Skoda has started the deliveries of their latest launch, the Kushaq. It is a mid-size SUV that will be mainly competing against the Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos. It is offered in two engine options. There is a 1.0-litre TSI and a 1.5-litre TSI. It will be the 1.0-litre TSI that most people will be buying because it is the more affordable option. Here we have a video uploaded by Amar Drayan on his YouTube channel and he is going to take a fuel efficiency test on the Skoda Kushaq.
The Kushaq that the host is driving is equipped with an automatic transmission. Automatic transmissions have now become very popular because people are preferring the convenience of driving an automatic transmission with a slight loss of fuel efficiency.
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As we can see in the video, the Kushaq in the video has done just 11 km. The trip meters have been reset and the host refills the fuel tank. Kushaq’s fuel tank capacity is 50 litres. The SUV can easily sustain a speed of around 80 kmph when the vehicle is in 6th gear and the engine is doing 1,500 rpm. So, it should deliver good fuel efficiency.
Once the host was on a highway, he increased the speed to 100 kmph because that was the speed limit of the highway. Still, the engine was running at just 2,000 rpm. The host says that the engine is refined and you cannot feel any engine noise when driving on the highways.
The engine is the same unit that is shared with the Skoda Rapid. However, the engine is in a slightly higher state of tune. Due to this, the engine produces 115 PS of max power whereas the Rapid produces 108 PS. The torque output has also been increased from 175 Nm to 178 Nm. The gearbox is the same which means you can get a 6-speed manual gearbox or a 6-speed torque converter automatic gearbox.
After covering a distance of 72.7 km, the host returns to the same petrol pump and the same nozzle. The host refills the fuel tank and the Kushaq takes 4.79 litres of petrol. So, the Kushaq delivered a fuel efficiency figure of 15.17 kmpl which is quite good for a turbocharged engine with an automatic gearbox. The SUV was driven for 70 km on highways and 20 km in the city.
Obviously, the 1.5-litre TSI engine would return slightly less fuel economy because it is much more powerful and if you opt for the DSG dual-clutch automatic gearbox, that also hurts the fuel economy. The 1.5-litre TSI produces 150 PS of max power and a peak torque output of 250 Nm. As standard, it is mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox.
The Kushaq starts at Rs. 10.49 lakhs ex-showroom and even the base variant is equipped pretty decently. The top-end variant is priced at Rs. 17.59 lakhs ex-showroom. Because of the price, the Kushaq has to compete against the Renault Duster, Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Nissan Kicks, Tata Harrier, MG Hector and upcoming Volkswagen Taigun.
Also read: Skoda Kushaq SUV”s official launch & price announcement timeline revealed officially
