The new Skoda Kushaq has officially gone on sale in India and it is priced from ₹ 10.50 lakh, going all the way up to ₹ 17.60 lakh (ex-showroom, India). This means the SUV will compete with the likes of the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, MG Hector, and even the Tata Harrier. Now in terms of pricing and creature comforts the Kushaq is very much at par with its rivals, however, unlike the others Skoda’s contender is a petrol-only SUV. In fact, it comes with two turbocharged petrol motors – 1.0 litre, three-cylinder TSI and a 1.5-litre four-cylinder TSI. But is that enough to take on these established SUVs? We put down all the facts and figures on paper to find out.
Also Read: Skoda Kushaq SUV Review | Skoda Kushaq Launched In India
Design and Dimensions
Like most SUVs in this space, the Skoda Kushaq comes with a bold and muscular design with smart features
Now looks are subjective, so, we won’t go into that aspect too much in detail. However, we would say all five SUVs in the list come with all the elements that we associate with an SUV. Elements like a large grille, underbody and wheel arch cladding, faux skid plates, roof rails and sporty alloy wheels are part of all five SUVs. So, all of them look butch and muscular, maybe some more than the others, but good-looking nonetheless.
| Dimensions | Skoda Kushaq | Hyundai Creta | Kia Seltos | Tata Harrier | MG Hector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Length | 4221 mm | 4300 mm | 4315 mm | 4598 mm | 4655 mm |
| Width | 1760 mm | 1790 mm | 1800 mm | 1894 mm | 1835 mm |
| Height | 1612 mm | 1635 mm | 1645 mm | 1706 mm | 1760 mm |
| Wheelbase | 2635 mm | 2610 mm | 2610 mm | 2741 mm | 2750 mm |
| Ground Clearance | 188 mm | 190 mm | 190 mm | 205 mm | 192 mm |
The Tata Harrier is the longest and widest among all and comes with the most ground clearance as well
In terms of dimensions though, things are more objective. The new Kushaq is undoubtedly the smallest of the lot here. While it does get a slightly longer wheelbase compared to the Creta and Seltos, the Harrier and Hector are bigger overall compared to the other three SUVs. The Tata Harrier is the longest and widest among all and comes with the most ground clearance as well, whereas the Hector is the tallest and offers the longest wheelbase as well. That said, all SUVs including the Kushaq offer enough knee- and headroom for the second-row passengers.
The MG Hector is the tallest and offers the longest wheelbase among all its rivals
Engine Specifications
Now, considering the Kushaq is only offered in petrol option we’ll be comparing it only with the petrol versions of the other SUVs. However, we must tell you that the Tata Harrier is only offered with a diesel engine so, as far as just engine options go it doesn’t directly compete with the Kushaq. So, starting with the Kushaq, it is offered in two petrol engine options – a 1.0-litre 3-cylinder TSI and a 1.5-litre 4-cylinder TSI. While the former makes 113 bhp and 175 Nm of torque, the 1.5-litre engine offers 148 bhp on offer and 250 Nm of torque. Both get a 6-speed manual gearbox, whereas the automatic options on offer include a 6-speed torque converter and a 7-speed DSG unit, respectively.
Both the Hyundai Creta and the Kia Seltos gets the same 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine and a 1.4-litre turbo petrol motor
The Hyundai Creta and the Kia Seltos both come with the same engine options – 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine that makes 113 bhp and 138 Nm of peak torque, along with a 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine that is tuned to make 144 bhp and 242 Nm of peak torque. The Creta’s 1.5 petrol is offered with either a 6-speed manual or an Intelligent Variable Transmission (iVT), while the 1.4 turbo petrol gets a 7-speed DCT (dual-clutch transmission) as standard. However, Kia offers the Seltos 1.5 with a 6-speed manual, segment-first 6-speed Intelligent manual transmission (iMT), and the iVT unit. Whereas the Seltos 1.4 turbo petrol comes with the option of a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed DCT.
| Engines | Skoda Kushaq | Hyundai Creta | Kia Seltos | MG Hector | Tata Harrier (Diesel) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Displacement | 999 cc / 1495 cc | 1497 cc / 1353 cc | 1497 cc / 1353 cc | 1451 cc | 1956 cc |
| Max Power | 113 bhp / 148 bhp | 113 bhp / 138 bhp | 113 bhp / 138 bhp | 141 bhp | 168 bhp |
| Max Torque | 175 Nm / 250 Nm | 144 Nm /242 Nm | 144 Nm /242 Nm | 250 Nm | 350 Nm |
| Transmission | 6 MT / 6 AT / 7 GDG | 6 MT / 6 iVT / 7 DCT | 6MT / 6iMT/ IVT / 7 DCT | 6 MT / DCT / CVT | 6 MT / 6 AT |
The Skoda Kushaq’s 1.5-litre motor is the most powerful petrol engine among this lot
The MG Hector, at the same time, only gets one petrol engine with an option to get a smart hybrid version as well. The engine is a 1.5-litre turbocharged motor that is tuned to make 141 bhp and 250 Nm of peak torque, whereas transmission choices include a 6-speed manual, and two automatic options 7-speed DCT and a CVT unit. We are not comparing the Harrier here as it only comes in a diesel option.
Features
All five SUVs come with creature comforts that you would expect from an SUV in this category. So, features like a LED daytime running lamps, full LED/LED projector headlamps, infotainment system, smartphone connectivity, connected car technology, sunroof, and more. However, models like the Creta, Seltos also come with an air purifier system, and except for the Kushaq, all four SUVs get at least get power-adjustable driver seat. At the same time, except for the Harrier, all SUVs comes with ventilated front seats. In terms of safety, the top-spec variants of all SUVs come with at least 6 airbags, ABS with ABD, traction control, rear parking sensors with rear parking camera and more.
Price
The Skoda Kushaq is not the most expensive, and nor is it the cheapest option available in the compact SUV space, in fact, it’s just somewhere in the middle at par with the Creta and Seltos. However, we expected slightly more aggressive pricing from Skoda, with the top-end model capping at around ₹ 15 lakh. That would have made it a much sweeter deal. As mentioned before, we cannot compare the Herrier with the Kushaq, as the former is diesel only, but to give you a perspective we have mentioned the prices below.
| Models | Price (ex-showroom, Delhi) |
|---|---|
| Skoda Kushaq | ₹ 10.50 lakh – ₹ 17.60 lakh |
| Hyundai Creta | ₹ 10 lakh – ₹ 17.71 lakh |
| Kia Seltos | ₹ 9.95 lakh – ₹ 17.44 lakh |
| MG Hector | ₹ 13.18 lakh – ₹ 18.43 lakh |
| Tata Harrier (Diesel) | ₹ 14.30 lakh to ₹ 20.82 lakh |
The Skoda Kushaq is certainly good looking, powerful and features packed and certainly a strong contender on paper
Conclusion
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The Skoda Kushaq is certainly good looking, powerful and features packed. In fact, its 1.5-litre motor is the most powerful petrol engine from this lot, and only the Hector can match it in terms of torque output. However, in term of features, when compared to rivals like the Creta or Seltos, nothing really helps the Kushaq stand out, at least on paper. In fact, it misses out on a couple of features, however in our books that’s not really a deal barker, and we would definitely suggest you consider the SUV if you are planning to purchase one. However, when we look at the pricing, the two Korean SUVs certainly offer more value, at least on paper. Having said that we’ll soon do a comparison for all these SUVs and tell you more about which is the best compact SUV. So, keep watching this space for that.
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