Re: Skoda Kushaq Review Visited Skoda showroom today and test drove Kushaq.
My current ride is Seltos GT line and therefore direct comparison with the same; would try to remain as unbiased as I can.
- Definitely a good looking car but isn't SUVish at all. Very clean, understated design and will age very gracefully but nothing that makes you want to keep staring at it. This one would be lost in a crowd. Size wise, could definitely say that it was half a size smaller than Koreans and reminded me of SCross a lot in terms of size and stance.
- Paint quality is top notch and panel gaps are even. While Koreans are good in their own right, Kushaq felt better in terms of heft, precision and paint quality.
- Step into the interiors and this is where things went downhill for me. I personally felt ingress and egress was not as comfortable as Seltos and the driving position was also not as commanding.
- The biggest disappointment for me was the overall quality. In the Seltos model that I have, there is soft touch padding in almost all areas of touch like elbow pads on door, dashboard in front of the front passenger and likes. Everything just felt a bit worse than seltos. Stitching on the steering wheel felt less precise, gear knob felt more plasticky and hard, roof liner wasn't well screwed, seat fabric felt like it was done aftermarket and not company fit and definitely lacked quality. The overall interior ambience felt a notch down.
- I sat inside 10 mins looking for 1 standout feature but couldn't find any inside the Kushaq. The aged MID made me appreciate the seltos 7 Inch MID even more. All in all, the interior ambience from the front did not feel great.
- I am 6'1 for reference and seat height adjusted for my driving position, I could easily fit behind my seat. Talking strictly about seating comfort at behind, it felt better than Seltos primarily due to better under thigh support and marginally more leg room. However adding other factors such as reclinable rear seat of seltos, less claustrophobic experience and rear window curtains, overall rear seating experience might be better in Seltos. Ofcourse, 5 is just not an option in Kushaq, atleast for my family
- Boot space felt good enough. I would assume you can get more stuff inside Kushaq keeping the parcel trays attached and vice versa after removing the parcel trays. Again, the rear seat fabric visible from the boot, the boot carpet and the string to pull the hatch down felt a little budget grade and Koreans are just ahead in terms of percieved quality and fit and finish. Also, Seltos does not require you to lift luggage off the boot and you can just slide the luggage off which I feel is quite helpful.
- In terms of performance, a direct comparison with my GT line is quite pointless with the 1.0 TSI however we do have a Seltos IVT as well in the family which I've driven extensively so my comparison would be to the 1.5 NA of Seltos and it's quite straightforward comparison at that.
Kushaq definitely feels the more exciting of the two, pulls stronger post the turbo lag and the engine just begs to be revved though the performance dies post 4,500-5,000 rpm. In comparison Seltos 1.5 feels much more docile, much more friendlier and less rewarding when pushed. There is hardly any turbo lag and it's a very gentle pull to the red line. While, it's not as exciting, I have a hunch that Seltos might be quicker to 100 as well as in gear timings due to no turbo lag. There is definite lag in Kushaq before power comes in thick and fast. Seltos is miles ahead in terms of engine refinement though.
- Dynamically and handling wise, I wasn't really able to tell much difference compared to my Seltos. Seltos is definitely very sorted dynamically and has a really flat ride when at speed. This was very close to call for me. Where I could definitely make out the difference was the ride quality at low speed. While seltos feels a little choppy and crashes a little, Kushaq was extremely compliant and felt soft. Skoda definitely has found a great ride and handling balance here.
Post the test drive, I was filled with even more hatred towards Kia for they came closest to a perfect car in my opinion. Well engineered, feature laden, looks good, dynamically sorted, good quality,all engines and transmission options BUT cut cost in terms of chassis strength. Have seen so many bhpians liking seltos but not going ahead due to the crash test rating. Hope Kia addresses it soon.
Coming back to Kushaq, it felt just so unskoda like. It does everything well but just doesn't pull the heartstrings. It doesnt excel head and shoulders above the competition in any thing. There is a lack of USP here and for the price at which it has been launched, there ought to be more than one. Good car, nevertheless.
Last edited by VS1811 : 12th July 2021 at 19:45.
Reason: Typo
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