February 2022 - Skoda Kushaq Petrol Variants Explained - Which One To Buy?

What Are The Pros And Cons Of Skoda Kushaq Petrol?

The pros or advantages of Kushaq petrol are:

• Simple, design, which probably won’t look dated even a decade from now
• Fairly long list of features, such as 6 airbags, front diff lock, sunroof, ventilated seats, cruise control, subwoofer, LED headlamps, auto AC, keyless entry and tyre pressure monitoring
• Both engines are turbocharged, so even the base engine offers fantastic drivability with its higher torque output available for a wider torque band
• Cylinder deactivation tech gives the larger engine higher performance and class leading mileage figures (although not both at the same time)
• Option of manual and automatic transmission with both engines; the smaller 1.0L turbo petrol engine gets the reliable torque converter technology while the bigger 1.5L turbo petrol gets the fast shifting and efficient dual-clutch automatic

The Skoda Kushaq petrol has the following shortcomings or problems:

• The automatic transmission carries a steep premium over manual transmission variants
• The larger 1.5L turbo petrol engine carries a steep premium over the smaller 1.0L turbo petrol engine
• Missing features like power driver seat, panoramic sunroof, front parking sensors, 360-degree camera and ADAS
• The smaller engine gets the old-school torque converter automatic transmission which saps a lot of efficiency, especially in crawling traffic because of fluid coupling
• The larger engine gets a dual-clutch automatic transmission which is yet to establish a reputation for long-term reliability in the harsh Indian climatic and driving conditions

What Is The Price Of Skoda Kushaq?

The Skoda Kushaq has 2 engine options - a 1.0L turbo petrol and a 1.5L turbo petrol. Both the engines are available with a 6-speed manual. The smaller engine also gets a 6-speed torque converter automatic while the bigger engine also gets a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

With the manual transmission, the Skoda Kushaq 1.0L is available in 3 variants with prices starting at Rs. 10.99 lakh for the Active manual variant and going up to Rs. 14.89 lakh for the Style 6 airbags variant. The automatic transmission is available in the higher 2 of the 3 variants for an additional sum of Rs. 1.4 lakh to Rs. 1.6 lakh.

The 1.5L turbo petrol engine is only available in the top-spec Style 6 airbags variant and costs Rs. 16.49 lakh with the manual and Rs. 18.19 lakh with the automatic transmission. The premium for the 1.5L automatic stands at Rs. 1.7 lakh while the bigger engine itself costs Rs. 1.6 lakh to Rs. 1.7 lakh more than the comparable variant with the smaller 1.0L turbo petrol variant. 

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Skoda Kushaq Petrol Active - Base Model Features & Review

The base Active variant of the Skoda Kushaq is only available with the 1.0L turbo petrol engine and a manual transmission for an ex-showroom price of Rs. 10.99 lakh. This variant gets a good number of useful features like electronic differential lock, traction control, front armrest, remote central locking, rear AC vents, power mirrors, touchscreen, steering-mounted controls, DRLs and 16-inch wheels with wheel covers.

We think that this variant still misses out on some critical features like rear washer wiper, rear defogger, rear camera, detailed MID, auto AC and rear parcel tray. So, you should buy this variant only if you don’t want to stretch your budget any further. For all other buyers, we strongly recommend upgrading to a higher variant.

Skoda Kushaq Petrol Active vs Ambition Variant

The Skoda Kushaq Ambition variant is also only available with the smaller 1.0L turbo petrol engine but it gets an automatic transmission option as well. The Ambition 1.0L manual variant of the Kushaq costs Rs. 12.79 lakh, which is Rs. 1.8 lakh more than the Active. The Ambition 1.0L automatic has an ex-showroom price of Rs. 14.19 lakh, which is Rs. 1.4 lakh more than the manual.

For the Rs. 1.8 lakh price difference, the Ambition variant adds features like LED headlamps, rear defogger, rear washer wiper, extra horn, auto AC, power folding mirrors, rear armrest, cooled glovebox, cruise control, larger touchscreen, wireless Android Auto and Apple Carplay, fog lamps, detailed MID, alloy wheels and ambient lighting.

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The Ambition variant doesn’t completely justify the upgrade from the base Active variant but it’s not too overpriced either. Moreover, it gets a very nice balance of must-have and good-to-have features that one expects at this price point. So, we strongly recommend Kushaq buyers to buy at least the Ambition variant if you were earlier considering the Active trim. The same goes for the Kushaq automatic buyers as well. The Kushaq Ambition 1.0L automatic is not only reasonably feature rich but also our top recommended variant with the automatic transmission. The only thing worth noting is that the automatic transmission itself is a little expensive.

Skoda Kushaq Petrol Ambition vs Style Variant

Style is the top variant of the Skoda Kushaq and it gets all 4 engine-transmission combinations:

• 1.0L turbo manual
• 1.0L turbo TC automatic
• 1.5L turbo manual
• 1.5L turbo DCT automatic

The Kushaq Style 1.0L costs Rs. 14.89 lakh with the manual and Rs. 16.49 lakh with the automatic transmission. These prices are Rs. 2.1 lakh to Rs. 2.3 lakh higher than the lower Ambintion variant.

The price jump from 1.0L Style variant to 1.5L Style will cost you an additional Rs. 1.6 lakh to Rs. 1.7 lakh. The Style 1.5L manual carries an ex-showroom price of Rs. 16.49 lakh while the automatic adds another Rs. 1.7 lakh to bring the total to Rs. 18.19 lakh. Please note that these prices are for the Style 6 airbags variant. The Style automatic is also available without side thorax and curtain airbags for Rs. 40,000 less.

The Style variant adds leather upholstery, sunroof, larger alloy wheels, tyre pressure monitoring system, keyless entry with push-button start/stop, ventilated front seats, subwoofer, side and curtain airbags, auto wipers and wireless phone charger.

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With the 1.0L manual and automatic, the Kushaq Style is a bit expensive. However, it is still worth upgrading if you find these features important. With the 1.5L turbo petrol engine though, you’re compromising quite a bit on value. Hence, consider the Kushaq 1.5L only if you want more performance. However, it’s worth noting that the larger engine also has cylinder deactivation technology which improves fuel efficiency when the engine is under lighter loads. Hence, you get better performance and good fuel efficiency, although not simultaneously.

Which Variant Of The Skoda Kushaq Petrol Should You Buy?

With the manual transmission, the Kushaq’s base Active variant is worth skipping as the Ambition variant adds a good number of important features and almost justifies the price gap as well. While the Ambition is our top recommended variant, the Style variant with the smaller 1.0L turbo petrol engine is also worth upgrading from a value-for-money standpoint. The upgrade to the 1.5L engine in the top variant is quite expensive for the asking price. So buy it only if you absolutely want the higher performance from this engine.

With the automatic transmission, the Kushaq’s most affordable Ambition variants earn our top recommendation for its balanced feature set and better value for money than other petrol-automatic variants. Just like the Kushaq petrol-manual, the Style 1.0L automatic is also worth upgrading if you want these features. Do note that the Kushaq automatic carries a fairly steep premium over the manual variants.

What Are The Engine Specifications Of The Skoda Kushaq Petrol?

Just like most of its C-segment SUV rivals, the Kushaq also has 3 engine options. However, unlike other SUVs that offer the option of a normal petrol engine and a turbocharged engine, both of the Kushaq’s petrol engines are turbocharged.

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The turbo gives the smaller 1.0L petrol engine a better torque output than all of its rivals’ engines that have significantly larger displacement. It also has a good power output despite having the lowest displacement. More importantly, the turbocharger gives it a wider torque band, which doesn’t just give it the best torque output but makes it available at a very low 1750rpm. Hence, you can expect the Kushaq 1.0L turbo petrol engine to offer better drivability than other C-segment SUVs with normal petrol engines.

The Kushaq 1.0L also has a good mileage figure of 17.88kmpl with the manual transmission, which is very close to that of the segment leader, the S-Cross hybrid. It only suffers the efficiency drag because of the torque converter automatic transmission.

The larger 1.5L turbo petrol engine of the Kushaq also offers a fantastic power and torque output, rivalling segment leaders like Duster and Kicks turbo. Even with the larger engine, the Kushaq manages to achieve a similar mileage figure as with the smaller 1.0L petrol engine. This is because of the cylinder deactivation technology which cuts the fuel supply to 2 of the 4 cylinder engines when the car doesn’t need all of its torque.

Surprisingly, even with the automatic transmission, the 1.5L engine of the Kushaq promises a similar mileage figure. This is because it has a more efficient 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. This type of automatic transmission has so far had a rough patch in terms of long-term reliability but it has proven itself with fast gear changes and high fuel efficiency.

What Are The Dimensions Of The Skoda Kushaq?

In terms of dimensions, there’s no denying that the Skoda Kushaq is a smaller car for a C-segment SUV. When you see it parked next to a sub-4m SUV, you’ll notice that it’s only slightly larger. The Kushaq and its cousin, the Volkswagen Taigun, are the smallest cars among their peers in all 3 aspects. Only the S-Cross has a slightly lower roofline than the Kushaq. The Skoda Kushaq also has a fairly small boot space, with only the S-Cross lagging behind it.

If you want a strong road presence from your SUV, the Kushaq is not a suitable choice. However, what it does offer is European styling with simple, straight lines that age better and don’t look old even decades later. The VW Polo and Skoda Rapid are proof of this.

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*Estimated

What Are The Colour Options Of The Skoda Kushaq?

The 2022 Kushaq is available in the following 5 colour options:

• Silver
• White
• Red
• Orange
• Grey

Note: Here is a quick look at our length-based segmentation of cars to give you an idea of how we are classifying cars based on their size.