Skoda has used its supermini platform to create a practical compact crossover; we test it with the mid-level petrol engine
This is the Skoda Kamiq: a compact crossover hatchback whose headlights are upside down. That might be the most daring and enigmatic thing about this new car, which is set to join bigger SUV-ish brothers the Karoq and Kodiaq in UK showrooms later this year.On those two sibling cars, the dipped beam projectors sit just above the daytime running light strips as part of one combined unit. On the new Kamiq, though, the DRLs are above and the headlights themselves sit – separately, as it happens – just below. And this is what passes for ‘interesting’ on a compact Skoda in 2019: a design trick already pulled by the Citroën C3 Aircross and Hyundai Kona a year ago, for what it’s worth.Remember those crazy, free-spirited types, the Roomster and Yeti? Well, someone has decided that smallish Skodas of their ilk must remain dead and buried, preferring smart but steady ‘Russian doll’ designs like the Kamiq. Skoda has decided, clearly, that while enthusiasts may have preferred more characterful cars, Average Joe Customer likes things more plain and conservative – and, no doubt, with good market research results to back up its decision.
Source: Autocar
