Skoda Kushaq 700km Review: Still a Driver’s Delight?

With a crowded compact SUV segment, Indian car buyers are truly spoiled for choice. Depending on your priority, you could opt for a strong hybrid to maximise city mileage or hunt for one of the few remaining diesel options left on the market. But for the driver who craves actual performance, sharp dynamics, and an engaging manual or quick-shifting automatic gearbox, the focus naturally shifts to the European duo: the Skoda Kushaq and the Volkswagen Taigun.

Instead of trying to make the SUV look massive or loading it up with useless features, Skoda focused on what they do best: building a solid, European car that is genuinely fun to drive. For this latest model, they simply refreshed the styling and updated the cabin to keep up with the competition.

But does it genuinely fix the gaps of its predecessor while retaining its core strengths?

To find out, I drove the top-end Skoda Kushaq 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine for over 700 km. I tested it on my regular office route from Noida to Gurugram in heavy traffic and on open highways. I wanted to see how it actually performs in real life: Does it give good mileage despite having a powerful engine? And does it have enough comfort and features to keep the family happy?

Most importantly, does this driver-focused SUV make financial sense when competing against highly efficient hybrids and high-tech EVs—especially since this top-tier variant carries a premium price tag pushing past ₹18.5 Lakhs ex-showroom?

In this comprehensive review, I will dive into everything from the exterior changes and interior refinement to the engine performance, highway handling, ride quality, and other factors. Here is the unfiltered truth about whether the Kushaq 1.5 TSI deserves a spot in your garage.

Let’s Begin!!!!!

What’s Good -

Skoda Kushaq Performance

The Skoda Kushaq comes with two engine options, and I drove the 1.5L TSI EVO petrol engine, paired with a seven-speed DSG gearbox. I have previously driven this engine quite extensively in its sibling, the Volkswagen Taigun. Since this Kushaq facelift continues to use the same chassis, I did not feel there was much difference in performance between these two SUVs.

Firstly, in terms of performance, there is ample grunt on offer across the rev band. The power delivery is not linear, and the low-end lag is evident. While I was on the expressway, as soon as I opened the throttle, this turbo petrol engine pinned me back to the seat, and it climbed to 100 km/h under 10 seconds effortlessly, and I was already doing 120-130km/h in no time.

Since I knew I was driving a turbo petrol engine, I loved hearing the turbo whistle and the blow-off valve whistle. To have some fun and make my drive more enjoyable, I left the throttle in the mid-range, between 2,000 and 4,000 RPM. I heard the blow-off valve whistle along with a turbo spool, which were pleasing to my ears. It further pushed me to drive it more enthusiastically, but on the contrary, it was eating into fuel efficiency.

Despite this, the engine offers ample power and torque, but the Skoda Kushaq does not come with any driving modes. Instead, I put the gearbox in Sports mode, and for more fun, I took manual control of the gearshifts using the paddle shifters. While I was driving the Kushaq in the Sports mode for the gearbox, the upshifts were made in the mid-range, and if I went a bit harder on the throttle, it made upshifts at its redline, which stands around 6,500 RPM.

However, when I took manual control of gearshifts via the paddle shifters, I mainly required it for the downshift because of the low-end lag. It quickly downshifts, and I was in the mid-range, getting the maximum power and making overtakes was not a problem. Additionally, it does not make an upshift, and I was able to hold on to a gear to the top end.

I loved the performance from the 4-cylinder TSI EVO petrol, and one thing I would like to mention and highlight over here is that please do not look at the fuel efficiency if you are going hard on the performance.

Ride and Handling

The ride quality of the Skoda Kushaq 2026 is on the softer side. It is more meant for city use, giving you a comfortable and a pliant experience, rather than being a hardcore German SUV. As the suspensions are tuned on the softer side, while I went on some bad roads and potholes, it filtered inside the cabin, and that was a bit shocking for me.

However, when I was driving it around 100 km/h or 120 km/h on expressways, it stood planted, and the bumpy feel was pretty evident because of the softer suspension setup. Overall, I feel it is mainly calibrated for city driving and with all four members and luggage in the boot, it would become a bit more bouncy.

Talking about the dynamics of the Kushaq 2026, it sticks to its German character, maintains its line, and the body roll is quite present. While I was going hard on the corners to test the stability and performance, the 205-section tyres gave me good grip levels. Still, I do not appreciate the softer suspension setup as it tends to add body roll and subtly spoiled my overall expectations of the German SUV being a bit too soft.

The vehicle utilises the same steering unit, providing a satisfactory level of feedback and feel. For my regular commute between Noida and Gurugram, the steering proved to be quite manageable; being an electronic rather than a hydraulic system, it allows for effortless maneuvering. I did observe, however, that the steering subtly gains weight when driving at expressway speeds—a characteristic I only fully appreciated after recently driving a competing model on the same route.

Also Read: My 700 KM Delhi-Dehradun Roadtrip With the Renault Kiger Turbo Manual: Most Underrated Highway Car?

Comfort

The seats of the Kushaq are pretty comfortable. First, I’ll share my experience of the rear seats. The Kushaq offers decent space, and since I am 5.10’ ft. tall, I was pretty comfortable in the rear seats. I have had ample amount of kneeroom and leg room, and underthigh support was decent. The seat back was a bit upright, but it was also comfortable. The cabin has decent width, and I feel the shoulder room is a bit less, making it a bit of a tight space for three passengers. Moreover, the centre tunnel eats up the space for the third passenger. What really drew my attention was the rear-seat massage function that is offered in the Kushaq. While I was being chauffeured for some time, the massage function really helped me get a more relaxing and enjoyable experience. Additionally, I had USB Type-C ports to charge my iPhone and the panoramic sunroof during rains, a centre armrest, and the massage function, which elevated my overall experience inside.

One thing to highlight is that the Kushaq still misses out on a rear window sunshade, but on the contrary, Skoda, being ‘Simply Clever’, offer Solar Glass Shield, which means the glass is green-tinted. It helps in filtering out the harmful UV rays of the sun from getting inside the cabin, and keeps the car a bit cooler compared to other cars.

Now, coming to the front seats, these are also comfortable and offer good bolstering and under-thigh support. Since I have a six-way electric adjustment for the driver and the co-driver seat, I drove it with the top position of the seat, and munching kilometres was not a problem at all. Moreover, during my Gurugram to Noida to-and-fro journey, it was fun to drive the Kushaq every day, and I am certainly looking to spend a couple of months with this car.

Features

With the 2026 update, Skoda has certainly added some more features to the Kushaq and has updated the user interface of the 10.2-inch infotainment screen and the 10.1-inch digital instrument cluster. Some more features that are added to the Kushaq are the panoramic sunroof, rear seat massage function, new themes for the instrument cluster, and others.

It continues to come with wireless connectivity for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and my iPhone connected with it seamlessly. However, I guess my test unit had some glitches, and it was getting disconnected abruptly during my drives. Nevertheless, the touch is pretty smooth, and you have plenty of information present inside it.

For starters, it comes with an off-road specifications view, wherein it shows an altitude, tyre direction, and other information. There is a sports display as well, wherein it shows speed, gear, gearbox mode, whether you are in regular Drive mode or Sports mode, and throttle power sensitivity, along with how much pressure the turbocharger is making. I really like the attention to detail that is being offered in the Kushaq, and I was able to highlight how much throttle input and turbo pressure are required for ideal speed conditions for good fuel efficiency.

Since the touchscreen is new, the Kushaq comes with an 8-speaker audio setup that delivers good sound output. I literally enjoyed listening to heavy bass music, and in that as well, the vocals were pretty crisp and clear. However, if I compare it with the branded audio system like Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos offers a BOSE audio system, it is slightly behind that. I would definitely give this music system a 7.5 or 8 rating out of 10 in this segment. Additionally, for better output, you can get aftermarket damping done, which would elevate your experience further.

Coming to the instrument cluster, there are five different views on offer. Since it is a digital display, the information is crisp and does not glare under harsh sunlight. The majority of times kept it at the tachometer and speedometer view, but you can change them via a button on the steering wheel. While seeing the fuel level indicator and the engine temperature meter, you’ll certainly feel as if you are in an Audi car.

Some other key features that I used in the Kushaq were the front ventilated seats, and it gets a red-coloured ambient lighting, and there is no setting for you to change the brightness or the colour of it.

Also Read: MG Majestor First Impressions: Great Off-Roader, But Not For Everyone

Design

Now comes the main part, which many car buyers feel is a subjective issue, the design. Honestly, when I first saw the car in January 2026 in Kochi, I was pretty much impressed by the front and rear; however, the side profile received minimal updates.

For starters, the front is completely revised, having a new LED projector headlamp with LED DRL, which gets a connected treatment, and this certainly makes it feel like you are looking at a baby Kodiaq. The lights are so subtly done that I feel it is one of the best connected LED light setups in its segment. The fog lamps are also placed on the higher side, and it has a good illumination at night.

During my night drive experience, the combination of the LED headlamps and the LED foglamps made my drive even better as it lit the road so well that there was no problem at all. I certainly recommend not changing these headlights and foglights, as these are among the best on offer in their segment. Lower down, there is black cladding on the bumper along with a silver finish to reduce the visual bulk.

On the sides, there is not much that has changed. Since I drove the Prestige variant, it came with a 17-inch alloy wheel, and the new design looks pretty good on it. Rest, it continues to come with semi-chrome door handles and functional roof rails, which elevate the overall aesthetics of the Kushaq. The ingress and egress are also quite easy, and my grandparents did not face much of an issue.

At the rear, things have changed, and it gets a new design for the lights. The overall silhouette remains unchanged, but now, with the connected LED DRL with illuminated Skoda logo inside and dynamic swipe function for the indicators, it feels more upmarket and premium. The reverse lamp is also done in LED, which is a nice touch. You get a 3D badge for the ‘KUSHAQ’ and ‘1.5 TSi’, unlike other automakers, which now offer a 2D emblem and badging.

There is a chrome bar, which elevates the overall aesthetics of the rear, and lower down, you have rear fog lamps as well on the bumpers. The colour combination from the front is continued, and the bumper is finished in black with silver skid plates. The exhaust is neatly hidden under the body, and since it was a 1.5 TSI, you get two pipes for the exhaust.

Talking about the boot space, it is easy to open the tailgate, and the loading lip is also not too high. I easily kept my luggage inside, but closing it requires a two-way mechanism, wherein you have the grab handle to pull down and then push it to completely shut it. You have the basic stuff on offer, like the rear wiper washer, a shark-fin antenna and a subtle rear-spoiler with a high-mounted stop lamp, which is a usual affair now in most of the cars.

What’s Bad -

Features

Though with this update, Skoda added more features like the panoramic sunroof, rear-seat massage function, and others, it still misses out on some key features that the competition offers in the segment. The Kushaq misses out on a heads-up display, a 360-degree parking camera, ADAS features, which I feel are now offered in almost every SUV in its segment, driving modes, and others.

Though I drove the Prestige variant, it gets only three parking sensors at the rear and four at the front; these are quite intrusive, and I mainly kept them off while I was in the bumper-to-bumper traffic. It also has a reverse parking camera, and I was hoping for a better camera quality, but here, I was again disappointed. As I mentioned earlier, it further misses out on rear window sunshades and driving modes, and I feel that if the front seats got a massage function, instead of the rear, it would have definitely enhanced the comfort levels inside.

Fuel Efficiency

Since I drove the 1.5 TSI engine in city traffic and on highways, with the AC on and the front ventilated seats on as well, the ARAI mileage figure is around 18.72 km/L. 

However, using the tank-to-tank method and regular petrol with E20 blending, I was able to achieve a fuel efficiency of around 9.5 km/L. Additionally, it comes with active cylinder technology, which shuts 2 out of 4 cylinders to improve efficiency, but the difference is not that evident.

NVH

The Noise, vibrations, and harshness levels inside the cabin, I feel, could have been slightly better. Compared to the previous model, there’s not much of a difference in the present Kushaq. The engine noise filters inside the cabin while I was driving it in the mid-range and top-end; it screams a lot. During the cylinder deactivation, the vibrations are evident on multiple panels, and since there is no marking in the instrument cluster, you know that it is driving in 2-cylinder mode.

Since it has a soft suspension setup, while going on expansion joints, bad roads and potholes, the noise did filter inside the cabin, and sometimes it was even more. I feel the NVH levels could have been better to enhance the overall experience inside the Kushaq.

Also Read: Maruti Suzuki Wagon R LXI CNG Review: Who Should Buy It?

What is the price of the Skoda Kushaq 2026?

The price of the Skoda Kushaq starts at ₹10.69 lakh (ex-showroom) for the base variant, and it goes to ₹18.99 lakh (ex-showroom). You can check out the on-road prices as per your state and the best offers at CARHP INDIA.

Should you consider it?

So now, the main question is: should you consider the Skoda Kushaq Prestige 1.5 TSI or not? Our Answer is Yes. If you are looking for a comfortable SUV with a punchy engine, German driving pleasure, and are willing to compromise on some features can check out the new Kushaq 2026. It is a decent option in the segment, and the service centre network, the dealership and the service stations are gradually increasing.

Though it misses out on some basic features like ADAS, a 360-degree parking camera, driving modes, and others, overall, it still feels like a complete package in the market. However, the other options that you can consider in this segment around its price are the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, and more.