Upon its launch in India, it will be directly be pitted against the Korean cousins- Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos
After long anticipation and countless spy images post the unveiling of the VISION IN Concept at last year’s AutoExpo, Skoda has finally revealed its upcoming compact SUV Kushaq in its final production-spec form. The crossover will mark the beginning of Volkswagen-Skoda Group’s second innings in the country under the India 2.0 Project.
Kushaq will be the first locally developed and manufactured SUV in India and will be based in the VW-Skoda Group’s India-specific MQB-A0-IN platform. As per the company, the new SUV has achieved up to 95 percent localisation. Prices of the UV will be announced at the time of its launch which is slated to take place in the coming weeks.
Exterior Styling
Ahead of its worldwide premiere, the Czech carmaker had officially revealed two different sets of sketches of the compact crossover highlighting its exterior and interior styling respectively. Speaking of its exterior styling, the SUV has taken serious inspirations from the VISION IN Concept.
The front fascia flaunts a signature Skoda butterfly grille which is flanked by sharply cut, split LED headlights on either side. A muscular front bumper houses fog lamps on both sides, a faux silver skid plate and a wide central air inlet.
Side profile boasts of sharp crease lines and 17-inch dual-tone alloy wheels that complement the aggressive look of the front end. Wheelbase is longest (2651mm) in the segment, delivering more space on the inside. Ground clearance is at 188mm. 5 colour options are on offer – White, Silver, Carbon Steel, Honey Orange and Tornado Red.
It receives a sloping roofline with a raked C-pillar and functional roof rails. Moving towards the rear it gets boomerang-shaped LED taillights, an elongated roof spoiler, a raked windscreen and an aggressive rear bumper housing a faux silver bash plate. Electric sunroof is also on offer.
Interiors & Features
Inside the cabin, things are in line with the sketches of its interiors released a few days ago. The most prominent highlight of the cabin is the front dashboard which gets orange highlights all around and flaunts a 10-inch free-standing touchscreen infotainment unit. The Czech automaker has adopted a minimalistic approach for Kushaq’s interiors with its simple and neat contours resembling symmetrical contours of ŠKODA grille.
Judging by the looks of it, the cabin of Kushaq looks very spacious as the company claims it offers a generous wheelbase. Not only for occupants but the cabin looks very practical and spacious as it comes with multiple storage areas to keep one’s knick-knacks. It also gets ventilated seats and a 7 speaker audio system.
Other interior highlights include a dual-tone interior theme, a digital instrument display and dual-zone climate control. It has a boot space of 385 liters and with the rear seats folded, the space increases to 1,405 liters.
Powertrain, Transmission Options
Coming to its powertrain, Skoda will offer Kushaq with two engine options-a 1.0-litre three-cylinder TSI turbo petrol and a 1.5-litre four-cylinder TSI turbo petrol unit. The former is good enough to generate 115 PS and 175 Nm of peak torque while the larger unit can pump out 150 PS and 250 Nm of peak torque. The engines and the car have been tested for over 15 lakh kms.
A six-speed manual gearbox will be offered as standard in both units with the option of a 6-speed torque converter on the 1.0 engine and a 7-speed DSG automatic transmission option with the 1.5 engine. Prices are expected to be in the Rs 10-15 lakh, ex-sh. Rivals will include the likes of Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos and soon to be launched MG Astor.
