[curiousnewbie]

I have been following this thread for quite some time now. Very informative and in depth analysis.
Really hoping for sub 15L top model pricing or else I’ll consider other options like Harrier. Better to go for LG OLED (just an analogy) over Sony LED considering I am not price insensitive

[kushagra452]

Originally Posted by pocketaces

Prebooked at PPS Skoda Bengaluru just now. The dealer said they are focusing on delivering 100 cars by August 10th!

Congratulations! Aren't you wary of the initial niggles in the first few batches of a new product? Many Team BHPians have mentioned that it is good to wait a few months before booking a new product (on a completely new platform). If possible, buying the facelift version is considered better.

[vinitbarve]

First post on Team BHP. The depth of research and quality of comments is incredible. Looking forward to participation here !

1. DSG is now fairly tested, how has been the recent performance/ technical issues with this gearbox? How has been the TROC experience in general with this gearbox/ engine combination?

2. This is a new platform, but for both products 1.0 and 1.5, key components engine-transmission have been used in Indian conditions for long (Rapid etc for 1.0 and TROC/ Koraq for 1.5), so why do people worried about the new platform risk?

[Sebring]

You need to be the first my friend. Else where is the fun! If it turns out a lemon, you can always sell it. These days chances are very less of that happening. But the, That's purely my thought

Originally Posted by kushagra452

Congratulations! Aren't you wary of the initial niggles in the first few batches of a new product? Many Team BHPians have mentioned that it is good to wait a few months before booking a new product (on a completely new platform). If possible, buying the facelift version is considered better.

[vishy76]

Originally Posted by vinitbarve

First post on Team BHP. The depth of research and quality of comments is incredible. Looking forward to participation here !

1. DSG is now fairly tested, how has been the recent performance/ technical issues with this gearbox? How has been the TROC experience in general with this gearbox/ engine combination?

2. This is a new platform, but for both products 1.0 and 1.5, key components engine-transmission have been used in Indian conditions for long (Rapid etc for 1.0 and TROC/ Koraq for 1.5), so why do people worried about the new platform risk?

1. Who has said it is fairly tested? I would never go with a manufacturer's claims of testing a car XYZ km TBH. I would much rather rely on ownership experiences anyday. I have seen carmakers saying they have tested their cars upto 7-8L km and the same car having engine head issues and electronic niggles. The DQ200 DSG has always been touted as an unreliable gearbox and VW has done a lot of things to shake off that image. None of that has changed anything. Failures continue to occur. There are several threads on this forum itself. Additionally, VW/Skoda is not covering clutch pack failures under goodwill for many cases now (2 distinct threads on this very forum in the past month itself). I would definitely be worried about the DSG since it's technically the same gearbox being used in the Kushaq. It's a fundamental flaw in the design of the gearbox valve body. I believe VW is using the exact same gearbox again on the Kushaq (would love to be proved wrong though)

2. A platform doesn't include engines only. It includes several components such as the suspension parts, brakes and electronic architecture. VW has been very poor at localising suspension components in the Polo and Vento and the brakes as well. This is again a point of worry obviously. The two engines are also brand new. Neither have seen Indian conditions for long enough. Let them do more than 80-90K km and then draw conclusions on reliability. The TSI anyways don't have a stellar reputation for reliability in India

I am not asking anyone to reject the Kushaq because of these points. But buying one under the pretext that it's tried and tested and is reliable is a completely wrong notion

[vinitbarve]

Agree with what you have said. DSG is a risk playing in my mind, wife wants automatic so manual is not an option :

One way is to price this risk in decisioning. I would mark up Kushaq the car price by couple of lakhs for this risk and then compare with a competitor (Which I think is 1.4 Litre TSI Creta/ Seltos GT variants).

In my mind, if 1.5DSG Kushaq onroad is >1 lakhs expensive than GT variant of Koreans DCT on road, I would favor the top end koreans over Kushaq. Waiting for the prices to be announced

[volkman10]

Day-2 media drive pics, pronounced size in this colour.











Link

[dragonfire]

I think people hoping the Kushaq to beat the Korean twins in price is going to be disappointed. It would easily be in the Compass territory, unless I am grossly overestimating.

[84.monsoon]

Originally Posted by vishy76

1. Who has said it is fairly tested? I would never go with a manufacturer's claims of testing a car XYZ km TBH.

2. A platform doesn't include engines only. It includes several components such as the suspension parts, brakes and electronic architecture.

I think we have to give Skoda a fair chance here. The DQ200 failures which were very common in 2010-2015 period are much more rare now after the various fixes VW group has done over the years. Skoda would definitely not risk putting a gearbox in the Kushaq unless they are really convinced of its reliability. The reason? Well, this car is the only bet that VW, the world's largest Automobile manufacturer has of reviving its long term prospects in India, which will become one of the largest automotive markets in the world in the future! So much hinges on the Kushaq and Taigun that they will leave no stone unturned to redeem the reputation of poor reliability and service, they has stuck with them for so long, for the mistakes they committed 10-15 years ago.

As for the 1.0 TSI engine and transmissions, they have been around for more than a year in India already and there are no complaints on these. The MQB platform (though not the IN version) has been in use here for over 8 years starting with the 2013 Octavia. Any dilution in the IN platform has to pass struct quality measures at the group level, because VW cannot afford any one market to dilute its global reputation after recent events.

I would feel much more confident in VW's quality and safety processes and governance today, than I would, say, in the Korean Cousins, which seem to give a lot of liberty at the local level - for instance, to make compromises to balance the cost of bling items by diluting strength and quality of materials used in the monocoque construction. We saw the unfortunate result of this in the safety ratings of the Seltos, which ended up with an "unstable bodyshell integrity" rating.

[nitkel]

Originally Posted by vinitbarve

Agree with what you have said. DSG is a risk playing in my mind, wife wants automatic so manual is not an option :

One way is to price this risk in decisioning. I would mark up Kushaq the car price by couple of lakhs for this risk and then compare with a competitor (Which I think is 1.4 Litre TSI Creta/ Seltos GT variants).

In my mind, if 1.5DSG Kushaq onroad is >1 lakhs expensive than GT variant of Koreans DCT on road, I would favor the top end koreans over Kushaq. Waiting for the prices to be announced

Unless Skoda wants to kill the 1.5 DSG option instantly upon launch, it will do well to price it at/under the Seltos/Creta 1.4 GT variants. They pack a lot more features and are bigger than the Kushaq. Please do drive them all before you finalize the car.

Originally Posted by volkman10

Day-2 media drive pics, pronunced size in this colour.

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The side view give a lot of Polo Cross (hatch on stilts) vibes! Most underwhelming angle to look at IMO.

[rahulvv]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Day-2 media drive pics, pronunced size in this colour.

Attachment 2169547


Attachment 2169541

Attachment 2169542

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What I fail to understand is - Despite all the market research, why did Skoda fail to capture the pulse of Indian Market. In Compact SUV segment - Majority population prefers a bigger stance. Why would Skoda design Kushaq (the so called King) to be shorter (in all the aspects - length, height and width) than the Korean Twins.

If its a platform limitation - then why not modify the platform? Anyways you created a custom one for India. Why not design it as per Indian taste? You did take forever to roll out the product - might as well could have used it for a better designed product for Indian likings.

Such a disappointment.

[SBM3J]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Day-2 media drive pics, pronounced size in this colour.

Attachment 2169547


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I dont think the quote about Taigun having no sunroof is correct. The VW site for Taigun clearly states "Electric Sunroof" as one of the features.

But it will be fantastic if the top end Taigun comes without sunroof. It would give an option to people who doesnt fancy a sunroof and still wants all the other features offered in top variant.

[abhishek46]

Originally Posted by vinitbarve

First post on Team BHP. The depth of research and quality of comments is incredible. Looking forward to participation here !

1. DSG is now fairly tested, how has been the recent performance/ technical issues with this gearbox? How has been the TROC experience in general with this gearbox/ engine combination?

Yes, the DSG is now fairly tested. And the results of those tests are that, it is un-reliable.
It has also been confirmed that simple things like clutch pack replacement costs upwards of a lakh for the DSG.

[Guna]

Originally Posted by dragonfire

I think people hoping the Kushaq to beat the Korean twins in price is going to be disappointed. It would easily be in the Compass territory, unless I am grossly overestimating.

T-Roc and Karoq, being CBUs costed 25 and 30 lakhs onroad (Bangalore). Top of the line Kushaq, which is locally built and smaller should be at least 3-4 lakhs cheaper than the T-Roc. I am applying a simple logic here. Anything more than that is either greed or over ambition.

[nitkel]

Originally Posted by dragonfire

I think people hoping the Kushaq to beat the Korean twins in price is going to be disappointed. It would easily be in the Compass territory, unless I am grossly overestimating.

If that's what they intend to do then they might as well call themselves Mercedes-Benz (king of overpriced cars) and be done with it!