[srikanthmadhava]

Congrats on your car
1.5 TSI manual is the best combo - minimal reliability or maintenance worries and maximum delight on open roads.

Originally Posted by DragonHawk

The headlights with crystalline structures feature LED technology which provides sufficient throw.

Can you share images and coverage of the cornering fog lamps please.

[BennyA23]

The car looks absolutely gorgeous! Congratulations!

The fit and finish is as worrying as the parts issues. Its unfortunate because I've loved Skoda since the first gen Octavia in India!

They really haven't been able to keep up with the Koreans or the Germans. But of course those are on a different league.

Maybe a few more vRS' should boost their image back up.

[professor.march]

Another Abhilash here. Own a Polo which is getting a little long in the tooth now. Combination of age and a bad service centre are making me look at about 50k worth of repairs. I do need another car in the house but financially I'll be able to manage that only after an year or two. Hopefully this segment gets more competition and these two VAG cars age well.

[DCharger]

Originally Posted by DragonHawk

Other Points
Fit and finish issues that have caught my eyes.

The rear AC vent slider is broken within a week of owning it.
Attachment 2206052

It is definitely an eyesore and not expected from Skoda.
Attachment 2206053

The fit and finish of leather seats are highly questionable.
Attachment 2206054

I feel that Skoda is compromising too much on quality stating localization. This sought of quality is not expected on a vehicle costing close to 20 lakhs and that too coming from VW group. On the other side I am happy that our own desi brands have grown leaps and bounds in terms of quality, features and handling(Read...TATA and Mahindra).

I agree with you on the pleasure of driving a TSI and the handling of course(most of the Asian cars south of 20lakhs cannot hold a candle to this), but I would equally look at the quality/fit and finish when I chose my ride.

[Puneet0051]

Very well written unbiased review. Being a previous Skoda owner myself , was extremely happy with the car (Rapid 1.6TDI) stonker of a engine back then 5-8 years back, sturdy and solid. I was happy with their overall service as well. And i would have upgraded in same brand if i would not have jumped the segments.

Nothing is perfect but nothing beats the joy of driving. Its not about going from Point A to B its all about how you want to drive again. And the special car like this with special engine makes it special

Happy miles ahead

[Shreesharai]

Congratulations on the car sir
wish you happy miles and a trouble free experience.

[JoshMachine]

Super crisp review
The MT coupled with the sweet TSi engine should be real fun, akin to having paddle shifters at your disposal!
And yes, you made the right decision, of picking the higher displacement 1.5 liter engine.
Wishing you a great ownership!

[Dieseltuned]

Hearty congratulations on your shiny new ride. Wishing you many many happy miles. I had 2 questions please if you don't mind :
1. Are the Skoda EPC issues only for the automatic variants or effect the manual variants as well ?
2. I see you did not have Nexon in the shortlist but had a XUV300, any particular reason for dropping the Nexon ? I might be in the market for a Nexon sized car , hence the question.

Regards
Diesel

[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by DragonHawk

This is a story of my journey from a humble Ford Figo 1.4TDCi to Škoda Kushaq 1.5TSI MT.

Congratulation DragonHawk on your latest acquisition

Did get to drive the 1.0 TSI recently and it was pretty good for what it offers on paper. As everybody who has driven one has rightly pointed, this 1.0 TSI will suffice most of the owners.

However, one drive in the 1.5 TSI was enough to make me forget the former as this is my pick too. Your review has highlighted the owner's perspective in a very crisp and comprehensive manner.

Skoda have got ahead of themselves by calling this the King or emperor too soon. I could care less they had not overloaded the Kushaq with features like the competition does, but they shouldn't have removed the features that VAG are known for:

* One touch up/down windows with anti-pinch function
* Skoda (Wind tone) horn
* All round disc brakes
Rapid was their only offering without this and considering Kushaq is MQB, this must have been taken from Octavia/Superb.

Wish you a very happy and fuss free Skoda motoring.

[PetroNerd]

Originally Posted by DragonHawk

Overall we spent around 2 hours in the showroom and with customary formalities and cake cutting, we were on our way. 60kms drive back home was full of nerves but thoroughly enjoyed every moment of being at the driver`s seat.

Congratulations on your new car, and welcome to the Skoda family.*
When I was reading the thread, I felt like I'd seen the image somewhere, so I opened the whatsapp status section. It was posted by an SA of Tafe Access Skoda.

[ChandraSekarMN]

Nice car and a neat review. For a change, the post highlights the positives available with the car amongst the sea of KUSHAQ PROBLEMS posts. Nothing against people who suffer after paying 15+ lacs and rightfully complaining against failed parts, just that the negatives are being publicized to a very big extent in my opinion.
Happy motoring.

[DragonHawk]

Originally Posted by androdev

• No worries about DSG or missing airbags
• No confusion about Kushaq vs T-ROC which doesn't have an MT option
• No need to wonder if Kushaq is worth the premium over Polo/Rapid 1.0 :-)

You have nailed it. Even with Taigun being launched now, I don`t think anyone who is looking for a 1.5TSI in MT avatar will have much confusion. If you want a well-loaded car with all bells and whistles then look no further than Kushaq.

Originally Posted by Dead_Pedal

Nice details! These types of floor mats may feel very soft and comfy but do they not foul with the pedals usage? , especially the clutch.

It is the first time I have installed 7D mats. In all my previous cars I had installed floor lamination but with Kushaq I felt it is too risky for the seats to be removed which houses airbags, ventilated fan connections, etc. Moreover, for now, I have removed the mats from the driver's side as it was obstructing clutch operation.

Originally Posted by Dieseltuned

1. Are the Skoda EPC issues only for the automatic variants or effect the manual variants as well ?
2. I see you did not have Nexon in the shortlist but had a XUV300, any particular reason for dropping the Nexon ? I might be in the market for a Nexon sized car , hence the question.

EPC issue is independent of the type of transmission and engine. As per Skoda, it is from a particular batch that is impacted. Since I already have Ecosport, so Nexon was not in my consideration, and XUV300 I did considered only for the value add it brings in.

Originally Posted by Vik0728

* One touch up/down windows with anti-pinch function
* Skoda (Wind tone) horn
* All round disc brakes
.

Exactly it is a bummer to remove features that VW/Skoda brought in as a differentiator. I hope Skoda will correct those in the next product lifecycle improvement.

[goenkakushal]

I am surprised to note that Tyre size is 205/55 R17

However spare wheel size is 205/55 R16

How is this possible ? Even the lower variant has 205/60 R16 for all wheels, they could have used the same size

A steel rim with 60 profile would have matched, but reducing the Rim size and keeping same profile is going to reduce the overall circumference by 8 cm.

This seems like a blunder.

[pudarsanketh]

Since Start
Attachment 2210391

Congratulations on new your car. What kind of stretch got you 19 KMPL mileage ? Was it highway and sedate driving ?

[DragonHawk]

Originally Posted by pudarsanketh

Congratulations on new your car. What kind of stretch got you 19 KMPL mileage ? Was it highway and sedate driving ?

19KMPl mileage I got during couple of to and fro trips to Mysore from Puttur which is mix of ghat sections and beautiful 2 lane highway with speeds hovering anywhere between 70-90km/hr. Since onward journey was early morning with not much traffic, for most part between Kushalnagar-Mysore, I could see ACT getting into action. Return journey was during peak hours with good weekend traffic till Madikeri still could manage a decent figure of 18.7kmpl.