Hello experts, I am in quite a dilemma in choosing between Kushaq and S Cross, need your advice on the same.
I am upgrading from my 2014 Swift ZXI with 57 K on ODO. Main reason to upgrade is to have more boot space and comfortable rear seats for the family. Since traffic in Bangalore will not get any better, I am looking at AT options. Higher GC (> 180 mm) is a must as I travel to my native place quite often where the roads are quite bad. I am happy with 1.2 petrol performance on my Swift, but somewhere inside wished it had more. With strict 14 L budget in mind, started hunting for my next ride. This will be my daily driver (when office resumes).
Cars that did not make the cut.
KIAs and Hyundais – Long waiting period, uninvolving drive. Just hate the design on Venue and new Creta. Turbo engines are out of my budget.
No KIA service centers in tier 2-3 cities. Not impressed with Sonet’s looks
MS Brezza – Did not feel like an upgrade in interior space. Why not S-Cross!!??
Mahindra XUV3OO - AMT gearbox, did not feel like an upgrade in interior space, smaller boot, not a very appealing dashboard (found it too busy)
Honda WRV – Honestly, interiors felt like a downgrade, overall interior space was a disappointment. Not a good-looking car from the outside. Only plus is the refined petrol engine.
No CVT in WRV(?). No display car in the showroom. The TD car was parked in a corner and was very dusty. Felt like the showroom wanted to hide the car out of embarrassment.
Renault Duster – Weird ergonomics. Could not find a perfect driving position. Also, felt it too big a to drive in city. Not a fan of the butch exterior design.
TATA NEXON – AMT gearbox, did not feel like an upgrade in interior space, dark edition had huge waiting period. (off topic, a loud voice announced the drive mode selected, sales rep informed that it’s a feature only in top end, found it hilarious and had a LOL moment).
MG Astor – Long waiting period, negative bias towards MG as a brand. Did not even take a test drive.
Now, the cars that I liked.
VW Taigun, Skoda Kushaq – Liked Kushaq design better, classy and sporty at the same time.
Good discounts on offer on Ambition AT variant. Enjoyed the brief TD of Style AT. Powerful engine paired with butter smoot TC.
Rejected the car initially as the interiors felt like a downgrade to Swift ZXI. Too many hard plastics.
EPC engine failures, which is now fixed with a robust fuel pump. But this still lingered in my mind as the fuel quality in my hometown will not be so good. Stranded in the middle of nowhere with family is a nightmare.
MS S Cross – Zeta AT ticked almost all the boxes. I am not looking for any gimmick features that I would rarely use (read - sunroof, auto headlamps, auto wipers, built in air purifiers etc) so expectations were low when I entered the showroom.
Loved the neutral big hatchback stance. New grill added a bit of character to the overall design.
Interiors looked classy, space was good, nice driving ergonomics, found the perfect driving position instantly.
Took a TD of the car with RM, found the engine to be good. Liner acceleration is very smooth and gear shift is not noticeable (unless if you have an eye on the RPM counter, which I did). Was able to push the car till 60 km/h in a straight line.
It is in varied speeds that TC got confused and took 1-2 secs for the car to get out of the blocks. I think this is manageable once I get used to the TC and plan the accelerations 2-3 secs in advance.
Low speed ride is quite good, car crawls at 10 km/h when I took my foot off the brakes.
Found SHVS to be a gimmick, another moving part in the car that might (potentially) break down. Constant chimes of the battery turning ON/OFF is a bit annoying.
With news of a global facelift launch, I decided to wait till the model was launched in India.
But with Maruti Suzuki being Maruti Suzuki, I have realized that the chances of 1.4 turbo getting launched with the car is very slim. The facelift, if at all when it comes, might be addition of a sunroof, different touchscreen display etc, which is not necessary for me. The new exteriors are not that great looking anyway
.
So, booked the Zeta AT, got Jan end as the estimated delivery date. Final price yet to be negotiated.
My dilemma starts here. Skoda showroom guys are very good in pursuing a lead and have been constantly in touch from the past 10 days. They offered a good 50 K discount on the ex-showroom price, 16 K discount on insurance, 15 K corporate discount and 7K discount on accessories.
Total now comes down to 16.9 L.
Had a lengthy chat with Skoda RM and his lead. They have somehow convinced me of another long TD this week.
Questions in front of me
- Is Ambition AT worth the extra 3 L over S Cross for the brand and build quality?
- Is the Tractions Control and ESP which is not present in S Cross that a necessary in India where it does not snow? My Swift does just fine on wet and slippery surfaces (upsized, wider Bridgestone tyres are helpful here I guess)
- On the highway, with 4-5 people constantly on board, and considering the higher kerb weight of S Cross, will 1.5 NA be able to deliver the same performance as Swift 1.2? Need owner’s opinion here as I was not able to reach 80 – 100 km/h in TDs
- Ultimately, with third wave looming large, and another 6-8 months of work from home, should I be considering an upgrade at all?