2026 Skoda Kushaq Facelift UNVEILED: Does It Look Promising Against The Challenge Posed By Tata Sierra, Kia Seltos, Maruti Victoris And Hyundai Creta?

Skoda India has unveiled the new 2026 Skoda Kushaq facelift and its official pre-bookings are underway. The Czech compact SUV sticks to its familiar identity with some differences in styling and a couple of nice-to-have features. The carmaker has extended an important update to its powertrain, too. Does the Kushaq have enough to battle it out against the barge of its segment stalwarts? Let’s find out:

Variants & Colours

• The Skoda Kushaq is offered in a total of five broad variants, including a top-of-the-line Monte Carlo (which will be available from launch). The other variants are: Classic Plus, Signature, Sportline, and Prestige.

• The Kushaq gets three new colour options: Cherry Red, Shimla Green and Steel Grey. Five of its existing hues have been carried forward: Deep Black, Brilliant Silver, Carbon Steel, Candy White, and Lava Blue. Check out all the shades in this report. Not all variants of the Kushaq get all the colours. If you want to check which gets what, we covered that as well.

• Unfortunately, the vibrant Tornado Red shade was taken off the Kushaq’s palette long before.

Bookings, Price Announcement And Delivery Details

• Prices of the Skoda Kushaq facelift are expected to be announced soon. 

• Deliveries will commence by the end of March. 

• Interested customers can pre-book one either at their nearest dealership or on Skoda India’s website for a booking amount of Rs 15,000. 

Exterior

• The Skoda Kushaq sticks to its sophisticated styling, not indulging in the trend of turning boxier, which is something the author appreciates.

• Design updates to the front and rear now give the Kushaq a breath of fresh air! Here's a quick comparison of this new Kushaq with the outgoing model.

• Keen-eyed viewers would notice that the connected DRL runs through the grille, giving it a rich look.

•  The profile is from where the Kushaq looks like a standout today. A true-blue European sophistication complemented by a tall stance. 

• Alloy wheels are now standard! The base model sits on 16-inchers, while the rest of them get 17-inch units. 

• There’s no denying the fact that the Kushaq still looks small when compared to the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos and Tata Sierra. 

•  New lighting elements at the rear look uber cool. We loved the illuminated ‘SKODA’ logo! 

• The gloss black panel on the rear bumper looks posh, but it will pick up scratches easily. 

• Fancy taking a closer look at the Skoda Kushaq facelift? You can do so by checking out our in-depth image gallery. 

Interior

• No major changes have been made to the dashboard layout. However, new colour schemes give it a fresh look. 

• Thankfully, the bright red inserts inside the Monte Carlo’s cabin have been toned down, giving it a more sophisticated look. 

• The introduction of dual-colour ambient lighting does give the cabin a premium look, especially at night. 

• The cabin sports a light beige theme. The two-spoke steering wheel has been carried forward, which has some chrome accents. 

• The seats get leatherette upholstery and look quite well bolstered and firmly padded, which should be good for long distance travels.

• Massive update has been made to the experience of rear seats as it now comes with massaging functionality (a feature usually found in top-of-the-line luxury cars). 

Features 

• The Skoda Kushaq facelift gets a few new features as part of its facelift. Let’s take a look at its comfort and convenience feature highlights:

• Besides the aforementioned features, the 2026 Kushaq also offers equipment like automatic climate control, a wireless phone charger, keyless entry with push button start/stop, a cooled glovebox, cruise control and connected car tech.

Safety

• The Skoda Kushaq facelift gets several safety-focused updates, including rain-sensing wipers, all four-wheel disc brakes (only 1.5-litre TSI), a tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) and front parking sensors.

• Convenience features have also been expanded with the inclusion of an auto-dimming inside rear-view mirror (IRVM).

• Other standard safety features include 6 airbags, electronic stability control, hill start assist, and ISOFIX child seat mounts.

Boot Space

• The Skoda Kushaq facelift offers a usable 491 litres of boot storage.

• The second row seats do have a 60:40 split functionality, which enables the Kushaq to offer an expanded storage of 1405 litres in its boot.

Engine & Transmission Options

• Unlike the feature-set, which might look underwhelming to some, the Kushaq’s powertrain is what the Czech carmaker banks upon, as both engines deliver peppy performance.

• This department has seen a major update! The 1-litre TSI turbo engine now gets a new 8-speed torque converter gearbox instead of the erstwhile 6-speed unit.

• Here are the detailed specifications:

*AT = Torque converter automatic transmission

^DCT = Dual-clutch automatic transmission

Besides the new gearbox, the new Kushaq brings numerous equipments that are a first for its nameplate.

Rivals

Talking about rivals, there are a lot of alternatives to the Kushaq like Hyundai Creta, Maruti Victoris and Grand Vitara, Toyota Hyryder, Tata Sierra, Kia Seltos, Honda Elevate, MG Astor, and Volkswagen Taigun.

Do you think the Kushaq facelift can prove to be a game-changer for Skoda India’s future, following their successful run with the Kylaq? Let us know in the comments.