Skoda Kushaq
We get up close and personal with the Czech carmaker’s first made for India SUV
In July 2018, Skoda Auto, on behalf of the Volkswagen Group, announced an investment of EUR 1 billion or upwards of Rs 8,000 crore in the Indian market under the India 2.0 Project banner and 2021 is when it starts bearing fruit in the real sense with the arrival of the Skoda Kushaq. Showcased just before and at the 2020 Auto Expo in February last year as the Vision IN concept, the production-ready version of the SUV was unveiled this March and its world premiere gave us a closer look at its design, interiors, features and space as well as details on the engine and transmission options customers will get
to choose from.
DESIGN
Visually, the Kushaq does not deviate all that much from its Vision IN concept form essentially swapping the lit-up grille, headlights, taillights, flush-fitting door handles and big rims for toned down production-spec bits. The Kushaq follows the same design philosophy as the rest of Skoda’s SUV range including the Karoq and Kodiaq with aggressively styled LED headlamps integrated with DRLs and fog lamps positioned right underneath. There’s a healthy dose of black cladding all around along with faux skid plates and roof rails finished in silver to underline its SUV credentials. Skoda’s signature tornado line starts off from the Skoda badge on the front fender running along the door handles before merging with the
LED tail lamps, which are again, typical Skoda in appearance. Skoda lettering spread across the tailgate and a strip of chrome connecting the reflector units round off the rear. The top-end Style trim pictured here sits on 17-inch two-tone alloys. The mid-level Ambition trim gets 16-inch wheels while the entry-level Active trim sports 16-inch steel rims with wheel covers. Buyers of the Skoda Kushaq will be offered a choice of five exterior colour options – Candy White, Brilliant Silver, Carbon Steel, Honey Orange and Tornado
Red. Kushaq’s primary rivals will be segment leaders Hyundai Creta and Kia
Seltos and as its dimensions attest, it is and looks a tad smaller than both. At
4,225mm long, 1,760mm wide and 1,612mm tall, the Kushaq is a smaller
SUV overall, however, its 2,651mm wheelbase is longer than the two.
SKODA WILL OFFER THE KUSHAQ WITH 1.0 TSI AND 1.5 TSI ENGINE OPTIONS AND BOTH WILL BE AVAILABLE WITH MANUAL AND AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION CHOICES
INTERIORS & FEATURES
Inside, the most visually arresting elements have to be the two-spoke steering wheel and the knurled finish dashboard trim. Other notable elements include the chrome strip running across the length of the dashboard and Skoda lettering next to the passenger side aircon vent. Visually, the real downer is the rather plain-looking instrument console with its analogue dials and black and white MID. As far as features are concerned, Skoda will offer the Kushaq with pretty much everything you’d expect in a car in the segment including a 10-inch touchscreen (7-inch colour screen in the base Active trim), automatic climate control, ventilated seats, auto headlamps, rain-sensing wipers, wireless charging and ambient lighting to name a few. There is a sunroof available as well but not a panoramic one like the Creta comes with. Skoda isn’t offering the Kushaq with electrically adjustable seats either. Front and rear seats occupants both get USB type-C charging ports, something we’ve seen primarily in more expensive vehicles until now. In case of the range-topping Ambition trim, the sound is channelled via a six-speaker setup with the amplifier and subwoofer neatly tucked away in the spare wheel well. Connected car tech will be part of the package as well accessible via the MySKODA app that will give owners access to their Kushaq’s health, driving data, vehicle location, etc.
In terms of space and comfort, the generous wheelbase has resulted in impressive legroom and knee room for those seated in the back. Thigh support and headroom for an average-sized Indian adult are ample as well, but seating three abreast is best avoided. Boot space is where the Kushaq falls a bit short when compared with rivals with only 385 litres of storage available. Seats are finished in varying shades of grey with contrast orange stitching to help liven things up.
ENGINE & TRANSMISSION
There will be two engine choices on offer – a 1.0litre three-cylinder turbo petrol and a 1.5-litre fourcylinder turbo petrol. The former develops 115bhp of maximum power and 175Nm of peak torque and can be had with either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed torque converter automatic. This will, obviously, be the cheaper variant and is aimed squarely at the 1.5litre NA variants of the Creta and Seltos. The bigger 1.5-litre TSI motor, one that we’ve experienced in the T-Roc and Karoq already, develops 150bhp of maximum power and 250Nm of peak torque making it more potent, on paper, than the Creta and Seltos 1.4-litre turbo variants. This engine mates with either a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed DSG. Automatic variants will be offered with paddle shifters. The 1.0 TSI variant with its heavily localised engine and MQB A0 IN platform is expected to be priced very competitively and hence, likely to drive majority of Kushaq’s sales. Skoda has confirmed that there will be no diesel variant on offer as the company has decided to move away from smaller capacity oil burners.
LAUNCH & PRICING
Pricing needs to be competitive and Skoda knows that very well and while the company is yet to even drop hints regarding the sort of price tag it’s looking at for the Kushaq, we’re expecting the SUV to retail for around Rs 10 to 17 lakh (ex-showroom). Both engine variants – 1.0 TSI and 1.5 TSI – will be offered in Style, Active and Ambition trims. As mentioned earlier, rivals of the Skoda Kushaq include the Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos along with the Renault Duster, Nissan Kicks and Maruti Suzuki S-Cross. Variants and trims higher-up the order will go up
against the MG Hector and Tata Harrier as well. The exact launch date is yet to be specified, but Skoda has confirmed that it is looking at launching the Kushaq in June 2021.
For Skoda Auto Volkswagen India, the Kushaq and its twin, VW Taigun, are perhaps the most critical launches since Skoda and later Volkswagen commenced operations in India. Based on what we saw at Kushaq’s world premiere, first impressions are certainly positive and hint at a bright future for the group but, needless to say, monthly sales figures will determine Kushaq’s degree of success at the end of the day.