9 months with my Kushaq 1.5 MT: Why I chose it over the competition

We did consider the Slavia for a little while, for the seemingly better value proposition a sedan offers.

BHPian Romeo_Mike recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I drive a Kushaq 1.5 MT, which I bought in March last year.

That said, I probably would have bought the Taigun 1.5MT if I was in the market now. The Taigun had a decisive lead during our hunt as far as looks were concerned. We prefered it's bold front end to the subtle design of the Kushaq; we liked the interiors better as well. If only VW were selling the 1.5 TSI + MT combo when we were hunting! Things I would do to avoid the DSG woes . Oh, and that meant the Virtus was out too.

We did consider the Slavia for a little while, for the seemingly better value proposition a sedan offers. These things were the deal breakers for us though:

• We could not digest some aspects of how the car looked. Like the unusually big gap in the wheel arches due to the high stance/ground clearance. This was especially important since I prefer to keep the mechanicals of a car bone stock. The rear also looked too 'fat' from some angles.
• Rear passengers were certainly not happy in the slavia. The high shoulder line made everyone feel like they are in a tank!

So why did we buy the Kushaq and not one of the competitors you ask?

TLDR:

• I wanted the best engine I could afford i.e. under 20L for myself. period.
• Then Home ministry asked 'what do you want for us?'. The answer was the safest one in our budget. That sealed the deal!

Might as well add the Verdict after 9 month of ownership here:

It has been an absolute delight so far. Thankfully we did not face any of the usual niggles reported for VAG 2.0 cars like EPC error or window glass winding motor failure etc. So keeping the fingers crossed.

Pros:

• Reasonably good interior space for avg sized adults. I am 5'10" and my father, who's 5'9", has ample leg space when seated behind me.
• Confidence inspiring high speed ride. I confess, I preferred the Taigun in this respect. The Kushaq shoots for a more balanced approach in this repect I feel.
• Bootspace is enough to house luggage for 5 people for a 3-5 day trip. Good enough for us.
• Ventilated seats have been a savior during the hot and humid Mumbai summer.
• With all the reasonable points out of the way, the car has phenomenal smiles/km quotient. That motor is just a beast and I am loving every moment of driving it!

Cons (well, more like nitpicking for me but could matter to some):

• Not a fan of the AC touch controls. With the MT, its very easy to unintentionally alter ac settings.
• The window winding motors are noisy as hell and mimic the sound of a cat being strangled! But hey, no failures yet, so I have learned to live with.
• The engine's noisy for a 4-Cylinder petrol too. But I like the noise it makes when revved so no complaints.
• The tires are a oddball size and not many upgrade options are available from reputed brands. The stock MRFs have a bassy drone that creeps into the cabin and gets irritating at times. Believe it or not, I like to drive without any music when I'm alone in the car. No complaints in the grip department though.
• Fuel economy figures in the city are not for the faint hearted, especially if you are enjoying that motor! I mostly get around 7 kmpl. On the highways it goes upto around 14 kmpl. For reference, I was averaging 10kmpl from my Alto K10. So safe to say the issue is between the seat and the steering wheel.

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