As many would have liked, the 1.5‑L is still like an elusive Pokémon in my office’s massive parking lot—seldom seen and unattainable. Our friend from the finance department, who got the 1.0‑L, was speaking the truth when he said that the 1.5‑L is way more than what you would need for commuting from Delhi to Gurgaon.

He drove the 1.5‑L and found it to be an unnerving eye‐opener, such was the rush of power in 3rd gear, according to him.

The 1.0‑L three‑cylinder and 1.5‑L four‑cylinder Kushaq come with a manual transmission (1.0‑L only), a six‑speed torque converter (1.0‑AT), or a 7‑speed DCT (1.5‑L). Our 1.0‑AT variant made 115 bhp and about 180 Nm of torque.

Trust me, Skoda is being pretty conservative with these numbers, and the car feels and drives way faster in real life.

The steering is light, and the gearbox is smooth in bumper‑to‑bumper or highway traffic. I gunned it from Mahipalpur, and the car touched 100 kmph like it was nothing. The power comes in around 2,000 rpm and keeps up until about 5,000–5,500 rpm. 

Braking is confident too (rear drums are still unacceptable), and the car will stop at a moment’s notice from speeds around 80–120 kmph.

The NVH is better controlled than in the Kylaq, likely due to the bigger body, and the three‑cylinder sounds are only audible during idle.

My TL had a blast with the Kushaq on corners and had a hard time believing the negligible amount of body roll compared to the sedan (he has driven both).

The kmpl figures were impressive—just like a very recent Skoda/VW engine. I averaged 9–11 kmpl in the city and managed 18.6 kmpl on the GFR expressway at 80 kmph.

After driving the Kylaq, I was expecting the same okay‑ish fit and finish, but the Kushaq turned out to be a little better. 

The greyish and black dual‑tone interior was very smart to look at, and the large AC vents now had posh‑looking chrome surrounds on either side with a massive black centerpiece running the length of the dashboard.

The piano‑black theme dominated the interior, which looked glossy at night and contrasted nicely with the light‑colored door cards. 

The leather‑wrapped steering wheel and gear knob felt smooth to the touch, and the usual Skoda seats were comfortable and electrically adjustable.

The larger touchscreen felt more in place with the massive Kushaq dashboard and looked less like an afterthought, as was the case with the Kylaq. 

It also felt more responsive and featured Android Auto and CarPlay along with a very good‑sounding 6‑speaker/subwoofer audio system.

The gauge cluster was entirely digital and offered 3–4 different views, which would keep things fresh for years to come. The rear seats provided similar levels of comfort and also came with rear AC vents.

The forums are filled with complaints about Skoda’s AC—from being poor to downright useless. However, I think Skoda intentionally tuned the AC to draw as little power from the engine as possible.

It takes 3–5 minutes longer to cool the cabin compared to its rivals, but in return, you get more power from the engine even during full blast. It’s my theory anyway; it could be that the AC is faulty and Skoda couldn’t care less.

Coming to the boot, there is plenty of space for everything you could imagine fitting in the trunk. The dual 3‑kg coat hangers and a clever parcel tray holder are some of those “Simply Clever” bits. 

The space saver is useless, and Skoda should provide a full‑size unit—even if it means sacrificing a few liters of extra space.

The Kushaq, as one would expect from every other Skoda offering, is smartly designed with sharp aesthetics and, depending on the variant, features chrome and black accents.

The silver 1.0‑L Prestige model of the Kushaq we drove came with a chrome grille surround, fog lamp surrounds, and silver roof bars. It looks quite regal in person, but I found the light silver/chrome combination a bit off‑putting—although the owner of our Kushaq unit loved it.

The Prestige AT costs about 19 lakhs on‑road! For that price, you would expect Skoda to provide all‑around colored bumpers and cladding, but no—you get the same chunky, cheap‑looking black plastics seen on the 6‑lakh Tata Punch. Not a comparison you would want to make.

The LED setup with DRLs looks super nice, especially in the evenings, and the split taillamps also make it look much more pleasant from behind than its younger brother, the Kylaq.

The silver door rails are functional and can carry up to 50 kg of cargo, although I don't think anyone will ever use them. You also get 17‑inch silver alloys (super easy to clean), while the Sportline and Monte Carlo variants get cool black ones. One thing I don’t agree with is the removal of the rear Skoda badge to make space for some childish‑looking big letters screaming “Kushaq.”

The Skoda Kushaq scored a 5‑star GNCAP rating in both adult and child protection. It comes with 6 airbags as standard across all variants, as well as ABS, EBD, TCS, and brake disc wiping.

The Skoda Kushaq strides into the bustling compact SUV ring, armed with a 1.0L TSI (115 PS, 178 Nm) or 1.5L TSI (150 PS, 250 Nm), and a 5-star GNCAP rating. We’ve lined up its fiercest rivals.

The Hyundai Creta flexes a 1.5L petrol (115 PS, 144 Nm), turbo (160 PS, 253 Nm), or diesel (116 PS, 250 Nm), with Level 2 ADAS and a 433-litre boot, outpacing the Kushaq’s 387 litres. The Kia Seltos mirrors the Creta’s engines, adding ventilated seats and sharper looks, but its 3-star safety lags the Kushaq’s crash cred.

The Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara offers a 1.5L petrol (103 PS, 137 Nm) or hybrid (116 PS total), with AWD options and 22.9 kmpl efficiency, topping the Kushaq’s 19.76 kmpl, yet its 5-seat layout matches the Kushaq’s space without standout safety.

The Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder shares the Grand Vitara’s powertrains, adding a premium badge, but its softer styling doesn’t challenge the Kushaq’s sporty edge. The Volkswagen Taigun, a platform twin, matches the Kushaq’s engines and 4-star GNCAP, with a 385-litre boot.

The Honda Elevate brings a 1.5L petrol (121 PS, 145 Nm), a plush ride, and 458-litre boot, out-sizing the Kushaq, but its petrol-only lineup and 3-star safety don’t match the Kushaq’s versatility or crash chops. We see the Kushaq shining with its 188 mm ground clearance, six airbags standard, and features like a 10-inch touchscreen—rivals edge it on tech or boot space, but none blend safety, driving zip, and value quite like this.

We were hard pressed to find any major or substantial problems in the Kushaq. Most issues I had were personal and related to aesthetics, which is quite subjective. Skoda has once again (with a lot of help from VW) managed to create a super‑hit SUV that is miles ahead of rivals like the Creta, Vitara, and Seltos in terms of real‑life compromises.