[T.S.]

Checked out the Kushaq today at the newly opened Skoda showroom (Mody Skoda, Andheri W), near my house. The car looks a tad smaller than its direct competitors. That being said, I loved the clean and elegant styling of it. Nothing looked overdone. One of the few cars that looks good is every color on offer. The doors had good amount of heft to them unlike what I experienced that of Seltos’s. The interiors are well appointed, and I felt at home pretty quick, except for the reverse stalks as I am coming from driving an Ertiga for 6 years.

I am 6’1 for reference and was able to find a comfortable driving position leaving enough knee room behind my driving seat for another 6-footer to sit. Took a short test drive of the 1.0-liter manual, as the 1.5 was not available. It had a turbo lag till up to 1800 rpm I guess, something similar to my 1.3 diesel Ertiga. However not a deal breaker for me and the car was easy to drive in the city lanes. I will be waiting to test drive the 1.5 as thats what am looking for if to buy this car. I found the interior quality good and everything seemed to be put together to last for long, except for the scroll buttons on steering and ac vents stalks. The crude exposed mechanism of sunroof is an eyesore in an otherwise nicely put cabin.

The deal breaker for me is the price for 1.5-liter manual on road Mumbai and the passenger space on offer. My requirement is for a 4+1 seater and I don't feel Kushaq would be able to accommodate 2 average sized adults and a healthy child at the back. The seat contours are such that the two on the side end up using some shoulder space of the middle seat and so any healthy child in the middle seat would not be comfortable seated specially for long journeys. Had test driven Seltos last year and the rear bench was more accommodative for 2+1 than that of Kushaq's. I will be trying the seating practically with my family in coming days and making a decision based on that.

[rAijin_]

Originally Posted by maverickNerd

I am not able to remove eyes from this pic of my car. Isn't she beautiful? Tell me what to name her.

Originally Posted by maverickNerd

Look at beauty again

Kushaq in Carbon Steel color is a serious looker. Or you are too good at taking pics
If I don't like Taigun, I'll surely go for Kushaq in Carbon Steel.

Originally Posted by Behemoth

I can wait maximum till Nov 2021 for my Sonet's delivery but not beyond that.. So I am again in two minds and hence left with a Hobson's choice - the Kushaq. I will finally decide on which car to go for in Aug end and once the Taigun is also launched, probably will evaluate that too.

Although I don't agree with anyone comparing Kushaq with Sonet and/or choosing Sonet over Kushaq, I believe your decision is more of petrol vs diesel.
Just curious, have you considered Tata Nexon EV ( Electric )?
Considering you are looking for a city only ride with approx 100+ kms daily.

[creative420]

Originally Posted by maverickNerd

I am not able to remove eyes from this pic of my car. Isn't she beautiful? Tell me what to name her.

You call yourself maverick, so call your ride 'Goose'. Classic combo for a car-nerd like you. Congrats on your new car. Drive more. Drive safe.

[Behemoth]

Originally Posted by rAijin_

Although I don't agree with anyone comparing Kushaq with Sonet and/or choosing Sonet over Kushaq, I believe your decision is more of petrol vs diesel.
Just curious, have you considered Tata Nexon EV ( Electric )?
Considering you are looking for a city only ride with approx 100+ kms daily.

Well the comparison is bound to happen and the Sonet I booked was also 15.5 lacs on road and comparable to the Ambition model price on road. At that price the Sonet offers a much better torquey engine with an economy of 15-16 kmpl overall and a proper Torque converter gearbox. It also has full 6 airbags and other goodies like a sunroof, bose music system, ventilated seats etc which the Ambition variant of kushaq does not offer. Even in terms of space, it has only a little less leg room in rear seats compared to the kushaq, but the actual measured boot space of the Sonet is 30L larger than that of the Kushaq (actual measurements).
So In every practical aspect it is comparable. Kia has done a very smart thing by Keeping the size under 4m to keep the taxes low while the Kushaq went over 4m and went into a higher tax bracket.
In fact even if you compare the weights of the two vehicles they are very close (in fact diesel Sonet with At is a 100kg heavier than the kushaq with petrol AT) but we will finally come to know when these vehicles are crash tested.
I am not at all a fan of Kia, but for my current requirements it is probably the best fit - the fact that it is not available for delivery for 6-7 months is another story and actually shows how overbooked they are.
I have been a Skoda user and follower for over 10 years now, having had the Skoda Yeti and also the Laura (Diesel) even now. But with the Kushaq I was disappointed on three things:
1) lack of overall fit finish on simple things like seats and plastics

2) not offering 6 airbags in Style AT while giving in Style MT!

3) underpowered 1.0 TSI AT combo which did not feel exciting to drive. The 1.5 DSG would have been good, but DSG woes and also the price difference demanded is just unviable. At that price point the Jeep compass is very close and a better option (BTW I also have a Jeep Compass Diesel Manual)

Anyway the story is not over yet and who knows there may be a climax yet to come!

[maverickNerd]

Anyone knows when can we buy extended warranty and maintenance plan, dealer told that I have only 24 days from delivery to decide and purchase.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Visited the Skoda showroom two days back to have a look at the Kushaq. This was my third visit to the showroom since the launch and was surprised to see the Kushaq finally available this time! May be because we went in the morning - but there was no crowd and thankfully we could take our time.

Better half came along as well. Our first impressions as below -

Exterior -

+ Handsome timeless design.
+ Looks the part in white (TD car), but the display car was in Orange didn't impress.
+ Small dimensions are a plus for me. Parking and U-turn requirements at hometown mean this is one of the largest vehicles we can look at! Sort of like a sub-4m vehicle with more length and legroom.
+ Wife never cared much for alloy wheels and all - but totally loved the ones on the Style variant.
+ She really liked the way it looked - especially the front end. "Looks like a mini Harrier" as per her - could be the split headlamp effect.

- Looks small in the darker shades, and is small - especially when viewed front-on, and from the rear. XUV 3OO and Ecosport both has more road presence IMHO.
- Has a Cross Polo feel from the sides, especially for the lower variants without the 17inch alloys.
- 'Style' could have done with less chrome.
- Paint quality felt good, but the choice of shades did not! She quickly dismissed the Carbon Steel shade (Rapid display car) and I hated the Orange. We really do not want another white car - so the only other choice seems to be red. Skoda, if you are reading - please introduce a black shade!

Build Quality (not safety!) -

+ Good European feel, even if it is less than the earlier generation cars. Doors, boot, bonnet - all make their weight felt and closes with a decent "thud" too! Feels good that way. Wife was really impressed by this build quality - one thing she very much admires in our Punto and hates in our Xcent.

Build Quality (Interior) -

A lot has been said on the forum, and is true in person too! Interiors are a mixed bag - feels like Skoda was 65% there, but then decided to do serious cost cutting. So let me list out the positives and negatives.

+ Dashboard design and layers feel good. Really liked the generous use of piano black all over the cabin.
+ Headunit is well placed on the dashboard and feels adequate for the size of the car.
+ I really liked the seats for four. Both front and rear seats (nice bolstering especially for the rear bench) feel nice. Proper view of the bonnet too, which gives it an 'SUV' feel.
+ The two spoke steering wheel is absolutely brilliant in person (or may be my eyes got used to the missing spoke). Leather wrap feels lower quality and may not last the long run, but otherwise the steering feels straight out of the Octavia / Superb. Real feel good stuff. The display and TD car did not have wrinkled leather on the steering wheel, as previously seen in some pics (and even in the brochure for god's sake! )
+ Textured plastic on the dashboard is good too!
+ Space for four is awesome. I'm genuinely surprised by the amount of legroom I had (despite reading the thread and seeing video reviews!), with the seat set to my driving position.
+ Lot of practical slots in the cabin for placing phones and bottles. One behind the front seats holds my phone perfectly.

- Grey colour choice for the lower half is bad. Very bad IMHO. Reminds me of my Punto and not in a good way. Felt cheap in 2012, feels even cheaper in 2021. Black or beige, Skoda! She found it the main negative too.
- Plastics on closer inspection feel sub-4m segment stuff. Except for the piano black finishes, almost everything else feels hard hatchback segment plastic. Especially hated the plastics to the right of the steering wheel, the a/c vent, carbon fibre type finish behind the door handles (which doesn't have a real texture unlike on the dashboard) etc.
- Headroom at the rear is strictly average for my height (5'11") though wife didn't mind it at all. But the view towards the front is restricted for both - no wonder there were complaints of claustrophobia.
- Boot feels small when seen even in person, but useable and deep. The sub-woofer on the Style variant using up the wasted space inside the wheel wells is nice. Personally, I like this because the main culprit using up atleast 30% of the 280L boot space of my Punto was the sub-woofer.
- Seat was not wrinkled in both the display and TD car - but can make out it is not a perfect fit. And that seat back design look like an aftermarket cover for an Alto / M800. Should have been a lot better!
- Three point seatbelt for the middle passenger isn't even worth discussing - because this should be a four seater! XUV 3OO and Nexon will easily have a wider rear bench!

The Drive -

TD car was the 1.0 Style MT variant.

+ Biggest surprise in the package! My first experience with the 1.0 TSi and it really packs a punch! Loved the Hyundai 1.0 TGDi in cars like the Hyundai Aura - but the VW not only feels better, it does so in a much heavier car like the Kushaq!
+ Driveability off idle is decent, starts coming alive around 1500 - 1800rpm and the midrange feels really sweet. This engine is certainly one of the highlights of the Kushaq when compared against the NA petrol variants of cars like the Seltos, Creta or even the City.
+ Very light clutch feel, almost Hyundai like! May not miss that automatic that much!
+ Felt zippy for city/ring road speeds (Didn't do proper highway). Good visibility, good midrange power, somewhat light steering - all contribute to this.
+ Good positive gearshift feel.
+ Suspension felt like a great mix of ride and handling - and I could really see myself being at ease if this replaces the Punto for our 12 hour Bangalore - Trivandrum drives.

- Three cylinder vibrations can be slightly felt at idle. Manages to conceal it afterwards.
- Clutch took some getting used to! It is very light to use, but the biting point is vague and springy. Did roll back on me a bit when I thought I had finally managed to get an idea of the biting position.
- Engine is audible inside the cabin above midrange rpms - I'd have expected less noise from a modern petrol motor, but thankfully it is an enjoyable sound for the driver.
- Too bad this car doesn't get a diesel!

The average stuff which may not matter -

. Hated the pics of the latch for closing the boot door, still hate the design - but the material quality was impressive! Ok so may be it doesn't matter.


. Didn't get to listen to the music quality as the HU was in 'Safe Mode' and needed a code to open. The showroom guys were not sure of it, yet.
. Didn't care about the white analog dials inside the showroom or TD. It does the job.

OVERALL

Kushaq is a real heartache for me. It drives brilliantly and has an excellent set of engines to boot. This surely is one of the best enthusiast cars of 2021 - given even the enthusiast is into compact SUVs these days.

But then for a serious buyer, he has to filter through a LONG list of negatives to see if this car can be a perfect fit for him. My initial impressions post the pricing announcement remain - this will not bring the expected numbers for Skoda and is unlikely to become a mass market favourite.

• Don’t need a diesel? Proceed.
• Don’t care for size / road presence? Proceed.
• Don’t need to fit a 5th passenger? Proceed.
• Don’t care about the pricing? Proceed.
• Don’t care about the obvious cost cutting despite the pricing? Proceed.
• Don’t care about the missing features despite the pricing and cost cutting? Proceed.
• Care more about safety than features? Proceed.
• Need an automatic? Rethink the above safety question.

Wife absolutely loved the Kushaq. But will I get filtered through these parameters? Not sure. Multiple questions remain. Two years back I was 100% sure of the need for a diesel (Punto has run 2L kms in 9 years) but the pandemic and WFH situation has really put a brakes on the usage (Around 5-10k kms in the last two years). However, it may be better to hold till the pandemic is over, before going ahead with a purchase.

Will I repent buying a petrol after a couple of years when the situation returns to normal? Is the Kushaq 1.5 MT Style worth 6 lakhs more than a better specced Sonet HTX Diesel AT / or more sensible Seltos HTK+ Diesel AT? 
And if the primary reason not to buy Kia is safety - can Skoda really be trusted, despite the obvious cost cutting, to have retained at least the chassis integrity of the MQB A0?

Loads of decisions to make. A GNCAP result would have made decision making a whole lot easier.

Some pictures -

Not piano black as mentioned everywhere (including above ), but feels like a darker shade of Honda's Metallic Brown. Shines brown under the sunlight.



Everyone complained about the a/c vents - but I felt that plastic behind the door handle even cheaper. It is not textured (like you can see on the dashboard) and has visible rough edges as can be seen here.



Probably the best part of the cabin experience - the wheel looks nice in person.



Loads of legroom with the front seat set to my position. However, look at the sad aftermarket style covers!



Headroom is just about enough for my height. And also -



The view towards the front is severely restricted.



Sunblinds are part of the accessory package -



The 1.0 has a large battery compartment tray with the battery occupying only half that space.



Later when we caught the TD car on the road -



v/s the Honda City

Now, I have been a big critic of the 4th generation City - but really warmed up to the 5th generation, especially now with the big VFM against the Kushaq. Honda fixed many issues in the 4th gen facelift and the 5th looked like a brilliant product on paper! Honda has switched to cleaner styling for the exteriors as well as interiors and it is a photogenic car.

So I dragged wife from the Skoda showroom to the Honda showroom to have a look at it - despite the 4.5m length making no sense given our parking constraints.

End result - HUGE disappointment. Wife saw the dashboard, the plastic quality and the tincan effect of the metal body, especially bootlid (all of which felt decidedly cheap after seeing the Kushaq) and refused to even sit inside the cabin and check the car. The display car was dirty inside and ill maintained that she asked the sales rep if it was new or second hand. Showroom was large but without anyone around, and presented a sorry picture with all outdated cars like the Jazz, WRV and Amaze.

We walked out without asking a test drive. Oh how the mighty has fallen!

[Behemoth]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

• Don’t need a diesel? Proceed.
• Don’t care for size / road presence? Proceed.
• Don’t need to fit a 5th passenger? Proceed.
• Don’t care about the pricing? Proceed.
• Don’t care about the obvious cost cutting despite the pricing? Proceed.
• Don’t care about the missing features despite the pricing and cost cutting? Proceed.
• Care more about safety than features? Proceed.
• Need an automatic? Rethink the above safety question.

This was hilarious and truly represents the real lack of good choices in the 15-25 Lac rupee range for the buyer! We have an illusion of choice while there is really none! These problems have been created because of three things: 1) Covid ! 2) Dieselgate and diesel engines being discontinued by many companies - leaving very few options 3) Massive cost increases of all raw materials - steel, copper, plastics, electronics over the past 6-9 months

Together all these factors combined probably have made many of the options unavailable / unviable. If we look are the prices of cars, they have shot up by more than 50% in two years! We as a customer no longer get enough value in a 15-20 lac car which we used to get say 2 years back!

[varun_ro]

Originally Posted by maverickNerd

Anyone knows when can we buy extended warranty and maintenance plan, dealer told that I have only 24 days from delivery to decide and purchase.

Looks like the pricing for the extended warranty undercuts the Rapid and you can buy it anytime in the next 4 years. That's what my SA told me.

[abhishek_hch]

AutoX review of 1.0 TSI MT & AT

https://youtu.be/WXVsg9gDbeI

[vbd316]

I had booked Kushaq 1.5 DSG on Jun 28, 2021 just after the price reveal. Visited the showroom a week back or so with my FIL to have a look at the car. Loved the design language and the rear legroom. Went again for TD of 1.0 MT and AT with my younger brother who is a better driver (I am a mechanical engineer with student experience of car design/racing with my Baja and Formula SAE days)- the car has fantastic road manners, drives well over the highway and on nonexistent roads also. Sent my parents for a TD - they loved the cars but complained about the rear spacing with 3 adults/2adults + 1 kid with ISOFIX, which I also had doubts about. Finally I have decided to cancel my booking and have booked Nexon XZA+O after considering feedback from the family, especially from my pregnant wife (better to go with a 5 star GNCAP certified car than a non tested car with short rear width if we have to settle for 2 airbags). I have been following @Reinhard's threads for quite some time and thought Nexon would be a better choice for the time being.

P.S. anyone knows how to cancel online booking for Kushaq? I have tried with the dealership and the customer care number but nothing of value so far.

[rAijin_]

Originally Posted by Behemoth

Well the comparison is bound to happen and the Sonet I booked was also 15.5 lacs on road and comparable to the Ambition model price on road.

I agree the prices do overlap. And then you can get the top variant of Sub-4 meter with all the bells and wishes.
My comment was more in terms of comparing sub-4 meter with C-SUV since Sub-4 meter does get tax benefits in terms of pricing.
However, I'm not going to get into argument with this part

Coming to the second part,
I'm still curious, have you considered Tata Nexon EV ( Electric )?
Considering you are looking for a city only ride with approx 100+ kms daily. Any pros or cons you considered.

[KapilD]

Courtesy EVO India and Magzter

These photos represent the people, seeking after the Kushaq.

Also, as per the article, the bottom line is pretty much echoed by all the views of the members in this thread: Should you pick the Kushaq over the Koreans? If you want driving fun, it is the choice but is it a no brainier, well this doesn’t have a straightforward answer and this makes you ponder on the filter list!

[headbanger]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

A lot has been said on the forum, and is true in person too! Interiors are a mixed bag - feels like Skoda was 65% there, but then decided to do serious cost cutting.

Kushaq is a real heartache for me.

But then for a serious buyer, he has to filter through a LONG list of negatives to see if this car can be a perfect fit for him. My initial impressions post the pricing announcement remain - this will not bring the expected numbers for Skoda and is unlikely to become a mass market favourite.

Wife absolutely loved the Kushaq. But will I get filtered through these parameters? Not sure.

What a post.!!!

You spoke my mind and heart. It's the exact dilemma that I am into. If Skoda has to get a cheque of upward of 15L from me, it has to fix the "cheap" bits. For all the other things, I just feel that Skoda has tried to Indianize this car and probably this is the first car from them that lacks on the quality aspect vis a vis their earlier offerings.

I am trying to influence my wife towards Polo but she wants a high seated car. I started with the likes of Kushaq, Seltos and Sonet, but I will most likely downgrade to a hatch in the absence of a product which matches the price tag.

[Behemoth]

Originally Posted by rAijin_

I'm still curious, have you considered Tata Nexon EV ( Electric )?
Considering you are looking for a city only ride with approx 100+ kms daily. Any pros or cons you considered.

Well let me address this part of your query as I had missed it last time! I have seen the Nexon and it is a nice package and the EV is also a nice car. But with a real range of 200km it does not fit my bill - I can't be charging it every day as I cover 105km in one day and I know it won't last even two days so I would have to charge it every day! Secondly I do have an independent home with inside parking but my home power connection is 3 phase 12.5 kW and if I were to add another 7.5Kw for the Nexon I would need to upgrade it to 20Kw and that is a bit of a hassle here in Gurgaon.
Also having been a ex-Tata Motors employee (20 years back) I have seen how they experience supplier quality issues firsthand and I can tell you that even now they are going through the same challenges. With an electric car the risk with low quality batteries, controllers, motors can be very high. Even Tesla has had problems of cars going up in flames initially. I personally would not feel safe in an Indian Electric car (yet) - but after 4-5 years I am sure my next car will be electric.

Also just a comment on Nexon vs Kushaq build quality, if you put a Nexon side by side with a Kushaq, the Nexon will look more imposing and also in interior quality the Nexon feels better.

[volkman10]

Skoda Kushaq 1.5 TSI to be despatched to dealers from the 11th August.