I was on the lookout for a car for my wife, who is in no way an expert driver (Hope she doesn't see this). Before getting married, she was using a polo GT TSI; which her sister uses to go to her college now.
She drives my Mini Cooper S occasionally and loves the good handling, power delivery and steering feedback. So in order to save my Mini (I will not live if she sees this), I decided to give her a car for herself. Spoilt by the GT, it was a hard job for me to find the right car for her. I wanted something with similar characteristics of the GT, so the car needs to be compact, fun and most importantly, safe. I kept my budget below 20 lakhs because if the new car costs anything more than that, I would rather give her my Mini(But I love my Mini too much!!).
So I opened Cardekho, checked the auto transmssion option and dragged the price slider all the way back to 20L. There were 50 odd cars, out of which our desi compact ones were ruled out because of the AMT. Rapid and city were too long and cumbersome, so was the harrier. Nexon EV looked nice, but she will have to travel 260kms (round trip) when she goes home and charging infrastructure needs to be better over here.
My mouse was steering towards the Thar, but we all know what would happen if I decide to give her a Thar. Scrolling down, saw the Ecosport, was surprised that they don't offer ISOFIX in the auto variant. No Apple CarPlay or android auto either. ISOFIX was a must have, so rejected the Ford. Then came the "New" Polo, which imo looks older than my grandfather and maybe it is actually. Design and interiors were classy when it launched and may be for a few decades after the launch, but a definite no-no now. (No offence to the owners)
Now time for the Koreans. I felt i20 was too expensive for what it offers. She hates the Creta, I know this, because she would never shut up on how bad the design is every time we come across one. Sonet was better equipped than the Venue, so it was either Sonet or Seltos. The Sonet diesel AT and the turbo DCT Seltos would have served her well, but I was not very convinced how safe these cars were (This applies to Hyundai also). The 3 star NCAP rating of the Seltos (Which was very nearly a 2 star) and the brake issues didn't help much either.
After seeing the Kushaq, I feel this would be the perfect car for her. Knowing Skoda (My dad drives a rapid diesel DSG to work), this car would be built well and safe. I would not take a risk with the Koreans when my loved ones are in it. I would with a Skoda. The 1.5L DSG hopefully would be within my budget and I'm sure she'll be delighted.
So my point is, you can't really say a car would fail in our market as soon as it is unveiled. A new car can mean different things to different people. For some, it needs to be a place which feels safe. For some, it should thrill them and for some, just a comfortable and spacious place to travel. Yes, the sunroof, digital displays and all the gadgets are good to have, but whether it decides your purchase decision depends only on you. I have opened the sunroof in my cayenne only once (It's been 2 years).
We might miss the rear discs, rear sunshades and electrically adjustable driver's seat. I'm glad that it comes with Ventilated seats. We are not going to miss the Pano roof or air purifier (Those don't filter Coronavirus anyway) or USB A ports or digital instrument cluster. So sit back, relax, wait for the prices and check out team-bhp review when it comes out (I hope you guys do it as soon as possible).
Just to be clear, I am not a Skoda fanboy. I have had ABS sensor failures and a few small niggles in my Rapid, had to tow my car 300kms as there was a time when there was only 1 service centre in Kerala. So my experience is nowhere near perfect. But now with EVM taking over the sales and service, things are much better (Atleast in my experience). If the Skoda service in your area is horrible, you can always tweet Mr Zac Hollis regarding your issue. His office will give you a call for sure. If reliability is your primary concern, better get a Toyota/Maruti. Safe-Fast-Cheap - Choose any 2. You can't have all 3 (I think
GTO has a different take on this).
VAG cars never have offered as many gizmos compared to their Korean rivals in this segment, but it is nice to see them try. I really hope Skoda doesn't screw this up. If they can match the Creta/Seltos prices, I think we have a winner here. But as I said, we'll have to wait for our official review to know for sure.
Stay Positive!
PS: Sorry for the long post.