Long-term report: Long-distance trips are a breeze in the Skoda Kamiq
The little Kamiq is starting to be used a lot more frequently, but there are still a few irritations that have cropped in. Cameron Richards explains.
Four months into living with Skoda’s Kamiq and just like its older brother, the Karoq, it’s a very easy car to live with. But, it’s not all butterflies and clear skies, as a few electrical gremlins are still driving me mad.
We’ll get the bad bits over with first I think. Last month I said that the wireless Apple CarPlay was finally playing ball – but, I must have jinxed it because the typical ‘unable to connect’ has reappeared several times. When you start the car up, the phone connects straight away but then will have a tendency to just randomly disconnect for no reason. Even worse still, when you’re driving along listening to music and then it just drops out, and then spontaneously reconnects.
Secondly, last week, the tyre pressure monitoring light popped onto the dashboard saying that ‘a sudden loss of tyre pressure has been detected’. But, in fact, it was just a case of resetting the system, which thankfully is very simple and straightforward to do.
Regardless of those minor setbacks, the Kamiq has been very easy to settle down with. It’s been on a couple of longer airport runs towards Heathrow and Gatwick and has been smooth, quiet and comfortable. The bucket seats in our Monte Carlo model offer great support and look very sporty – it’s just a shame that our car hasn’t got the winter pack option, which adds a heated steering wheel and front seats – but that’s a first-world problem for you. Furthermore, a couple of weeks ago on my way up to Gatwick airport, I managed an impressive 55.1mpg out of this little Skoda, which even I had to take a second glance at. Around town, I’ve been averaging around 37-39mpg, but it’s clear that if you’re careful with your right foot on a longer run, the Kamiq can be very frugal.
Another handy feature is the reversible boot mat which is rubberised to stop your bags sliding about, and it’s also wiped clean, which makes it a lot more practical when you’re out and about in the countryside.
The Skoda’s daily duties have taken me to the local shops and down to the gym and I have to say, around town, it’s just as comfortable to potter about in as it is cruising on the motorway. I’m still not convinced of the DSG automatic gearbox which hesitates when you’re pulling away from a junction and the different drive modes don’t really change the experience to be honest, either. Thankfully, due to the Kamiq’s smaller dimensions, it’s not a chore like other SUVs to drive through narrow back roads and around the town centres. Parking is also helped with the rear-view camera and parking sensors – and the visibility all around is excellent.
Having a manually operated handbrake is a joy and it makes you realise how much you appreciate the car ergonomics of yesteryear. But, due to almost every new car featuring an electronic button, there have been occasions where I have almost forgotten to deploy the handbrake.
Although this month, I haven’t really been ferrying passengers around, the excellent levels of interior space have made chucking things into the back seats easy and the array of cubby holes make it ideal for storing your mobile phone away. I’m still yet to make use of the little bin located in the driver’s door card, but it’s nice to know that it’s there.
Overall though, despite its very irritating user interface and slightly anonymous driving characteristics, the little Kamiq is still a plucky and likeable car to live with and it’s not a vehicle that I would be ashamed or embarrassed to have parked on my driveway. I’ve still got two months to go with it, and a few more trips planned. It’ll be interesting to see how the car performs in the colder, darker months that lay ahead.
