Skoda Kushaq Unveiled; Bookings To Open In June | V3Cars

Skoda Kushaq has made its global debut in India. It comes almost a year after Skoda showcased it in its concept form (Vision IN) at the 2020 Auto Expo. The Kushaq is Skoda’s first made-in-India SUV.

 

Skoda Kushaq

In terms of design, the Kushaq looks almost identical to the Vision IN concept. Upfront, it features slim LED headlmaps flanking the signature Skoda grille with a chrome surround. The bumper looks muscular with plastic cladding on the lower half and a faux skid plate. Body cladding can be seen all around including the wheel arches. 

The side profile looks clean with a sharp character line running across the length. Coming to the back, the Kushaq gets LED tail lamps flanking the SKODA lettering on the tailgate. The Kushaq will be offered in two-wheel sizes. In the lower variants, it will get 16-inch wheels while the top-spec variant will be equipped with 17-inch units.

Underpinning the new MQB A0 IN platform, the Kushaq is 4225mm long, 1612mm tall, and 1760mm wide. It has a wheelbase of 2651mm which is not only bigger than its rivals like the Creta and Seltos (2610mm) but also bigger than the now-discontinued Karoq SUV (2638mm). The Kushaq has a ground clearance of 188m and a boot space of 385 litres which can be further expanded to 1405 litres by folding the 60:40 split rear seats. 

Step inside the cabin and the Kushaq looks premium and upmarket. It gets dual-tone black and white upholstery with a piano black finish on the dashboard and the central console. The Kushaq is well equipped on the features front as well. It gets auto LED headlamps, ventilated front seats, rain-sensing wipers, an electric sunroof, wireless charging, ambient lighting, auto AC with rear AC vents, auto-dimming IRVM, bi-spoke multi-functional steering wheel and a 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The Kushaq also come with some basic connected car features like geofencing, car tracking, service reminders and insurance reminders while its rivals like Seltos and Creta also offer connected features like remote engine start and voice commands. 

Safety features on offer include dual front airbags (higher variant gets upto 6 airbags), ABS with EBD, front and rear parking sensors, parking camera, electronic stability control (standard), hill launch assist, ISOFIX child seat anchors and multi-collision braking.  

Under the hood, the Kushaq will be offered with two petrol engine options. A 1.0-litre 3-cylinder TSI engine making 115PS and 175Nm and a 1.5-litre 4-cylinder TSI engine making 150PS and 250Nm. Both the engines are mated to a 6-speed MT as standard. While the 1.0-litre TSI unit gets an optional 6-speed torque converter automatic, the bigger 1.5-litre unit is offered with an optional 7-speed DSG gearbox with paddle shifters. 

For better fuel economy, the bigger 1.5-litre engine is equipped with idle auto start/stop and Active Cylinder Technology. As the name suggests, ACT activates or deactivates two cylinders of the engine depending on the power demand, for better fuel economy.

Here is the list of available engine-transmission options depending on the variant:

Variant

1.0-litre TSI

1.5-litre TSI

Active

6-speed MT

-

Ambition 

6-speed MT/ 6-speed AT

6-speed MT/ 7-speed DSG

Style

6-speed MT/ 6-speed AT

6-speed MT/ 7-speed DSG


Bookings for the Kushaq are set to get underway from June while deliveries are set to begin from July. Prices are expected to range from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 16 lakh. It will take on likes of the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Renault Duster and the upcoming Volkswagen Taigun.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Saransh Goyal

He is an automobile engineer who likes to write. A born Tifosi, he follows Formula 1 and likes to keep up with upcoming technologies in the world of cars.

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