[07CR]

Originally Posted by abhishek_hch

Extremely good analysis! However, one doesn't really need to get into this much to understand that Kushaq lags on features, it is as clear as day. If you want best in class features or good ASS experience you go for the Koreans.

Thank you. Actually I was under the impression Kushaq might lag a little behind. But as it turns out, the difference is humongous.

Originally Posted by abhishek_hch

Regarding reliability Koreans have much to answer for especially in the brakes department (perhaps as much as VW on DSG), it's just that it hasn't gotten them as much bad press. Between a bad brake & a bad gearbox, the choice is pretty obvious! .

I would still pick a Hyundai over a Skoda eyes closed if the question is about reliability. It's not like Skoda is all good and merry apart from DSG issues. Just like TBhp review's themselves mention for Skoda Kushaq vs Hyundai Creta in terms of ASS, I don't need to mention which mentioned as a Pro and which is a Con!-

Skoda-Skoda’s notorious dealerships & after-sales horror stories
Hyundai- Hyundai's competent after-sales service, fuss-free ownership & upto 5-years standard warranty

Originally Posted by abhishek_hch

Do Koreans have good room for 5? By no stretch of imagination! And let's park our comments on interiors till we see the car in person.

Vis a Vis Kushaq, the rear bench easily has more shoulder room. Kushaq is a strict 4 seater. My comment on the interior is by going through various reviews, wherein each has mentioned that there has been a significant cost cutting. On the other hand the Korean twins have been lauded with praise for the interior quality, and I agree with my personal experience.

Originally Posted by abhishek_hch

To be fair let's give the Skoda guys sometime to atleast stabilise the assembly line! Initial niggles are known across industry, so no point in hanging these guys by the rope here. They being Germans will in all likelihood get out of it much quicker.

It's just that expectations were quite high, when the Octavia's and Superb's have punched way above their weight, but the Kushaq seems to lag on almost every front against it's own segment rivals!

Originally Posted by abhishek_hch

It's also as clear as day that if you want strong build and good driving experience you sacrifice some features, write a heftier cheque & look beyond the Koreans.

I agree here. The build quality could be better (will await the GNCAP rating to solidify build to be better) and the driving experience too. But not sure by how much? The Korean twins are pretty fun too IMO. I am not sure I would be willing to put a fatter cheque just for the perceived build quality, without the additional safety of 6 airbags!

[sunikkat]

Originally Posted by 07CR

So everyone knows the Kushaq lacks in specs, yet is priced at par with the Hyundai/Kia Twins. But how much does it lack? Was surprised to find out by a massive margin! Just check the below snaps.

Good analysis, and not surprising to see Kushaq lacks in features compared to Creta / Seltos. This was expected.
But what is missing in this is which is more fun to drive and which one handles better. Though I haven't driven Kushaq, all reviews have called out Kushaq is more fun to drive and handles better in the segment. And if it indeed drives and handle better (even by small margin), some might be happy to put additional 1 lakh even if it has less features - personally I would.

Do not want to comment on superior build quality etc. until Kushaq is GNCAP tested.

End of the day, one picks based on the priority that they have. For me none of the car (except Tucson) from Hyundai / Kia stable is exciting and will never put my money. And others might not put their money on Skoda due to less features, bad ASS or various other reasons. But it is really good that as a customer we have lot of options, obviously with some trade off.

[RaghuVis]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Skoda deprioritizing the production of the 1.5 variant ?. Further delayed

Although this includes both MT and AT, I definitely think they are going to add the remaining 4 airbags and TPMS for Style 1.5 DSG.

[PetrolheadRup]

Originally Posted by 07CR

So everyone knows the Kushaq lacks in specs, yet is priced at par with the Hyundai/Kia Twins. But how much does it lack? Was surprised to find out by a massive margin! Just check the below snaps.

Good analysis, but are you sure if the Kushaq misses out on seatbelt pretensioners? Pretensioners are almost always present in airbag equipped cars and even the Swift gets them, hence I think it simply must not have been mentioned in the brochure.
However if Kushaq really doesn't get pretensioners then this is a glaring ommission and would severely erode my belief that Kushaq is safer than Seltos/Creta.

[rahulvv]

Originally Posted by 07CR

So everyone knows the Kushaq lacks in specs, yet is priced at par with the Hyundai/Kia Twins. But how much does it lack? Was surprised to find out by a massive margin! Just check the below snaps.

Edit-
1) Antiglare rear mirror is for the ORVM
2) No. of speakers+SubWoofer has been mentioned.

Glossary-
Green Color= Best of three
Blue Color= 2nd Best of three
Red Color= Last of three

Even if one leaves the performance parameters outside (thought by many to be the trump card of 1.5 AT over competition), Kushaq still lags by quite a long margin. Performance is more or less similar for all three cars. No wonder there is such an uproar against the Kushaq since the price unveil. Few parameters in Koreans like way better ASS, better interior room for 5, Reliability, better interior quality aren't even considered here.

Fantastic Analysis - Koreans seem to have stolen the "Best in next segment" tag line of Skoda.

For Skoda Lovers:
When Koreans do it - These are bells and whistle
When Skoda does it - Its Value Luxury


I think its high time Koreans take care of the safety concerns and that would be the final nail in coffin for Skoda

[GeeTee TSI]

Originally Posted by gopi_rm

I wish that Skoda provides a boot topper (like Kamiq) as an accessory (or a DIY!) which could offer the following advantages:

• hides the toolkit, firstaid kit and warning triangle which are an eyesore in a VAG car
• provides flat floor when rear seats are folded
• removes load lip for easy loading and unloading

Sorry for the rant again: Couldn't really digest those front seat back cover finish in the below Kushaq image

This is an eye opener in cost optimization (avoiding the other phrase for a change). Out went the nicely trimmed fabric covered sides of the boot in the Kamiq and we are left with the scratchy bulge staring at us
Even the seatbacks, how they are trimmed at their base (when flipped down) not to mention the latch to flip them down, makes us envy the European version

While the false boot floor looks slick, it eats up valuable depth where two pieces of luggage could have been piled on top of each other and I find it sensible that it is omitted

[Romeo_Mike]

Originally Posted by krishnakarthik1

...Because this car is the size of a Swift, does not have a diesel, is expected to have poor resale value and bad reliability and the top end does not get even the full airbag kit yet it's priced into the 20+ lakhs OTR category...

...After the pandemic the middle and lower middle class have been wiped clean...

...when Harrier will be 35 lakhs, Innova 50 lakhs, Fortuner 75 lakhs etc. and huge cost cuttings in lesser priced cars. We will have faster highways and more unsafe cars. Just thinking aloud.

Agreed the pandemic has been hard for many people. But, at the risk of going OT, I believe it's not pitch dark at the end of the tunnel-

1. The cheapest car in the market today, the Alto comes with 2 airbags and ABS+EBD as standard. For more money, the no of safety features in my 2015 Alto K10 is exactly Zilch.

2. The Renault Triber, again a car the size of the Swift, can seat 7, is rated 4 Stars in GNCAP and its top end trim can be had for 8L OTR in most parts of the country.

3. The Nissan Magnite, another 4 Stars rated car, offers a 1L turbo petrol and a proper CVT transmission for 10L OTR! ( Well the Kiger too, for that matter). All the cars mentioned above have decent sales performance as well.

4. Most people here actually found the Kushaq's pricing unreasonably high, instead of screaming take my money Skoda! And that might reflect in its sales performance.


I know some cars like the Fortuner, Innova and Octavia, are getting unreasonably pricey, but I believe their prices are governed by the same laws of economics that applies to Onions and Potatoes.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by 07CR

Even if one leaves the performance parameters outside (thought by many to be the trump card of 1.5 AT over competition), Kushaq still lags by quite a long margin. Performance is more or less similar for all three cars. No wonder there is such an uproar against the Kushaq since the price unveil. Few parameters in Koreans like way better ASS, better interior room for 5, Reliability, better interior quality aren't even considered here.

This is a nice excel sheet but I have to reiterate this point. The Seltos and Creta both have more features than the MErcedes Benz C class, BMW X1 and BMW 3 series and costs half of them. Yet people looking for a BMW don't look at Creta and Seltos because it checks more boxes on an excel sheet.

I was looking at a Seltos last last year as it had all the features I would want. I had driven the Seltos in Goa for the media drive and was impressed. After coming back I went to the dealer and did another TD. Because the Octavia was having discounts, I went and did a TD of it. After that I had no interest to even consider the Seltos.

Middle of last year I drove the Creta and the Karoq. Again the Karoq had no reclining seats, no smart connectivity, no front parking sensors, no 360 camera, no fancy audio system with subwoofer, no ventilated seats plus other stuff missing. On top of that it was 32L on road which was 10 lakhs more than the Creta top end 1.4L Turbo.

However after driving it, it drove closer to a BMW X1 than the Creta. It was better than the Mercedes GLA to drive. The Creta in comparison felt good but drive quality, feel, dynamics were nowhere close and it left no lasting impression on me. This thread should tell you similar thought process. https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...ip-review.html (Skoda Karoq : Ownership Review) The buyer spent 10L more than a Creta/Seltos for a smaller car with lesser features.

Now I know the Kushaq is 10L cheaper than the Karoq and has cost cutting but if the drive quality, dyamics, feel and performance is anywhere like the Karoq then I don't really care if the Kia/Hyundai has more sensors, cameras, mobile app, air purifier etc....my money is going to the Kushaq any day.

Just give me 6 airbags please Skoda in the 1.5L DSG.

[07CR]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Now I know the Kushaq is 10L cheaper than the Karoq and has cost cutting but if the drive quality, dyamics, feel and performance is anywhere like the Karoq then I don't really care if the Kia/Hyundai has more sensors, cameras, mobile app, air purifier etc....my money is going to the Kushaq any day.

Just give me 6 airbags please Skoda in the 1.5L DSG.

I agree. But the question is, it that better than the Korean twins in terms of build and driving feel? It's hard to pass a judgement at the moment, not having even seen Kushaq in real.

Maybe @Chirag can comment more on if the driving feel and build quality is that better than Korean twins?

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Now I know the Kushaq is 10L cheaper than the Karoq and has cost cutting but if the drive quality, dyamics, feel and performance is anywhere like the Karoq then I don't really care if the Kia/Hyundai has more sensors, cameras, mobile app, air purifier etc....my money is going to the Kushaq any day.

Another point here is, Skoda was never known to be skimping on features, size or quality. Be it the Superb or Octavia (pre facelift), both put the much more costly German trio, to shame WRT size, features and performance. For Kushaq forget about punching above it's weight, it fails in size and features, while is equal in terms of engine output against it's own segment competitors. And this is the biggest reason I am disappointed with Skoda's Kushaq.

[Rigid Rotor]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

The front and rear wheel tracks are indeed smaller than competition. For example - Rear track is 1516mm in the Kushaq as against 1573mm in the Seltos.

A small correction - which only strengthens your point-
Indian Seltos rear wheel track is quoted at 1583 mm.

(ref- Autocar detailed specs given in their data log, road test no.900)

Also -the narrower front and rear wheel tracks with the longer wheel base may explain in part the lowered stance of the vehicle (Kushaq), so as to retain handling characteristics and stability.

[srikanthmadhava]

Originally Posted by 07CR

So everyone knows the Kushaq lacks in specs, yet is priced at par with the Hyundai/Kia Twins. But how much does it lack? Was surprised to find out by a massive margin! Just check the below snaps.

Just to add on to the comparison, Kushaq also gets below items compared to Creta.

1. Front fog lamps with static cornering function
2. Wireless Android Auto/ Apple CarPlay on top trims (so that it can be used with wireless charging).


The launch seems to be mainly on paper, I doubt if they had a good inventory built and ready before the launch.

• Some of the reviewers were mentioning that Skoda will wait for bookings and feedback to decide on the productions schedules of different variants.
• Test drive cars are trickling down to showrooms now post the launch.
• Brochure says 'Two three-point outer seat belts and centre lap belt at rear'. Cars in the review videos had 3 point seat belt for middle passenger. Either brochure is wrong or that feature got deleted even before launch. Is it such a costly feature, Mahindra had removed it from XUV 300 also.
• They have no intention of selling 1.5DSG, no other explanations coming to my mind for them not providing 6 airbags here. Even the manual version is delayed. That 1.5 TSI seem to be still in transit- either it is not yet ready or its not yet available for import or they have some certification or assembly issue with it.

Compared to this, another recent launch, Alcazar was already available in showrooms on launch day. Production Planning, launch and deliveries seem to flow in so much better.

[07CR]

Originally Posted by srikanthmadhava

Just to add on to the comparison, Kushaq also gets below items compared to Creta.

1. Front fog lamps with static cornering function
2. Wireless Android Auto/ Apple CarPlay on top trims (so that it can be used with wireless charging).

I did not include these because-
1) Don't find cornering fog lamps that impactful. If Skoda had put in the dynamic headlamps of the Superb/Octavia's which turn along with steering direction or some permanent cornering lamps inside the headlamps like (Tucson/XUV500 etc.), this would have been a huge positive. Likewise, Seltos has LED foglamps, compared to Kushaq's Halogen, and to some that can be a positive. Personally, I don't think fog lamps being LED/halogen would make much of a difference and hence hasn't been mentioned.

2) Wireless AA was left out, because I have seen it to be quite laggy in some manufacturer's. I am not sure if the technology is still in it's nascent stage to count it as a positive, or if the Kushaq has a completely seemless experience. But since the official review does not mention anything negative about it, it could be included as a positive for Kushaq.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by 07CR

I agree. But the question is, it that better than the Korean twins in terms of build and driving feel? It's hard to pass a judgement at the moment, not having even seen Kushaq in real.

Maybe @Chirag can comment more on if the driving feel and build quality is that better than Korean twins?

The review does mention below points and usually GTO and myself have very similar feedback on the cars we review.

Originally Posted by GTO

The Alcazar left me underwhelmed, but the Kushaq left me overwhelmed! 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.

Alcazar is a bigger Creta so the chasis feel will not be too different.


Even Chirag has mentioned these points which again remember is with GTO along with him for the drive

Originally Posted by ChiragM

Out on the open road, the power on tap makes the 1.5 TSI a fast performer and a whole lot of fun. Skoda says it'll do 0 - 100 in 8.6 seconds on a good day and we totally buy that (1.0 TSI's timing is 10.6 seconds). Driving it on the highway is an addictive experience and you will find yourself driving fast, even if you didn't intend to.

The Kushaq's ride quality can be termed as mature & compliant. We have to say this is the perfect suspension tune that Skoda has chosen. It is neither too soft (Hector) nor too stiff (Seltos).

Driving the Kushaq on winding roads was fun, with the front end seemingly eager to turn. Sure, there is some body roll, but it's a family crossover at the end of the day. Nothing too alarming, and we actually had a blast coming down the Lonavala ghats.

While its main rivals, the Creta and Seltos, get all-wheel disc brakes, the Kushaq makes do with discs at the front and drums at the rear. The brake pedal is well calibrated and feels sharp to use. In fact, we felt that the brakes of the Kushaq were more confidence-inspiring than that of the Korean twins. The braking is powerful and we felt confident with them on our highway run.

You'll enjoy this car on the open road

I don't think there's been a single review which my observations didn't match with our official review and I'm very confident this will not be any different.

[Travelling_Monk]

I will be going for a TD tomorrow, let's see how it fares in terms of handling and dynamics. BTW I own a Fiat Punto so it would be easier for me to compare with class leading legendary benchmark set by the GP. Earlier I had taken a TD of the Seltos and it came nowhere close to the steering feel and feedback offered by the mighty GP. Also the overall build and sheet metal quality felt like a joke TBH.

[Mr.Perera]

Last year I was in the market for a crossover in the 20 lakh price range. Went and test drove the Seltos. The feature list looked bigger than that in an S-class. I even booked the Seltos 1.4 GTX DCT. Thats when Skoda announced the Karoq and we thought to give it a look expecting it to be priced around 20 lakhs. When the car was launched we all felt it was super expensive. Like this thread there is a Karoq thread where most are saying Skoda Karoq is dead on arrival, Skoda just went bonkers with pricing and all. Even I was not convinced about the high sticker price. We thought to go to the showroom and give a look at the Karoq. When parked beside my Ecosport, the Karoq even looked much smaller than the Ford. Just after a short test drive, the decision to buy the Karoq was made. Even though it was a huge stretch of 9 lakhs, the car made us feel like we were inside a 45 lakh car. Its been a year with the Karoq, and do I miss the air purifier ? No.
Do I miss the heads up display ? No.
Do I feel I overpaid for a car that the whole nation labelled as 'overpriced' ? Hell No !
My suggestion would be not to judge a book by its cover. I would rather wait till I take a test drive, see few ownership reviews and then raise my voice regarding a car.

If this car is built well and it drives well than the competition then it definitely will get a place in the sales chart. Best example being the Polo. The i20 and the Baleno do have more features and sell well. But the Polo still being 10 years old, having cramped interiors and much less features is still considered as one of the best cars under 10 lakhs by many.


In my books the biggest mistake done by Skoda was to skimp the 6 airbags on the top end model. A person spending 20 lakhs for the top of the line variant is someone who doesn't want to compromise on anything. Skoda being a company bragging about safety and build quality should have never done that.