[Venkatesh]

Skoda Kushaq 1.0-litre TSI Automatic review by CarandBike

https://youtu.be/Sk1V8VFQGGc

[VS1811]

Visited Skoda showroom today and test drove Kushaq.
My current ride is Seltos GT line and therefore direct comparison with the same; would try to remain as unbiased as I can.

- Definitely a good looking car but isn't SUVish at all. Very clean, understated design and will age very gracefully but nothing that makes you want to keep staring at it. This one would be lost in a crowd. Size wise, could definitely say that it was half a size smaller than Koreans and reminded me of SCross a lot in terms of size and stance.

- Paint quality is top notch and panel gaps are even. While Koreans are good in their own right, Kushaq felt better in terms of heft, precision and paint quality.

- Step into the interiors and this is where things went downhill for me. I personally felt ingress and egress was not as comfortable as Seltos and the driving position was also not as commanding.

- The biggest disappointment for me was the overall quality. In the Seltos model that I have, there is soft touch padding in almost all areas of touch like elbow pads on door, dashboard in front of the front passenger and likes. Everything just felt a bit worse than seltos. Stitching on the steering wheel felt less precise, gear knob felt more plasticky and hard, roof liner wasn't well screwed, seat fabric felt like it was done aftermarket and not company fit and definitely lacked quality. The overall interior ambience felt a notch down.

- I sat inside 10 mins looking for 1 standout feature but couldn't find any inside the Kushaq. The aged MID made me appreciate the seltos 7 Inch MID even more. All in all, the interior ambience from the front did not feel great.

- I am 6'1 for reference and seat height adjusted for my driving position, I could easily fit behind my seat. Talking strictly about seating comfort at behind, it felt better than Seltos primarily due to better under thigh support and marginally more leg room. However adding other factors such as reclinable rear seat of seltos, less claustrophobic experience and rear window curtains, overall rear seating experience might be better in Seltos. Ofcourse, 5 is just not an option in Kushaq, atleast for my family ��

- Boot space felt good enough. I would assume you can get more stuff inside Kushaq keeping the parcel trays attached and vice versa after removing the parcel trays. Again, the rear seat fabric visible from the boot, the boot carpet and the string to pull the hatch down felt a little budget grade and Koreans are just ahead in terms of percieved quality and fit and finish. Also, Seltos does not require you to lift luggage off the boot and you can just slide the luggage off which I feel is quite helpful.

- In terms of performance, a direct comparison with my GT line is quite pointless with the 1.0 TSI however we do have a Seltos IVT as well in the family which I've driven extensively so my comparison would be to the 1.5 NA of Seltos and it's quite straightforward comparison at that.
Kushaq definitely feels the more exciting of the two, pulls stronger post the turbo lag and the engine just begs to be revved though the performance dies post 4,500-5,000 rpm. In comparison Seltos 1.5 feels much more docile, much more friendlier and less rewarding when pushed. There is hardly any turbo lag and it's a very gentle pull to the red line. While, it's not as exciting, I have a hunch that Seltos might be quicker to 100 as well as in gear timings due to no turbo lag. There is definite lag in Kushaq before power comes in thick and fast. Seltos is miles ahead in terms of engine refinement though.

- Dynamically and handling wise, I wasn't really able to tell much difference compared to my Seltos. Seltos is definitely very sorted dynamically and has a really flat ride when at speed. This was very close to call for me. Where I could definitely make out the difference was the ride quality at low speed. While seltos feels a little choppy and crashes a little, Kushaq was extremely compliant and felt soft. Skoda definitely has found a great ride and handling balance here.

Post the test drive, I was filled with even more hatred towards Kia for they came closest to a perfect car in my opinion. Well engineered, feature laden, looks good, dynamically sorted, good quality,all engines and transmission options BUT cut cost in terms of chassis strength. Have seen so many bhpians liking seltos but not going ahead due to the crash test rating. Hope Kia addresses it soon.

Coming back to Kushaq, it felt just so unskoda like. It does everything well but just doesn't pull the heartstrings. It doesnt excel head and shoulders above the competition in any thing. There is a lack of USP here and for the price at which it has been launched, there ought to be more than one. Good car, nevertheless.

[AZT]

Originally Posted by GTO

It's at 7.4 lakh views in just ~2 weeks.

I'm among those who has checked this thread a bunch of times. I'm genuinely curious to see if this dents any Creta / Seltos sales or just pulls in the top end Nexon / XUV 300 / Sonet buyer.

[curiousnewbie]

I have cancelled my Kushaq booking and booked Harrier since the price difference between top models of respective cars is less than my tolerance of 20%.
I test drove Kushaq and the car is excellent but it does lack road presence. But I am sure this is not a deal breaker for those who are going ahead with their bookings. Looking forward to positive ownership reviews.

[TurboGuy]

Originally Posted by maverickNerd

Guys dealer said that we cannot purchase only some items from accesories that Skoda is offering, I just need mud flaps, and car cover

That's true, either you should purchase the whole kit or alternate option is to place the order for mud flaps alone but being the new launch I doubt if it's orderable as a single set. I was told there could be a delay with the essential accessories kit when I took delivery of Rapid TSI and I had to place an order for mud flaps alone which was readily available. However, the dealer managed to source the whole kit on time and the car was fully kitted on the day of delivery. They've promptly refunded the amount I paid towards the bits n piece order as well.

[Venkatesh]

Skoda Kushaq Style variant in red colour walkaround.

https://youtu.be/YWmfTzDVxwY

[NevGin]

Originally Posted by maverickNerd

Guys dealer said that we cannot purchase only some items from accesories that Skoda is offering, I just need mud flaps, and car cover, is there a way to get it after delivery? I don't want all the accessories, don't find it worth the amount. Since it is a completely new car I am not finding cover online, and I think offline market will also not have.

You will get a cover for a similar sized car. For example Polco which is the brand of covers I have had for all my cars, have their covers listed by segment. One of them will certainly fit your car albeit not like a glove but will do the job well. All the best a looking forward to seeing your car.

[rAijin_]

Originally Posted by porsche_guy

I don't want to engage in further whataboutery so this is it. Don't expect me to reply further

Peace!!
I understand that we've difference in opinion. So, lets not drag it

Originally Posted by Behemoth

4) the Ac Compressor is something that needs to be upgraded. But initial users will have to suffer an underperforming ac, until they get enough complaints and upgrade the ac compressor units for all. They had done the same thing for my Yeti as it also had an underpowered compressor.

This is a Shocker!
In the scorching heat of May-July in Gurgaon, going by the details you shared, it will be sweaty in Kushaq.

Originally Posted by 84.monsoon

There is a lot of debate on this thread about the comfort of the fifth passenger in the rear seat of the Kushaq, as compared to other vehicles in the segment such as the Creta of the Seltos. While, I’m sure there will be some buyers who have a need to use the rear middle seat regularly, in our increasingly nuclear family set up, this is likely to be a smaller proportion. Most people are thinking about the relatively rare occasions where the fifth passenger may need to be seated and the comfort of knowing that the new car one buys will be able to accommodate this need, if and when it arises.

So the question is, would you rather have two rear passengers seated in comfort or have the same two passengers in relative discomfort every day, just in case a third passenger pops in for a trip or two, one fine day?

I think we need to focus on the one question that does get ignored - i.e, how often does the third passenger travel in the rear seat of the car and is the constant relative discomfort for the regular passengers every day and acceptable penalty to pay for the occasional inconvenience for the third passenger?

+1 to this.
I own Honda City for almost 5 years now and had 5 passengers only in 2 trips. Usually its just 2-3 passengers ( including the driver ).
And the 5th passenger was skinny, so would fit in Kushaq as well. In my case, I would rather have 2 rear passengers sit comfortably rather than them in relative discomfort every day.

Originally Posted by Latheesh

Nice! Few missing features in brochure are actually available in the base variant. I am very very confused now.

Kushaq Active variant with extended warranty = 12.5L
Honda City V variant with extended warranty = 13L

I have booked both and expected delivery date is 3rd week of this month!

Edit: Kushaq extended warranty I calculated around 15-20k

Being a Honda City owner for almost 5 years now, just want to add 3 points
1. Rear seats gets bouncy in you hit uneven patch on road, and the rear passenger's head may hit the roof. I've got scoldings from my mom few times for this. The New city still has this problem from what I've read in few reviews. Kushaq doesn't.
2. Its longer than Kushaq by almost 200mm. You will have to consider parking space and U-turn in tight spaces.
3. Ground Clearance: I never felt the ground clearance issue except for once ( due to my mistake ). Of course, I don't drive it like an SUV but I would drive Kushaq in similar way. I am not sure if the ground clearance of the new City is same ( as 2016 model ) or not.

Originally Posted by maverickNerd

Almost ready to receive, Style 1.0MT, PDI and payment done, insurance purchased from outside, going with no accessories right now.

Interestingly all the cars which are getting delivered today are now having Goodyear triplemax 2 tyres now. Not sure how are these compared to Apollo Alnac that were fitted earlier in TD and showroom cars.

Congratulations on your new Ride. Wish you many many miles and trouble free Skoda ASC

[KapilD]

I had a test drive of the 1.0 TSI Manual on Friday from Global ŠKODA at Kolkata.

The
1. The engine is pretty refined for a 3 pot
2. Loved the space at the back.
3. Boot is good. Don’t know how it’s measured to less than 400 L. It’s deep and usable.
4. Steering is light for city and the suspension is good
5. Clutch is soft and progressive.
6. Torque is good and can move from 2nd gear without stressing the engine from a stop go
7. The infotainment is smooth and the sound quality is decent. Also, wireless apple car works without lag. The map fills on the rectangular screen and gives a good view.
8. Seating positing can be easily found, no fumbling. So are the buttons which can be easily reached and used.

The
1. Why the sunroof? I opened the sunroof and closed it working 0.5 seconds of opening. It’s damn hot outside .. all the time and realised we aren’t a sunroof using country
2. The mechanicals of sunroof is not hidden, expected better finishing.
3. No one touch up and down features for all windows. I am spoilt for that convenience on my Polo GT TSI since 2014!
4. MID could have been colour. monochrome is too old! Although it has the required info. Don’t know if they didn’t want to distract the driver. Coz I test drove the Octavia 2021 after this and info galore on the instrument cluster has me taking eyes off the road for a whole second to see and set them while driving
5. Provision of dynamic parking guidelines and camera quality could have been better.
6. It’s soft where the hands usually touch but if you go finding hard plastics there are a lot of them. It ain’t as per the usual VAG model car expectation. That said, I also tested the VW T Roc yesterday and boy! the quality of plastics seemed at par with Kushaq especially the doors! and a bit of the dash

Bottom line:

I own a Polo GT TSI 2014 model and was looking for an upgrade. Booked the T Roc but cancelled it after test driving the Kushaq. (Also the TD of Octavia had to do with it. My wife said why pay 22 lacs for such quality when you can get luxury for 26 lacs.) The driving dynamics are similar on the two cars, T Roc has an edge with a stiffer chassis but Kushaq is more compliant on Kolkata roads.
I however feel that DSG smoothness can’t be beaten and hence am waiting for the 1.5 TSI DSG for testing.
It seems the ultimate choice will boil down to Kushaq vs Taigun based on the feature list of the better one. I guess we will know in time.

[maverickNerd]

It was a good experience yesterday with Skoda dealership, more than expected gifts given by dealers Got a live Lily Plant. Appreciate this.

Drove around 30 kms, adjusting to the clutch bite point, it has very little lag in second gear that I found in bumper to bumper traffic, but once you come to 3rd gear or at 1800rpm, it flies, and bring a huge smile on my face. I love the stability, and cornering, reminded me of ecosport. There is some brake noise coming in first gear, at the pick up time, may be because of new shiny discs.

Also I found that I need to ride a clutch for a second or two in second gear, else it lurks forward. Is it normal? Does it put some strain on clutch plates.

Rest pedal is very useful.

Owner's manual say it has automatic belt retractor as well as belt tensioner. Someone was doubting on this so just clarifying.

Will write more once I cover some long drives.

I need to attach fastag and dashcam, can someone guide what could be the best place for both, I see that there are two sensors at different positions on irvm, one for automatic light and wipers, other for auto dimming IRVM, attaching the pic for the same.

[agambhandari]

Originally Posted by maverickNerd

It was a good experience yesterday with Skoda dealership, more than expected gifts given by dealers Got a live Lily Plant. Appreciate this.


I need to attach fastag and dashcam, can someone guide what could be the best place for both, I see that there are two sensors at different positions on irvm, one for automatic light and wipers, other for auto dimming IRVM, attaching the pic for the same.

Thanks for your sharing your impressions. I have a Polo with similar sensors and configuration, here is how i have placed my Dashcam (dual channel 70mai A800) and fastag stickers.


No issues with fastag detection and the dashcam remains out of the sight of driver, so no distractions. Yet when needed i can see the feed from the rear camera in the rear occasion that i want to see it by tilting my head.

[maverickNerd]

Originally Posted by agambhandari

Thanks for your sharing your impressions. I have a Polo with similar sensors and configuration, here is how i have placed my Dashcam (dual channel 70mai A800) and fastag stickers.
Attachment 2178580

No issues with fastag detection and the dashcam remains out of the sight of driver, so no distractions. Yet when needed i can see the feed from the rear camera in the rear occasion that i want to see it by tilting my head.

Thanks, also I think even after ignition is off, 12V socket is still getting power, I can see led lights in my 12V charger are on even after ignition off and locking the car, owner's manual does not give any info on this. How are you connecting dashcam, hardwired or using 12V switch?

[agambhandari]

Originally Posted by maverickNerd

Thanks, also I think even after ignition is off, 12V socket is still getting power, I can see led lights in my 12V charger are on even after ignition off and locking the car, owner's manual does not give any info on this. How are you connecting dashcam, hardwired or using 12V switch?

Yes I have hardwired it from the cabin fusebox . Did it so that the parking monitor could function and no need to manually turn it on and off. Used the 70mai hardwire kit .

[RPM1706]

Originally Posted by Venkatesh

Skoda Kushaq 1.0-litre TSI Automatic review by CarandBike
https://Youtu.be/Sk1V8VFQGGc

Something I observed in this review that was in variance with what has been reported by all other reviewers and the members here is the quality of the rear view camera as seen in the infotainment system.

From what I have read and heard, the rear parking camera quality is quite average, besides not having adaptive guidelines. But this reviewer says it's fine. Am yet to check the car out myself but would appreciate if any of you can comment on how good/bad/average you found it to be.

A related question. If it's average quality, that must be an issue with the camera and not the infotainment display, right? If so, will replacing the camera set-up be a good solution? (If it's not that bad, of course, won't bother).

Rant alert: But got me thinking. How much more would a better camera set-up with adaptive guidelines cost, when bought in bulk, to get a manufacturer in a 2.0 stage of their business, of a new, important launch, to have to cut costs on a useful feature!!

[prajwalmr62]

Originally Posted by maverickNerd

Also I found that I need to ride a clutch for a second or two in second gear, else it lurks forward. Is it normal? Does it put some strain on clutch plates.

Congrats on your new ride!

Did you upgrade from NA engines? If so, it will take sometime to adjust for non-linear power delivery. At what RPM you are trying to shift gears? Try shifting around 1700 RPM. I drive Hyundai Venue and I usually shift the gears by 1500-1800RPM range in flat roads to avoid turbo lags, and I found it helpful.

Man, I would love to see your ownership review! I couldn't go check the car out myself because nearest Škoda showroom for me is like 400km away. I was suggesting this car to my friend, but now I'm bit hesitant.