[Karthik_S]

Thank you for a detailed, 5* review (as always!).

The build up and review seem to indicate a competent car that will find buyers - if priced lower or on par with the Korean siblings. The added bonus of not having to wait months (Creta/Seltos) will really play well.

Having owned a Fabia for eight years, I'll be happy to live with 363 days of fuss free ownership and 2 days of pain. Given that the vehicle is at a claimed 95% localization level, I'd pick this - if I didn't have to ferry kids and dogs together!

~K

[TheGearBox]

Finally, the review of the car I was waiting for! Well, one of them atleast. The other is the VW Taigun. I have almost completely decided that one of these two will be my next car. I'm so glad that we will now have a pair of "premium" German/Czech options in a segment where currently you have to choose from the Creta and Seltos, not merely based on their merits but simply because there is no other choice! Of course, there is the Nissan Kicks and the Renault Duster but the Koreans have just become the default options.
Eagerly waiting for the pricing now and I hope Skoda and Volkswagen make some really smart (and magnanimous ) decisions here.

I was wondering, did you also get a chance to drive the 1.0 TSI as well? Or is your comparison of the 1.5 with the 1.0 based on the latter's performance in the likes of the Polo, Vento and Rapid?

[PatienceWins]

Originally Posted by Behemoth

I hope you have seen this post of mine in the measuring the actual Boot space of your car thread:
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techn...ml#post5030425 (Measuring the actual boot capacity of your car)

As per my actual measurements, the boot space of the new Creta below the parcel shelf is only 274 L ! If the Kushaq has actual usable boot space of 384L, it will be significantly larger than the Creta's actual.
Better for you to see the cars in person. Do not go by the paper numbers quoted as many of them are actually misquoting the boot space. You can find details of many other cars on the same Thread which I had shared, specifically for this purpose.

Thanks for the useful post, I had kept that in mind while making the decision. The motoroctane review also gave good feedback about the usefulness of the boot space. The Creta boot space itself won't be enough for us in long drives as we come back from our native, Kerala, with extra luggage. But advantage I see in Creta is that I can store small items around the spare tire. Removing the parcel tray will give more space at the top (will not fill more to impact rear visibility) as the length is more, compared to the deeper space in Kushaq. Every inch matters when we travel back to Bangalore from Kerala with our 6 months quota of banana chips, tapioca, jackfruit etc.

The rear passenger space is the main issue for me (width and height) with my teenage sons, already 6 feet and growing. The youtube reviews do not seem promising here.

I still plan to check it out with my boys in the showroom, but my younger son is not eager at all to come.He is not giving me a reason, but I suspect it is the panoramic sunroof. I think I am a bit selfish in leaning towards Skoda even now as I am the person who will be driving the car, and driving dynamics matters for me.

[any23]

Here are few screenshots from the Overdrive review of Kushaq. To me the cars look neck and neck.
Image Courtesy - Overdrive

[steadfast]

As per the review by Motoroctane, the usable boot space in Kushaq is more than Creta. So it seems Kushaq boot space is smartly designed which looks low on paper but better utilization in practicality.

[AdvanceStarter]

Nice review. My only gripe is the lack of a virtual cockpit. Agreed that there is something classy about analogue dials but these dials look like they belong a decade back. They are very similar to the ones on my Volkswagen Vento which is 10 years old.

Another point to be noted is the difference in fuel efficiency between the 1.5 and 1.0 engines. All the reviews suggest that the 1.5 is much more effortless to drive because of abundant torque. This along with the active cylinder deactivation tech gives it somewhat better efficiency that the 1.0 in fact as tested by Overdrive. Have a look at the screen grab below from the Overdrive review.

[pudarsanketh]

Looks like 1.5L returns good FE than 1.0L. May be due to Active cylinder management ? City FE of 8.5KM/L is very low for 1.0L .

[shekjsk]

Great review as usual. I really love the way the car looks. The contemporary design gives it a muscular look. Skoda has done a good job (but not great) in making the car an attractive package. Though the car is high on practicality there are some glaring omissions.

1) Although the top of the line "Style" variant gets 6 airbags in MT trim the AT has only 2 airbags. That's as weird as it gets. Didn't expect this from Skoda. Safety kit on top of the line AT trim should have been complete.

2) Single touch up and down function only on the driver side window. Even the Skoda Rapid has it for all windows since inception. Hopefully Taigun might not make this mistake.

3) Poor quality Reverse camera without Adaptive guidelines without 360 degree view. Come on Skoda, the Seltos even offers a Front parking camera.

Now it all boils down to the pricing. Lets see if Skoda has a surprise for us on Monday.

[GeeTee TSI]

The Kushaq comes with an innocuous acronym called MKB under safety features, explained in this

video

I wish Skoda takes the effort to communicate effectively on such new for India features. Glad this didn't get into the list of cost cutting!

[Latheesh]

Not a single proper video of the red colour. I searched online but could not find it.

[abhishek46]

Originally Posted by One

But this is a car which is probably in the Venue/ Sonet category, and if positioned as such, it changes the value proposition completely. An analogy is the Magnite which is positioned in such a place that people think it is over-delivering for its segment.

Why should this be in Sonet Category?
Sonet is less than 4m.

This vehicle is 22.xx cms longer than Sonet, has the option of larger petrol (1.5 Turbo) engines.
This is clearly from a segment above.

[manpreetsj]

Happy to be part of Team Bhp family finally! After spending almost 6 months going through Kushaq thread on Team Bhp religiously on daily basis, today finally I can share my views.

Thanks for the detailed review and close up pictures.

I have been waiting for this car patiently. Over past few months watched many videos on Kamiq Monte Carlo and Karoq Sportline, to get a feel of what I can expect in a 1.5 TSi sporty European car. But to be honest, after spending half a day today watching and reading all reviews possible, I have a bittersweet feeling.

Kushaq in its current form seems incomplete. Maybe Kamiq and Karoq videos spoilt me. In addition Korean siblings, which I am dead against due to build quality issues, have introduced so many features in this segment, that we are spoilt for it and feel short-changed if not offered in the car we actually want to buy.

I feel Skoda is playing safe by introducing a new segment between 4m and >4m. Given the kind of funds they can invest, the production capacity they have, I can completely understand why they focused on only 1 product. I hope they succeed so that they bring in more cars more confidently and with economies of scale that Koreans enjoy, Skoda will be better positioned to offer more at competitive price.

On missing features like Digital cockpit, Pano glass roof, better reverse camera, optional black interiors and sporty seats, etc. will be added to Monte Carlo variant. Maybe Skoda will launch it once Taigun and MG Astor will hit market by November this year. Hence, after 4-6 months they will use it as an opportunity to take price increase and introduce a better variant, to stay relevant against new competition.

Look forward to test drive 1.5 TSI DSG at earliest.

[TheVegabond]

The reviews are positive in general and I must say that carbon steel color looks absolutely awesome. The Kushak looks premium and the initial impressions suggest that it should be a success story.

Having said that, here are 2 questions that I am asking myself:

1. Since it is placed in mid sized SUV segment, will I buy it as opposed to buying Creta/Seltos?
2. The cabin and boot space is more like the sub 4m segment, will I buy it against the likes of Sonet/Venue etc?

The answer I guess lies in the pricing that Skoda comes up with.

If they can undercut the prices of Creta/Seltos for the 1.5 TSI engine, it will be a great value proposition and will attract people who are looking for alternatives against Creta/Seltos.

For the 1.0 TSI engine an overlap with higher spec Venue/Sonet prices will surely make it a success.

God help Skoda if they are looking to price it anything higher.

[speedmiester]

Excellent review as always.
Kushaq is a breath of fresh air in the segment. Only grouse I have is the lack of diesel engines which puts it out of contention for folks like me.

Hope Skoda brings in a diesel engine soon.

[niceguisuku]

Great review as always and something lot of people were waiting for some time!!! . Like many members have already said, it is the pricing that is going to decide the fate of this vehicle. Skoda is not a brand that is trusted by mass market and only way to get more sales is getting the price right...If they do that, volumes could follow and economies of scale could really kick in. Looking at the car itself, based on size, features and equipment, i also echo the feeling that it should undercut Sonet / Venue and Creta / Seltos. Also i see that 1.0L TC could garner some sales from hatchbacks like i20 as they are overpriced for what it offers.