Skoda Kamiq vs Holden Astra

What's the difference?

The Skoda Kamiq might be one of Australia’s most underrated vehicles.

As you may or, more likely, may not know, the Kamiq crossover has always been positioned to compete with mainstream players like the Honda HR-V, Mazda CX-3 and Subaru Crosstrek in its own quirky way, which we’ve always quite liked here at CarsGuide.

That’s some tough competition, though, so what does this Skoda do differently to deserve your attention, what’s changed for this year’s update, and do we still think this Skoda should be on your shopping list if you’re considering those other cars?

Read on and we’ll find out.

Holden's current Astra is the second go the car has had in this country, after first being badged an Opel to the sounds of crickets from the buying public. That hubristic exercise was followed by a brief withdrawal from the Australian market before returning, rather more sensibly badged (and sensibly-priced) as a Holden.

It chugged along quite nicely in 2017. It didn't break any records, no, but regularly broke the 1000 units per month mark to end up with about five percent of the small car market, which it shares with some serious competition from Europe and Japan.

The + in R+ means more safety, but also more money. Safety is good, but do you get anything else for your money?