Upgrading from 2014 Swift: Skoda Kushaq or Maruti S-Cross

I've booked the S-Cross Zeta AT but the final price is yet to be negotiated. On the other hand, after a huge discount, I can get the Kushaq Ambition AT for Rs 16.9 lakh.

BHPian SHANK66 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello experts, I am in quite a dilemma in choosing between Kushaq and S Cross, need your advice on the same.

I am upgrading from my 2014 Swift ZXI with 57K km on ODO. Main reason to upgrade is to have more boot space and comfortable rear seats for the family. Since traffic in Bangalore will not get any better, I am looking at AT options. Higher GC (> 180 mm) is a must as I travel to my native place quite often where the roads are quite bad. I am happy with the 1.2 petrol performance on my Swift, but somewhere inside wished it had more. With a strict 14 L budget in mind, started hunting for my next ride. This will be my daily driver (when the office resumes).

Cars that did not make the cut

• Kias and Hyundais – Long waiting period, uninvolving drive. Just hate the design on Venue and the new Creta. Turbo engines are out of my budget. No KIA service centers in tier 2-3 cities. Not impressed with Sonet’s looks.
• MS Brezza – Did not feel like an upgrade in interior space. Why not S-Cross?!
• Mahindra XUV3OO - AMT gearbox, did not feel like an upgrade in interior space, a smaller boot, not a very appealing dashboard (found it too busy).
• Honda WRV – Honestly, interiors felt like a downgrade, overall interior space was a disappointment. Not a good-looking car from the outside. Only plus is the refined petrol engine. No CVT in WRV(?). No display car in the showroom. The TD car was parked in a corner and was very dusty. Felt like the showroom wanted to hide the car out of embarrassment.
• Renault Duster – Weird ergonomics. Could not find a perfect driving position. Also, felt it was too big a car to drive in the city. Not a fan of the butch exterior design.
• Tata Nexon – AMT gearbox, did not feel like an upgrade in interior space, dark edition had huge waiting period. (off-topic, a loud voice announced the drive mode selected, sales rep informed that it’s a feature only in the top end, found it hilarious and had a LOL moment).
• MG Astor – Long waiting period, negative bias towards MG as a brand. Did not even take a test drive.

Cars that I liked

VW Taigun, Skoda Kushaq

Liked Kushaq's design better, classy and sporty at the same time. Good discounts on offer on Ambition AT variant. Enjoyed the brief TD of Style AT. Powerful engine paired with butter-smooth TC. Rejected the car initially as the interiors felt like a downgrade to Swift ZXI. Too many hard plastics. EPC engine failures, which are now fixed with a robust fuel pump. But this still lingered in my mind as the fuel quality in my hometown will not be so good. Stranded in the middle of nowhere with family is a nightmare.

MS S-Cross

• Zeta AT ticked almost all the boxes. I am not looking for any gimmick features that I would rarely use (read - sunroof, auto headlamps, auto wipers, built-in air purifiers, etc) so expectations were low when I entered the showroom.
• Loved the neutral big hatchback stance. The new grill added a bit of character to the overall design.
• Interiors looked classy, space was good, nice driving ergonomics, found the perfect driving position instantly.
• Took a TD of the car with RM, found the engine to be good. Liner acceleration is very smooth and gear shifts are not noticeable (unless you have an eye on the RPM counter, which I did). Was able to push the car to 60 km/h in a straight line.
• It is at varied speeds that TC got confused and took 1-2 secs for the car to get out of the blocks. I think this is manageable once I get used to the TC and plan the accelerations 2-3 secs in advance.
• Low-speed ride is quite good, the car crawls at 10 km/h when I took my foot off the brakes.
• Found SHVS to be a gimmick, another moving part in the car that might (potentially) break down. Constant chimes of the battery turning ON/OFF is a bit annoying.
• With news of a global facelift launch, I decided to wait till the model was launched in India.
• But with Maruti Suzuki being Maruti Suzuki, I have realized that the chances of 1.4 turbo getting launched with the car are very slim. The facelift, if at all when it comes, might have the addition of a sunroof, different touchscreen display, etc. which are not necessary for me. The new exteriors are not that great looking anyway.

So, booked the Zeta AT, got Jan-end as the estimated delivery date. Final price is yet to be negotiated.

Dilemma

My dilemma starts here. Skoda showroom guys are very good at pursuing a lead and have been constantly in touch for the past 10 days. They offered a good 50 K discount on the ex-showroom price, 16 K discount on insurance, 15 K corporate discount and 7K discount on accessories.Total now comes down to 16.9 L.

Had a lengthy chat with Skoda RM and his lead. They have somehow convinced me of another long TD this week.

Questions in front of me:

• Is Ambition AT worth the extra 3 L over S Cross for the brand and build quality?
• Are Traction Control and ESP, which are not present in S Cross, a necessity in India where it does not snow? My Swift does just fine on wet and slippery surfaces (upsized, wider Bridgestone tyres are helpful here I guess).
• On the highway, with 4-5 people constantly on board, and considering the higher kerb weight of S Cross, will 1.5 NA be able to deliver the same performance as Swift 1.2? Need owner’s opinion here as I was not able to reach 80 – 100 km/h in TDs.
• Ultimately, with third-wave looming large, and another 6-8 months of work from home, should I be considering an upgrade at all?

Here's what BHPian condor had to say about the matter:

Traction control and ESP can be useful even in rainy conditions, not just snow. You may not have felt the need for it in the Swift, but such safety features are good to have - you never know when you need it.

1.5 on the S-Cross should be fine. A friend has an XL6 AT, and he has toured with 5 onboard. Not reaching 80-100 must be some other issue.

Upgrade or not to? It's a personal question. The WFH may continue or not - no bets on that. Prices will go up a bit, but by delaying you don't really gain much since the total payment still remains the same, but deferred.

If you want the S-Cross, you could wait for the new version, and see if it gives you more features than the current one - though I prefer the looks of this gen than the new one's (at least as the new one seen on paper).

Here's what BHPian Highh5 had to say about the matter:

• I think Traction Control and ESP are the most important safety features and must-haves since they help in avoiding accidents in the very first place.
• 1.5 is already mediocre in performance and along with AT, it will just serve the purpose, I think folks who are actually using it can have a better say at it.
• Only thing that will help you is the price-rise issue. If you have to do an upgrade 6 months down the line, then better to do it now unless you are waiting for a new generation of a certain model.

On a side note, I guess you should consider Nissan Kicks as well, comes with 7 speed CVT, is a stonker of an engine with 154 PS, all safety features standard from the base model itself (TC, EPS, VDC, Hill Hold) and got all the necessary features covered as well. I would rate this above S-cross any day except the resale value.

Here's what BHPian anthusiast had to say about the matter:

Things I found good in Kushaq/Taigun over S-Cross:

The 1.0 TSI is an exciting engine compared to 1.5L. But the K15 performs better in city speeds due to no turbo lag and torque assist.

Modern 6-speed AT + paddle shifters are a lot better than the 4-speed AT.

A faster car is a safer car: this Engine+Gearbox combo leads to a faster car on highways. The ride-handling is also a segment benchmark.

Active Safety: Gets ESP, Traction Control, Multi Collision Braking, Brake Disc Wiping, etc. I'm assuming the passive safety of both cars is 4 stars.

10-inch touchscreen with Wireless Android Auto vs the 7 inch one. Also, additions are DRLs (Zeta doesn't get DRLs).

If you hit highways more often, I would suggest Kushaq due to its Active safety features + Stronger engine. But if it is more of a city commuter, then a 1.5L NA is better.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.