[dh.harshal]

Hottest TeamBHP thread still has divided opinion and it's becoming more difficult to either stamp Kushaq as winner or go with the Korean cars.
My Personal opinion after seeing all cars in-person and being in love with my 5 year old Vento TSI DSG -
Build quality
Obviously Kushaq wins here, but it's not day & night as it was few years ago. Kushaq has better paint quality, just a little better quality interiors than the Koreans. Panel gaps are consistent across all these cars. Kushaq should have stronger frame/chassis, but how much stornger would be known only after objective NCAP rating.
Engines & gearbox
Skoda has better engines, there are no two ways about it. But if you read TeamBHP reviews for Seltos or Creta and you'll find that Koreans are not lagging far behind. The risk of Automatic gearbox failure is similar in both, but rectifying any issues with the car should be lot easier & cheaper in the Korean twins.
Driving dynamics
Here Kushaq is a real winner and you're likely to find out the difference when you drive these cars back to back. Ride & handling is immaculate in Kushaq; it's also very good in Seltos/Creta, but cannot match the Kushaq.
Features
Koreans win here hands down and Skoda/Volkswagen need to really catch up. Not all features are necessary, but no-one can deny utility of 360 degree camera or power adjusted seats.
Space
Obviously Koreans can accommodate 5 people and more luggage than Kushaq. Kushaq feels lot smaller from inside. Boot may be practical in Kushaq, but flat folding of rear seats is way better and recline adjustment of rear seat is a boon in Creta/Seltos.

Now comes the most controversial part about safety. How can people call Kushaq a safe car without knowing NCAP ratings yet? On one hand they refuse to extrapolate NCAP rating of the same car outside India with it's Indian version, but are vouching for Kushaq based on historical data points of other VAG cars (not all of which are 5 stars). And If safety was just about hearing the THUD or stronger steel, wouldn't we be better off buying a truck or a tank.
Then there's a big omission of 6 airbags and still people are fine with it. How can you be so sure of safety of your child sitting at the rear on the ISOFIX mounted seats without the cushion of airbags.
Wouldn't a Heads-up display be better to keep your eyes in the road rather than continuously looking at the centre infotainment screen for the map directions?
Just saying that Safety has multiple dimensions and not just the door closing sound.

Now-
Will I buy Creta or Seltos instead? Absolutely not!
Will I buy Kushaq without NCAP rating/ 6 airbag? A THUD like NO.
Will I pay 1 lakh more (~18.5 lakh) if Kushaq had six airbags, 360 camera & little more rear seat space? A definite YES.
People who have driven VAG cars, vouch for them and wouldn't mind paying a handsome price premium and I wish Kushaq had that quality/feature premium in it to command even more price. But it has left me wanting for more.

My final choice -
I may wait untill end of the year for Monte Carlo/L&K version of Kushaq if it has at least 3 things - 6 airbags, 360 camera & power adjusted seat.
If it doesn't come by end of the year, I would have to go all broke for Jeep Compass instead.

P.S. Everyone would have his/her own preferences & priority weights for the car parameters. And they will choose accordingly. I'm in no way debating anyone's choice or opinion.

[avira_tk]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Are you saying that Skoda, VW or any other Euro brand shouldn't bother with mass market cars since most buyers go for features as per check list and Skoda/VW will lose out?

We all know that the Europeans cannot cut cost like the Japanese and Koreans. It has been the case with Polo, Rapid, Vento...

Pricing wise I definitely agree it's a premium and 2L cheaper would have been ideal but its something you have to accept with Euro brands. The Jeep Compass was same story when it launched. People cross shopping between Kia/Hyundai would crib as to how expensive the compass was with lesser space and lesser features and those who appreciated the attributes would not even look at the Koreans. No matter how much localisation, how many variants they tried, features juggling as well but they just couldn't compete on price with Kia/Hyundai.
..
The only gross miss by Skoda remains that at this price point a Skoda buyer expects that the top AT variant will have all the features and not lose 6 airbags as you go up in variant. If they get this right, it's an easy pick.

I said that the Skoda brand model is based on features at the given price point, not for everyone. The best comparison would be a Kodiaq vs X1/Q3 /GLA, I can a large SUV with space and features with a less premium badge or get a luxury badge and compromise on features. The same comparison won't be what buyers like me will do when it comes to mainstream brands, features trump any driving dynamics, the Creta and Seltos are not far behind.

Europeans are adept at cost cutting, VW doesn't offer a diesel because they decided to forgo emissions hardware and now over compensate by not offering diesel altogether. Every review on their cars point to cheap trim all over the place and this is for really expensive performance versions

The Jeep Compass has horrendous packaging, it feels cramped and claustrophobic , I sat in it immediately after I got out of my Punto as the brands share service facilities. Customers are right in calling it out, if Jeep is such a hard core SUV brand how come they offer a most versions of the compass in fwd?

The Koreans are strong contenders, I like how people like to diss them for offering exactly what the market wants. The latest version of this is the sheet metal test, if the bonet is heavy then 5 stars else 2 stars, maybe NCAP is wasting time with crash testing, just use a scale to measure the weight of the bonet and doors and give stars based on how likely you are to dislocate your shoulder. The high number of posts about handling here don't reflect buyers' priorities, buying a crossover for handling is the preserve of luxury car buyers, the rest are happy they don't hear a horrible scrape when they inevitably hit a bad patch on the road.

[vinitbarve]

Finally saw the car yesterday.

Mody Skoda Worli, Mumbai - Showroom was full and had waiting for the test drive. Mood was upbeat and looks like the response is good

I am upgrading from Maruti Ritz, so felt plush in general

Key observations

1. The seating is at comfortable height, feels good across seating positions. Driver's seat gave me a good comfortable feel
2. Lots of room at the back, hump in between is small. We are a small sized family (5.2-5.5), even then the 5th person can barely squeeze in. Liked the 3 pin seat belt for the middle passanger. But lot of leg space.
3. Hand brake is awkwardly placed towards left of the driver especially if the hand rest is fully pulled
4. Steering adjustments provides good flexibility. Over all driver should be happy with the feel, position and comfort.
5. Blind spots do exist. I found Sonet better with blind spots, Ritz is far worse.
6. The ceiling material is third grade, and is comparable to what I have in Ritz
7. Plastic pattern on the dashboard is ok but I didnt like it
8. The infotainment feels like a force fit, can potentially see dust accumulating on the edges.
9. Back seats felt comfortable, wide windows, does not feel claustrophobic (comparatively, TROC felt lot more claustrophobic and cramped at the back)

Overall I liked the car, good looks and packaging. Skoda have done well here. Really hope we have good competition for the Koreans. Some minor niggles in finishing, plastics. The deal breaker for me has been lack of 6 airbags in 1.5DSG and hence will wait for Taigun to be launched. Hoping 1.5 DSG GT has 6 airbags, TPMS, Digital cockpit. Dont mind spending more for an asset I will end up enjoying for 8-10 years.

[maverickNerd]

I visited showroom again today to see other colors.

Good news is that underbody protection is available now as can be seen here.

https://youtu.be/uHoUv1IRCp0

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by maverickNerd

I visited showroom again today to see other colors.

Good news is that underbody protection is available now as can be seen here.

https://Youtu.be/uHoUv1IRCp0

This is an exhaust heat shield and not underbody protection. And what are those terrible brown marks? Hope it is not corrotion?

[maverickNerd]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

This is an exhaust heat shield and not underbody protection. And what are those terrible brown marks? Hope it is not corrotion?

I see in the official review, there is no protection below except some plastic part on engine.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/iipcache/164910.jpg

Not only heat sink, I see there are other parts also covered now. Correct me if I am wrong.

Here are different Colors that I have seen today in Showroom, personally I like Carbon Steel the most, and then silver.

Carbon Steel Color:

https://youtu.be/jCGe-NH86Q0

Honey Orange Color:

https://youtu.be/SRSE8Nn7J0U

Silver Color:

https://youtu.be/H2N6t1JrpZQ

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by maverickNerd

Not only heat sink, I see there are other parts also covered now. Correct me if I am wrong.

Could you mark the area you are referring to? I can't make out what exactly you are referring to.

[maverickNerd]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Could you mark the area you are referring to? I can't make out what exactly you are referring to.

I am referring to these two parts, I don't see this protection as well in official photo.


Here is the official pic:

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/iipcache/164910.jpg

[Maky]

Originally Posted by maverickNerd

I visited showroom again today to see other colors.

Good news is that underbody protection is available now as can be seen here.

https://Youtu.be/uHoUv1IRCp0

Since you got a close up look, a question on the reddish-brown coloured marks, is that rust?.. already?

[hareshjethwani]

Looks like something has leaked and spread all over.

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by maverickNerd

I am referring to these two parts, I don't see this protection as well in official photo.

Ok, these are anti-chip protection, this is not the review was referring to. The review was referring to additional cowls that protect expensive and vulnerable parts like engine and gear box being exposed at the bottom.

[maverickNerd]

Originally Posted by hareshjethwani

Looks like something has leaked and spread all over.

It is raining in my city from few days, not sure it is corrosion or mud. I touched it but not able to figure out.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by maverickNerd

I visited showroom again today to see other colors.

Good news is that underbody protection is available now as can be seen here.

Originally Posted by Jaggu

This is an exhaust heat shield around the exhaust and not underbody protection. And what are those terrible brown marks? Hope it is not corrotion?

As Jaggu mentioned your photos show an aluminum heat shield and very minimal under body protection. I think Skoda is being clever and they have not added same level of underbody protection as their other cars. The Octavia, Superb and Kodiaq have the entire underbody covered in plastic with almost no metal visible.

What you see here is small plastic bits in front of the fuel tank at the lowest point of impact over speed breakers. Secondly they have added a plastic casing over the brake and fuel lines. There is no full sump, gearbox and fuel tank protection plate as found in the Kodiaq.

The 2 metal beams are the chasis frame and not underbody protection.

The brown liquid is what they spray for rust protection in all cavities of the underbody in the factory.

[maverickNerd]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

The 2 metal beams are the chasis frame and not underbody protection.

Thanks for the deep insight.
Official review does not even had these frames, so seems like Skoda has done something for chip protection atleast. Do you think this little amount of underbody protection is good for most of the cases on Indian roads or should we do something to get full underbody protection from outside showroom.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by maverickNerd

Thanks for the deep insight.
Official review does not even had these frames, so seems like Skoda has done something for chip protection atleast. Do you think this little amount of underbody protection is good for most of the cases on Indian roads or should we do something to get full underbody protection from outside showroom.

The official review very much has these frames. They form the car's monocoque chassis. You cannot add the chassis onto the car later

The pic in official review is from the front of the car.

The underbody protection for a raised clearance is more than enough Unless you plan to take the kushaq to Leh, ladakh spiti places.