Skoda Kushaq is all set to make its Indian market entry later this year. The production-ready version of the mid-size SUV has already been revealed by the Skoda and here’s how it compares against the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Renault Duster and Nissan Kicks:
Dimensions
Skoda Kushaq comes with best-in-class 2651 mm of wheelbase and it measures 4225mm and 1760mm in length and width respectively. The SUV stands 1612mm tall and features a ground clearance of 188mm along with 385-litre boot space. On length, width, and height, Skoda is the smallest in the lot; however, it has an ace up its sleeve in the form of the longest wheelbase in the segment. Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos have got the smallest wheelbase in this comparison.
Powertrain Options
Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos come with the most powerful naturally aspirated versions of their petrol engines – with an output of 115bhp. In comparison, Duster and Kicks feel a bit lacklustre in their performance although, in turbocharged versions, Renault and Nissan are the most powerful performers with 156bhp on tap. Skoda Kushaq is not far behind as its 1.5-litre TSI motor churns 150bhp and highest 250Nm of max torque. The 1.0-litre TSI of Kushaq offers the lowest displacement among others but it still better than the N/A engines offered on all other four SUV’s.The VW group has no N/A engines in its portfolio worldwide.
Features and Equipment
Skoda Kushaq has all new-age features such as an electric sunroof, a large touch screen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, ventilated front seats, automatic headlamps and rain-sensing wipers, cruise control, tire pressure monitoring system, wireless charging, ambient lighting, rear type-C USB, and connected car technology. This means it won’t be having any problem in luring customers who want their SUVs to offer superior comfort and convenience along with powerful performance. Hyundai Creta and Seltos offer a tad bit more, but overall Kushaq is not far away from the Korean twins. It is the Renault-Nissan twins that lack the wow factor features on their cars.
Pricing and Value for Money
The popular Hyundai Creta in the Indian market retail in the range of Rs 9.99 lakh to Rs 17.53 lakh while Kia Seltos can be had between Rs 9.89 lakh and Rs 17.45 lakh. Renault Duster, on the other hand, is priced between Rs 9.57 lakh and Rs 13.87 lakh while Nissan sells Kicks between Rs 9.49 lakh and Rs 14.64 lakh (all prices, ex-showroom, Delhi). Skoda will reveal the Kushaq prices in the run-up to its launch and we expect the range to start from Rs 9.0 lakh onwards. Given Skoda’s edge over all its rivals in terms of safety, dynamic, better engines and automatic options. Skoda might just have a lead if it gets the rest of the aspects as right as the aforementioned ones.
