiq, on the other hand, is a great car but it doesn’t feel quite as complete as its larger sibling.
The Kamiq is a car that is very simple to navigate around. You can turn off the lane-keep assist and traffic sign recognition with a touch of a button on the steering wheel and the best thing of all – it has a traditional handbrake. Additionally, because the Skoda has been on sale for a few years now, it comes from an era where there are physical buttons to control almost everything, which coming from someone who tests the latest cars for a living, is a blessed relief.
I love the nifty little features like the pop-out door protectors which really do help prevent bodywork damage and I’m also smitten with the parking ticket holder when a pay and display machine has to be used.
A little trip up to Surrey gave it a chance to stretch its legs a little, and for me to see how it stacks out on a longer journey. Considering we’ve got the top-of-the-line Monte Carlo trim with larger 18-inch alloys, the smoothness of its ride and the solidity of its refinement is very similar to the Karoq in that sense – with the only difference being you sit a lot lower down making it feel more like a car than an SUV. The bucket seats are surprisingly comfortable and on a sunny day, the full-length glass roof is a nice touch.
The only blip of annoyance that I have encountered is with the wireless Apple CarPlay, which for me is an absolute must in any car as it’s always better than the woefully poor infotainment systems from most car manufacturers. Setting off on my journey to Surrey, the screen decided to black out and did not come back on again – making me think the system had crashed (this happened on the Karoq, too). No matter what I tried, it was not playing ball and so I had to build up the courage to use the standard navigation system, which is not the greatest at the best of times. It was incredibly frustrating as I couldn’t listen to any music and there was a lot of faffing about to get the standard system on the navigation screen to work out where I wanted to go.
After a two-hour drive and a stop-off to see some friends, the system reset itself. After a few hours, I was reunited with Apple CarPlay, which makes me think there is a software glitch not just in this specific car, but with Skoda’s infotainment system in general as I encountered the exact same issue with the Karoq, too.
Another problem I seem to have with the car is with the DSG automatic gearbox which is clumsy and slow to respond. When accelerating away from a junction it feels hesitant to make decisions and when overtaking it can’t make up its mind what gear it wants to select. Furthermore, when driving downhill, the system wants to change down a gear, leading to the engine screaming at you – which is odd. Also, the 1.0-litre engine, which is perfectly peppy for most people, feels a little weak compared to the more muscular 1.5-litre turbocharged unit in the Karoq, however I’m still returning nearly 44mpg which isn’t too bad.
I’ve still got many months left with the Kamiq, and in that time I’m hoping to take it on many more adventures. So far, I’ve been impressed with it, but I’m still not convinced that it’s as good as its bigger brother. Only time will tell whether I will bond with it as much as the Karoq.
- Model as tested: Skoda Kamiq Monte Carlo TSI DSG
- Price as tested: £32,205
- Engine: 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol
- Power: 114bhp
- Torque: 200Nm
- Fuel economy: 43.9mpg
- 0-60mph: 10 seconds
- Top speed: 121mph
- CO2 emissions: 132g/km
- Mileage: 3,287
