Skoda Kamiq: Big on aspiration, but ...

As much as the mid-level variant’s designation suggests optimised ambition, perhaps a touch more still wouldn’t hurt.

Skoda Kamiq Ambition Plus

Price: $36,990

Powertrain and economy: 1.5-litre turbo-petrol inline-four, 110kW/250Nm, seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, 2WD, combined economy 5.8L/100km, CO2 131g/km.

Vital statistics: 4241mm long, 1988mm wide, 1553mm high, 2651mm wheelbase, luggage capacity 400 litres, 17-inch alloy wheels.

We like: Effervescent and economical powertrain, roomy interior, quiet running.

We don't like: Dull interior trims, undersized infotainment screen, incomplete driver assist provision.

NOT too much, not too little – as the middle child version within the three-strong family representing Skoda’s smallest crossover, the Kamiq in its Ambition Plus configuration should occupy a sweet spot.

The less expensive of two derivatives running the strongest engine, a 1.5-litre petrol, kit-wise more in tune with the 1.0-litre base car and cost-wise at the dead centre, $6000 less than the Monte Carlo flagship, $6000 more than the entry car.

Outwardly, then, the most pragmatic selection from a brand that aces as a sensible choice; the perfect stop for those seeking a practical, versatile family transport in a compact, affordable package.

And yet … somehow, not quite.

Why? Let’s get back to that. First, let’s say the Kamiq in general is a good addition within Skoda SUV-dom. Entering a sub-sector that’s winning a lot of attention, it’s also sure to ride comfortably into action.

Yes, there are a huge host of potential rivals, yet it delivers with quiet commitment to making a good fist of being the best kind of Skoda: A car that stands out without ever doing anything overt to draw attention to itself. Different, but not weird. Well-designed, but nothing dramatic.

The look is familiar. Who mentioned Russian Dolls? Well, yeah, in respect to the general body design, it looks as much like a smaller Karoq as that car comes across as a three-quarter scale Kodiaq. But don’t go thinking Skoda design is a cushy job involving little more than rescaling blueprints on the company photocopier. The general ethos might not have changed, but there’s a lot of evolution happening here. Just look at their faces, for instance.

Putting the dipped beam projectors just above the daytime running light strips, as part of one combined unit, has been the look affected by the Karoq and Kodiaq. On the Kamiq, though, the DRLs are above and the headlights themselves sit – separately, but only barely – just below. A minor tweak, perhaps, agreed, but one that has massively dramatic effect of making the baby immediately look the more modern.

Same goes inside. The general ambience is samey, yet the new baby has some sassy in-cabin design improvements - such as a smarter infotainment touch screen - that are destined to feature in the Karoq next.

All this and the model’s name - Kamiq comes from the Inuit language spoken in Greenland and northern Canada and means ‘perfect fit’ – would seem to relay impression that a lot of the special K flavour from the bigger models has filtered into this newbie.

Yet, while true in general ambience, it’s not quite right in respect to overall ability. As a spin-off from the Scala hatch, Kamiq builds upon the VW Group MQB-AO platform, designed for small cars. This delivers plenty of pluses, yet also means it can only have front-wheel drive and torsion beam rear suspension.

So even though it has some electronic assists to help reduce wheel slip on challenging surfaces, it’s not at all up to emulating the off-road adventure abilities that are a given with the larger lookalikes. Likewise, with such a light frame and a modestly-oomphy engine, which revs hard but hasn’t a lot of low-down pull that you’d get with diesel (which doesn’t offer in our market), it doesn’t have the same towing credibility.

Still, being crossover-lite is hardly breaking against sub-category convention; if anything, it means this model is running at common pace with everything else it directly sells against.

If you only want a car such as this for mainly urban fossicking and there just one or two people using it for the majority of the driving time, then the Kamiq sells itself quite well. The performance is good, the car’s external dimension is perfect for zipping around built-up areas and fitting into tight parks and, space-wise, the cabin keeps up established Skoda hallmarks.

Though front seat occupants are seated a little closer to each other than in a Karoq, it seems to pretty much have as much head and leg room up front as the larger car and proved pleasant for adult-sized rear seat occupants even with a tall driver. That Kamiq rides 37mm higher than Scala with which it shares its underpinnings and also has raised seating also means it fulfils the all-important remit of delivering a SUV-ish aura, though ultimately it is quite ‘ish’ in that respect.

Chuck in a 400-litre boot, with a useful reversible floor mat (rubber one side, carpet the other), and 60:40 split rear seats that can increase the cargo capacity to 1395 litres and it’s really on target as a particularly decent choice among compact crossovers that might even feasibly act as a family’s only car. Assuming you want that with a SUV flavour. If not, then there’s the Scala. 

The equipment provision is intriguing and is potentially this derivative’s weak point.

It’d be churlish to scold Skoda NZ for determining a commitment to piling in a load of active and passive safety features as a priority. The Plus doesn’t tick every box, but it has almost all the good gear, with a lane keeping device, fatigue alert, seven airbags, cruise control, AEB along with collision avoidance.

Notwithstanding, it’s a pity the brand’s largesse doesn’t reach to blind spot monitoring, rear traffic alert and active cruise control. The Plus can, be ordered with these, but obviously inclusion has to happen at time of assembly, so conceivably most potential buyers won’t bother. At best, you’d have to wait four years between box-ticking and the car’s arrival.

As things stand, then, you can either accept the Ambition Plus as is, or take a deep breath and spend that extra $6k and buy the Monte Carlo. Frankly, the temptation would be great: As much as the flagship is priced to the point of almost being precariously placed, it seems to be the better deal. On the equipment side, it has all the stuff you might wish wasn’t absent from the mid-range model and a lot more: A panoramic sunroof, adaptive LED headlights, tinted windows, front parking sensors , adaptive dampers, a bigger centre infotainment screen with much better resolution and black carbon sports seats.

On top of that, the Monte’s cabin is trimmed far more nicely; I normally don’t mind cloth trim, but the quality and colour of the furnishings in the Ambition Plus on test were disappointingly dowdy. They’d probably pass muster were the car aiming at fleet interest but, of course, that generally doesn’t happen. Private buyers just want a bit more pizzazz and flair than this car was able to present.

For sure it’s not billy basic. Though the infotainment display is meanly-sized, it does a good job of supporting Apple CarPlay. And some of Skoda's 'Simply Clever' touches (door-edge protectors, an umbrella in the door, a torch in the boot and more) also still provision.

The four-cylinder TSI engine operates well enough with the seven-speed DSG automatic to support conjecture it’ll be the bigger seller. Performance is adequate, rather than pacey, but with a sub-ten-second 0-100km/h time and good midrange responsiveness, it's a good engine. Smooth from idle to redline and keen to slip into fuel-saving cylinder deactivation mode when it gets the chance, a sequence that you might not even twig to if it wasn’t signalled on the dash display, because the refinement barely erodes. 

The car’s overall quietness is set to be a selling point. Moreso than the general driving characteristics. It’s tidy enough – little understeer, lots of grip, nicely-weighted steering and good pedal feel – and is up for being driven at a tidy clip, yet seems less vibrant and informing than the VW T-Cross and SEAT Arona which share this platform. It’s fine, but not flamboyant.

That’s often the Skoda way, of course – this is a brand that aces in understatement, after all - and while some might think it a bit too dull, undoubtedly others will find appeal in how it gets the job done with quiet, grown-up efficiency.

For all that, the Ambition Plus would be all the more appealing were it meted just a little more pizzazz. As much as it has a good drivetrain, decent interior space, it would be better with a slightly stronger equipment list and some high-quality fixtures and fittings.

Skoda Superb Scout: Natural troop leader

Skoda took its sweet time to give its biggest wagon the one last lift it needed. A Scout edition elevates the Superb’s solid status all the more.

SKODA SUPERB SCOUT
Base price: $64,990
Powertrain and economy: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol, 200kW/350Nm, 7-speed automatic, AWD, combined economy 8.1L/100km (WLTP), CO2 180g/km.
Vital statistics: 4862mm long, 1477mm high, 2841mm wheelbase, luggage capacity 660/1950 litres, 18-inch alloy wheels.
We like: Improved ride and styling, comfortable, hugely roomy and practical.
We don't like: Goes a touch light on off-seal assists so less rugged than a Subaru Outback, shame it loses the TwinDoor boot.

THE latest addition to the Superb family was always odds-on to be appreciated – what I hadn’t expected was to feel such a strong twinge of second thought syndrome.

Journalistic integrity - yes, a seemingly outdated concept in this game, yet important to me - demands a straight-up disclosure. We already have a Skoda allegiance, our personal garage space taken by a Karoq. So you’ll fully expect to hear what I don’t mind saying; it’s a great little car.

All the same, going this way asked for a change of thinking, really a reshaping of thoughts. Ticking the box for a model that Mrs B enjoys on strength of its compactness, comfort and fitout and I see as being perfect for our rural and my race car trailer-towing requirement through being diesel and four-wheel-drive came with awareness we were forging a fresh path across familiar terrain.

Like the vehicle it replaced, the Karoq is pretty much a car; except not so much in look. Accepting that required a broadening of my outlook. Call me outdated, but as dominated as the Kiwi "wagon" (to use that term in its broadest possible sense) market has become dominated by SUVs made to look as blocky as possible to (you’d have to think) enforce a sense of enhanced toughness, I remain fond of those that don’t.

Conceivably, then, I should have gone from one kind of jacked-up, plastic-clad crossover editions of a station wagon – a Subaru Outback – to its Skoda equivalent, the Octavia Scout.

That I didn’t was down to timing. Karoq was fresh whereas the Octavia Scout available then was, well, pretty dated; the last car on a discontinued platform, lacking the best tech and, I was sure, on the verge of entering run-out. So, anyway, the Karoq it was, with no regrets. 

And yet, from driving the Superb Scout, there’s an emergent twinge. How might things have gone had I remained wagon-true? Even though it would have been too much in size and price, this car nonetheless muddied the waters through enforcing its brilliance.

Given it’s taken until a mid-life facelift of the third generation Superb to finally spur Skoda to bring its largest model into the Scouting movement, the obvious question is: Why so long?

Certainly, there’s also a strong sense that in finally giving it a high-riding dirt-attuned aspect, Skoda has completed the jigsaw, in that every other relevant component was already in place. It’s been four-wheel-drive for a while now and, of course, has long traded on a principal strength of offering exceptional roominess, very good packaging and basically Audi-esque quality and tech at a sub Volkswagen price.

The only potential off-putting elements until now have been the slightly awkward styling and the Skoda badge; though the first is well rectified by this facelift and anyone who still sees the second as a problem is simply so stuck in the last century they need to be pitied.

So, anyway, if a synopsis in a sentence is sought, well rest assured the Scout format simply improves the Superb and adds extra evidence, if any more were needed, that station wagons with a little bit of off-road attitude remain a decent alternate to a full-on SUV.

Comparison to the Outback works in respect to size and specification, but less so on positioning and price, with Superb sitting $5000 above the priciest Outback, the Premium R (which runs a 3.6-litre six-cylinder petrol engine against Skoda’s 2.0-litre four).

Also flavouring any contest is abiding sense of the European offer being tailored to meet a different mission statement. Regardless that it adds extra cladding and elevation, plus some additional underbody protection, the Superb is more subtle in its outdoors-readiness, a point that hammers home when you see an ‘exclusive’ off-road drive mode only adds hill start assist and hill descent control. Not quite X-mode, right?

Whether that becomes relevant depends, of course, on what you intend to do with the car. In that regard, Skoda is probably on reasonably safe ground, as anecdotal evidence suggests likelihood of going to extreme is rare with these kinds of cars. I have to admit that, despite every best intention to the contrary, I rarely exploited the Subaru’s sludge-side skillset. 

That’s not to say the Superb Scout is so ‘lite’ to be considered a mall-wheel-drive. It certainly had no issues being driven across a paddock and also felt as much nicely at home running on gravel (also an Outback forte); you’d potentially just have to be a bit wary in slush and, perhaps, snow.

Insofar as overall driving appeal goes, it’s very much a matter of relaxing and enjoying a quality of ride that strikes as being more compliant than the settings used by the standard wagon. The bump-soak is definitely welcome on the patchy and lumpy surfaces so prevalent on our secondary, country roads and while there’s some body roll, the suspension is well-judged, focusing, as it should, on passenger comfort.

For sure, it doesn’t take long to be reminded this is quite substantial car in respect to its size and, because of the all-paw drivetrain, its weight. Yet, if handling never approaches athleticism, it’s not so lacking in talent to allow the big body to flop around through a sequence of interesting corners. Overall, there’s a confident ambience as it never falters to the point of feeling as if it is distancing itself from the road.

The choice of engine here reflects the comfort consideration. This turbo four-cylinder is not without fire, but overall it’s the torque that overshadows the power side of things and driving it with that in mind also delivers

best chance to access some pretty decent economy. The ability to deliver decent thrift, plus a sense of emergent anti-diesel sentiment, has doubtless triggered the decision to ditch the diesel from this car. I can understand the logics, but still feel it a pity the oiler has been shelved, as the last (also a 2.0-litre) was a refined unit with another 50Nm.

Compensation for going back to diesel is a change of direct shift transmission; from a six-speed to a seven. It’s a better unit, less prone to hesitancy, and more immediately reactive than a regular automatic or a constantly variable transmission. The facility to more easily drop back to the appropriate gear at the right moment for engine braking into a bend, and therefore be ready to engage positive pull out the other side, is also pleasing. You don’t find yourself having much need to chase ratios on regular basis in this car, so broad is the torque spread. The lack of paddle shifters reminds that it’s not about scintillating performance.

Most of the restyling occurs at the front end and is good news for those who found the old look a bit too confrontational. Viewing the car in profile nonetheless continues to offer best enjoyment. It’s here where you see proportional perfection. The gently sloping roof line and steeply raked rear wind screen are both beautifully designed and help to hide its significant length well. 

The obvious Volkswagen corporate look to the cabin and, in particular, the infotainment screen and switchgear is no detraction. The parent brand’s interior design elements are really solid, now, and there’s nothing about them that suggests a less than modern presentation.  If anything, Skoda’s opportunity for enhancement, through less stylisation and better fonts and LED colours, makes a good thing even better. There’s more warmth to their displays.

What’s also attracts is enough of a genuine luxury feel to undermine the view that premium brands further up the chain are all the better for comfort. That might be true, yet if Skoda is the start point, you’re hardly in cheap seats. The quality of the seat coverings and the abundance of other soft materials, all in dark tones, give real opportunity for owners to play guess-the-price games with those unfamiliar with this car. Fit and finish as good as you’ll find anywhere else in the VW family. 

It takes the usual wealth of fixtures including virtual cockpit, automatic tailgate, heated electric Alcantara and leather seats with memory function, Climatronic triple-zone air conditioning, reversing camera, adaptive cruise control, wireless charging and stainless steel pedal set.

Safety is also up to usual Superb standards with nine airbags fitted as standard as well as Emergency Assist, Passenger Protection Assist, tyre pressure monitoring, Front Assist with City Emergency Brake and Predictive Pedestrian Protection. 

Other features include automatic park assist with manoeuvre assist, Side Assist, Lane Assist and Traffic Jam Assist. 

All this might seem icing on the cake, because the primary reason for looking at a Superb wagon, surely, will be more to do with its genuine capaciousness. It’s hard to reconcile that this model rates as medium wagon because, really, it’s so much larger inside than anything else in that category. It’s as though they’ve taken the blueprint for a VW Passat and upscaled by 10 percent.

Rear legroom is extremely good the rear bench is wide parents that need to get three seats across there may be in luck depending on the sizes of their child seats. It also wins a ‘best in show’ for boot capacity, which has to be a huge win for any family on the move. A pity the old TwinDoor boot door design has gone; yes, it must be complex to engineer, but what a cleverness.

Not that it lacks originality. You can’t discuss Skoda without giving a nod to it dedication to delivering strongly on neat little features: the brolly and ice scraper/magnifying glass, of course, but also a 12-Volt auxiliary power outlet, locating hooks for shopping bags, a first aid kit and brackets that can be positioned anywhere in the boot to keep luggage from sliding around. Having the latest in VW Group driver-assistance equipment shouldn’t be undervalued, either.

So, really, there are no major surprises. The off-road enhancement is mild, yet is enough to add polish to a competent and simply huge family car.