New Delhi, Kushaq, this word is derived from Sanskrit, which in Hindi means king, maharaja. Those who rule, how much this vehicle will rule in the mid-size SUV segment, it will be known if the sales figures come in the coming days. But we will definitely tell you in detail about Kushaq’s ability to fight in the segment in which vehicles like Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos are ruling.
Looks and Design
At Auto Expo 2020, you must have seen the Vision IN concept of Skoda, whose design you will get to see in this new Skoda Kushak. It looks very attractive and premium in appearance. With sleek headlamps, the signature Skoda front grille, strong bonnet lines and the positioning of the fog lamps, the vehicle looks quite aggressive from the front.
The company has launched Skoda Kushaq in three variants Active, Ambition and Style. So, talking about the side profile, the company has given 17-inch wheels in the Style top-ant variant, while the company gets 16-inch wheels in both the lower variants. Even from the rear, it looks a completely typical SUV. The design of the shark fin antenna, bumper, and rear LED taillights also looks quite good. However, you will not be able to find out anything about the variants of this vehicle from the rear profile. Skoda Kushaq measures 4,225 mm in length, 1,760 mm in width, 1,612 mm in height, and has the highest wheelbase of 2,651 mm in the segment. At the same time, its ground clearance is 188mm.
The interiors of the Skoda Kushaq are just as good as the piano black luxe theme on the dashboard, the touchscreen in the center, and the two-spoke steering wheel look really good on the vehicle. The dashboard feels very clean and premium. The variety of textured strips on the dashboard along with the hexagonal chrome-lined vents is really a treat to your eyes. Overall the design of the cabin is clean and functional. The cabin feels airy and everything looks quite premium wherever you touch it. However, in some places, you will find the plastic a little lighter.
In the Style variant, the company has been given a 10-inch high-resolution touchscreen infotainment system that comes with MirrorLink in addition to wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. In the lower variants, the company is offering a 7-inch infotainment system.
Below the infotainment system, you’ll find ventilated seats, hazard lights, lock/unlock and regenerative braking system buttons, and below that, there’s an AC control system that comes fully with touch sense. At the bottom, the company has given C-type charging ports, which I think the company needed to give a normal and a C-type. Wireless charging has become a part of this segment, so the company has given the option of wireless charging in Kushaq as well. Talking about the storage space, there is ample storage space on the doors, glove box, arm rest.
Coming to the steering wheel, I really like it as the two-spoke steering wheel is designed very beautifully and the steering mounted controls also look great on this vehicle. But yes, the more premium you will find its steering wheel, the more awkward its instrument cluster will be because here the company has given a small digital MID unit with analog meters. Here the company could have given a fully digital instrument cluster to maintain its premiumness. Not only this, the company did not even provide electrically adjustable seats in this top variant, which needed to be given.
Talking about the seats, both front and rear seats are very good. You get much better comfort in it. Legroom, headroom and shoulder room don’t appear to be a problem even on the rear seats due to the long wheelbase. Thai support is also very good. But if your height is more than 6 feet then it may seem a bit short. Talking about boot space, it gets the lowest in the segment of 385 liters. You also get Skoda’s sound system and an electric sunroof in this Style variant.
Talking about the safety features, it includes active and passive safety features like three-point seatbelts for all passengers and ESC in all variants. As additional safety features, the company has also included features like 6 airbags, hill-hold control, tire pressure monitoring in it.
Talking about the engine option, the company has given two engine options in it and both are powerful and efficient. It is powered by a 1.0-litre TSI engine producing 115PS and 178Nm that comes mated to a 6-speed manual and 6-speed automatic. At the same time, the company is also offering a 1.5-litre petrol engine with 150 PS and 250 Nm torque, which comes mated to a 6-speed manual and 7-speed DSG gearbox. We drove the Style variant with a 1.5-litre TSI petrol engine mated to a 7-speed DSG gearbox during our drive. If it is first drive, then I did not get a chance to drive much, but to tell the truth, the power of this petrol engine is really tremendous.
If you shift the gearbox one more time and put it on sport mode after taking it off the drive, it becomes very aggressive and starts giving you torque at low rpm only. It takes only a few seconds to catch the speed of 0 to 100 kmph. On the other hand, if you switch to manual and drive with the paddle shifters, you get a totally fun-to-drive experience.
