Drives Like A Sedan, Peppy As A Hacthback

Drives Like A Sedan, Peppy As A Hacthback

I've been driving the Kushaq ambition mode for over 14 months. I have clocked over 18,000 km on the Odo and every time I touch the throttle, it brings a smile to my face. This is the 1.0 L turbo petrol engine mated with the 6-speed torque converter (AT). I do about 25km of highway drive every day with about 3 km within the city. What I love is that the car inches when the foot is off the brakes and in bumper-to-bumper traffic most of the driving can be done by just using the brakes. On the highway, the transmission is super responsive, and overtakes just need a little nudge on the throttle. The gears downshift quite fast giving you that instantaneous acceleration even at triple-digit speeds. If you want to drive it even more enthusiastically, the paddle shifters can give you instant downshifts for that stupendous acceleration. I almost always use cruise control for driving on the highway, keeping the speed around 90 kmph. This prevents unnecessary high speeds and returns great mileage. On the highway, it gives around 15 to 17 kmpl while in the city a respectable 12-13 kmpl. The cabin is well insulated from the din on the outside. The seats are firm and well-contoured, perfect for its European dynamics. It's great around corners, has minimal body roll, and sometimes you forget you are driving an SUV. The TCS or traction control is great to get you out of slushy surfaces and on wet surfaces. The brakes need some getting used to and its bite point is after a little travel. Be careful when you lend your car. The steering is light and gets weighted with speeds, it feels plush with the leather cover and has both rake and reach adjustments. The steering mounted controls, the lights, and the wiper switches are an upgrade from the previous SKodas. The 10-inch infotainment system for those who were lucky to have got it (during the semiconductor shortage crisis) is truly remarkable. The wireless Apple car play is point-on and seamless. Voice controls of the phone also work very well with a touch of a button on the steering. The new crystalline LED lights with the halogen fog lamps are fantastic. They have a good throw with a clear transverse cutoff to prevent blinding the oncoming drivers. The coming home and the leaving home function of the headlamps are good and so is the cornering function of the fog lamps at low speeds. The recent GNCAP 5-star crash rating for this car is a feather on the cap for all owners. The after-sales and service have been great all along and have been for my previous Skoda car too. What's not so great: the interior light switches, power window switches, the motors on the ORVMs, the roof liner, and the plastics on the door feel sub-par for a car of this lineage. These are cost-cutting measures by the manufacturer to keep the pricing relevant. The AC has been a sore point for many of us and a recent software update has improved its performance marginally. At the end of the day, It's a driver's car and it will never disappoint.