Skoda has some fighting words for its rivals as it introduces a more affordable version of its Kamiq crossover after being without one since 2021.
The Kamiq Run-Out is a last hurrah for the current iteration of Skoda’s smallest crossover, ahead of a facelifted version arriving next year. Skoda says the special edition will be offered into the second quarter of 2024.
It’s priced at $31,790 before on-road costs, or $32,990 drive-away. The latter is $5000 cheaper than the drive-away pricing of the current 85TSI Style entry-level model.
“We have seen competitors persist with inefficient naturally aspirated engines and plastic steering wheels in entry models, however we find that our customers typically want more,” said Skoda Australia head of marketing and product Kieran Merrigan, calling the brand’s buyers “discerning”.
Standard equipment on the Run-Out includes:
- Automatic LED headlights
- LED tail lights and rear fog lights
- LED ambient lighting
- Rain-sensing wipers
- Auto-dimming rear-view mirror
- Keyless entry and start
- Power-folding exterior mirrors with auto-dimming for the driver
- Leather-wrapped steering wheel
- 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system
- Apple CarPlay
- Android Auto
- 8-speaker sound system
- 4 x USB-C ports
There’s also a suite of safety and driver assist technology, including:
- Autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection
- Lane-keep assist
- Blind-spot monitoring
- Rear cross-traffic alert
- 7 airbags
- Reversing camera and rear parking sensors
- Tyre pressure monitoring
It does miss out on the Style’s 18-inch alloy wheels with 45-aspect tyres, swapping them out for 17s with 55-aspect tyres. The roof rails are also black instead of silver.
The only options are premium paint ($550) and a seven-year, 105,000km service pack ($2650).
Stepping up to the Style brings adaptive cruise control with Adaptive Lane Guidance, as well as an alarm, power tailgate, 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, wireless phone charger, rear privacy glass, and dual-zone climate control.
Both the Run-Out and Style use the same turbocharged 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine producing 85kW of power at 5500rpm and 200Nm of torque from 2000rpm to 3500rpm.
It’s mated with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, with claimed combined cycle fuel economy of 5.6 litres per 100km.
As with all Skoda models, the Kamiq Run-Out is backed by a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty. There’s also the usual raft of ‘Simply Clever’ features, like an umbrella in the driver’s door and various hooks and holders.
Skoda introduced the Kamiq in Australia in 2021, with 85TSI models priced at $27,990 drive-away and $29,990 drive-away in manual and auto guises, respectively.
The company said it sold out of the 85TSI, retiring it from the line-up… before returning it to Australia in 2022, albeit with a much steeper price tag of $37,990 drive-away.
While the 2021 85TSI and 2022 85TSI Style didn’t come standard with blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert as the Run-Out does, they did feature a standard 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, dual-zone climate control, power tailgate, wireless phone charger, alarm and rear privacy glass.
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Kia Seltos S
Skoda cites the example of the Kia Seltos S as a vehicle that isn’t as good value for money as its special edition Kamiq. It’s priced at $31,690 drive-away and goes without LED headlights, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, rain-sensing wipers and keyless entry and start.
The Seltos is also down 20Nm of torque (if up 25kW of power) and uses more fuel (1.3L more per 100km).
However, the larger Kia comes with active lane centring, as well as a blind-spot system that will apply the brakes if an imminent collision is detected instead of just sounding an alert.
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