[Ays7]

Hello All, I have been lurking on this forum for years, but my membership only got approved recently and hence this is the first post.

Current Cars in the family:
1) Maruti Ciao Zeta MT - 2017 November Model, 29000 Kms on the ODO - Mostly used by my brother.
2) Volkswagen Vento 1.2 TSI DSG - 2018 Model 16000 Kms on the ODO. - Currently used by me.

So, my Volkswagen Vento Highline + is on a corporate lease which is set to expire in April, and we started looking for a suitable car to replace it. Since some of the cars in our initial consideration had heavy waiting periods, we started the search since last few weeks.. Here is the list of my requirements.

Must have features:
1. Automatic
2. Petrol
3. 6 Air Bags + ABS, EBD, ESP, Hill Hold Assist, MCB.
4. Cruise control
5. Rear View camera
6. Good boot space
7. Good driving dynamics.
8. SUV
9. Budget 18-22 Lakhs On-road, Mumbai.
10. Apple CarPlay

Good to have features:
1.Ventilated Seats
2.TPMS
3. Auto-Dimming IRVM
4. Navigation
5. Auto-Foldable ORVM's

Our last ride was a Hyundai Verna Automatic, and we have never had an SUV in the family, so this time, we are mentally prepared to welcome an SUV instead of Sedans, that I usually opt for. But Slavia might change that if it is a runaway hit.

Cars Considered:

1) Hyundai Creta - Easily the most feature loaded car in the segment, rock solid interiors. But Missus rejected it as it reminded her too much of Verna. Found the showroom experience to be just average, and long waiting times on 1.4 Turbo DCT.

2) Kia Seltos - Another run away hit, but just 3 stars on NCAP kept me away from it. We have an infant at home, and psychologically wasn't prepared for knowingly buying a brand that hasn't addressed safety issues as yet.

3) Tata Nexon - Đid manage to go for a test drive, but just hated the AMT, loved the car otherwise, but AMT was enough to eliminate it completely.

4) MG Astor - Loved the interiors - they are just wow. But 3 cylinder engine was noisy for our liking. Did not find the engine enthusiastic enough.

5) Skoda Kushaq - Was very interested in this car initially - but EPC issues and poor interior reviews kept putting me off. Lack of 6 airgags on top model was a downer as well. However, once the new Style AT was launched with 6 Air bags, we gave the showroom a visit. It was just a casual visit and we went without calling or even asking them if they had a vehicle available for a test drive. However, the showroom experience was nice. We had gone on a Tuesday afternoon, and we were the only one's in at that time. The assigned SA was friendly, honest, and not pushy at all and was able to arrange a TD for us in 1.5 DSG Model that we were considering. The SA was also forthright about EPC issues (said they haven't heard of any issue in Mumbai, and all new cars have reported no issues). He also agreed that Taigun has slightly better interiors and more mature styling (his words).

6) Volkswagen Taigun - immediately after Kushaq Test drive, I called up SA at VW showroom from whom we had purchased the Vento. While he wasn't available, he was able to arrange a Test Drive for 1.5 DSG GT+ and asked another SA to assist us. This SA came across as tad too aggressive, was for some reason pushing us towards 1.0 Ltr engine rather than 1.5 despite telling him that most of our drive would be on highways and on travels outside Mumbai. He also openly badmouthed Skoda and commented on EPC issues.

7) XUV700 - Loved the vehicle at first look, but we simply do not need a 7 seater and it stretches our budget substantially, while 5 seater auto variants are too bare boned. Plus the longish waiting period rules it out.

Coming from a Vento, we were blown away by the driving dynamics of both Kushaq and Taigun, and hence we feel that our decision might be skewed towards either of the two (1.5 DSG only), unless Slavia somehow blows us away and sits in our budget.

Skoda Kushaq

What we liked:

- Superb driving dynamics - 1.5 was sporty and enthusiastic.
- Interiors did not look that bad to us in person, even the curls on the Steering wheel.
- Adequate rear leg room

What we did not like:

- The roof liner's quality did leave a lt to be desired. SA said it might be rectified in 2022 models, but wasn't sure.
- Analog console - looked ancient - but not a deal breaker.

VW Taigun

What we liked:

- Wife loved the dashboard better on Taigun
- The Digital console looks sleek
- Drive was good, but engine somehow felt more restrained initially than Kushaq

What we did not like:

- The seats - they have fabric seats in the GT+ version - even a 10 L car has better seats.
- The suspension felt a lot more stiffer on Taigun and you could feel a lot more speed breakers and bumps. But may be that was just the road we TD'd on.

The SA claimed that he could provide seat covers for Taigun, and they will not impact the airbags in the Seats. Is that possible? I always thought seat covers were no-no if a car has airbags in seats.

Personally, between the two, I found Kushaq more fun to drive, and interiors that I could live with. Taigun would come close if the poor fabric seats can be resolved But coming from a Vento, I thought I would give Skoda a try over VW. But that will depend on wifey as well. Also Skoda's top variant currently is a cool 50K over Taigun, and has ventilated seats and TPMS over Taigun.

We typically use the car just for weekend runs to the mall or trips out of Mumbai, hence our usage is typically low. We are a family of 8, but new car will be primarily used by me, wife and our infant.

My brother at present is using Ciao primarily for his business runs within mumbai, and is considering retrofitting it with CNG as it will primarily be driven by chauffeur.

He is planning to keep my Vento (it has 16000 Kms on ODO, has run great so far, and has its battery replaced and one ABS Sensor replaced under warranty. We can but the Vento by paying Residual Value of 3.4 Lakhs at the end of the lease period in April and he plans to keep it for another 4-5 years just for when he needs to drive the car himself, or on our trips. We need one proper sedan in the family since my dad is a paralytic and we need proper bootspace for fitting his oversized wheelchair. We will check Kushaq and Taigun to see if they can fit a wheel chair in the boot as well.

EV's are out for now, because of our low running, and range anxiety, but this probably would be our last ICE car.

Would love to hear thoughts and suggestions on what we should go for. Any inputs on seat covers for Taigun, and feasibility of the same in 6 Airbag version variant would be appreciated.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by Ays7

Would love to hear thoughts and suggestions on what we should go for. Any inputs on seat covers for Taigun, and feasibility of the same in 6 Airbag version variant would be appreciated.

A friend who took delivery of the Taigun couple of days back wanted to put the seat covers and had checked and confirmed it is possible to do so. As per the manual the location of the airbags don't prevent a seat cover. Will check for more specific details.

Between the two, I think it would be a personal choice and the must have features for you. Looks like the Kushaq has a couple of things more that you like and you are also interested in a Skoda, the Kushaq maybe a better option.

Having said that, coming from a 2018 Vento TSI not sure if either will be 'feel' like a solid upgrade.

[shancz]

Both are essentially the same car with cosmetic, feature and pricing differences so you will be choosing the same car in either case based on the above preferences.

Would suggest to wait for the Slavia though and the VW twin if you prefer their styling but I doubt if the VW will be available by April.

IIRC last year an article mentioned that Skoda is leading the India 2.0 strategy for VW as well, which is quite evident.

Don't think they'll have different internal components for Skoda and VW cars. Lower EPC issues on the Taigun are a result of a later launch when the EPC issues had already been reported in the Kushaq and lower sales than the Kushaq. And its not that the Taigun has zero EPC issues, our dedicated thread has a few reported cases on the Taigun too.

[Tony2298]

First of all, a very warm greeting to a newbie from another newbie 🙂. Now coming to your query both the Škoda Kushaq and Volkswagen Taigun are one of the better cars out there in the segment, yes they do lack that very solid European flair of their yesteryear siblings but still they are much better than other cars in the segment IMHO. Choosing between the two cars which essentially the same just boils down to your preference in the department of looks, brand value and slightly different feature package options, another point worth consideration would be the service experience, try to know which one is better in customer satisfaction in your area, this will help your buying process in a positive way.

My uncle himself bought a Honey Orange Škoda Kushaq 1.0 TSi MT on the auspicious occasion of Diwali, more than him I enjoy driving the car 😁, it's a hoot to drive, the features which are present are more than sufficient and honestly speaking when I am involved in driving I forget about those small niggles. Anyways, you shall wait till February at least as after that new batches will have most of these small quality issues sorted out. Happy shopping time ahead!

[One]

Originally Posted by Ays7

The suspension felt a lot more stiffer on Taigun and you could feel a lot more speed breakers and bumps. But may be that was just the road we TD'd on.

Personally, between the two, I found Kushaq more fun to drive

The driving difference between the two cars was probably the difference between the two TD cars (tyre pressure, road taken etc.) . Would be surprised if the suspension etc. is tuned differently, the only difference I remember reading in an Autocar review (and in that only one review so far) was that they claimed the Taigun was quicker when the 1.0 engines (and not the 1.5) were compared.

Like other folks have mentioned, the choice will probably boil down to aesthetics and wherever servicing is better. Happy driving

[CeeBeeR]

Hi Ays7 I'm also in the market for a new car and recently booked the Kushaq 1.5 DSG 6 airbags. The reasons I've preferred Kushaq over Taigaun are:

1) I get a subwoofer and ventilated seats in the Kushaq. The Taigun maybe slightly cheaper, but the 50k premium for Kushaq gives me a better ICE and front seats luxury.

2) I liked the Kushaq looks over Taigun, especially because of the chrome moustache in Taigun ehich spoils its looks.

3) VW had no reason not to offer leather seats in the 1.5 DSG Taigun. Their CEO's utter atrocious comment justifying the feature miss made me even more angry.

There are couple of advantages the Taigun has over Kushaq, but they didn't matter much to me. They are:

1) Slightly better looking interiors. Emphasis on slightly, the difference isn't ground breaking. Also, newer variants of Kushaq are said to get better interiors.

2) Digital cockpit in Taigun. I can live with missing features, not with a half baked feature. While newer variants of Kushaq may get the same digital cockpit of Taigun, I'd rather stick with the old school analog dials than look at one which can't display revs and speed at once.

3) Better warranty package option in Taigun. This is important and I see it being the only advantage of Taigun over Kushaq.

Both the cars belong to the same platform, they have almost similar suspension and engine setup. The differences are in appearances and personal brand preference.

Hope this helps.

[sunikkat]

Between Kushaq and Taigun, it boils down to the personal preferences - styling, interiors etc.
If in your place I would buy Kushaq 1.5 (Manual or DSG) as I find it to be more matured than Taigun.

[TJ02]

The Taigun GT+ gets TPMS, it only misses on ventilated seats and Skoda subwoofer.
Like people have pointed out it purely boils down to which car you like in terms of looks and ease of service. Parts, platform etc all are common between the cars.

Taigun did not stall anywhere on the road, few cars showed EPC light but they were reset by visiting the service center. Taigun did not face EPC issues since by the time VW went into production of the Taigun Skoda VW knew the root cause of EPC error breakdown.

[lamborghini]

This is going to be a conundrum I may face shortly in 2022-2023 when it is time to replace our S-Cross except that this would be more chauffeur driven and I would bat strongly for the 1.0AT or 1.5MT unless I can get a better contender in.

Firstly, keeping the Vento at 3.4L for a 2018 vehicle is a no brainer. If you can extend the warranty do so. That being said, I'm not too convinced on getting a CNG tank on the Ciaz - especially if your running is low (which seems to be) - it's not worth the headache.

Coming to the main conundrum, assuming boot space isn't an issue, the cross over maybe easier for your father to get in and out as compared to a sedan but do keep this in check as well: I found the outgoing creta to be an inch too high, but the S-Cross for instance is just perfect - aided by narrower door sills.

About the Taigun & Kushaq, my personal vote goes for the Kushaq : better service quality in my humble opinion (ex-Laura v/s current Tiguan), and it just looks bigger than the Taigun due to it's design.
However - if you are happy with your VW service center, the Taigun could make more sense with the longer warranty, better pricing, and better interiors.
If you can make the trip on a Sunday to Prabhadevi, I believe the VW & Skoda showrooms are located close enough for you to test drive both options on similar roads + with all the work going on as you head towards worli naka you would get to test the suspension, and a return on worli seaface should give you an idea on handling and performance. Do check the tyre pressure on both vehicles as well before driving as it can make a world of a difference.
Airbags : Please check where they are mounted. You would see some warning / Airbag label if they are within seats - in which case it's better to avoid getting the leather seats. If they are mounted on the pillar then it shouldn't be an issue.

[roadlover1705]

I chose the Kushaq 1.5MT over Taigun as the manual in Taigun misses out on so many things and feels that VW wanted to ignore MT users- surprisingly no one speaks about it as much people complained about Škoda missing airbags and TPMS in their previous top AT variant.

The interiors grow on you and the MID, while looks dated, but I preferred it over the Taigun’s half baked digital one.

My experience visiting the VW showroom was also a factor and they’ve now lost a customer in me not once but twice - the first time in 2017 when I chose to go with Ford than VW.

All being said, it comes down to what pulls your heart strings and which service centre is closer to you. But if I were to recommend, I’d strongly suggest go for the Kushaq.

[Vid6639]

My vote is for the Taigun. I think it looks little more classy and the main deciding factor is brighter interior colours and slightly better plastics like AC vents.

I would miss the subwoofer from the Kushaq though but I guess that is worth it for the more cheerful ambience in the cabin.

[crazyro]

My Vote goes to Kushaq

I had booked the Taigun initially but after the launch of the new top end version planning to switch to Kushaq
Taigun has got too much chrome and the half baked digital cockpit was not to my liking

Advantages of Kushaq
Looks more matured with less bling
Ventilated seats and Sub-woofer

[shipnil]

Originally Posted by Ays7

Would love to hear thoughts and suggestions on what we should go for.

My vote goes to Kushaq. I visited VW showroom first but I felt the Taigun to be too blingy, what with overdose of chrome on the front and the big LED light strip running across the tailgate. In no way it felt the classy European car. I saw the T-Roc that was there from the front and it had the classy chrome strips on the grill. That is how it should have been on Taigun. As for instrument cluster, I am not fan of single dial at the center. My current ride has one big speedo in the center and I never liked it in all the 10 years of ownership. Also, there is too much grey painted plastic on the dash.

As for Kushaq, the exterior is like other cars in the stable and gives it a nice look. The dashboard has nice black plastic and some carbon fiber strip kind of thing. Also, the ventilated seats on top end are a boon in our hot weather.

[Turbojet]

Hi,

I took the test drive of Skoda Kushaq AT 1.0L and 1.5 L over the weekend. Although its a driver's car, at lower rpm there was a considerable lag which infact might be an issue in hilly terrain.

Did you observe that? Also Kushaq doesnt have and Electronic Brake Assist?

Thanks

[apoorvdurga]

I had a similar conundrum. Finally, booked Kushaq - 1.5 DSG AT with 6 airbags.

We chose Kushaq over Taigun purely for its external looks. Any feature differences weren't significant from our pov.