The Skoda Kushaq or VW Virtus dilemma This is going to be a long post. I'll start with a bit of the background. I own a 1st-gen Ford Fiesta 1.4 Petrol EXI, which is my solo ride now. It has run close to 1.5L km and has been serviced at a Ford service center its whole life. Been a bit of a white elephant lately, as I am someone who does not like knocking noises while driving. Also, the car might need a clutch kit soon. Maybe because of the worn out clutch, the car does not feel spritely anymore. There is a hesitation while accelerating, but it does pull from lower speed in 2nd and even 3rd gears. Apart from a full service every 8-9 months, these are some of the parts that I remember that were changed over the period of the last 1 year -
1. Steering Rack.
2. A/C condenser kit (dashboard removed and the set was changed)
3. Brakes
4. Tyres
5. Struts all around, sway bar bushes & link rods
6. Lower suspension arms
7. Starter motor
8. Head unit - Pioneer 2 din non-touch
9. Head unit bracket
10. Battery
11. Rocker cover seal kit
12. Custom new artificial leather seat covers
13. Gearbox mount and gearbox oil
14. Windscreen
15. Power window motor (driver side front) and the glass movement channel beadings (both front)
16. Front door weather
The car rides on 185/70 R14 Goodyear Assurance Triplemax 2 tyres with no rubbing of the liners in any situation, and has gained a comfy low-speed ride (with a bit of sacrifice WRT handling). Spark plugs, engine oil additive and fuel system cleaner are something I address after every service. The RC has been renewed till 2026 and I get comprehensive insurance from Digit every year which costs around another ~7K.
So as one can see, it has been a constant money pit and my usage has greatly reduced over the past few years - maybe 1 road trip every 6 months and around 30 km every day in the city. Most of the time, I am the solo occupant and the only driver. There are some minor oil seepages, but there's no oil consumption of any sort. The clutch is very light, but the gearbox needs some effort, sometimes from 2nd to 3rd. I feel the flywheel could be the culprit, as I remember it being changed, maybe at 10 years at a then dodgy Ford SC with the wrong flywheel. One can feel the flywheel taking time to spin down between gear changes. That is my feeling. I could be wrong and it could be a synchro issue too. The car looks fine, as I get its panels repainted at an FNG, or polished if I notice any big scratches.
So, I have been eyeing the Virtus since it was launched and my budget permits me to go for a 1.0L manual (full loan). The thing I liked about the Virtus mid variant is that it is fully loaded - that 1.0L gem of an engine, LED headlights, alloy wheels, 8 speakers, cruise control and wireless changer, 10-inch screen with wireless Android Auto & Apple CarPlay and some sort of interior lighting.
I was initially inclined towards the base variant as it had most of the things except for alloy wheels, fog lamps, 7-inch head unit, central arm rest, and rear A/C vents. I was fine with those omissions too, but the matte grey exterior lower bumper portion makes the car look like THE budget variant. The chrome inserts on the mid variant along with the glossy dashboard (+10 inch head unit), make the car look good (in my opinion). Hence, I was closing in on the mid variant. For some reason, I went to the Skoda showroom and had a look at the Kushaq mid variant (I think they are similarly priced). It was loaded too, but did miss out on a few things the Virtus mid variant had, noticeably
1. 8-inch head unit, wired CarPlay & Android Auto vs the 10-inch wireless
2. 6 speakers vs 8 in the Virtus
3. I think it misses out on a wireless charger
4. And the biggest issue was the size / looks - looks more like a sub-4 meter SUV in my opinion. Even hatchbacks look bigger next to it (i20, Altroz, etc)
Me, being 6.1 ft tall and a healthy 90 kg, I feel it might look small for someone my size. The main reason for the dilemma, even if I cross over the omissions from the Kushaq mid variant 1.0 MT, is the plastic cladding all around the car's lower portion (which is present in all SUV's these days). The roads here in Hyderabad are horrendous and have these gravel stones all around. Thinking from a longevity standpoint, will the Kushaq fare better, maybe 5-7 years later? OR am I worrying over nothing? I notice, many new sedans on the roads here have scratches, especially where the fenders meet the bumper, just over the wheel arches and similarly at the rear quarter panel, over the wheel arch, meeting the bumper. These could be just minor brushes with other vehicles, but I am under the impression that the plastic cladding might protect the panel in such cases. The reason why the Slavia and Taigun were not considered is because of the lack of LED head lights in the mid spec variants. Kindly give your thoughts, which will greatly help with my decision.
Last edited by Aditya : 11th September 2023 at 17:46.
Reason: Spelling, grammar, etc.
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