You've got to admit, Nissan and Skoda got some nerve. Do you remember the Skoda Yeti?
The wonderous first attempt at a crossover by the Czech company which didn't really look like anything else at the time. In a positive way.
Nissan kind of walked the same path. They first had the Qashqai, which was unique by being one of the first compact crossovers.
After that, the smaller and even more remarkable Juke came along. And it wasn't a one-day miracle, as proven by this second generation.
It's just as distinctive. Skoda hasn't stayed still either. The Yeti might've gone, but Skoda now offers three remarkably styled crossovers in their range.
This Kamiq is the smallest of the three, which makes it a direct rival to the Juke.
Which one looks the best is up to you, because you can't argue with taste. Fact is that the Skoda is a tad more practical.
Sure, the boot is smaller. 400 litres versus 422 litres in the Juke, but it's the back seat where it claws back some points.
The Kamiq has much more legroom, just look at this. The headroom is very good as well, despite it having a panoramic roof.
And when I get in the back of the Nissan, I get in very snugly. The roof is incredibly close to my head and the legroom is a lot less.
So when we're look at practicality, the Skoda takes the win here. If we go all the way to the front, both cars have a very adjustable seating...
position, so that shouldn't cause any problems. However, both cars go their own way. The Skoda looks at tad simpler, a tad quieter. The screen...
is incredibly modern however. The graphics really are crystal clear, which is much better than in the Nissan. That reminds me of a 1999 CRT-screen.
However, Nissan has used a really nice styling. It looks very playful without the ergonomics suffering because of the design.
So I have to repeat myself. You can't argue with taste, but the Skoda is the more practical of the two.
It might look remarkable, but the most remarkable feature is the way how it doesn't stand out when you're driving it.
It's the ultimate definition of an all-rounder. It's not too soft, but not too hard either. It's not sporty, but not too comfortable. The steering is light,
but not too indirect. You could positively describe it as 'you can't hate it', but you could also say 'it's so incredibly boring'.
Not in a bad way though. The chassis offers quite a lot of refinement. This particular car has bigger wheels however, which doesn't aid...
the audible refinement. It's not tad it starts dribbling, but when you hit a pothole or something, the chassis will make some noise.
That's a little bit unfortunate, but I can't criticize the drive. It's not bad or anything. And the same goes for the engine, which is the...
well-known 1.0-litre TSI producing 115 horsepower and 200 Nm of torque. You can probably imagine that those figures don't make...
it a racing car, but because of the 200 Nm of torque, it's relatively rapid. It produces the power with ease and it's fiery enough.
There's a base engine as well, but I wouldn't go for that. If you want a fun Kamiq, you shouldn't go lower than this.
The only downside to it, is that it's connected to a 7-speed DSG-gearbox. At first, there's nothing wrong with that.
The gear changes are smooth and quick, but the gearbox really wants to get into seventh gear.
That means that you'll sometimes be in seventh when you're only driving 60 or 70 km/h. In turn, that means you'll be below the boost-threshold...
so it doesn't produce those 200 Nm of torque. Without that torque, it doesn't really move. You really have to push to get it to do something.
You could always choose for a manual gearbox though, and I recommend that. This engine needs revs, and you won't get them from the DSG.
The Nissan Juke kind of poses the same dilemma. Just like the Kamiq, it's powered by a 1.0-litre 3-cylinder, which produces 117 horsepower...
and 180 Nm of torque. So two additional horsepower, but it's down 20 Nm of torque. Again, just like the Kamiq, it's available with either a...
manual six-speed or a double clutch automatic gearbox. In this case, I'd also choose the manual option. Just like in the Skoda,
you need some revs to get this engine to perform. The performance isn't great or anything, but if you keep it up to revs, it's pretty rapid.
The gearbox itself isn't very direct, but the gear changes are good enough. Without problems, nice and light. A little like the Skoda really.
The drivetrain is pretty similar. It's a little down on power in the mid-range, but it's a tad lighter as well. At the end of the road, they're not that different.
If we look at the chassis however, it becomes clear Nissan has made a different choice. The Skoda is very middle-of-the-road, whilst this is...
incredibly dynamic. It has 19-inch wheels with Hankook S1 Evo-tires. Sporty tires, also found underneath an Audi RS6. A different compound though.
That should mean something. Also, because it weighs less and it feels like you're lower in the car, it's quite a playful car.
It's pretty sturdy, and because of that it feels kind of dribbly. However, when you throw it into a corner, it can be a lot of fun.
Combined with its exterior, it's quite the dynamic, fun car in its segment. And I really like that.
Relatively speaking, it's quite a good deal. Both cars are pretty well equipped, but the Skoda costs €35.000 whilst the Nissan doesn't even...
touch €32.000. Sure, there are a few differences like the Skoda having a panoramic roof and a tow bar, whilst the Nissan comes with 19-inch...
wheels, a surround camera and more safety systems. So if you start ticking boxes off, you'll have the same amount of features on this Nissan...
for a lower price. And that also gives you a car which looks a lot better, if you ask me.