Skoda Kamiq vs BMW 840I

What's the difference?

The Skoda Kamiq continues to be an overlooked gem. It’s cleverly designed and well equipped, even in base form, and what sets it apart from many other dull options in this segment is how fun it can be to drive.

Despite all of this and keen ownership terms it continues to account for a tiny number of sales in the segment, and I don’t think it’s destined to change as, value or not, its positioning remains the same in a small SUV space where it’s increasingly hard to stand out.

Still, for those who dare to choose something different, there’s a great little car to be found.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

If you’re the sort of buyer who wants a car that signifies a lifestyle that is ‘large and in charge’, the BMW M850i Gran Coupe could be just the thing for you. It isn’t as showy as some of its competitors, and mightn’t reach the same levels of excitement as those cars either - but it is a convincing offering in its own right, and a beautiful piece of design at that. 

The Kamiq's design is distinctly European for better or worse, but it stands out from its crossover rivals by looking (and feeling) more hatchback than SUV.

If you’re wondering what’s changed for this update, I don’t blame you, the changes are very subtle. Looking closely will reveal a tweaked front bumper and a new rear diffuser, as well as progressive LED indicators.

The style of the two variants has also been subtly altered with new wheel choices and the increase in the use of gloss black on the Monte Carlo, but there are more distinct changes on the inside.

Each grade gets its own theme for the highlight trim across the dash reflected in the seats, and honestly I don’t miss the leather, cloth seats are back in in a big way, and in both grades here they’re pretty rad.

Other new features include a tweaked set of multimedia screens, with the base car maintaining a set of dials, and the larger unit re-working its touch-based shortcut buttons.

As usual, the digital dash treatment (courtesy of Volkswagen Group) is well above par in terms of customisation and information.

Ultimately then, it’s not too different from how it looked and felt before, but there’s certainly an argument to be made that it didn’t need to change. The Kamiq has always been a distinctive and well-appointed choice in this segment.

This could be BMW’s most convincing design in years. I mean, the X5 is predictably handsome, the X3 was unexpectedly muscled, and the less said about the frumpy 1 Series and busy 3 Series (apart from the wagon… drool) the better.

To my untrained but enthusiastic eye, the 8 Series Coupe is a bit too rounded over its rear haunches, and the rear screen is just a little steep - to me, that lets its dimensions down a little. But this. This is gorgeous. 

I mean, you might have questions over the tail-light design, which is a theme across a few BMW models now. But there isn’t as much confrontation between horizontal and vertical graphics for this model as you’ll find one other big Bimmers, like the X7. 

The M850i model has BMW Laserlight headlights, which throw a sharp beam and look menacing in their signature, while the grille and bumper are strong. The stance of the car is prominent - there’s a long body, a long wheelbase, and a long body in general. The standard wheel package consists of 20-inch rims, and they don’t look disarmingly large.

As our images show, there’s a lot to talk about when it comes interior design and finishes, but the cabin doesn’t quite benefit quite as mochas you might think it would from all that real estate. I mean, with dimensions of 5074mm long (on a 3023mm wheelbase), 1932mm wide and 1402mm tall, this is a squat, yet substantial vehicle. It’s just more cramped than you’d think inside.

Practicality is one of Skoda’s big selling points. The deal is this. Skoda models sit between entries in the Volkswagen range to provide strategic alternatives to its parent company's hero brand.

The Kamiq, for example, sits size-wise between the T-Cross and T-Roc, although once you’re in the cabin it feels bigger than both.

A nice low seating position makes the roof feel distant, while massive windows grant excellent visibility. It's easy for me (at 182cm) to find a nice seating position thanks to plenty of adjustability, although some might find it feels a bit more hatch-like than other SUVs in this class which have taller seating positions.

The overall spacious feeling in the front is boosted by ample storage, including pockets and bottle holders in the doors, a triple cupholder in the centre console, a large storage bay under the climate unit and a small armrest console box.

Unlike rivals in this space which are quick to offer synthetic leathers as you work your way up the range, even the top-spec Monte Carlo has seats clad in cloth trims.

While this might not be great if you have kids prone to spilling liquids, I think design-wise the car is better for it and certainly no less comfortable.

Also notable is the commitment to dials for the climate unit, and a change for this model year is the introduction of fan speed buttons so this function no longer needs to be controlled through the touchscreen.

Interestingly, dials only appear on the smaller of the two touchscreens available on the base Select, while the Monte Carlo’s larger screen only has touch-based volume controls.

The back seat is enormous, offering me leagues of knee room behind my own driving position and the roof remains almost as distant as it is in the front seats.

It also feels wide enough and has decent amenities, like dual USB-C sockets, adjustable rear air vents and dual-tiered pockets on the backs of the front seats. 

You also get a decent-sized bottle holder in the door and a drop-down centre armrest and the soft trims continue into the rear unlike some segment rivals which switch to hard plastic door cards.

The biggest downside for back seat passengers is the raised floor in the centre position (a platform restriction) which unfortunately makes it a bit squeezy for adults. Best leave this centre position for kids.

At 400 litres the boot punches well above its weight for this crossover segment, expanding to 1395L with the second row folded.

There’s a space-saver spare wheel under the floor and the Kamiq is also rated to tow, albeit at a limited 610kg or 630kg for an unbraked trailer and 1200kg or 1250kg (braked) for the Select and Monte Carlo, respectively.

I recall a Mitsubishi designer telling me, once upon a time, that he dreamed of making ‘a big car on the outside with a very small interior’. Maybe he made the jump to BMW, because that’s pretty much the 8 Series Gran Coupe.

There aren’t many other vehicles on the market, of this size, that offer less space inside. The boot capacity, for instance, is just 440 litres. Competitors like the Audi A7 (535L) and Mercedes CLS (520L) easily outdo it - but at least this car has more boot than the Panamera (405L), though the BMW is a smidge bigger. The cargo space is large enough for a couple of overnight suitcases, but you’re hardly going to fit a family of four’s luggage for a week away. 

And while we’re in the “not quite what you’d expect” column, the back seat space is hardly commodious. There’s enough space for me, at 182cm, to sit behind my own driving position, but not without wishing for a bit more toeroom, headroom and knee space. 

The big centre console section eats into the space in the rear, justifying the brand’s “4+1” seating claim, and unpleasantly it has a hard plastic finish to rest your leg against. Getting in and out of the second row isn’t easy for bigger people, and it’s quite a squat down into the rear seat - it really has taken inspiration from its squashy-back-seated predecessor in that regard.

If you have smaller rear-seat occupants, however, there will be catered for with dual ISOFIX and three top-tether points, plus there are air vents with climate controls (quad zone in total), and two USB-C ports as well. There are sun-blinds on the rear windows, too, which is a plus, and there is a pair of cup holders in the fold-down armrest, and map pockets in the seat backs, too. The door pockets are near-useless, though.

The front seats score better practicality, with bottle holders in the doors, bigger and sturdier cup holders, a covered centre storage bin between the seats with a USB-C port, and a wireless phone charger (Qi) with standard USB port in front of the gear selector.

Above that is the weird, very out-of-place quick buttons (1-8) that BMW could easily do away with, and further up are the controls for the climate control (thankfully with hard buttons for fan speed and temperature), and above that is the media screen, a familiar looking 10.25-inch touch display running BMW OS 7.0. 

The screen is quick and crisp, and is backed up by the rotary controller and buttons on in the centre console area. There’s wireless Apple CarPlay (now at no cost for three years), as well as a built-in SIM card for 4G data and access to the BMW Online news and weather stations, accessed through the screen.  

It’s all pretty easy to use, and the sound system is excellent - the standard setup consists of 16 speakers, with DAB+ digital radio, Bluetooth and USB plus the smartphone mirroring tech, provided you don’t have an Android device, as Android Auto is still missing from BMW’s range.

It’s a nice cabin, but I couldn’t help but thinking that I’d want a little more differentiation from the lesser models in the range if I was spending this much. Especially considering the optional cost of the interior trim fitted to our test car - see below for more detail.

No-one could level the accusation of affordability at the BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe, as it’s one of the brand’s most expensive models.

This one, the M850i xDrive Gran Coupe, is the range-topping version for 2020, with a list price of $272,900 plus on-road costs.

Where does that plot the BMW against its rivals? It’s beyond the level that the existing Audi RS7 Sportback was (last sold in 2018 at $261,140), and the Mercedes-AMG CLS 53, which looks like a value offering at $182,740. Also, it splits the difference between and the Mercedes-AMG GT 4 door Coupe variants (GT 53: $251,140; GT 63: $351,640), and could best be considered a contemporary of the Porsche Panamera E-Hybrid AWD ($252,400) or the Panamera 4S ($316,500).

So, look - competitors might matter to you. But there’s a good chance that if you’re shopping for an 8 Series, you’ve already made up your mind that you want the BMW four-door coupe slugger. So here’s what you need to know about it when it comes to equipment.

Standard it comes with the M Sport styling pack, 20-inch M alloy wheels with run-flat tyres and tyre pressure monitoring, adaptive M suspension with active roll stabilisation, 395mm M brakes, BMW Laserlight headlights, BMW Night Vision infrared camera with pedestrian detection.

Luxury touches include soft close doors, semi-autonomous parking, panoramic glass sunroof (front opening, rear fixed), keyless entry and push-button start and electric auto tailgate, heated and ventilated front seats with electric adjustment including lumbar and bolster, leather seat trim, a 16-speaker harman/kardon sound system, 10.25-inch media screen with gesture and voice control, 12.3-inch digital instrument display, full colour head-up display, ambient lighting and rear sun-blinds. 

You’re getting a lot for your money, though our tester had a couple of extras. Metallic paint is included, but no the Frozen Bluestone matte finish our car had ($2600), and the interior piano black trim elements cost $200, as well. Plus the Full Leather Merino finish in Ivory White and Night Blue - that box cost $10,200 to tick. All told, the price as tested before on-roads was $285,900. 

Two grades, two engine choices, doesn’t really get simpler.

The base Select is offered only with the smaller 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbocharged 85TSI engine (85kW/200Nm) paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, driving the front wheels.

Meanwhile, the top-spec Monte Carlo is only offered with the larger 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbocharged 110TSI engine (110kW/250Nm). It is also paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch auto and also only drives the front wheels.

These engine options are notable in the segment as they are both lean turbo units in a sea of older naturally-aspirated engines, and while some will rightfully have reservations around dual-clutch automatics, they’re certainly snappier and more efficient than torque converters or dull CVTs.

If you’re going for the M850i, you’re getting the big bopper engine. It’s a 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol engine, and it isn’t short on horsepower.

The outputs for this engine are 390kW of power (at 6000rpm) and 750Nm of torque (from 1800-4600rpm). Hardly numbers to sneeze at.

And the performance figures are exceptional, too: the claimed 0-100 km/h time is just 3.9 seconds. That’s because there’s the traction of BMW’s xDrive all-wheel drive system, and shifting gears is an eight-speed automatic transmission.  

For what it’s worth, your humble reviewer saw a 0-100km/h time very close to that (4.2sec). 

The quoted kerb weight for this model is 1995kg.

You’ll note Skoda doesn’t offer a hybrid option in its range, although one of the benefits of its more complicated engine and transmission is a fuel consumption which falls between what a plug-less hybrid or naturally aspirated rival might score.

The official/combined consumption of the 85TSI engine is just 5.5L/100km and for the 110TSI engine it is 5.6L/100km.

On our lengthy drive program at the launch both variants seemed to be landing a little over 6.0L/100km, which is more impressive than many rivals, which score in excess of 7.5L/100km in our testing.

Perhaps to even things out a little, the Kamiq’s turbocharged engines require mid-shelf 95 RON unleaded.

You can’t really expect a big V8 beast like this to be a fuel miser, and it isn’t.

The claimed consumption is 10.7 litres per 100 kilometres. Which is alright, honestly, given the sheer volume of car you’re driving. 

But on my test - which consisted of more than 300km of mixed driving, including days of city commuting, some twisty mountain driving, and all the freeway floundering to get there - I saw an at the pump real-world figure of 15.4L/100km.

That’s not very efficient, and it’ll be expensive to run on the daily — yet the argument could be made that if you’re spending this much on a car, fuel costs won’t matter much to you. But with a small fuel tank capacity of 68 litres, it could become a little inconvenient as you’ll be seeing a lot of your local servo.

What immediately sets the Kamiq apart the moment you hop in the driver’s seat is how hatch-like it feels. While a lot of small SUVs and crossovers in this price-bracket grant a really high seating position to make them feel bigger than they are, the Kamiq lets you sit closer to the floor.

This has the effect of making it feel even smaller than it is, but also lends it a sporty feel from behind the wheel. This is reinforced as soon as you start driving by its lightweight, agile feel.

Keen steering in both grades is backed by firm suspension, making the Kamiq responsive and agile, and because both engines are turbocharged they offer something quite different in this space normally dominated by dull naturally-aspirated 2.0L engines.

First, the catch. The dual clutch transmission can be a bit fiddly, particularly in the 85TSI which comes with a fair dollop of turbo-lag.

This means you’ll have to factor in a moment of delay before acceleration arrives at T-junctions or green lights. It can be frustrating at times, but the trade-off is the small capacity turbo engine pairs with efficient ratios to make for lean fuel consumption.

The fun factor is also boosted. Once you overcome the initial laggy moment, the little turbo engines surge to life with an agreeable gruff tone, and the dual-clutch transforms from fiddly to snappy once you’re at speed.

This means when you’ve got a nice road to carve up, the Skoda is a hell of a lot more entertaining to drive than almost any rival in this space.

It doesn’t have the clumsy handling of Chinese rivals, nor does it have the lifeless drone of a bigger, less efficient engine paired to a continuously variable automatic. It’s a rare slice of excitement in a small SUV category dominated by average drive experiences.

The cabin manages to feel upmarket in most ways, and is relatively easy-to-use on the go thanks to a commitment to the dials and switchgear. It is a comfortable companion on a long journey.

While the suspension is keen and keeps the car agile though, keep in mind the ride can be quite hard. This Skoda doesn’t quite have the poise or breadth of ability of its VW relations. Large wheels in both grades don't help this equation.

There is also a notable amount of tyre roar entering the cabin, particularly on coarse chip or at freeway speeds which, to be fair, is a common trait in this part of the market.

To summarise, the Kamiq is a uniquely European drive experience in an otherwise dull segment, and despite some drawbacks, it’s a real stand-out as a result.

It’s an impressive thing, this M850i xDrive Gran Coupe. But I’m just not sure who it’s trying to please.

It’s not the sort of German monster coupe-sedan that grabs you by the scruff of the neck and throws you around with its mammoth acceleration. Not unless you poke it and prod it and make it really angry.

And that might be exactly what you want to do - put it in Sport mode, sling the shifter across to sport or manual mode, hear the exhaust open up from a pursed-lip tongue-click to an open-mouth growl. 

You’ll push hard on the accelerator, watch the tacho needle jolt to the redline, and if you’re in auto mode you’ll feel the transmission whipcrack as it shifts rapidly up through the gears as you’re shoved back into your seat. Before you know it you’ll be in licence-loss zone, and you won’t have even made the tyres chirp - that’s how immense the traction from the all-wheel drive system is.

You’ll brake hard into a sharp bend, and you’ll feel the front end dip and the body of the car change direction more readily than you’d think given its size as you turn in. The steering response will meet your expectation, with rapid reaction to adjustments mid corner. And the Active Roll stabilisation system will mean you’re not being thrown around in your seat, because it’s sitting flatter and truer than you might have expected - you’ll notice how it works extremely well in conjunction with the car’s torque-vectoring-by-braking system. There’ll be little weight shift or body roll to be counteracted, and that’ll inspire you to push it even harder.

Put it in manual transmission mode and you’ll rejoice that it won’t overrule you and shift up, but you’ll also feel shortchanged because it gets to the end of its limit very quickly. And when it hits redline, it emits a breathless little cough rather than a “oh maybe I should stop” rev-bounce noise.

But, if you’re like me, you might be doing all this with a niggling thought in the back of your mind that, while this car is technically really good and it’s a clinical performance car, you might just think to yourself, “I’m not having as much fun as I thought I would”.

A Mercedes-AMG would be more fun; it’d be more raucous, more of a muscle car experience. An Audi RS7 (at least the previous one) would be noisier, brasher, more theatrical than this car. And likewise, a Porsche Panamera - no matter the model you go for - would be more entertaining in the bends.  

Maybe it’s just a bit too predictable - and maybe that’s a result of this car being honed for drivers who will spend more time on the Autobahn than anywhere else. I have to say, there are much, much worse (and slower) ways of getting from A to B, and the highway cruising comfort of the M850i Gran Coupe was what impressed me most. 

It’s also surprisingly adept at urban driving duties, coping well with unpleasant city surfaces, though potholes can still upset things because of the stiff-sidewalled run-flat tyres. The suspension does an exceptional job otherwise, however, and I switched between the Adaptive drive mode and Comfort mode for my commuting duties. Both proved comfortable and controlled.

The M850i is by no means a failure when it comes to fulfilling the expectations you might have of a luxury sports sedan of this size. In fact, it’s close to a distinction. But I just can’t help thinking that it’s not as much an ‘M car’ as that M850i badge might have you believe it should be.

The safety equipment fitted to the BMW M850i Gran Coupe as standard is extensive - but this model has not yet been tested by ANCAP or Euro NCAP, so there’s no safety rating or crash test rating available.

Standard equipment includes BMW’s Driving Assistant Professional system with adaptive cruise control with stop and go in traffic, auto emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, front and rear cross-traffic alert, lane keeping assist with steering input, blind spot monitoring, “crossroads warning and evasion aid” which can help you steer away from potential danger more easily. 

There’s also a comprehensive camera suite with a reversing camera, surround view and forward view camera setup which can adjust based on what part of the parking manoeuvre you’re up to. Plus if you get stuck, the reversing assistant system can remember the last 50 metres you drove and get you out of the spot. There’s also a thing called Active Park Distance Control rear, which will apply the brakes when you’re reversing if it thinks you’re getting to close to an impact.

There are six airbags - dual front, front side and curtain - with no rear side airbag protection, which seems odd in a car at this price point but is likely down to packaging.  

Skoda is going to great lengths to try and challenge the idea that a European car can’t be as easy to own as a Japanese or Korean rival.

As a result, it is the first European brand to offer a seven-year, unlimited kilometre warranty, which is backed by a seven-year prepaid service pack.

This pack is reasonable. At $2650 it works out to $379 a year, which is not quite as affordable as Toyota or some Chinese rivals, but it’s also not expensive when you consider the service pricing of brands like Subaru or Kia.

It also offers a guaranteed future value program and the brand’s keen finance terms, on paper at least, make a Kamiq cheaper to own over five years than many of its competitors.

BMW backs its cars in Australia with a three-year/unlimited kilometre warranty.

You may be confused if you head to the BMW site and see that M models and 8 Series models aren’t covered by BMW’s pre-pay capped price servicing plan (as I saw when testing this car), but CarsGuide can confirm that the 8 Series is indeed covered - unless it’s the real M8, not this M850i jigger. 

BMW Australia has clarified that the Service Inclusive pack for five years/80,000km of maintenance cover is $2490 for Basic cover (no brakes/pads, no wiper replacement), or $5641 for the more comprehensive Plus pack. Hardly affordable, but nor’s the car. 

The company uses a condition-based servicing program, too - there are no set service intervals, but the car will tell you when it needs maintenance based on how you drive it.

For what it’s worth, we ran the numbers on resale value using Glass’s Guide predictive analysis tool, and after three years/40,000km the expected retained value for this version is approximately 66 per cent - which is impressive.