Skoda Kamiq Latest Updates
Introduction of Skoda Kamiq
Skoda released an interior sketch of the
upcoming Vision IN SUV on December 18, 2019. It is the first vehicle to be
built on the MQB IN A0 platform. The Skoda Kamiq-derived SUV will be revealed at Auto
Expo 2020. However, the carmaker has also told us that it will not be launched
in India until 2021. Since it is based on a new platform, the Vision IN will
have different dimensions to the Euro-spec model. For one, we know that it will
be 4.26 metres long, or about 20mm longer than the Kamiq.
The SUV will be powered by a 115PS 1.0-litre TSI petrol engine. Skoda Kamiq will offer a 7-speed DSG option alongside the 6-speed manual standard transmission.
The SUV will be powered by a 115PS 1.0-litre TSI petrol engine. Skoda Kamiq will offer a 7-speed DSG option alongside the 6-speed manual standard transmission.
Earlier, the Skoda Kamiq had scored a 5-star rating in the Euro NCAP (European New Car Assessment Programme) safety test, which is considered the most stringent safety test in the world. It scored top marks thanks to safety features like front assist, 9 airbags, an autonomous emergency a braking system as well as a lane assist system.
Skoda Kamiq engine and power
Engine-wise, the Skoda Kamiq is simple. No hybrids, and since diesel sales will account for only five per cent of Skoda’s business, we’ll not worry about the 1.6 TDI much. Petrol power comes from either a 1.0-litre three-cylinder or a 1.5-litre four-cylinder, both turbocharged. You can have a six-speed manual or seven-speed DSG auto gearbox.Skoda Kamiq BS6 Specification
Skoda’s smallest SUV-hatchback-crossover thingy yet. The Skoda Kamiq is smaller and cheaper than the Kodiaq and Karoq and completes Skoda’s triplet of SUVs. VW classmate Seat has the same set-up: teeny Arona, middle-sized Ateca, and big-boy Taracco. VW has the T-Cross, T-Roc and Tiguan. You really ought to know the formula by now. These things are everywhere.
That
means you’ll also have a pretty good idea of what the Kamiq’s going to be like
before you climb inside, and it doesn’t disappoint. It doesn’t wow or surprise
either. It’s a small Karoq. Skoda might try to tell you that because this is
its first car with scrolling LED indicators, or because it has a buggy upside-down face with the headlights under the LED running lights, that it’s somehow
edgier and cooler and riskier than other Skodas. It isn’t.
You still
get an ice-scraper under the fuel-fuller cap, a clip for clamping parking
tickets to the windscreen and a solid interior made with plastics deliberately
chosen to be 28 per cent less plush than what you get in a VW. It’s very much
business as usual here – pleasingly unpretentious but also deeply
uninteresting. Is that a problem for honest family transport? We’ll come back
to that in a moment.
All
Kamiq drive their front wheels. And the spec list is simple: basic S trim cars
should start at around £17,000, then there’s SE, and SE L levels to upgrade.
Skoda reckons a mid-range 1.0-litre SE manual will be the best seller, so
that’s what we’ve concentrated on testing. If you’re in the market for an
extremely sensible, almost painfully worthy set of small family wheels at a
reasonable price, then read on. If not, maybe just pop the kettle
on instead.
No major missteps in here, just the usual Skoda gripes of hard plastics cynically are chosen to widen the perceived quality gap between this and its VW Group classmates. However, if you can live with the fact that the bits of the dashboard you never touch isn’t as plush as others, and that the cupholders and door handle go for toughness rather than tactility, then the Kamiq’s utilitarian and simple cabin will find favour.
No major missteps in here, just the usual Skoda gripes of hard plastics cynically are chosen to widen the perceived quality gap between this and its VW Group classmates. However, if you can live with the fact that the bits of the dashboard you never touch isn’t as plush as others, and that the cupholders and door handle go for toughness rather than tactility, then the Kamiq’s utilitarian and simple cabin will find favour.
You can
have fully digital dials, which offer a useful array of layouts, and the main
touchscreen’s tile-based interface is logical and snappy. Beware that the
9.2-inch top-spec version is so obsessed with a minimalism that there are no
manual volume and zoom knobs for maps and lists, and tweaking the interface on
the move is a pain. Happily, Skoda has kept physical knobs and buttons for the
climate control, and thoughtfully chromed them. Nice touch.
Skoda’s
the claim of having the roomiest car in its class is borne out by the echoing chasm
you discover when opening the generous rear doors. It’s roomy enough for three
adults across the back, and the rear seats are unusually comfortable for an
entry-level small crossover. Homework has been done here. In fact, unless your
offspring is of the overnight-lanky teenage variety, you’d get away with a
Kamiq instead of going for the bigger Karoq.
Given so
many of this car’s rivals prioritise looks over usefulness, cars like the
Hyundai Kona and Kia Stonic, Vauxhall Crossland and Renault Captur offer
nowhere near this much room. Even VW’s larger T-Roc won’t be noticeably more
spacious. And Skoda hasn’t nicked litres from the boot to give this bizarrely
commodious cabin a boost – you get 400 litres of cargo room. What’s more,
eschewing a pathetic ‘coupes’ roofline means visibility is decent too.
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