2022 Skoda Kamiq Ambition 110TSI Review

Ever since the Skoda Kamiq launched back in 2021, we’ve been big fans of its ability to offer some genuine substance and talent in the small-SUV segment. We’ve got no reservations about its interior spaciousness which belies its compact dimensions, its brisk turbocharged engines, along with the myriad of clever touches designed to make ownership enjoyable. Heck, one of us even put their money where their mouth was and bought one last year. Does the 2022 Skoda Kamiq Ambition hold the same appeal?

Sadly, Skoda has really inflated the Kamiq’s price over the past two years, and with rivals forever nipping at its heels, does the 2022 Skoda Kamiq Ambition still have what it takes to lead the segment into 2023 and beyond? Let’s find out.

Price & Equipment: 8/10

There are three Kamiq models available in Australia: the entry-level Ambition tested here, the sporty Monte Carlo and the top-spec Signature. Up until recently, all three models employed the ‘110TSI’ turbocharged 1.5-litre petrol engine, though for 2023, the renamed base Style now uses the lesser ’85TSI’ engine, which is a 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine and it’s priced from $37,990 drive away.

The 2022 Skoda Kamiq Ambition 110TSI is priced at $38,990 drive away and is well equipped with 18-inch alloy wheels, automatic all-LED exterior lighting, automatic wipers, roof rails, keyless entry and start with an electric boot lid, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, hand brake and gear shifter, dual-zone climate control with rear vents, an 8.0-inch touchscreen with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a wireless phone charger, four USB-C charging ports, height-adjustable front seats with lumbar adjustment, heated, auto-dimming and auto-folding mirrors, a digital driver’s display, LED ambient interior lighting and an eight-speaker sound system.

Safety kit include seven airbags, auto emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection, automatic braking in reverse, adaptive cruise control with stop and go functionality, driver fatigue monitoring, lane keeping assistance with lane departure warning, rear parking sensors, an alarm, automatic post-collision braking, tyre pressure monitoring and a reversing camera.

Colour options for the 2022 Skoda Kamiq Ambition include the no-cost ‘Candy White’, as well as ‘Moon White’, “Race Blue’, ‘Phoenix Orange’, ‘Brilliant Silver’, ‘Black Magic’ and ‘Graphite Grey’ for an extra $550, while ‘Velvet Red’ costs $1,100. Black and grey cloth is the only interior colour option.

Options for the 2022 Skoda Kamiq Ambition include the $3,800 Tech Pack, which includes a larger 9.2-inch touchscreen with satellite navigation and digital radio, a 10-speaker sound system and cornering headlights with integrated poor weather lights. There’s also the $4,100 Driver Support Pack, which adds leather and suede trim, a 10-way electrically adjustable driver’s seat, heated front and rear outboard seats, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, front parking sensors and automatic parking.

Separately available are a $1,300 panoramic glass roof and a $2,000 tow bar that electrically releases.

There are a plethora of small SUV rivals for the Kamiq, but we consider the $31,900 +ORC (around $36,000 drive away) Hyundai Kona Elite and the $33,000 +ORC (around $37,000 drive away) Toyota Corolla Cross GX to be the Kamiq’s biggest rivals. All three small SUVs are equipped relatively similarly, with climate control, automatic headlights, wired smartphone mirroring, leather steering wheels and good safety kit levels, including adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assistance and AEB.

The Kona misses out on LED headlights and auto wipers, but it does get a larger 10.25-inch touchscreen and leather upholstery over its rivals, while the Toyota misses out on a lot that its rivals offer, like a leather steering wheel, roof rails – it does have the most safety kit, though. The Kamiq has a second zone for its climate control, a wireless phone charger, rear air vents and an electric tailgate.

Performance & Economy: 8/10

The 2022 Skoda Kamiq Ambition 110TSI is rather impressive behind the wheel, especially when it comes to what’s under the bonnet. A 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol making a healthy 110kW (at 6,000rpm) and 250Nm (between 1,500rpm and 3,500rpm) sits under the bonnet. A seven-speed dry dual-clutch automatic transmission sends drive to the front wheels only, as with its rivals.

It’s important to note that this engine is on little bit of a hiatus currently – the base Kamiq Style is now offered with the 85TSI 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine. Read more about the 85TSI in the Kamiq here. While the dinky little unit is utterly charming, and full of character thanks to its three-pot thrum, the 110TSI in our car offers a smoother and more punchy driving experience. With a 0-100km/h sprint time of 8.3-seconds, the Kamiq 110TSI feels effortless in its acceleration. Apart from a slow takeoff from standstill, the engine rushes the Kamiq forward with gusto and a sporty thrum. From executing a gap in traffic, to a high speed overtaking manoeuvre, it’s unlikely buyers will be found wanting more from their Kamiq.

The seven-speed dual-clutch does stumble a little sometimes up hills with some lag from standstill, but feels smoother than when its paired with the smaller 1.0-litre 85TSI. On the plus side, shifts are intuitive and barely felt on the move. Sport mode livens things up a little too, with the engine always kept in the best rev range for performance. Compared with the naturally aspirated and CVT-equipped Kona and Corolla Cross, the Kamiq’s turbo four drivetrain is more luxurious and refined, even considering the transmission’s low-speed hesitancy.

Rather impressively, the Kamiq 110TSI features cylinder deactivation to help fuel economy when cruising by shutting down the middle two cylinders. Clever stuff, and best of all, it works imperceptibly. Skoda claims a combined fuel consumption of just 5.6L/100km. Over our week with the Kamiq 110TSI. we averaged 6.2L/100km in combined driving. Just make sure you know that minimum 95RON fuel is required to fill its 50-litre tank. This compares well to the larger 146kW/265Nm 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine in the Kona N Line, which is slightly quicker to 100km/h (7.9 seconds versus 8.3 in the Kamiq) but a lot thirstier in the real world.

Ride & Handling: 8.5/10

Both in town and on the open road, the 2022 Skoda Kamiq Ambition feels thoroughly well engineered and solidly built. It might not be the most exciting thing in the world to drive, but then again, small SUVs aren’t really meant to be either. Around town, the Kamiq rides well and feels sure footed through corners. The cabin is very well-insulated too, meaning not much in the way of wind noise or road noise comes into the cabin. Add some light and direct steering, and the Kamiq is a masterclass in how a small city-dwelling SUV ought to drive. The Kamiq’s hatch-like dimensions and all-round excellent visibility make even the most complicated parking manoeuvres a cinch.

Out of town, the Kamiq impresses with solid grip from its tyres and a tied down feeling. Only some coarse-chip road rumble spoils the show at higher speeds. Overall, the Kamiq feels like a slightly taller hatchback on the open road, which really highlights just how accomplished it is. Sure, it might not be as much fun to drive as a Ford Puma, but its overall breadth of abilities is impressive.

Visibility is rather good with a decent view out in each direction, along with a crystal cellar rear-view camera. The side mirrors could be a tad larger, however. The driver assistance tech works consistently well too, being helpful without being intrusive to drivers.

Interior & Practicality: 9/10

The Skoda Kamiq’s interior has long impressed us with its modern design, clever and practical touches, and some impeccable spaciousness for the segment – even against the larger and newer Corolla Cross. Even the quality of the materials used throughout, feels like from the segment above, and every bit the premium interior it aspires to be.

Up front, the seats are superbly comfortable and offer lots of adjustment. The driver is greeted with Skoda’s ‘Virtual Cockpit’ digital dials, which not only look great and are super legible, but also offer a ton\ of customisation options. That’s in contrast to the Hyundai Kona, which only lets drivers change the appearance theme being shown. All of the major controls feel well-made and beautifully damped. Honestly, find us another small SUV’s indicator stalks which go up and down as fluidly as in the Kamiq. We do however wish that the Kamiq’s mood lighting were adjustable – the default red colour is fine, but most cars with ambient lighting offer some level of customisation.

The Kamiq also offers a large area in front of the gearstick with a wireless charger for your mobile phone, a decent glovebox, large door bins, small-ish cup holders and a cubby in the centre armrest which slides back and forth for greater comfort on longer journeys.

The floating 8.0-inch touchscreen perched on the top of the dashboard might look a little small in a world of double digit inched screens like the Kona’s, but we’re happy to report that it is intuitive and responsive to use. Sure, it isn’t as flashy as the one found in more expensive versions of the new Golf, but we’re glad Skoda has kept some shortcut touch buttons on either side of the screen. It’s also featured with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as an AM/FM radio and Bluetooth – though inbuilt navigation and wireless smartphone mirroring requires a step up to the Kamiq Signature.

The second row is another area where the Kamiq steps way ahead of its peers. It can easily seat two tall adults behind two tall adults up front, with three at a squeeze. There’s plenty of headroom and knee room up back. It also has rear air vents, along with two USB-C ports and map pockets to keep devices charged – though no centre arm rest with cup holders, as in the European model. There are two ISOFIX points on the outer seats, plus three tether points too.

The electric tailgate reveals a rather cavernous 400L of cargo space, which expands to 1,395L with the 60/40-split rear seats folded. The boot floor is not completely flat, but the Kamiq still tops the segment for overall space. A Hyundai Kona’s boot will serve up some 374L with the rear seats in place, or 1156L with them folded flat, for example. A space-saver spare wheel lives under the boot floor in the Kamiq and Skoda has thrown in some handy hooks and nets to stop things from rolling around during your drive, as well as side storage and a double-sided boot mat.

Service & Warranty: 8/10

As with the rest of the Skoda range, the Kamiq comes with a new seven-year/unlimited km warranty and a single year of roadside assistance that’s topped up to seven years with dealer servicing, like the Hyundai – Toyota offers none. The C-HR makes up for it with cheap servicing – five years/75,000km costs just $925 and it’s $1,595 in the Kona.

Paying for servicing as you go makes the 2022 Skoda Kamiq Ambition 110TSI more expensive than rivals at $2,319 for five years/75,000km at an average of $463 per service. Skoda offers options though, including a $1,500 five-year service pack that can be purchased with the car for an average of $300 per service – the service pack also includes roadside assistance for its duration too.

The 2022 Skoda Kamiq Ambition 110TSI DiscoverAuto Rating: 8.3/10

The 2022 Skoda Kamiq Ambition 110TSI continues the fine Skoda tradition of delivering a car or SUV which surprises and delights not only on day one of ownership but throughout a buyer’s ownership journey. The Kamiq is handsome, is packed with features and is superbly roomy. Add a decent dollop of Euro flair, quality and some decent driving dynamics and comfort, and you’re (still) looking at what is the most accomplished small SUV in the segment for this money.

Speaking of money, the recent price hikes might have made a dent in the Kamiq’s value proposition, making a little pricier than key rivals, but we still think this is one small SUV which is worth its asking price. Sure, it’s not perfect with its sometime odd transmission foibles and expensive servicing, but we think the Kamiq’s blend of comfort, performance and practicality should still place it at the top of your small SUV shopping list.