Skoda Kamiq review: Go the full Monte

Singapore

FOR something that's such a fountain of fun, the Skoda Kamiq sure has a grumpy face. The way its slim LED lights rise from the grille reminds me vaguely of the V-shape my wife's eyebrows take on whenever she discovers that I left my trousers on the floor again.

Then again, I guess I'd be crotchety too if I was one of the best compact Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) around and no one had heard of me - or, indeed, if I kept tripping over someone's pants in random parts of the flat.

Mind you, it's understandable if you haven't heard of the Kamiq (and I bet you haven't because no one has), it being a model without a predecessor. The simple introduction is that it is Skoda's newest and smallest SUV (not to mention its third one, after the seven-seat Kodiaq and the excellent five-seat Karoq).

That SUV proliferation makes sense because the segment is currently hotter than the devil's flatulence. Registration figures show that last year SUVs doubled their share of the car market here, suddenly accounting for one in three sales.

Whatever the market is doing, the Kamiq is a nice concoction in itself. The ingredients list is straightforward, with five doors, five seats and a 1.5-litre turbo engine that drives the front wheels through a twin-clutch, seven-speed gearbox, but it all comes together to form a sweet combo.

If you're wondering how to size it up, the Kamiq is essentially a stretched Audi Q2. Angular lines add to its physical presence, but it's actually smaller than the Honda HR-V.

Yet, the Kamiq doesn't feel small inside; at least, not when the glass sunroof lets light pour into the cabin. Nor does it feel like a bouncy small car on the move - more on which later.

For now, it's worth pointing out that the Kamiq is also about as well-equipped as it's possible for a contemporary car to be, especially in the most expensive Monte Carlo edition - it's named for the oldest event in the World Rally Championship, which Skoda happens to have won seven times.

Aside from sporty black exterior trim, if you go the full Monte you get a Kamiq with a tastefully racy interior. Your fingers rest on perforated leather on the steering wheel, red stitches give the place a nice flourish, and best of all your backside is firmly held in place by a racing-style bucket seat.

People here may not like the cloth upholstery, but the seats look and feel almost like something the Skoda factory racing team would take to the next Monte Carlo Rally with them.

And who knows, maybe the chairs are half the reason it's such a hoot to throw the Kamiq around. Driving is still a seat-of-the-pants affair, and there's a nice sense of connection between rump and car whenever you fling the Skoda at a bend.

As an SUV it doesn't sit particularly high above the road, so it handles pretty much like a small car should, meaning to say it's agile and zippy. At the same time, the ride, while firm, doesn't have the crashing, clonking, confounded bounciness that afflicts all too many SUVs.

The Skoda's engine is a known quantity here, in that it chugs along in countless cars across the Volkswagen empire, but there's a somewhat caffeinated quality to how it behaves in the Kamiq. The car picks up speed like a puppy that has just learnt how to play fetch, which is one of the things that makes it such good company.

That peppy character does come at the expense of gearbox smoothness, but for the sake of a jolly time, what's a bit of impropriety?

In terms of actually living with the thing, cabin and boot space are on the right side of decent, and the Kamiq comes with many worthwhile safety features. It can detect obstacles or pedestrians and brake autonomously to minimise the odds that you'll hit them. Bright yellow lights warn you of stuff lurking in the blind spots.

If you can do without the sporty extras, the Style version costs S$2,000 less, and it has the same touchscreen and snazzy digital dials as the Monte Carlo.

The Ambition version is S$6,000 cheaper still, but it has a plainer cabin, old-school instruments, a smaller touchscreen and it lacks the driver aids, so it's there mostly for those who want their Kamiq largely free of frills. At least Apple CarPlay and Android Auto work in all three versions.

A car as exuberant as this really ought to come with a few niceties, though. In particular, the Monte Carlo package does create the sense that the Kamiq is bound to be a fun companion through life. Between you and it, chances are there would only be one grumpy face.

Skoda Kamiq Monte Carlo

Engine 1,498cc inline 4, turbocharged Power 150hp at 5000-6000rpm Torque 250Nm at 1500-350rpm Gearbox 7-speed dual-clutch 0-100km/h 8.3 seconds Top Speed 211km/h Fuel Efficiency 5.6L/100km Agent Skoda Singapore Price S$143,900 with COE Available Now