My brand-new Skoda Kushaq AT: Likes and dislikes

The engine and transmission combination is an absolute joy. However, I found the car's cabin to be extremely noisy.

BHPian msnarain recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Took delivery of our new Skoda Kushaq 1.0 Style AT (6 airbags) on Saturday. We have driven it for close to 100 km over the weekend. It's been an absolute joy to drive - so much that the wife and I have literally been fighting over who gets to drive the car - we have now resorted to rock, paper, scissors!

I will try to write a detailed review one of these days, but here is a quick gist.

What we like

• Looks. We love it. Surprisingly been turning heads - probably because there are not many Kushaqs on the road.
• Driving. The TSI + the torque convertor is an absoltue joy. Been resisting the temptation to floor for at least a couple of thousand km.
• Handles beautifully. Super refined ride quality too in the city. Will update highway manners post a long highway drive.
• Sedan-like manners. For someone coming from a hatch that was an absolute toy to chuck, this seems like the perfect upgrade. Not too hard to navigate through traffic or take that tight U-turn.
• We love the dashboard and steering. Classy and not too loud. Everything visible to the driver is extremely useable, accessible and thought through (except the AC controls - more on that below).
• Back seats. Parents love the easy ingress and egress after having been struggling with the Brio for a couple of years now. Three in the back seems like a squeeze, but the middle occupant won't complain during city drives considering there is an adjustable headrest for middle seats. We don't plan to take on a third occupant for long drives unless it's someone we really hate.
• 6 airbags. We had to shoot down a lot of good CSUV/crossovers within (Magnite, Kiger, etc) because they lacked 6 airbags. This almost single-handedly sealed the deal for us. The other SUV/CSUV/Crossovers with 6 airbags that we could buy for less than 20L were either too old models (EcoSport, etc) or commanded waiting periods that didn't make sense (all the South Koreans).

What we aren't big fans of

• Analog cockpit that looks dated. No complaints, but we would have loved the digital cockpit considering cars priced way below seem to offer better looking MIDs and needles. Not complaining about the analog rev meter though. I absolutely hate the digital rev display in my Triumph Street Twin. Unusable.
• Non-powered seat adjustment. Plus the passenger seat can't be adjusted for height.
• Exposed sunroof mechanicals are an eyesore. Luckily, I don't see us opening it ever.
• AC controls are all-touch. Had to take my eyes off the road for split seconds multiple times.
• Cabin is really noisy. A lot of engine + traffic noise makes its way into the cabin. The powered windows are WAY noisy as well.

Few more points

• We haven't set up MySkoda yet, so will not comment on that yet.
• No squeaky door issues so far - SA promised they have taken care of it before delivery and said if it arises, they will take care of it again.
• Oct 2021 is the manufacturing month. So the SA claims the fuel pump is also replaced.
• The 3-cylinder clatter seems amplified at idle. So much that someone mistook it for a diesel. But super refined once you drive off. But you still hear the engine inside the cabin. Can one go for aftermarket insulation under the bonnet to at least contain some of the noise?

I will post more pictures and write a detailed review here soon. For now, got to go and win a game of rock, paper, scissors!

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