Skoda Kushaq vs Creta vs Seltos vs Duster vs Kicks: Spec Comparison

Stepping in the mid-sized SUV zone, the Skoda Kushaq will face strong competition from the rivals. Especially, the Koreans which have a waiting period of over half a year and still has a consistent demand in the market

Skoda Kushaq made its global debut and the SUV will take on the likes of the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Renault Duster and Nissan Kicks. The Kushaq will be launched in the month of June and the deliveries will commence by July this year. However, Skoda has given out enough details of the Kushaq to put it against its rivalling SUV and get an idea of its offerings.

Drivetrain

The Kushaq has been unveiled with two engine options along with a manual as well as an automatic option for both the engines. Following the trait are Hyundai and Kia that offer two petrol and one diesel engines along with a choice of four gearbox options with the Creta and Seltos. The Nissan Kicks also gets two engines on offer and while one comes mated to a manual transmission exclusively, the other engine comes with a choice of two transmission options - manual and an automatic. In addition, the Duster, Kicks and the Kushaq miss out on a diesel drivetrain that the Creta and the Seltos get.

Car connected tech

The segment was dominated by the Hyundai Creta and the Kia Seltos in terms of features. The Skoda Kushaq also gets a host of car connected features that offer geo-fencing, and live car tracking options. However, the Kushaq misses out on features such as remote-climate control that is seen in the Creta and the Seltos. The Nissan Kicks also comes equipped with car connected features although not as sophisticated as the Korean rivals. The Renault Duster on the flip side gets no car connected features whatsoever. However, the car connected tech in the Creta and the Seltos are subscription-based and the user has to renew it once the subscription runs out.

Features

Interestingly enough! The Hyundai Creta comes with an option of a panoramic sunroof, while the Skoda Kushaq and the Kia Seltos get an optional sunroof. The Renault Duster and the Kicks miss out on the optional sunroof. Similarly, the Creta, Seltos and the Kushaq are offered ventilated seats - something that’s a luxury in our climate conditions. The Duster and the Kicks are yet to be updated that level of creature comfort. The Nissan Kicks and Kia Seltos however benefit from a 360-degree view camera while the Creta, Duster and Kushaq get a fixed rear-mounted camera. Feature such as the head-up display that adds more in terms of comfort levels and reduces driver fatigue is only seen on the Seltos. Buyers who opt for a more old school layout will appreciate the Dusters largely analogue instrument cluster, however, the Kicks gets a part digital, part analogue instrument cluster. The Creta and the Seltos get a part digital, part analogue cluster as well, however, the instrumentation read-outs are more on a digital level. The Skoda Kushaq on the other hand surprisingly misses out on the virtual cockpit we observe on the Skoda Superb and the Octavia.

Dimension

The most interesting bit about SUVs, the SIZE. Ideally, it is the USP of an SUV in India. However, mild offroad capabilities are welcome too. That said, the Kia Seltos and the Hyundai Creta sport radical design cues, it eats into the SUV quotient of the said cars. The Seltos and Creta get a lower front lip on the bumper and could make the driver re-think his/her decision to take it off the road. Similarly, the Nissan Kicks also gets a more urban-friendly design and that limits its capabilities to be driven off-tarmac. The Renault Duster visibly has a better approach, departure and break-over angles which benefits its offroad capabilities. In the past, the Duster was also available with an all-wheel-drive variant, and if the French manufacturer would have offered the same with the BS6 compliant engines, the Duster would have been a few notches closer to the term SUV in this list. The Skoda Kushaq, on the other hand, gets the wheels positioned on the maximum end of the body and offer very less overhang on either side. Although, how the SUV tackles broken pieces of roads is something we reserve our judgment on until we get our hands on the Kushaq.

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