Kiero1

My experience is that the measurement of the door aperture vs the position of the seat is one of the poorest areas of design with nearly all mainstream manufacturers, particularly relevant is the measurement between the top of the seat squab and the roof line in the door aperture, additionally all manufacturers seem to have pushed forward the rear pillar of front doors with most now removing three door hatch back from their line up. Smacking the side of head as you try to enter the car is unforgivable on a "family" car when you're under 6 foot, it was for this reason I ruled out getting an Audi A3 (last model not the latest version just out). I care little about the obsession with a raised driving position, which leads to a higher centre of gravity raising everything up to accommodate this - worsens handling and fuel economy. However, most hatch backs now have low driving positions low roof lines, the Scala I had as a courtesy car felt like you were falling down into the diver's seat. However, just raising the seat for that SUV experience is not the answer, I found getting into the passenger seat of friend's Volvo XC60 a ridiculous challenge given the size and height of the car, as IMO the seat is way too high up vs the roofline. Given that the Kamiq is significantly cheaper than a lot of standard hatchbacks on the market let alone other crossovers the argument about paying £'000s more is a moot point. This is a much better argument against the Ford Puma - if a sporty ride is you top priority buy a Fiesta ST! I find the Kamiq a perfect companion, easy to get in and out of, a slightly raised driving position in a car with loads of space, good handling, great fuel economy and decent performance. It's refined, quiet, and has great levels of tech as standard, yes it no sports car but that is not what I bought it for.

As I said doesn't really float my boat. not my idea of fun - if I wanted to change the gears manually I'd have gone for a manual. But if it works for you then good on ya!

yes you are right you can use it as a sequential gearbox and select each gear but the SE doesn't have the paddle shift and using the gear selector to do it doesn't really float my boat too much like hard work and the gear change takes too long to change up or down IMO.

Glad I went for an SE then! My Kamiq was a replacement for an UP GTI for which there were no options for winter tyres at all. You had to buy a different size of wheel to fit them on to. Normally not an issue other than the GTI came on Goodyear efficient grip tyres that were a disaster in cold weather. I haven't looked into getting winter tyres for the Kamiq yet so good to know there's lots of choice out there!

I have the same spec SE 1.0TSI 116PS DSG 7spd with no extra options added. Brilliant car for cruising on the motorway, driving around town the engine is virtually silent (unless you have a very heavy right foot). Great fuel econ, the 116Ps 1.0 TSI engine is brilliant and works surprising well with the cruise control, but the Kamiq does have poor stereo sound in comparison to some cars I've owned (my Kamiq has the bass on max to get a reasonable sound out of the speakers) the sound in my daughter's Citigo Monte Carlo is better as was my that in UP GTi let alone comparing to our Q3. Excellent driving position, can't fault it. In SE trim the ride is very good, as is the visibility out of the Kamiq. Handling with DSG box, well it varies greatly and I'll explain...... The DSG software means that if you're driving in what I call waft mode ( the car just wafts you along serenely ) it's refined quiet and comfortable BUT the software always has you in the highest gear possible to account for the best possible fuel economy/emissions for WLTP. This means as you get to a tight corner or a roundabout you're in the wrong gear, the front end runs wide a little and lets down the sharpness of an otherwise impeccable ride/handling setup. The solution is to tap the gear selector backwards into sport, it drops down a gear or two leaving you in a gear that gives the car a much sharper/rewarding turn in, and genuinely transforms the handling. Once on the straight I pop it back into D (waft mode) from S. Leaving it in Sport does affect the fuel economy somewhat. I've never heard anyone comment on this feature of the Kamiq from either car journalists or owners. Given that the sport selection doesn't change the set up of the car (steering or suspension) just the gear it's in I've never come across a car that changes character in the same way. I suppose that's because up until now few cars would have been given software to have the gearbox select 7th gear at 40 mph! But tapping it into sport always puts a smile on my face. The more I drive it the better it feels.

Had mine since November and it just gets better and better Long trips up north with cruise control at 70 returns 52-55mpg. Very relaxing car to cruise long distances but good on the B roads and fast A roads as. Only disappointment is that the sound system could do with more bass (standard speakers not the uprated ones)

very easy to get the station logos, go on line save the logo onto a memory stick - plug it in to the car (you'll need a USB to USBC convertor) and the menu function for the station should allow you to add the correct logo. Bear in mind that you can only use a memory stick operating on FAT32

I regularly drive from Surrey to Manchester and back in a day (400 mile round trip) I find the seats very comfortable and the car gives me an ideal driving position, although at 5'8", I'm not exactly the jolly green giant ! once on the motorway left foot is welded to the foot rest and the right is only occasionally used as the cruise control does most of the work. IMO it's a great long distance cruiser that is extremely frugal for a small SUV

I did go through a phase of it doing that some months back, the latest iOS update seems to have cured it. The only problem I seem to have is that if the car pairs with one device (the wife's phone) it won't switch to another paired device (mine) for the Apple CarPlay only for the bluetooth phone and music (non CarPlay)

Does it sound like a creak or a soft squeaky rattle? I had a repair done by an insurance approved repairer and I have this soft irritating noise that most days doesn't occur but in hotter, dry weather drives me mad. I believe it's down to the door not being exactly seated properly. as it appears to come form the door frame rather than the door or its internal mechanisms. It's already gone back to the repairer twice and its going back again a third time (but it's not Skoda's fault).

I’ve had the DSG gearbox on various Skodas Volkswagens and Audis and never had an issue as described However if there really is an issue that continues I would contact Skoda UK rather than go to the dealership but talk to the dealership first of all and ensure that they know you’re about to contact Skoda UK about the complaint they might reconsider your request for a rejection

No that's front assist, surely! 🤪

I said I was done with this topic but.... I thought I'd drop back to it as I have got used to the lane assist (kind of) and I have to say it has made me reappraise my driving - being more conscious about indicating before lane changes. However, one thing that is a constant irritation is the car telling me to take control of the steering. I have both hands on the wheel, just because I haven't had to make any steering input does not mean I'm not in control of the steering. Does anyone else find this drives them up the wall?

To balance out comments I have posted elsewhere about my experience picking up the car and it not working, I thought I would write about my first few days with the car now it's on the road Let's start with the ride and comfort, on the SE it's very good indeed, firm but well damped over bumps, ruts and drains, but I would probably suggest it's worth avoiding going for the bigger wheels on the SEL. Handling and grip - I haven't pushed the car too hard through the corners as yet but as i am getting more accustomed to the steering and handling I have been pleasantly surprised how well planted it seems. bumps and ruts mid corner don't cause issues like the did with my UP GTI and therefore it is very confidence inspiring behind they wheel. DSG Gearbox - in normal mode it runs most of the time at 1000-1500 rpm just ticking over and requires a firm prod to kick down. This is presumably due to WLTP emissions tests. However, in sport mode it does transform the performance so don't let idiots in the motor press put you off getting an auto version it's brilliant. The performance is ok, with 113 hp it was never going to set the world on fire but as with the identically engined UP Gti keep the revs up and the performance will whisk you along at a surprising pace given the tiny engine but fuel economy does suffer as a result. Interior - I love the interior it feels really good quality and miles better than the T-Cross I sat in when taking a look at that as an alternative. The analogue instruments are very clear and once the novelty of a digital dash has worn off I would struggle to justify the extra for it but understand anyone that wants the digital dash but it's hardly a must have option so I didn't go for it. The 8" Bolero screen is brilliant, the apple CarPlay works really well and connect through each time, although I have yet to use the apple maps for navigation on the go. The stereo sound is a little disappointing and has left me turning the bass up to max to improve the sound quality. It is ok but nothing more. The standard sound system in the UP Gti was better. Space is excellent I can't fault the cabin space, however, If there is one criticism from me (and it's only a small one!) it is that I would have preferred a little less rear leg room and a little more boot space - although the boot is a decent enough size and shape, it's just the amount rear legroom is so generous that at 5'8" I doubt anyone will ever really need that much leg room behind me. Comfort, the automatic gearbox keeps the revs low so the engine is virtually silent most of the time and the cabin very hushed, it's a lovely tranquil place to be. But I have yet to take it out on a long motorway trip so can't comment on motor way refinement yet. One of the best parts is the visibility which is excellent, the thin C pillars make manoeuvring very simple and unstressful compared to its VW and SEAT counterparts. Overall I am hugely impressed how good this car is but it's not just me my wife (who loves our Audi Q3 quattro 2 litre diesel) drove it at the weekend and was surprised how good a drive it really is. Would thoroughly recommend a 1.0 petrol Kamiq SE.