Skoda Kamiq Select (MY24) $29,990 Driveway @ Skoda Australia

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In the wake of the Mahindra dropping its $24k car overnight, thought I’d pop this in.

Euro car, also a three-cylinder turbo, and seven years warranty for not too much more dosh ($6040). Claims 5.5L/100km compared to the 6.5L/100km of the Mahindra.

However, the Mahindra is offering free servicing, so YMMV.

It’s about $4000 off the usual (or current MY25) driveway price.

“Urban exploration unlocked. Stylish, compact and packed with features—Kamiq Select is your ticket to city freedom at an unbeatable price. Offer is available till September 30th or while stocks last. Book a test drive today.”

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Comments

    • +17

      are VW really that bad (genuine question)?
      Just saying cause ive had my Golf (Not GTI) for 5 years and its been a nice ride without skipping a beat.
      I've owned a couple of Toyotas and Hondas which were also good

        • +4

          Didn’t see the OzBargain post for the Porsche

          FOMO

      • +10

        I bought a used Skoda with 44,000km on ODO and drove it for 8 years and never had any issues. Most of the parts are VW but some are made by Audi and they are shared across VW brands.

        • +1

          I like skoda but only issue is they require premium fuel (only) ?

          • +2

            @DaveD: Yeah usually euro cars want better quality fuels.

            Cars sold in USA funnily enough are usually rated for 87 octane

            • +10

              @eddyah: 87 AKI which is 91 RON.

              You shouldn't be putting Australian 91 RON in any car. Full of sulphur. Rubbish fuel.

      • +3

        Agreed. I have an audi a3 and only just replaced the brakes after 10 years. Car has never failed me

      • +20

        are VW really that bad (genuine question)?

        No they are very good cars the bias against European cars in Australia comes from people not paying to maintain their cars - European cars have higher maintence costs so value for money if you want to get the most out of them you need to spend more then Asian counter parts

        However ill note if you dont services any car and maintain it properly it will not last it is just cheaper to get a Toyota (other Jap Car and generally the most realiable cars) serviced and get parts then most European cars

        Disclosure i drive a Honda but i get tired of the anti European bias that swells when they are good cars buying one you know the maintence is expensive if you dont keep up with that then if the car breaks down it is on YOU not the brand, no body i know who owns a European car who has serviced it regularly has ever had a major issue under 300,000km

        • +1

          European cars have higher maintence costs

          Regular maintenance is not that higher than jap cars. But if you ignore it and it breaks down, cost of repairs are way higher…
          The average Oz bargainer does not know anything about cars. So there's that….

          • @apple2016: I know i'll be driving my lpg falcon for another decade.
            Everything is garbage these days, even a $100k car has poor build quality and enough features that you resent driving it.

      • +7

        I've owned VWs since I was a teenager and have never had a bad one. My last VW was a diesel Jetta, which I drove for 13 years and was still going strong when I sold it - easily capable of over 200kph if pushed hard but if driven carefully could get over 900kms on a 55l tank. I had very few problems with it over the years with the most expensive repair costing under a grand. That Jetta was caught up in the dieselgate saga but that never bothered me and I got compensation from VW in that class action. I currently don't drive a VW but would happily own one in future.

        • So how old/Klm was the Jetta when you first got it ?

      • +1

        The internet will say things.

      • +6

        I've had 2 used VW's over about 7 years, neither missed a beat. Do proper regular maintenance and you shouldn't have an issue

      • +1

        when things go wrong with the electronics / dsg / engine, it can become costly, but most of the time if you maintain it well you wont have any issues, and in some cases, good maintenance married up with bad luck could see the dsg fail, cars these days are not built to last

        • What maintenance do you do on electronics?

          • +1

            @Tleyx: doing maintenance on other components may highlight electronic issues before they fail, eg. a recall on coils, or ECU, perhaps?

            • @Ryk: I dont understand how changing the oil tells me if the coils will fail?

              Wouldnt just reading the recall notices tell me if there was a recall i dont have to change the oil at all to do that

          • @Tleyx: You can do some maintenance/good practice on the electrical wiring and plug connections

            making sure they are not rubbing, getting too hot/melting, or getting exsessive

            dust/corrotion/water on it. This can be done with visual checks, adding insulation tape/cable

            ties, moving/re-locating cables, fixing water/oil leaks, cleaning off dust/mud with either air/water/

            degreaser/pressure cleaner etc. Sometimes removing/pulling off plugs/sockets, then

            checking/cleaning and tightly re-inserting/installing them can be good maintenance practice.

            • +4

              @ozhunter68: I 100 percent guarantee that a mechanic wont do that for a normal scheduled service plan.

              • @Tleyx: Agree. Was more thinking of people with some motivation to do or learn in order to do this yourself. Enthusiasts such as 4 X 4, sports, Campervans/RV's etc would often know how to do this.

          • +1

            @Tleyx: He has no idea what he is talking about!

          • @Tleyx: proper mechanical maintenance puts less stress on electronics like transmission oil for dsg / mechatronics etc, thats where circuts burn out and you have to replace the whole dsg mechatronics because no one is trained to fault find on a bench in australia, and even if you do find someone overseas, how long will your car be off the road?

      • +2

        I had a Golf diesel. Great car. Next I bought a Tiguan diesel. I've been happy with it, but three warning lights showed on the dashboard about two month ago. Diagnosis $200+. Replace sensor in rear wheel $400+ total $645. Just for a sensor! The Tiguan is 13 years old, has never let me down (apart from one battery died). I still does not have a single rattle.

        Due to the car's age and possibility of more age-related problems, I am deciding Tiguan or Toyota RAV. Golf? Too much cabin noise for me.

        https://www.reddit.com/r/skoda/comments/10r3fri/kamiq_is_noi…
        https://www.volksmasterltd.co.uk/16-common-problems-with-the…

        • if you knew the sensor part number, likely just a $15 abs sensor thats generic and used on many other volkswagens

      • +5

        They have had some shockers. DSG gearboxes, that 1.4 litre turbo/ supercharged engine, excessive oil burning across several engines, up to 1 litre of oil per 1,000 km, which the dealerships say is within spec. Engines blowing up…

        Yes you can be lucky, or not.. Unfortunately Aussie consumers seem to think VW is a premium brand, because German.. It isn’t.

        If you want to see the reliability of VW’s, or indeed any vehicle, I recommend the ReDriven YouTube channel.

      • +2

        are VW really that bad (genuine question)?

        It's a nuanced answer, because for the most part, most cars are fine.

        For regular drivers, there's probably just two things to be aware of:

        (1) is that Japanese cars are just much easier to work on, if you maintain your own cars, you'd know how dead easy it is to maintain something like a Camry or a Corolla, parts are cheap, plenty of guidance on the internet, the way things are put together makes sense, they're not fussy. European cars, in general, can be really difficult to work on, parts can be difficult to find or just be expensive, they're not put together in a logical way, you sometimes need expensive tools, they can be fussy.

        (2) is that Japanese cars just need much less maintenance because they tend to choose reliability / simplicity over cool engineering. For your bog-standard cheap runabout car, a simple 5-speed automatic will just have less problems than a DSG, a basic naturally aspirated 4 cylinder will just have less problems than a three-cylinder turbo…etc. All of these problems add up - at some point your Audi SQ5 (or whatever) has a gearbox that rattles, the motor that lifts the rear hatch is dying, and the auto-dimming headlights don't work anymore because a sensor is busted. Whilst on the other side of your garage, your RAV4's transmission just needs oil, you'll only ever have to spend $40 on new struts for the manual rear hatch, and you just have to dim your headlights with the stalk., and it just keeps going.

        Based on some discussions I've had with a family member who was previously an engineer at Toyota, a lot of this stems from different car design philosophies - Japan is a culture that prioritises reliability and longevity over innovation or progress (for better or worse), and the regulations around car design in Japan (and its major export markets) are much more lax than in Europe, where you need ideas like turbocharged three-cylinder engines because they're marginally more efficient than a naturally aspirated 4 cylinder that no longer passes some emissions standards.

        Based on these factors, maintaining a European car is just expensive, and especially in Australia, where we have a "she'll be right" culture from driving primarily Japanese cars or locally-made Camry / Commodore / Falcon models that are basic and simple. When you're used to just having to do basic maintenance, and your car just keeps running, to having a whole list of small things to fix every year, it just becomes more than what some people expect.

      • Mk6 Golf GTI from 2010 with DSG and still going pretty good for a 15 year old VW. There’s a reason why the EA888 has been in production for 15+ years. They’ve made some improvements to it over time and it ain’t perfect - I’d be lying if I said I had not needed any repairs - but it’s one of the most ubiquitous engines on the road. As others said, keep up with the maintenance and it’ll be pretty reliable.

    • +21

      Who hurt you bro? Two comments eight minutes apart! Couldn’t get all your thoughts together in your haze of rage at Skoda?

        • +10

          How is it desperate?? Its just a guy posting a deal.

  • +9

    Check servicing costs - last time I checked even the service packs were exxy and make up for the initial low price.

    Update - https://www.skoda.com.au/own/service-packs#anchor-M44-4d6622…

    • +3

      wow that's expensive servicing for a small petrol (not hybrid). No thanks

      • It does include roadside cover.

    • -1

      What are they doing? My mg4 is $1100 over 5 years. 3 grand is robbery.

  • +4

    Ah Oz bargain where only BYD is the only choice.

    • +3

      what, no more 'high yield investments' ?

    • +1

      I think you mean an 8 year old Camry

    • I think you mean expensive Tesla's

  • Are 3 cylinder still unbalanced? So many issues with modern engines now that they're not NA 4 and 6 cylinders.

    • +2

      No they are perfectly balanced. Pistons 1 and 3 are always balanced.

    • +3

      They have an odd number of cylinders and are inherently unbalanced. The best way to balance them is add another 3 cylinders.

      The issues with modern engines is not caused by the number of cylinders or layout, it's more to do with pushing them too far to achieve better fuel economy and power.

      • V6 engines cannot be perfectly balanced

        • +2

          An inline 6 and flat 6 are perfectly balanced. While a V6 is not perfectly balanced it's still a lot better than a 3 cylinder.

          • -3

            @JIMB0:

            An inline 6 and flat 6

            they are not V6….

            • @apple2016: My original comment never mentioned a V6, most people seem to overlook the fact that 6 cylinder engines come in other configurations.

    • +1

      720/3=240

      720/4=180

      The firing timing is just offset to occur every 240 degree travel of piston instead of 180

  • +11

    We have this car, great little go kart. The 3rd cylinder turns off in eco mode when cruising, it is fantastically efficient on petrol and the servicing packages aren't THAT bad.

    10/10 would buy again if we needed a small car.

    • +2

      I had the 4 cylinder model that was sadly written off (by a BMW driver, because of course it was.)

      10/10 would buy again if we needed a small car.

      And I did exactly that. Now on my second one.

    • +2

      I think you'll find that this tech is only available on the 4cyl models and not the 3.
      Skoda cylinder deactivation is available on the 1.2L and 1.5L 4-bangers and shut off the inner 2 cylinders.
      I think the sales rep selling you the car may have misspoken

      • -2

        Sorry but you are mistaken, on our limited edition Kamiq is does shut down the third cylinder. It’s actually in the manual.

        You can do a quick look on kamiq forums for ACT or active cylinder technology.

        • +3

          I was just trying to inform you that you might've been led astray by the dealer or your own reading.
          I researched before commenting and have done so again, there is literally no info on the 3-cyl having the tech, and its only on the larger EA family of engines.
          Running a 3cyl on 2 would make engine balance even worse without proper tech to adapt, which costs money for minimal returns. Add to that the car still weighs a decent amount and makes comparatively low outputs, running it on 2-cyl would have minimal utilisation.
          It's in the manual as they'd be shared across the 3/4 models.

        • limited edition Kamiq

          The Limited Edition was a 4 cylinder.

          If if has that function it is shutting down two cylinders and you get a little "eco" logo on the dash.

    • +1

      go karts keep getting bigger and bigger. I remember when that term was reserved for minis and such

    • great little go kart

      An SUV is about as far away from a go-kart as you can get.

      • It’s quite small I wouldn’t class it as an SUV

  • +3

    Never seen anyone besides our new south Asian arrivals drive Mahindra SUVs.

  • +2

    Know a few people with this. They all love it and some are still going well past the warranty.

  • +6

    Skoda owner here. Would highly recommend one!

    • -4

      Wake up and smell the coffee. There are better cars mate. Would highly recommend you test drive one.

      • +1

        What new car would you suggest is better for $30k drive away? There's not much.

      • +3

        Been there, done that! I test-drove Mazda, Toyota, Hyundai, and Kia. Still chose my Skoda Octavia because I love how it drives. Maybe give one a test drive yourself before concluding?

      • Yes please tell us which comparable car for the same price is better?

  • -1

    3cyl, 1.0 litre - wild!

    • +1

      Im actually surprised the fuel efficiency isnt better for some a small engine…

      • Yeah same experience with 1L 3cl turbo Kia Rio. Explanation I heard was it’s still gotta push the same mass to the speed limit…

      • +1

        You are hard to impress, 5.5l per 100km is wildly good. Only things getting less are hybrid setups.

    • Same engine and gearbox as the VW T-Cross.

      In fact, same a lot of other parts too.

    • if it is married up with a good transmission, you'd be surprised how quick it can be

    • -3

      3cyl, 1.0 litre

      Great specs. For lawn mower… :)

  • Why do suvs look horrendous???

    • Are they really suvs though? More like high riding small hatchbacks…

      • -1

        Yaa. But even the proper suvs look like boxes

        • boxes are cool. the worst looking ones are the crossover coupes like the BMW X4

      • these days "SUV" encompasses crossover SUVs - high riding hatchbacks. 4x4 has become the term used for "real" off roaders like Jimnys and Wranglers.

  • +9

    I genuinely think Skoda are the best of the VW brand in terms of Value and Reliability (OzBargins values). Because typically Audi make the new car, with new tooling and new engines, they have the worst warranty because they have the most problems (still not terrible).
    VW then get the tooling and engines after Audi, typically they fix the majority of the issues and have better warranty and reliability (better but still not Toyota).
    Skoda then inherit all the tooling and engines from VW, they fix what minor (or major depending on who you ask) problems VW missed. they are the only ones to offer a 7 year warranty. Skoda are the reason VW sales are ranking

    There are Obviously going to be outliers in every case but I think Skoda are almost as solid as Toyota whilst feeling much more premium inside and (generally) on the road.

    Coming from Toyota (with no issues) to a Skoda Kamiq (no issues so far). Very happy. Just FYI i picked one up for closer to $22k just one year old (6 years warranty left) as an ex-hire car. You can also buy a 4-5 service pack so that services should cost no more than $400-500 each even on a used Skoda (within warranty period). I can't speak to their servicing yet.

    • How'd you purchase an ex-hire car?

      • +1

        It was through a dealership here in Victoria. They must have bought about 20 of them

      • +3

        I was looking for a late model second hand car recently and it's more common than you would think with certain models. Normally base models. The dealers pick them up in auctions.

        Easy to spot in the service history as the customer will be Europcar or Hertz etc. In some of the dealer photos they even have the the hire car companies keyrings still on.

        I was also told by someone in the biz that if there is only 1 key in the photo that is a good indicator it was a hire car. They take the photos as quick as they can to get it listed and sold. While that is happening the second key can take a while to catch up to the car because as hire cars move around the state/country the second key obviously doesn't go with them.

    • +1

      Skoda then inherit all the tooling and engines from VW

      Skoda's are all made in Czechia, while VW's are made in Germany, Mexico, China, Africa and anywhere else that can provide a cheap quote.

      I started some research when a spoke with an Uber driver that picked me up in a Kodiaq. I told him I as looking at getting a Tiguan or Kodiaq as they are basically the same. He said don't buy a Tiguan as the Australian sold models are made in Mexico, that his Czechia built Kodiaq had done 200,000 odd Km and had not skipped a beat. He really loved his car.

      From my research he seems to be right. There are some regional specific models of Skoda built else where (Kamiq's China and Indian variant for example), but all the ones for Australia seem to be out of home base in Czechia.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Volkswagen_Group_facto…

      • I was merely talking about the design, tooling (actual manufacturing steps and equipment) and engines. Not where they're being produced or the people behind them. I don't think it matters AS much where they actually get made these days. Although I am biased towards a Japanese car being made in Japan and a "European" car being made somewhere in Europe. I WOULD NOT have bought the same car with only a <4 year warranty left (if it was VW), I think it only makes sense to buy an ex-hire car with a 5+ year warranty left and decent dealer coverage.

      • -2

        This does not make any sense. VW are much better quality that comparable Skoda regardless of where they are made.

        • +2

          We'll agree to disagree.

          If you look at the review of the 2021 Kamiq and the 2021 T-Cross the Kamiq was miles ahead.

        • +2

          perhaps, but at least Skoda backs up with a better warranty

    • +4

      Just my quick review of the car:
      Annoyances first, if you drive it in D around the city it can feel a bit sluggish off the line, especially in Summer with the AC on. If you switch to gearbox into S, this gets rid of most of the issues there; however, the fuel consumption can go up 1-2L/100 over what you would expect. This is my only real gripe with the car, the economy is good but not Toyota Hybrid good like the 5.1L/100 might make you think. Certainly, on the freeway (~5L/100) and more relaxed driving around town it can get <6L/100. Keep in mind though, it's 95RON minimum. Where as Toyota Hybids will run off dirt.

      Also, I wish they had stuck with 16 inch wheels for the base models like VW T-Cross did. They're much more compliant (comfortable) around town than the 18-inch standard wheels (which look nicer on the Skoda), but make the ride much busier for what is primarily a city runabout.

      Good things, it's quite easy to drive. Fantastic steering wheel and steering feel in general. Very smooth and solid on the road once moving. The infotainment system is great with Android Auto (wireless dongle on mine). I heard some things about the AC being lethargic in the Aussie heat, but here in Victoria it seems good to me, secret here is to run the car in S mode so that the RPM stays higher and runs the AC compressor a little harder (typically this also cools the engine better also). But even on D it seemed fine to me, fans are capable of pumping out air at high volume.

      As much as I like Toyota, when shopping this against the much more expensive Toyota Yaris Cross. The Yaris feels a lot smaller, darker and more costraphobic inside, the engine is surprisingly quite rough, you can feel it thrumbing at idle, and it doesn't sound or feel as nice as the Skoda engine. The Yaris is smoother off the line (due to the hybrid system and no DSG lag), but I think you have to go up to a Corolla or something else with a 4cyl-hybrid to get something as smooth AND better on fuel than the Skoda. Then the Corolla Cross is totally out of this price sphere, let alone range. Both had a much more utilitarian interior, but I generally prefer Toyota drive-trains. The Skoda feels (and subjectively looks) better than both Toyota's mentioned. Suzuki Vitara, Hyundai Venue, and a couple other small SUVs we looked at just felt like cheaper knock-offs of the Toyotas rather than true rivals.

    • There are Obviously going to be outliers in every case but I think Skoda are almost as solid as Toyota whilst feeling much more premium inside and (generally) on the road.

      So many people who say this are comparing a modern European car to their 10 year old Camry.

      • By solid I mean reliable. I was comparing to the same year Yaris Cross, Corolla Cross and Corolla (all Hybrid models). I think the Corolla (and by extension Corolla Cross) drives better than this due to the smooth hybrid system, used less fuel (closer to 4-5L/100) and I don't mind the basic interior so much. But it was at least 10k more for similar year model. It's not even close in terms of value.

    • Correct this is what I understand about Skoda. They are a few years behind VW but they have all the patches and upgrades so they are probably quite reliable.

  • +2

    I've driven a Skoda for over ten years now. Ugly as hell but gets me where I need to go no fuss. Very reliable, servicing is fine. If they made an EV if but one for my next car.

    • +3

      They make a whole range of EVs

      • -1

        Sadly it overpriced EVs.

      • Yes sorry of course they do - I meant to say if they made a good budget EV I'd buy one.

    • Elroq looks good

  • +4

    I'd take this over the Indian and Chinese offerings.

  • -4

    3 cyclinder 1 litre engine? Does this thing even move?

    • +3

      Same platform & running gear as a Polo, but they're surprisingly zippy even with the SUV body. We drove one (2020 model) for a couple of years and it was a brilliant car. Upgraded to a Tiguan Allspace as it felt roomier than the Kodiaq when bub #2 came along. I would happily buy another Skoda!

    • +1

      200nm of torque.

      Can check the T-Cross or Kamiq reviews. Same 85kw running gear.

  • +1

    Another great VAG car which would easily do 500000kms.

  • -4

    It’s 2025, and I don’t understand people still love “made in euro” car.

    Japan (gas/hybrid) and China (EV) are way better.

    I would say VW is probably going to broke in 10 years.

    • 5 years max.

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