Skoda unveils its new Kamiq city SUV

As with the successful Skoda Kodiaq and Karoq, the name Kamiq also originates from the language of the Inuit people who live in northern Canada and Greenland - it means something that fits perfectly. Sitting in the growing city SUV segment, the Skoda Kamiq perfectly combines the advantages of an SUV - such as higher ground clearance and a comfortable seating position - with the agility of a compact car.

With an emotive design, state-of-the-art assistance and infotainment systems, a generous amount of space and numerous Simply Clever features, the new Kamiq equally fulfils the needs of both family- and lifestyle-oriented customers.

The Skoda Kamiq comes with new visual highlights such as the split head lights featuring the daytime running lights above the main head lights. The city SUV is based on the modular transverse matrix and, with a length of 4,241mm, offers the Skoda-typical generous amount of space.

The wheelbase measures 2,651mm. This is especially beneficial for the rear passengers who can enjoy 73mm of knee room. The boot has a capacity of 400 litres, which increases to 1,395 litres when the rear seats are folded down. As an optional extra, the front passenger's seat back can also be folded down, allowing longer items up to 2,447mm to be transported with ease.

Its interior is dominated by the free-standing screen, which is ideally positioned in the driver's field of view and, at 9.2 inches, is the biggest in its segment. A character line echoes the lines on the bonnet. It also forms an ergonomic hand rest below the display for operating the touchscreen.

Measuring 10.25 inches, the optional Virtual Cockpit is also amongst the largest displays in the segment. The redesigned instrument panel continues the emotive design language of the exterior.

The side air vents extend into the doors, visually enhancing the spacious feel. The dashboard, with its new, extensive decorative elements, and the front door trims feature a high‑quality, soft-foam surface with a new specific texture resembling crystalline structures. This will also shape the Skoda brand's style in future.

All of the Skoda Kamiq's engines are direct-injection units with turbochargers. They come with brake energy recovery as well as Stop/Start technology. The entry-level engine is a 1.0 TSI delivering 94bhp.

From its cylinder capacity of 1.0-litre, this three-cylinder model produces maximum torque of 175Nm and features a manual five-speed gearbox. The 1.0 TSI with a power output of 113bhp comes with a six-speed gearbox as standard, but can be fitted with a seven-speed DSG as an option, and generates torque of 200Nm.

The top-end engine is the four-cylinder 1.5 TSI with a power output of 148bhp and maximum torque of 250Nm. Its Active Cylinder Technology automatically shuts down two cylinders when the load is light, thus saving on fuel. This engine is also available with a seven-speed DSG as an alternative to the manual six-speed gearbox. All three petrol engines are equipped with a petrol particulate filter.

The Skoda Kamiq offers state-of-the-art safety systems: Front Assist and Lane Assist are already available as standard. Front Assist, which includes City Emergency Brake and Predictive Pedestrian Protection, monitors the area in front of the car while driving in the city, thereby helping to prevent accidents. The level of safety can be increased further with additional optional systems.