Production-ready Skoda Kushaq breaks cover

Skoda has finally taken wraps off the Kushaq, a car made-in-India for the world. The Skoda Kushaq is the first car based on the MQB-A0-IN platform and as a part of the India 2.0 project, the Mlada-Boleslav based brand promises us that there are more cars to follow suit. Also thanks to the India 2.0 project, 95 per cent of the Kushaq will be localised. The mid-size SUV will be available with two TSI engine options, a fully localised 1-litre TSI and a 1.5-litre TSI, both with manual and automatic transmission options.

Design

After finally showing it in all its glory, the Kushaq looks distinctly Skoda with its sharp styling and muscular lines. It’s based on what Skoda calls the ‘Crystalline’ design language, looking nearly identical to the Vision IN concept, minus the glowing grille and grooved tyres. It gets sharp headlamps with L-shaped DRLs and the headlamps are separated by a signature Skoda grille with vertical slats. At the rear, you see LED tail lamps with the indicators housed neatly below. Also on display is Skoda's new logo. The Kushaq will be available in three variants, the entry level ‘Active’, the mid-range ‘Ambition’ and the range topping Style.

The Active comes with 16-inch steel wheels with Lhotse full wheel covers. The Ambition also gets 16-inch wheels but these are alloys made by Grus, whereas the Style variant gets Atlas two-tone 17-inchers as standard. Apart from the Candy White, metallic Reflex Silver and metallic Carbon Steel colour finishes, there two colours that are available exclusively for Indian markets, namely Tornado Red and Honey Orange

Interior

The Skoda Kushaq gets a premium looking interior. The two-spoke steering wheel is standard across all variants except that it is upholstered in leather on the Ambition and Style variants. The Skoda Kushaq gets an abundance of storage pockets sprinkled across different spots in the car starting from the 6.1-litre glovebox, a 2.2-litre jumbo box in the centre console and plenty of cubby holes in the doors. Ambient lighting comes as standard across variants, but in the Ambition and Style variant the ambient lighting extends to the dashboard and door handles as well. Chrome and leather treatment is seen in plenty in the Style variant which even gets ventilated leather seats as standard

Safety and Equipment

In terms of safety, the Kushaq comes standard with ESC across all variants and buyers can also opt for hill-hold assist and a tyre pressure monitoring system. ISOFIX mounts for compliant accessories and three-point seatbelts on all seats are also among the standard kit. The top variants get six airbags while rear parking sensor is standard. However, higher variants get a rear-view camera and sensors at the front as well.

The Active variant of the Kushaq gets a 7-inch colour touchscreen infotainment system which enables the user to use Android Auto and Apple Carplay by connecting their smartphone with a cable. The ‘Ambition’ and ‘Style’ variants get a 10-inch colour touchscreen with Skoda’s SmartLink enabling users to connect their smartphones to the system wirelessly. There are two USB-C ports in the front and the Style variant can also be specced with a wireless charging pad.

The Kushaq comes standard with a premium six-speaker surround sound system. The Style variant also benefits from a separate amplifier and a subwoofer that Skoda says is neatly tucked into the boot.

Engines

As aforementioned there will be two turbo-petrol engines on offer, a three-cylinder 1-litre TSI and a four-cylinder 1.5-litre TSI. The 1.0 TSI is good for 113.9bhp and 175Nm and can be had with a six-speed manual or a six-speed torque convertor. The more powerful 1.5 TSI is good for 147.5bhp and 250Nm of torque and can be had with a six-speed manual or a seven-speed DSG gearbox. Both automatic variants also come with steering mounted paddle shifters.

The Skoda Kushaq will be launched in June and that is when we will know what the Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos rival will be priced at. Till we get our hands on the new Kushaq, read our first drive of the Skoda Kushaq prototype here.