Skoda Kushaq facelift unveiled in India

Skoda Kushaq has been updated for the Indian market. Skoda took the wraps off the facelifted version of the midsize SUV earlier today. Pre-bookings for the new Kushaq are now open for a token amount of Rs 15,000. The automaker will reveal the pricing at the end of March. The facelifted model gets updates across the board, including cosmetic, feature, and mechanical upgrades.

Read Also: Kia Carens Clavis and Syros get affordable (EX) trims

Skoda Kushaq facelift: What’s on offer?

The Kushaq facelift follows Skoda’s Modern Solid design philosophy. Its front fascia flaunts a new grille with chrome ribs and an ‘Illuminated Light Band’. This segmented light bar acts as a bridge between the two L-shaped LED DRLs flanking either side of the grille. The design of the LED headlamps and fog lamps has been updated as well. The ridged skid plate gives the bumper a unique look. The Monte Carlo trim of the SUV ditches the chrome ribs on the grille for a gloss black finish and two red stripes.

The profile of the facelifted model looks similar to the outgoing one. Alloy wheels are offered as a standard feature across all variants in the new lineup. At the back, the LED tail lamps feature sequential turn indicators. The light bar connecting the tail lamps is integrated with illuminated ‘SKODA’ lettering. There are three new paint schemes on offer – Shimla Green, Steel Grey, and Cherry Red. The Candy White, Carbon Steel, Brilliant Silver, Lava Blue, and Deep Black colour options have been carried forward from the outgoing model.

Inside, the new Skoda Kushaq packs a 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system and a 10.25-inch digital driver’s display. Lower variants have to contend with an 8-inch instrument cluster. There’s support for wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay on board. The voice assistant is powered by Google Automotive AI Agent, bringing Gemini to the car. Other features include dual-colour ambient lighting, a panoramic sunroof, automatic AC, auto-dimming IRVMs, rain-sensing wipers, a rear wiper, rear defoggers, and more. The SUV is the first in its segment to get a massage function for its rear seats.

The SUV offers over 25 active and passive safety features like 6 airbags, ESC, ABS with EBD, rain-sensing wipers, hill hold assist, ISOFIX anchorages, traction control, and more as standard across all variants. The higher variants have over 40 safety features.

The Kushaq facelift gets one key mechanical upgrade in the form of an 8-speed torque convertor automatic gearbox for the 1.0-litre turbo petrol engine. This engine generates a maximum power output of 115hp and 175Nm of torque. It can be mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox as well. The SUV also comes with a 150hp, 250Nm producing 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine option. This engine comes with a sole 7-speed DCT gearbox.

Mr Ashish Gupta, Brand Director, Škoda Auto India, said, “At Škoda, our mission is to democratise European technology and make it more accessible to customers across India. Today, boundary lines between cities and regions are blurring, and aspirations are merging. We are meeting these aspirations by launching products that cater to these evolving customer preferences. With the premiere of the new Kushaq today, we further build our legacy of having a class-leading range of ‘real automatics’ across our portfolio, offering an SUV that comes with the most important safety, comfort, design and convenience features as standard, led by our proven European engineering. We are constantly listening to our customers, and the new Kushaq is another step in keeping our portfolio modern and relevant for our growing Škoda family.”

Read Also: Mahindra XEV 9S and XUV 7XO garner 93,689 bookings in one day

Final Thoughts

As mentioned earlier, the prices for the new Kushaq lineup will be revealed at the end of March. The SUV will be offered with a standard 4-year/1,00,000km warranty. Upon launch, it will rival the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, Toyota Urban Cruiser HyRyder, Kia Seltos, Hyundai Creta, Honda Elevate, and Volkswagen Taigun in India.