[drivingmelody]

This is the first post, but not a newbie. Been following the various forums and reviews on this site for the last few years. It all started with a very simple thought, “Let’s upgrade our Getz Prime GLS, Its reaching 15 years of ownership”. Now, we have realized that it is not a simple task.

We have narrowed down to modest list of requirements, after numerous visits to showrooms of multiple brands. For me, the topmost in the list is to have a proper automatic transmission, adequate driving dynamics and maximum available safety. For my son, it should be an SUV and for my wife it’s a good audio system.

Kushaq 1.0 TSI AT and 1.5 TSI DSG seems to satisfy most of these requirements. Last Saturday evening, while we were returning from a short drive, we noticed the Skoda showroom was empty.(We do short drives in the outskirts of city on weekends at leisurely pace. Its almost meditative).

All of us felt that Kushaq looks like an overall good package. My wife liked the interiors, she felt it is not overdone as in the case of few of its immediate competitors. Both rows of seats are comfortable and the space in the back is adequate for our family of three and occasionally five. We consciously cap our drives to four hundred KM’s per day. Hope the hardness of the middle seat should not bother us on these occasional five passenger drives. (Three of our family members can fit in the back seat).

Kushaq seems to tick most of our requirements. Holding of the decision till the launch of Taigun to see if we can get the elusive Six Air bags. Post launch of Taigun, we would go for a test drive of 1.0 TSI AT and 1.5 TSI DSG.

[JishD]

What is the PCD of the Kushaq ambition alloys ? Can I fit my Polo alloys (100 pcd ) here ?

[agambhandari]

Originally Posted by JishD

What is the PCD of the Kushaq ambition alloys ? Can I fit my Polo alloys (100 pcd ) here ?

PCD for kushaq is 5x100. Same as the Polo.
But please check the offset as it seems to be more in kushaq.

[rAijin_]

I visited Skoda Showroom in Gurgaon last Sunday with Wife.
I was surprised to know that there is only one Skoda Showroom in Gurgaon!

The showroom was too crowded and a lot of people were waiting for the Test Drive. So didn't take any pics or TD.

A little Background
We were looking for a new ride in 2020. But after Covid, we didn't drive much in 2020 and 2021. We don't think we would be driving much even in year 2022. And there is no point in buying a new car to just have it parked. And we are still very happy with our Honda City.
So, this gives us more than a year of time to finalize our next Car. Also our Son is just 1.5 yr old. So, we want him to grow up a little ( 2-3 yrs ) and acknowledge that we got a new Car.
We would prefer a C-SUV since we need a better Ground Clearance. Although we didn't feel underbody scapping issue in Honda City much except for some speed breakers, the driving style is a major reason for that. A better ground clearance would give us more freedom.
By late 2023 or early 2024, we'll also have options of more C-SUVs from Ford, Citroen and Toyota ( hopefully not a rebadged Maruti ). Lets see how these fare against our set of requirements.
We are yet to decide between a SUV looking one or Crossover looking one. If we go for an SUV looking one, we would book a Tata Harrier.
Also, if nothing else works, Tata Harrier it is.

We checked out the Style Variant. Our observations are as below. We compared things more with our current Honda City ( 2016 Model ) and VW Polo that we owned 5 years back.

Exterior:

• Me and my wife loved the shape and size of Kushaq. Just perfect to what we are looking for. A crossover styled C-SUV which is not ( un-necessarily ) botched up to look like an SUV.
• A lot of us have compared Kushaq with S-Cross. We personally felt it to be more like 1st Gen Creta. A little less in height though ( as compared to 1st Gen Creta ).
• Carbon Steel looked best ( for us ). Silver and White color looked great. Didn't quite like the Orange and Red one.
• Build quality felt a lot better than our Honda City. Wife was impressed with the heaviness on the doors and compared it to VW Polo.
• We also liked the alloy wheels design.

Interior:

• The dashboard looked really good. the large piano black insert and carbon-fiber like detailing.
• We loved the position of floating touchscreen unit. It looks floated and doesn't intrude into the front view.
• Wife loved the two-spoked steering wheel. There were no wrinkles on the steering wheel. I'm more concerned with how practical ( and ergonomic ) it would be on longer drives. But still looks good.
• The front and rear seats have good bolstering ( and support ). The ride will be a lot comfortable for 4. 5th adult passenger will suffer even in short rides.
• Rear seat leg space felt better than even our Honda City.
• Sunroof felt similar to that of Honda City and we were happy with it.
  
• Apart from the above points, everything else on the interior completely disappointed. To make matter worse, we had a look at the Skoda Octavia's interior.
• Coming from a beige interior, the grey felt dull and claustrophobia even with the sunroof open.
• Didn't like the analog instruments. We would have preferred a digital cockpit.
• The fit and finish of interior was not at all good. The car seat covers must be changed.
• The plastics felt of cheap quality.
• The 3 pointed belt for the middle passenger at rear actually makes the passenger ( sitting behind driver ) uneasy.

Conclusion:
Although we are really happy with the shape, size and exterior looks of Kushaq, the interior is more of a disappointment. So, we would wait for the Taigun and see if its interiors are better than Kushaq's. Or if the rumored L&K or Monte Carlo variant of Kushaq. If not, we'll see if facelift version of Kushaq / Taigun solves these problems.

v/s Kia Seltos.
We also checked Kia Seltos after Kushaq. The impressions are as below:

• The exterior looks are more ( botched up ) to look like an SUV. But, we didn't dislike it. Although, I think Kia Seltos looks good, Wife is not that impressed.
• The exterior build quality is a big disappointment especially after Kushaq. I believe our Honda City has better build quality. Wife didn't like it a bit.
• Interior quality felt a lot better than Kushaq. The seats covers, plastic quality and the beige-black combination.
• We liked Kushaq's Dashboard over Seltos'. Especially, the placement of Touchscreen is better in Kushaq.
• Seltos has a slightly better feature list than Kushaq as per our requirements ( Digital Cockpit, 360 degree camera, HUD, front parking sensors ).

Overall, Kushaq suits our requirements a lot better than Kia Seltos. But not the current Kushaq.

Originally Posted by Behemoth

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 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.

Frankly, I agree with you. Its not yet time for a fully electic car in India. But, since you have 2-3 cars at home, I thought you may consider.

Originally Posted by Guna

I wonder, is there a different model the so called premium brands follow when it comes to incentivizing the sales team? Normally, the sales team gets paid better if they sell more. But that does't seem to be the case here.
I had a similar experience with Apple stores when I was trying to get a quotation for MacBook. They simply seemed uninterested in selling.

Actually, it is more of a dealership or the sales person problem. 5 years back, when I went to Ring Road Honda in Gurgaon, they seemed completely uninterested. Infact the sales person left us in between and attended another customer ( So rude !). This was probably because we arrived at the showroom in our Hyundai Eon and sales person thought we are just here for some AC.
So, we went to Infinity Honda ( also in Gurgaon ), they also saw that we came in Hyundai Eon. But they attended us well, gave us all the details we needed and resolved all of our queries with honesty. And we ended up buying Honda City VX CVT from there.

[EmpyreanKnight]

I have been following this thread religiously and have been to the Skoda showroom three times since the launch of Kushaq and below are few points that I have observed.

Looks
I love the way it looks, it's elegant and timeless, if I have to rank it based on the looks with with competition, here is my list.

Exteriors looks
1. Jeep Compass
2. Skoda Kushaq
2. Kia Seltos
3. MG Hector
4. Tata Harrier
5. Creta ( it would be last on the list even if there were 10 more options)

Interiors Looks & feel
1. Jeep Compass
2. Hyundai Creta
3. Kia Seltos
4. MG Hector
5. Skoda Kushaq
6. Tata Harrier

Build Quality
For me build quality was something which was not so important until I experienced it in my cousins i20, his old pre-owned i20 was better build and had no rattles compared to my newly purchased swift, here is how I would rate Kushaq on build quality

1. Jeep Compass / Skoda Kushaq
2. Tata Harrier
3. MG hector
4. Hyundai Creta / Kia Seltos

Driving experience
Driving experience is based on comparison with my current Elite i20.
1. Jeep Compass
2. Skoda Kushaq
3. Kia Seltos
4. MG Hector

I have not driven new generation Creta and Harrier, hence will not comment on it.


To sum it up, If I have to upgrade today from my Elite i20, I have following observations.

MG Hector / Harrier - Great products and some what value for money in terms of space they offer but tight parking spot in my parking and daily hassle to tackle a big car in city is something which has pushed me away from these two lovely products.

Jeep Compass - Again excellent product but simply out of my budget, also may be a little overpriced. If it was like buying an iPhone and having a similar user experience the price would have been justified but I think with Jeep Compass the after sales experience is not upto that level.

Kia Seltos - Feature rich and has all the tech and gizmos to attract a technology lover like me but they compromised on safety which is essential part of a car package

Hyundai Creta - Again loaded to the brim and awesome looking interior but I can't buy a product which will not make me turn around and admire it, after parking it.

Skoda Kushaq - A perfect looking crossover, with solid build quality and ok interiors, the only hiccup I have is with Skoda's after sales service, which is a hit and miss. All the packages offered by company for extended warranty andservice package do inspire some confidence, but i feel it is still a gamble.

All the points mentioned above are my opinion and I don't expect anyone to agree with it, so please excuse if I may have mentioned something that is not aligned with your opinion.

[Behemoth]

Originally Posted by EmpyreanKnight

I have been following this thread religiously and have been to the Skoda showroom three times since the launch of Kushaq and below are few points that I have observed.

Looks
I love the way it looks, it's elegant and timeless, if I have to rank it based on the looks with with competition, here is my list.

Exteriors looks
1. Jeep Compass
2. Skoda Kushaq
2. Kia Seltos
3. MG Hector
4. Tata Harrier
5. Creta ( it would be last on the list even if there were 10 more options)

Interiors Looks & feel
1. Jeep Compass
2. Hyundai Creta
3. Kia Seltos
4. MG Hector
5. Skoda Kushaq
6. Tata Harrier

Build Quality
For me build quality was something which was not so important until I experienced it in my cousins i20, his old pre-owned i20 was better build and had no rattles compared to my newly purchased swift, here is how I would rate Kushaq on build quality

1. Jeep Compass / Skoda Kushaq
2. Tata Harrier
3. MG hector
4. Hyundai Creta / Kia Seltos

Driving experience
Driving experience is based on comparison with my current Elite i20.
1. Jeep Compass
2. Skoda Kushaq
3. Kia Seltos
4. MG Hector

I have not driven new generation Creta and Harrier, hence will not comment on it.

.

Well your heart seems all set for the Compass but your head (budget) seems to be stopping you from getting it!
In comparison to the Kushaq the Compass is a better car , in terms of Build, engine and interiors.
Also when you get the Diesel engine, it will save you a lot of money in running cost compared to the 1.5Tsi engine. Let's say the Kushaq 1.5 TSI Style Manual would cost you almost 18.3 Lacs on road (Gurgaon example) The mileage you would get is around 9-10 kmpl in mixed used. A Compass Longitude (O) version will cost you 24 lacs on road. The Compass will give you a mileage of 14-15kmpl in mixed use (I get even higher now 16-17 as my highway:city use is 80:20 now). With this even if you cover just 1000km a month, the kushaq will cost you 10,000 Rs on fuel cost and the Compass will cost you around 6000 per month. You will save 4k in fuel costs, which means you can take a higher loan for the car and the emi difference can be paid from this
The new Compass is a far more special car than the kushaq and it is from a different league and will feel more special when you drive it.

[krishnakumar]

Originally Posted by Behemoth

...the Compass is a better car , in terms of Build, engine and interiors.

The Compass will give you a mileage of 14-15kmpl in mixed use (I get even higher now 16-17 as my highway:city use is 80:20 now).

The new Compass is a far more special car than the kushaq and it is from a different league and will feel more special when you drive it.

It's almost like I'm stalking owners of Compass to get feedback from them because my heart is kinda firmly set there. But just too expensive on the pocket. Can you please help me with some of the below questions to reason with my own brain?

1. How would you rate the ASS for Compass? I'd be primarily living in Bangalore and frequent trips between Trivandrum and Mumbai, but my usage will be mostly highway for road trips (both my wife and I get office transport, so minimal city usage except for chores and weekly shopping)

2. How is the reliability of Compass? These are things that crop up only after 5-6k kms I guess and very difficult to gauge from a TD. I get irritated with niggles like buttons not working, rattling sound etc. When I'm putting 30 big ones into something, I want it to be perfect at least for a good part of its younger years

3. What are the regular maintenance costs like? EMIs are one thing, but do I have to pay a bomb for regular checkups? What's the real world ballpark like?

[Guite]

I really like the interior/ dash board design of the Kushaq. However I don't like the look of it's front grill. On the other hand I like the front grill of VW Taigun. Since both share same chassis and skeleton structure, I wish VW/ Skoda (and other group companies which share platform) offer possibility of swapping body panels. I suppose mechanical anchor points would not be a problem. Is there a problem I am not aware of?

[EmpyreanKnight]

Originally Posted by Behemoth

Well your heart seems all set for the Compass but your head (budget) seems to be stopping you from getting it!

Well as they say, in matters of automobiles a Bhpian knows you heart better than your wife, it is true sir & I do have my heart set on jeep compass.

Thank you for giving me a little push towards Compass and I will definitely do my calculations once more to a include jeep compass before I make a final purchase decision. I am planning to buy a new car before march next year, hopefully we get some good discounts on compass that time.

It's almost like I'm stalking owners of Compass to get feedback from them because my heart is kinda firmly set there. But just too expensive on the pocket. Can you please help me with some of the below questions to reason with my own brain?

Well, I believe jeep compass will be always a first choice for most of the buyers, its only when you start comparing prices with other cars in same category, you start feeling you are spending a lot, example you can get a Hector/Harrier top version in same budget, although they cant be compared to the driving dynamics of Compass, they do offer space and more seating capabilities, which are quite practical to be honest.

[Behemoth]

Originally Posted by krishnakumar

3. What are the regular maintenance costs like? EMIs are one thing, but do I have to pay a bomb for regular checkups? What's the real world ballpark like?

Well I can answer all your queries in detail but let's do it on my Compass ownership thread as it would go off topic on this thread !

Here is the link to my ownership thread:
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...2-limited.html

Mine was the first ownership thread on TBHP and it is approaching 4 years now and till now I have not had any issues (apart from battery failing early) and the service costs have also been reasonable and service frequency is 1 year/ 15K kms.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by Behemoth

The new Compass is a far more special car than the kushaq and it is from a different league and will feel more special when you drive it.

Absolutely agree with this statement. However, I would like to add that a drive isn't needed at all to feel this!

Just step into both cabins back to back and the difference in quality levels are very very apparent. When you sit inside, Compass does feel like it belongs to a full segment above the Kushaq, for sure. For example - here is a sample of the interior quality inside a Compass Sport 1.4 (21L onroad here) (v/s the Kushaq 1.5 Style MT which is 19.82L onroad here), both shot by me last week.









Compass offers less features in its lower variants, no doubt, but whatever it does offer - feels substantially better quality stuff to touch and use than the Kushaq! Doesn't help that Skoda is asking to "Choose what matters"

I'm hoping that 1.5 TSI turns out to be a gem to compensate for all this when the test drives start in August.

[krishnakumar]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

I'm hoping that 1.5 TSI turns out to be a gem to compensate for all this when the test drives start in August.

I'd not bet too much on that. In terms of pure power figures, the XUV700 is likely to pack a lot more grunt. The driving dynamics might be in favour of Kushaq but I think it'll still look diluted with a new entrant in this space.

Just don't know why I'm not getting that oomph factor from Kushaq as a package.

[rAijin_]

Originally Posted by EmpyreanKnight

Jeep Compass - Again excellent product but simply out of my budget, also may be a little overpriced. If it was like buying an iPhone and having a similar user experience the price would have been justified but I think with Jeep Compass the after sales experience is not upto that level.

Originally Posted by Behemoth

Well your heart seems all set for the Compass but your head (budget) seems to be stopping you from getting it!
In comparison to the Kushaq the Compass is a better car , in terms of Build, engine and interiors.

Originally Posted by krishnakumar

It's almost like I'm stalking owners of Compass to get feedback from them because my heart is kinda firmly set there. But just too expensive on the pocket.

Originally Posted by EmpyreanKnight

Well as they say, in matters of automobiles a Bhpian knows you heart better than your wife, it is true sir & I do have my heart set on jeep compass.

Looks like a lot of us are on the same boat .

Here is the link to my ownership thread:
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...2-limited.html (Rise of the Silver Surfer - Chronicles of our Jeep Compass 4x2 Limited)

Continuing this post in the above Ownership Thread.

[Carz77]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

When you sit inside, Compass does feel like it belongs to a full segment above the Kushaq, for sure. For example - here is a sample of the interior quality inside a Compass Sport 1.4 (21L onroad here) (v/s the Kushaq 1.5 Style MT which is 19.82L onroad here),

I felt exactly the same and was very disappointed when I saw Kushaq in flesh. The interiors were too INFERIOR to my expectations. I know that 1.5 will be a hoot to drive but again it comes with the same interiors as 1.0 Style variant. Skoda should have either created exclusivity with 1.5 variants OR should have got the KAROQ CKD version (may be around 20L ex-showroom). Again, this is my personal viewpoint.

Originally Posted by Behemoth

Well I can answer all your queries in detail but let's do it on my Compass ownership thread as it would go off topic on this thread !

Here is the link to my ownership thread:
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...2-limited.html

Hi Behemoth, In fact it is because of you and Arun_josie's posts that I am more inclined towards Compass now. I can wait till this year end to decide as there is not much of driving due to Covid. I will post few questions in your thread. Thanks

[maverickNerd]

One thing is certain, you can always get a better car if you keep increasing 2-3 lakhs from the top model of one car to other. Compass is a better car, no doubt, but then you are paying more cost for a base variant.

Example: In my city, Compass Sports MT variant costs around 21 lakhs and for Kushaq 1l MT, I paid 17.5 with extended warranty and insurance. So there is still a huge difference, and if I keep increasing that way, even there are better cars than compass as well.

Example: Compass top model + 3 lakhs, you can get Endeavour, Superb, Tiguan and many others.

It is all about what car is fitting you in your budget and what are your instincts about it.