Confused between the Skoda Kushaq and Honda City

After considering over 10 cars under a price range of around 15 lakhs, we have narrowed the options down to two.

BHPian PetrolHead2272 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Background

We had a 2011 Toyota Innova GX that had clocked over 2.3 lakh kilometres. Due to the absurd 10 year diesel ban in Delhi-NCR, we sold it a few days ago. Along with that, we plan on selling the other car we own as soon as we get a new one.

What type of car do we need?

We had decided on an Innova Crysta GX, but due to covid, we decided not to go for an expensive car just yet. What we are looking for is a car that gets the job done. We plan on using this car for a year or so, until covid dies down. (X3 is on the cards for after-covid era), but for now we just need a less expensive car. We plan on retaining this car even if we buy another one in some time.

Options considered

After considering over 10 cars under a price range of around 15 lakhs, we have narrowed the options down to:

1. Honda City 5th generation VX petrol Manual

2. Skoda Kushaq Ambition Petrol Manual.

Fuel - Petrol, would only be my dads daily driver for a year until we get a new car. After that, the usage would drop a lot. Hence, no diesel considered.

Transmission - Manual. No more comments.

Advantages of Kushaq over City

• Since we have been used to the Innova's height, an SUV would be a lot easier to travel in.
• Better feature equipped by a hairs breadth
• During bumper-to-bumper traffic, the Kushaq, being comparatively smaller in length, would be easier to drive and manoeuvre.

Advantages of City over Kushaq

• Rear seat has much more space. Due to the light beige interiors, the cabin feels roomier despite it being a low lying sedan.
• Boot space is almost double than that of the Kushaq (not a deal breaker, as the car would be driven locally)
• Although both engines are equally great, I prefer the 1.5 NA engine in the City slightly more than the Kushaq's engine.

Kindly tell me which car would be better for my current usage between the City and Kushaq.

Thanks a lot in advance.

Here's what BHPian Researcher had to say on the matter:

In these times of COVID, I will prefer a reliable and proven car if keeping only one car over a year for daily use, especially without the risk of downtime or exposing your father to the probability of more service center visits due to a new German product, despite the fact that the 1.5 TSI MT in its top variant is very tempting and Kushaq is a very well-rounded car. Also, since you are already planning a German after COVID, I will distribute my risks and have a garage with different types of cars. Hence I voted for the City.

However, if possible to explore, I will suggest you to look into a more reliable crossover which will help in the taller seating and smaller dimensions. Something in the lines of the top variants of an S-Cross, Brezza or WR-V, will be something that you may check. The S-Cross would be my first pick as it is similar in size to the Kushaq and has more space than the Brezza or WR-V. In case of minimal usage after a year, there is a higher chance that you will have lesser headache with a Japanese than a German if you start using a car after a period of hibernation. Good luck with your purchase.

Here's what BHPian carthick1000 had to say on the matter:

First of all, it looks like you keep your cars for quite long in your family. And given the Kushaq has just launched and like many other new models coming to the market, the first series of vehicles will always come with a lot of niggles and they get ironed out over time. Also the whole VW-Skoda-Audi group seems to be getting a lot of brickbats of late. Esp. we come across VAG service issues on team-bhp quite a lot compared to Hondas.

I think Honda City would be a much sensible option in terms of reliability and long term service experience. I would even suggest to pickup VX CVT if the car is going to be used more for urban commutes. Also takes a lot of stress out of driving. If the users of the car (I presume you and your father) do like to drive manual, the city's gearshifts are very nice too. So you can't go wrong with either type of transmissions.

Most of all, the sweet 1.5L i-VTEC NA engine is a hoot to drive. Personally, I am not a fan of downsized turbo petrols. Btw, 5th gen Honda city is not that of a low slung sedan. It is rather comfortable for ingress & egress. But, I guess such subjective opinions can only be laid to rest when you take a test drive in both the vehicles.

Good luck! Let us all know what you eventually zeroed-in on.

Here's what BHPian akash_v12 had to say on the matter:

Hi PetrolHead2272, always nice to see other teens around! We've quite a few here now.

Coming to your query, I'd say go for the Kushaq only because you're dad will be driving (& from what I could ascertain from your post, he likes driving too). Even though I haven't driven cars yet, the Kushaq surely has better driving dynamics than the City, which is slightly more comfort-oriented.

As you've mentioned in your post, the Kushaq will also be great due to it's height in peak traffic and the 1.0L engine is doing great in terms of reliability till now.

Do keep in mind, since it's a Skoda, anything that the dealer says could either be very true or would just be ways to milk money out of your pocket.

Here's what BHPian Latheesh had to say on the matter:

I had the same issue in deciding which one to choose. I had booked both (Kushaq Active and City V) and finally cancelled Kushaq booking. Getting delivery of my City V manual next week.

Edit: My initial budget was 12L and already stretched it for City V manual. If it is City - go for VX CVT variant otherwise go for V CVT (if budget is an issue).

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