Skoda Kushaq 1.5 TSI

After what seems like an endless wait, we have finally driven the first car from Skoda-VW’s massive India 2.0 project. Has the wait been worth it?

THE DOOR SLAMS SHUT WITH a satisfying thud. A question I had about the Skoda Kushaq before I even laid eyes on it was whether it would still ‘feel’ like a Skoda / VW Group car considering so much of it (92 per cent to be precise) had been localised. And while the thud I just heard wasn’t enough to answer that question in its entirety, this is a good start. In the driver’s seat, I fumble around the dashboard for the Stop / Start button only to remember that Skodas have them on the steering column. One of the hazards of the job. We’re constantly jumping between so many cars, each with their own quirks and idiosyncrasies, that it takes a couple of seconds to adjust. I’ve lost count how many times I’ve absentmindedly sent the wipers or indicators of a car into a tizzy because I’ve stepped into it after driving a Merc. But I digress. The Skoda Kushaq is an important car — the 1 billion Euros that the Group is investing (along with the countless man hours) aside, this is the start of the Volkswagen Group’s big play for the next decade in India. It deserves our full attention.