MAINSTREAM INVASION

A sporty SUV has become a reality, but will that change the mind of a sedan aficionado?

- Rivan RS

For the longest time, the ‘sport’ in SUV was something of a misnomer. These cars weren’t meant to be sporty in the traditional sense of the word, which was thought to mean a vehicle that possessed superior handling capabilities and sound dynamics. They were fun to flog around and were basically svelte, sleek cars. Well, the latter bit hasn’t changed, but there are some truly fun-to-drive SUVs available in the market, from the likes of the Lamborghini Urus to much smaller and more affordable models. Even at a budget of ₹15 lakh, there are two options, and one of them is the Skoda Kushaq.

At a similar price point — at least to the 1.0-litre version of the Kushaq — is the Honda City. It’s been said before that the fifth-generation model doesn’t live up to its sporty predecessors in terms of its dynamics, but there’s inherently more athleticism to the sedan body style, or so I said to myself. I’m not the biggest fan of the mainstream shift to the usually boxy and upright SUV style, but after driving the Kushaq, I was coming around to it. This shocked the purist in me, which has led to what you see here — a test to find out if a sporty SUV can truly take the place of a sedan.