Czech automaker and a subsidiary of the VW group, Skoda has finally unveiled its much-awaited SUV, the Kushaq. The premiere of the Kushaq was conducted in both physical and virtual means with some media personalities being present at the event and at the same time, the event was broadcasted live. Interestingly, ‘Kushaq’ refers to a king in Sanskrit, echoing Skoda’s desire to witness the Kushaq rule the sales charts and at the same time, build a strong connection with the Indian people citing a reference of India’s most ancient language.
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The Skoda Kushaq will kickstart the India 2.0 project wherein the VW group would invest EUR 1 billion to grow the presence of VW and Skoda in the Indian subcontinent for the long-term as it acknowledges the economic potential of India and hence, will keenly focus on localisation and hence, the Kushaq is based on the highly localised MQB-A0-IN platform from VW.
Dimensions
The SUV is 4,225 mm long, 1,760 mm wide and has a height of 1,612 mm. It has a wheelbase of 2,651 mm which is among the longest in the segment has and a ground clearance of 188 mm. The Kushaq also offers a boot capacity of 385 litres.
Design
The Skoda Kushaq borrows quite a lot of its design cues from the Vision IN concept that was showcased by Skoda at the Auto Expo previously. Upfront, it features an aggressive nose surrounded in chrome and housing vertical slats finished in black will make heads turn for sure. The LED headlights look amazing and perfectly complement the aggressive look of the nose. The overall front fascia would look a lot more intimidating and bold in person than in pictures, that is for sure.
On the sides, The entry-level trim line, Active, features 16-inch steel wheels and full wheel covers. In the Ambition trim level, the Kushaq comes with Grus 16-inch alloy wheels, while 17-inch Atlas two-tone alloys are reserved for the Style variant. The chrome line on the windows and the black body cladding underneath uplift the overall styling and ruggedness quotient of the side profile. At the rear, the spoiler integration looks like a great work of art. The Kushaq gets inverted L-shaped taillights which might not be to everyone’s taste but might grow on you eventually. A simple, subtle rear makes up for a contrasting fascia in comparison to the front.
Interiors
The cabin of the Kushaq is definitely a place a majority of the people would like to be in. It looks premium, refreshing and uplifting. It is dominated by a massive 10” touch infotainment system with quite some connectivity options. Further down, it gets a lovely textured treatment across the dash which enhances the premium quotient inside the cabin. It gets all the fancy bits like ventilated leather front seats, a keyless entry, an electric sliding glass roof and an auto-dimming rear-view mirror. And did we mention that exquisite 2-spoke steering wheel that looks absolutely incredible. Skoda has done a great job with the cabin an everything looks very well put together and you would most probably feel at peace with what you have spent your money on.
Powertrains
The all-new Kushaq will be powered by 2 TSI engines that transfer power to the front wheels: a 1.0L and 1.5L TSI petrol. The 1.0L TSI petrol produces 115PS of peak power and 175Nm of peak torque and will be mated to either a 6-speed MT or a 6-speed torque converter. The 1.5L TSI petrol meanwhile produces 150PS of peak power and 250Nm of peak torque and this engine will be mated to either a 6-speed MT or a 7-speed DSG.
Pricing
The official prices haven’t been released but the Kushaq will likely go up against the likes of the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos etc. We can’t predict but we can say that Skoda might actually a winner on its hands.