SKODA KUSHAQ

Skoda has presented a new product called Kushaq in Indian market. It is an SUV and sharing the platform with  VW Taigun.

It is a beautiful vehicle from all sides. You can find the good looking bonnet and front grille. A skid plate provided making it an SUV from front. The shoulder lines and roof rails are making it more beautiful from sides. You can feel that ground clearance of 188mm and the long wheel base of 2651mm of the Kushaq from sides. The car comes with 17 inch alloy wheels, which looks really beautiful.

A beautiful spoiler and high mounted stop lamps are provided at back.  Tail lamps are looking beautiful, Skoda and Kushaq badging are provided. The muscular skid plate is giving it more SUV stance from the rear. Kushaq having a boot space of 385 liters which can be maximized by folding the 60:40 rear split seats.

The car is very spacious from inside, thanks to its long wheelbase. The cabin ambience is very good, skoda's simply clever features like ticket holder and mobile holder etc are made available with this car too. Apart from this you will get decent space in the cooled glove box, two cup holders at the centre console and a small storage space under the front arm rest. Bottle holders are provided on all doors.  

An 8-inch touch screen infotainment system provided in the dashboard looks good and is filled with several connectivity features like Android auto,AppleCarplay along with other connectivity features like valet parking and geo fencing etc. You will get a digital display at the driver side too but the lower variants comes with analog display only.

360 Degree camera and 6 speaker music system are also integrated with this system. Two USB  and a 12V mobile charging points along with a wireless mobile charging pad are made available with the Kushaq.

Seat comfort are very good. All seats are well cushioned and are really good to explore long distances. Driver seat can be adjusted manually. The top end versions of the 1-litre and 1.5-liter variants comes with ventilated front seats.

An electrically operated sunroof is provided with the Kushaq making it more premium although it is not a panoramic one.

At the rear, A/c vents and mobile charging sockets are provided. Kushaq can accomodate three people at the back seat but it is ideally comfortable for two passengers. Anyway, three adjustable headrests are also provided. You can use the centre arm rest with two cup holders if there is no middle passenger onboard.

When come to the drivability, the Kushaq is made available with two engine options.

1. A 1.0 liter 999cc  3 -cylinder engine which produces max.power of 114hp@5000rpm & max.torque of 178Nm@ 1750rpm.

2. A 1.5 liter 1498cc 4-cylinder engine which produces max.power of 148hp@5000rpm & 250Nm@1600rpm.

And these engines comes with different transmission options too.Just look at the options.

1.The 1.0 liter engine is mated with a 6-speed manual & to a 6-speed Torque converter automatic &

2.The 1 .5 liter engine is mated with a 6 speed manual & to a 7 speed DSG automatic unit.

The car is an excellent driving machine in both engine options. The 1 liter engine with manual/torque converter gearbox is an ideal choice for regular city driving conditions.  The engine works well with both gear box options. Gear shifts are very smooth with  manual and also in automatic. Paddle shifters are available with the automatic variant. It is a nice fuel efficient and a cheaper option over the 1.5 liter variant.

But the scenario is different with the 1.5liter variant. It is an ultimate drivers car. The manual gearbox works well with this engine and you can enjoy the drive with the super smooth manual shifts. It is a good option to those who love manual gear box and is pocket friendly over the DSG variant. 

To be honest, the 1.5 liter DSG variant is the actual drivers delight in my opinion. It gives you the package of driving fun and driving comfort altogether. Gear shifts are super smooth with the DSG transmission and so you can enjoy the drive without any kind of jerks. Definitely you can consider this variant if you can spent a little more for that enjoyment and comfort.

This 1.5 liter engine comes with Active Cylinder Technology, which helps to get maximum mileage by shutting down two cylinders out of four while on comfortable cruise. It is the same feature that is provided with the Skoda Slavia ,VW Virtus  & VW Taigun.

When come to safety, it is a nice tough built car. Moreover, it is one of the safest vehicle in its segment or above. Kushaq scored 5 star rating from Global NCAP for adult and child occupant safety. The car gets 6 airbags, ESC, ABS, EBD, Hill-hold assist, parking sensors and 360-degree camera, brake-assist, rain-sensing wipers, auto dimming mirror and many more.

To conclude, Kushaq is one of the well built SUV available in India. It is a 5 star rated vehicle comes with powerful engine and transmission options. The price of the vehicle starts at Rs.11.30 lakh and goes up to Rs.19.50 lakh ex.showroom.

"Driving is a privilege, not a right-Drive carefully"

Note:All images used in this blog has been taken from Manufacturer's website for presentation purpose.