Upgrading from a Kushaq 1.0L manual: Is the 1.5L TSI AT a good choice?

The competitors like Seltos, Creta, Elevate, Hyryder do not seem to have the riding dynamics of the Kushaq/Taigun crossovers

BHPian Peteking75 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Upgrade from 1l MT Ambition to 1.5l Monte Carlo DSG

Fellow Team-BHPians, I have been a happy owner of a Kushaq 1.0l MT Ambition model that I purchased in March 2022. It has been 2.5 years of nearly fuss free ownership and I have covered almost 18,500 kms, with 50% being in Bangalore and 50% outside on the highways. Now, since I am also aging , I am contemplating an automatic crossover for roughly the same ratio of city and highway usage. It seems there are good discounts on Monte Carlo cars for the 1.5L DSG. We already have a Hyundai Verna at home and are a small family, so large SUVs are automatically ruled out.

Question is will the AT (1.0) or the DSG (1.5) be a worthwhile upgrade from my Kushaq 1.0 MT? The riding dynamics and handling, I believe ,will almost be the same. But the convenience of an automatic and the additional features apart from the power will be very good indeed. The test drives of both were very good and the 1.5 DSG felt smoother. I test drove only in the city and I am sure the larger engine will sing on the highway!

The competitors like Seltos, Creta, Elevate, Hyryder (this is one I am keen on especially the Strong hybrid if an alternative) do not seem to have that riding dynamics of the Kushaq/Taigun crossovers, though they are better in many other aspects including space, features, road presence, etc.

Has anyone had this question or already gone ahead and made the upgrade? I may have to pay an additional 12,00,000 Rupees after selling, if I decide to go ahead. Any thoughts or suggestions will be welcome.

Here's what BHPian Torque123 had to say on the matter:

No offense, but I would have got the Kushaq 1.5 TSI DSG or 1.0 TSI AT instead of the 1.0 TSI MT in the first place. More than age, it’s the convenience & smoothness of the DCT that you have experienced in the Verna which is probably making you consider changing the car. Your 2.5 years old Kushaq has hardly run 19k kms. The 1.5 TSI & the DSG combo will blow you away for sure (I own a Slavia 1.5 DSG). Selling the current Kushaq & spending an additional 12 lakhs doesn’t sound like a wise decision financially. You have mentioned that you have the new Verna too (assuming it is the 1.5 Turbo DCT). If I were you then I would not replace either of these cars with any other car for the next few years. If you are even considering Hyryder then do a thorough test drive. After owning 2 turbo petrols, I don’t think Hyryder will satisfy you in anyway other than providing better FE.

If switching over from MT to AT is unavoidable then I would go for a used pre-worshipped Polo GT (preferably the 1.2 TSI) & remap it to replace the Kushaq, minimise the loss without additional investment & also extract the same amount of joy out of the car.

Just my 2 cents. Again this is my personal opinion & need not be in sync with your thoughts.

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