[buzzlightyear]

Hi Everyone,

Need advice in buying my next car.
My requirements:
1. Fun to drive Petrol turbo-manual
2. Good handling and driving dynamics
3. Comfortable and safe
4. Budget: 10-15 Lakhs
5. Good after sales service experience

Initially I decided for Polo. I went to the dealer but was informed by the dealership that Polo is not getting produced now. And they have no idea if it’s going to resume anymore.

So I started looking for XUV300, Kushaq and Taigun.
VW dealer was more interested in selling me automatic version and even couldn’t arrange the manual for test drive. However I drove Taigun and Kushaq both on same day. I felt Taigun’s suspension is more sportier than the other sibling. And in my budget , only mid variant of both the cars were possible. And frankly Kushaq Mid variant has lot more usable features than Taigun mid variant.
XUV300 is good overall. I have couple of doubts in 300. One being how good the car is to drive after 4-5 years. Is there any decrement in performance and comfort. How’s the after sales service. Second being how good is it if compared with Kushaq on the basis of Electronic Safety features such as EDS, XDS , MSR, ARP etc..

Please help me decide.

[Raghu M]

If you want to compare the 3OO with Skoda and VW brands, it will definitely be a fun to drive car after 4 to 5 years. M&M is miles ahead in terms of service and after sales. I own the 3OO top trim and trust me, it's a superbly refined vehicle. The interiors are premium and it has a good list of features. Go for it.

[sunikkat]

If in your place I would go for Kushaq

1. Fun to drive Petrol turbo-manual - Kushaq
2. Good handling and driving dynamics - Kushaq
3. Comfortable and safe - Both should be safe
4. Budget: 10-15 Lakhs
5. Good after sales service experience - Mahindra mostly (though I am super happy with Skoda after sales experience in Bangalore)

[akash_v12]

Originally Posted by buzzlightyear

Hi Everyone,

Need advice in buying my next car.
My requirements:
1. Fun to drive Petrol turbo-manual
2. Good handling and driving dynamics
3. Comfortable and safe
4. Budget: 10-15 Lakhs
5. Good after sales service experience

I'll list down my recommendations using your requirements.

1. Both engines are good to drive, but IMO no one gets it better than VAG especially with respect to Turbo-petrols.
So, the Kushaq and Taigun here.

2. Again, all 3 are good. But, from my observations as well as the Team-BHP reviews, the Taigun wins here.

3. The XUV3OO is nothing but a shortened Ssangyong Tivoli and so to meet the sub-4m category, space is obviously at a premium. Kushaq and Taigun being 4.2m long get the win here as well.

5. This depends on your dealer. For example, here in Pune, I've never had a problem with my VW dealer. Great guys to work with and they get the job done. But, from what I've heard, the Skoda dealers have run into problems every once in a while. This time, it's the XUV3OO that takes the crown.

So, the basic difference between the XUV3OO and the VAGs is space and the aftersales. It's upto you as to which you'd prefer. If it was me in your position, I'd probably have gone for the Taigun (but that might be slightly biased considering we own a Vento).

[Akshay6988]

Originally Posted by sunikkat

If in your place I would go for Kushaq

1. Fun to drive Petrol turbo-manual - Kushaq
2. Good handling and driving dynamics - Kushaq
3. Comfortable and safe - Both should be safe
4. Budget: 10-15 Lakhs
5. Good after sales service experience - Mahindra mostly (though I am super happy with Skoda after sales experience in Bangalore)

Quoting you for the sake of it. I feel we should not label any VAG car (rather any other car) as "safe" unless and until it is crash tested by any authority. Times and again I've seen this notion that VAG cars are safe but never saw any NCAP crash rating reports for the VAG cars which are made for Indian market or made in India ! Till there are no crash test results I'd rate all non tested cars as same, as simply there's no proof how these cars would fare in a mishap ! Sure the build is solid and there's this famous "thud" associated with VAG cars but there's no crash ratings

Coming to OPs query, if you are fine with little to nill boot space and can live without it, definitely go for the XUV300, it is hoot to drive ! Kushaq is a competent car but with the Skoda is showing tantrums, I don't think it's worth it.

[sunikkat]

Originally Posted by Akshay6988

Quoting you for the sake of it. I feel we should not label any VAG car (rather any other car) as "safe" unless and until it is crash tested by any authority. Times and again I've seen this notion that VAG cars are safe but never saw any NCAP crash rating reports for the VAG cars which are made for Indian market or made in India ! Till there are no crash test results I'd rate all non tested cars as same, as simply there's no proof how these cars would fare in a mishap ! Sure the build is solid and there's this famous "thud" associated with VAG cars but there's no crash ratings

Originally Posted by shancz

-
Kushaq/Taigun hasn't been GNCAP rated yet so let's not assume stuff since the assumption is being used by TML to project the Harrier/Safari as "safe" without being sent for testing which another thread points out why.

Well, most cars in our market are still not crash tested. So based on my experience with Skoda and the build quality of Kushaq it is my opinion that Kushaq is safe. Plus it has most of the safety features. And that's the reason I mentioned 'should be' safe than 'is' safe . Atleast in that parameter VAG has never given me a reason to think otherwise.
So if a crash test proves otherwise my opinion would change too.

[shancz]

Originally Posted by buzzlightyear

- One being how good the car is to drive after 4-5 years. Is there any decrement in performance and comfort. How’s the after sales service.
- Second being how good is it if compared with Kushaq on the basis of Electronic Safety features such as EDS, XDS , MSR, ARP etc..

- The only true way is to wait till the cars cross those timelines else everything is a guesstimate but I don't think any modern day car would have such issues.
Reports on ASS are good(better than VW/Skoda overall), don't think that should be a point of concern.

- The XUV300 doesn't carry all the abbreviations, its quite a simple and fun car to drive and if you haven't TDed it yet please do and then figure how many of those abbreviations you'll feel the need of since different driving styles and preferences matter in the end.

Originally Posted by sunikkat

3. Comfortable and safe - Both should be safe

Small correction :
XUV300 with 2 airbags has been GNCAP rated as 5 stars, the W8(O) has at least 6
Kushaq/Taigun hasn't been GNCAP rated yet so let's not assume stuff since the assumption is being used by TML to project the Harrier/Safari as "safe" without being sent for testing which another thread points out why.

Not saying they won't get good results but I would rather wait for them to be tested. If this was comparing between two untested cars like say the S-Cross and the Kushaq this would be okay since both are well built and untested .
Let's give credit to the guys who took the effort for sending it to GNCAP, IMHO

[buzzlightyear]

Originally Posted by Akshay6988

I feel we should not label any VAG car (rather any other car) as "safe" unless and until it is crash tested by any authority. Times and again I've seen this notion that VAG cars are safe but never saw any NCAP crash rating reports for the VAG cars which are made for Indian market or made in India !

Coming to OPs query, if you are fine with little to nill boot space and can live without it, definitely go for the XUV300, it is hoot to drive ! Kushaq is a competent car but with the Skoda is showing tantrums, I don't think it's worth it.

I understood for the after sales part. There’s some tantrums of Škoda in some cities. Correct.

On the other hand, Safe cars not only have good crash test ratings, they also have a good electronic safety net around them as well, like ARP, Traction control, EBD, XDS+, EDS etc.

Originally Posted by akash_v12

So, the basic difference between the XUV3OO and the VAGs is space and the aftersales. It's upto you as to which you'd prefer. If it was me in your position, I'd probably have gone for the Taigun (but that might be slightly biased considering we own a Vento).

I also had the similar opinion for Taigun vs Kushaq. Taigun is more confident in corners while Kushaq has more comfortable ride in city. But Taigun is value for money for the top model, which is out of my budget. However in the mid trim, Kushaq seems a better value for money item.

[shancz]

Originally Posted by sunikkat

And that's the reason I mentioned 'should be' safe than 'is' safe

My point was that using the word "should be safe" for both is unfair to the XUV300 which as per GNCAP is safe.
That word robs the XUV300 of the advantage of being tested, which isn't done.

Ref :

Originally Posted by shancz

If this was comparing between two untested cars like say the S-Cross and the Kushaq this would be okay since both are well built and untested .
Let's give credit to the guys who took the effort for sending it to GNCAP, IMHO

[Kashi053]

Kushaq petrol engine is better. Has bigger boot. Slightly better driving dynamics.

Xuv300 is wider. 5* NCAP rated. Low maintenance cost. Mahindra has better reach/service center than Skoda.

My pick would be Kushaq if petrol or AT.
Xuv300 if you are looking for Diesel MT.

[Jangra]

Originally Posted by buzzlightyear

Please help me decide.

Since you were interested in Polo, taking it as Crossover/SUV is not must. Why not Vento Highline Plus Manual OR Rapid Monte Carlo Manual.
It takes care of your #1, 2, 3, 4. Re: #5, both M&M and VAG could be a hit or a miss.
Both Vento and Rapid could be offered with big discounts as they are going to be replaced soon. Spares would not be a concern considering these products are bread and butter of VAG India.

[buzzlightyear]

Originally Posted by Jangra

Since you were interested in Polo, taking it as Crossover/SUV is not must. Why not Vento Highline Plus Manual OR Rapid Monte Carlo Manual.
It takes care of your #1, 2, 3, 4. Re: #5, both M&M and VAG could be a hit or a miss.
Both Vento and Rapid could be offered with big discounts as they are going to be replaced soon. Spares would not be a concern considering these products are bread and butter of VAG India.

Although I don’t like Sedans much yet I reached out for Vento and Rapid as well. Dealer response was same as Polo. No production. Could have waited for Slavia but it will take time for it to be come out of production and get delivered. Whereas Kushaq and XUV are in stock.

[TechSavvy]

It’s a simple debate. If you want a diesel get the XUV if you want the petrol get the VW twins. They started the turbo game way back and have a lot of more engineering into it than M&M when it comes to turbo petrol.
Think this way (I know you’re getting the 1.0) but if you got the 1.5 tsi it’s like getting an Audi A3s 1.4 tsfi same engine characteristics for half the cost !!

[Kuldeep31]

You have not mentioned your daily driving requirements. In case you want to do mainly city commuting with occasional long drives, you can check out the Nexon EV XZ+ variant.

It has all the bells and whistles, a genuine sub-10-second acceleration, 5-star crash rating, bigger boot than 300, and hopefully a better ASS than VAG. There will be associated benefits with taxes and with a running cost of Rs. 1.25 / km, Nexon will be like having the cake and eating it too.
Regards

[thanixravindran]

Originally Posted by buzzlightyear

Hi Everyone,

Need advice in buying my next car.
My requirements:
1. Fun to drive Petrol turbo-manual
2. Good handling and driving dynamics
3. Comfortable and safe
4. Budget: 10-15 Lakhs
5. Good after sales service experience

Please help me decide.

Hello buzzlightyear - I underwent the exactly same dilemma. I was sold on the XUV300 but bought the Kushaq. You can read my initial ownership thread. I had a hard stop for my budget at 15 Lakhs.

I took test drives of both the cars at the same stretch (Good and bad roads combo) with family. Some points -

Fun to drive and handling - Both cars are really punchy but in my limited test drive run but I felt Kushaq is a tad better. For Kushaq, it was really fun as I drove yesterday in a good open stretch and it brought a smile. I feel Kushaq is planted and behaves properly. Please take a test drive in XUV300 to check as I did not got a complete open stretch to test. I felt XUV300 clutch is little heavy than Kushaq.

Exterior Looks - Kushaq is better than XUV300 in my eyes. Some people may like the stance of XUV300 as its floor is higher than Kushaq I guess. You need to 'Get down' from XUV300 like a SUV and 'Come out' from Kushaq like a car. This is down to individual preference.

Interior - XUV300 is better with its White and bright colors which my family liked. It is wider and three adults are comfortable with almost bench like seat in rear. Kushaq is strictly a four seater and if you mount a child seat, it will be only three adults. Kushaq interior color theme is dull and not to my liking frankly. However biggest problem is boot space which is hardly available in XUV300 but Kushaq is quite usable. It depends on the individual usage.

Feature wise, now a days most cars are well loaded. XUV300 is loaded fully with features and everything felt put properly. Kushaq has its own nifty features that you will like and some not great bits that you won't like.

Ride comfort: I found Kushaq a bit more comfortable for riding over small potholes, broken roads better than XUV300. You do not have to downshift often as the engine has good low end as well people in rear won't complain. Coming from i10 this felt a lot better than for me.

Safety: XUV300 wins here hands down. Kushaq can have a long list of safety features (No compromise for entry and Mid variants except airbags) but XUV300 has been tested and proven independently in NCAP. If I remember correctly, Skoda did not sent Kushaq for testing voluntarily. No point in comparing a tested and untested car. If this is your 'Must Have' criteria, the answer is simple.

After sales and service experience: I could not comment on it as I don't own both brands. However my Pre-sales experience itself was a big let down with Mahindra which made me lean towards Skoda whereas Skoda sales/dealership experience was excellent. This will vary significantly in our country. So I have taken a gamble with Skoda and only time will tell on how service experience turns out to be.

Overall as you can see, both are quite close in most aspects. XUV 300 W8 OPT MT Petrol is One Lakh cheaper than than Kushaq 1.0 TSI Ambition MT which suggests Kushaq is priced a little high and XUV300 is better VFM package. Please test drive back to back and decide.