[Arjun Reddy]

Thanks Aditya, Chirag & GTO for an excellent review.
I am also in the market for a Csuv and was waiting eagerly for the VW twins. Though not an urgent buy looks like I will wait an year to see if any niggles are reported and then take a call.

Having read this review closely it is evident that Skoda has a great product on hand, but I really think that they have taken cost cutting a little too seriously.

Hard plastics, shabby roof liner , seats backs that aren’t finished well, dated instrument cluster, reverse camera display with static guidelines and missing equipment.

The ride,handling, performance and build is a given with the Europeans, if they do not get the pricing right they are going to struggle. I am expecting Skoda to throw the kitchen sink at it. Fingers crossed for Monday. Just look around at the competition in this engine spec/ price point. The Koreans with Venue/ Sonet , Seltos/ Creta and even the Harrier on pricing.


The Kushaq is perfectly sized for the city and the wheelbase and the legroom they have achieved with this length is Simply Clever. The 1 ltr Torque converter AT will be my pick for the city. Hope they will do a top spec Monte Carlo edition with this spec.


Any idea what this function is ?

[curiousnewbie]

Originally Posted by 07CR

Excellent quick review guys.

One important thing many are forgetting is if they price it squarely against Creta, Kushaq will sink without a trace. Skoda needs to undercut Creta variant to variant (and by good margin) else there's no way this will succeed. Indian consumer has a very herd mentality. To shake this off, only a VFM pricing can do it.

Most of the people (including myself) here on the forum are biased and would pay Skoda a premium in terms of lack of features, shoddy interiors, narrow rear bench and awful boot space. But in the market you will see little to no bias and this car will only work if there is a good ~2L discount over the Korean twins

[AnnaRocks]

Originally Posted by Arjun Reddy

Any idea what this function is ?

It is the button to change the driver display data.

[androdev]

Originally Posted by Arjun Reddy

Any idea what this function is ?

Not sure in this particular car, but that button is used for configuring "Assist systems" in flagship Skoda models - see the pic below:

[07CR]

Originally Posted by curiousnewbie

Most of the people (including myself) here on the forum are biased and would pay Skoda a premium in terms of lack of features, shoddy interiors, narrow rear bench and awful boot space. But in the market you will see little to no bias and this car will only work if there is a good ~2L discount over the Korean twins

Exactly my point. If Indian market would have consisted of only TBhpians , Ford,Skoda and VW would have been the market leaders.

However, out there the reality is different. This car needs to be priced lower than Creta by atleast 2-3 L to have any chance of posing any threat to the Korean twins.

[manpreetsj]

Originally Posted by androdev

Not sure in this particular car, but that button is used for configuring "Assist systems" in flagship Skoda models - see the pic below:

Attachment 2171786

In Kushaq currently this button is of no use. Refer OverDrive review on YT, they have raised this point.

Hopefully, once they add Digital cockpit, button will be put to right use. Not sure 6 months or 12 months from now

[androdev]

Originally Posted by 07CR

Exactly my point. If Indian market would have consisted of only TBhpians , Ford,Skoda and VW would have been the market leaders.

However, out there the reality is different. This car needs to be priced lower than Creta by atleast 2-3 L to have any chance of posing any threat to the Korean twins.

Customer preferences evolve and Indian market has evolved enough to accept prices of VW cars. Nobody would have thought Honda/Kia would be able to sell such expensive cars (relatively) in such high volumes in our nothing-but-Maruti country. VW suffers from a combination of poor reliability, lack of leadership commitment to customer service and unethical dealers. A first step for them should be to offer excellent warranty packages and smooth claim processing - but I don't see things moving in that direction.

[Arun_S]

Originally Posted by GTO

Absolutely loved the 1.5L TSI motor, fantastic 6-speed MT (best manual I've shifted in a long time), solid build and perfect suspension tune. You should've seen us flying down the Lonavla ghats. Everyone knows how I love the Seltos and this car also goes straight to the top of my recommendations list.

Thank You Aditya, Chirag & GTO for the wonderful Review. I am in the market for a new car, could you share the feedback on 1.0 TSI Manual, 1.5 TSI is out of my reach.

[sunikkat]

Excellent review. Any new car launch, first I check the Team bhp and second Sirish in EVO.

Kushaq seems to be a great product and glad they have got the basics right. At this price point cost cutting is required in some area or other to place it competitively and depends on what each company prioritises.

I believe they will price the base model lesser than Korean twins and top end 1.5 manual and DSG slightly at a premium than Creta / Seltos. And with that ŠKODA will have a winner - obviously they will not (cannot) be targeting to dethrone Creta / Seltos, but this will definitely bring an average of 4K units per months for ŠKODA.

Though, in Bangalore, I am super happy with my last 5+ years of ŠKODA dealership experience and my car had been very reliable, hope measures are being taken to avoid dealers getting overwhelmed once Kushaq starts its service cycle.

[TrackDay]

One of the most awaited reviews I would say !

The car definitely has the neat and classic European feel to it. Looks subtle with the right touches in design elements such as the use of contrast stitching, dashboard materials etc. The color scheme used overall is very practical for our road conditions especially the color of the seats and door pads etc.

My pick would be the 1.0 with torque converter or 1.5 with the manual. Wonder why they couldn't give the 1.5 with a torque convertor. If they plan to launch a diesel automatic then things will get very interesting The car can win numbers depending on the pricing that is yet to come out !

[SoumenD]

Excellent review as always guys

The product looks premium inside out and I hope they price it well. A GNCAP result would be awesome to generate some hype around it specially considering the market is slowly warming up to safety aspect of a car. Personally I really want this and other such products like Kiger/Magnite to work so that we aren’t left at the mercy of Maruti and Hyundai only in future

[Nilesh5417]

With petrol hitting all time highs, this has little chance. All virtues aside, not having a Diesel and still commanding a premium limits you to a smaller customer group already. Guess Skoda knows this if I do so maybe they priced it with a reasonable volume projection to be a success by Skoda parameters.

It's a nice car though. Very well proportioned, well equipped and surely built to last!! And clean European lines over anything else anyday.

[Sebring]

Superb review as usual. I love this colour Carbon Steel and would have gone for this car, if there was a diesel option. Petrol running costs are just too high right now. Absence of Panoramic sun roof could be a deal breaker for many families (It does let in a lot of light in, and I love that aspect the most), especially with kids wanting that feature. Pester power is quite strong for the segment, and cant be wished away. Rest of the package, fit and finish make for a very strong package. Wishing them the best of luck!

[GTO]

Heard from an insider that Skoda is targeting 4-stars in the GNCAP. Again, just an insider rumour so don't quote me, but thought of sharing as the source is reliable.

I agree with the comments on cost-cutting, but will state that roofliners & seat covers etc. are easy to fix in the aftermarket. What you cannot fix in the aftermarket are fundamentals like a solid build, factory-strong engine, beautiful suspension, safety kit like the standard ESP and so on. This is where the Kushaq scores. In the area of fundamentals, it is very sorted (except of course long-term reliability which is a pain with most Skodas).

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by GTO

What you cannot fix in the aftermarket are fundamentals like a solid build, factory-strong engine, beautiful suspension, safety kit like the standard ESP and so on. This is where the Kushaq scores. In the area of fundamentals, it is very sorted (except of course long-term reliability which is a pain with most Skodas).

What would be your pick between Seltos DCT, Creta DCT and 1.5 Kushaq DSG (assuming all top variants)?

Any specific comparo pros and cons?