Bought a 200 km run used almost new Skoda Kushaq AT

It was so new that all plastics were in place and it had 200 km on the odo. What’s more, it was the Ambition auto.

BHPian tunedv8 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I’m going to start by talking about a car that changed my life.

It’s not a V12 Ferrari or a flat six Porsche or a V8 Jaguar. It’s actually a Skoda. Yes, that humble little sister of the world famous mighty billionaire, VW. The specific car is the Octavia. Surprised? Let me explain.

In the winter of 2004, I, a teen that had just hit puberty, had just bunked Sanskrit class and went straight to the library. But don’t judge me just yet – I’m not ‘one of those’ kids who is forever swamped with books and does their parents proud, okay? I went there to flip through Popular Science magazine and drool over the engineering of Maybachs (especially their groundbreaking photochromic panoramic sunroofs and gold champagne flutes) and picked up a copy of Autocar which featured a Corrida Red (I’m patting myself on the back right now – after all these years, the paint name just randomly popped into my head just as I was writing this) Octavia VRS.

There were several pictures of the car power sliding around and generally being impressive (what with its 17-inch ‘Spider’ wheels, body kit, black bucket seats and a boot spoiler). The sticker price of 15 lakhs made it feel more attainable compared to the Maybachs and SL55s that made heads spin like a disco ball.

So, I stole that mag (sorry Jain college librarian, that was me) took it home and plonked it triumphantly in front of my dad. Let’s go take a look, I said. He promised that we would do that as soon as he ‘had the time’. A few months later, he was ‘still busy’. So, I decided to raise a point that is of the greatest interest to him – mileage. I informed him imperiously (like one might inform a half-wit child) that it returned 15 kilometres per litre. His response to this left me dumbstruck. He said it was that good because it had a turbo petrol engine and that he had seen the car at a dealership because his friend had just bought an Octavia L&K. But wait a minute. He had gone to the dealership without me? Thanks for kissing me with those Judas lips, Dad!

The next week, having not missed a single class, I set out for a Skoda showroom with a friend. At the time, Tafe Access on St. Marks road was the only showroom I knew of. We got there in my two-bit two-stroke Kinetic Honda making sure to park where they couldn’t see. For some reason, I also did not want to even accidentally catch a glimpse of the car before we got in. I wanted to take in that precious experience unsullied by sights, sounds and smells from the road (and my friend). I wanted to see that glorious entity in all its entirety all at once, and be absolutely overwhelmed by it in solitude.

As we entered, I saw it – a gleaming red Octavia V… oh, it was just a diesel 1.9 Rider. A Skoda SA walked up to me and asked politely how he could help me. I mumbled that I wanted to see the VRS, if they had it on display. He said yes, they did, and pointed. I took a deep breath to calm my racing heart and turned.

And there it was.

A gleaming yellow (yellow!) Octavia VRS. Finally, this magnificent beast had presented itself to my plebeian self. My teenage nether regions tingled. Blood flowed to several places very quickly and gave me a metaphorical black out. I spent a lifetime ogling at the bonnet lines, the headlight washers and oooooh, the hexagonal muffler tip! The pastel yellow looked delicious – absolutely edible. I was drawn to the colour like a moth to a flame. We were eventually asked politely but firmly to go away and we obeyed.

For the next few weeks, I thought of nothing but that Octavia VRS in butter yellow. At the showroom, I had sat behind the wheel and imagined driving it and had even touched the silver gear knob. I was so obsessed with it that I sort of regretted ever going there. That yellow display car did a number on me. “Someday, I’ll buy a Skoda’’, I said to myself – a good one, a sporty one.

I say it changed my life because I decided to delve deeper into the automotive field after this. I took a diploma in Automotive engineering and graduated in Automobile Design. It became a passion. Since then, it has always been a challenge to find the ‘right car’. Yes, I know, many of you here have been through this dilemma.

The hunt (brief version):

I want to share this part in more detail so allow me to get back to it later in this thread.

My current daily is a Tata Nano. My wife bought it because she thought it was cute and I got to go around bragging that I owned a rear engined, rear wheel drive car with scoops on the side. As long as I was not being more specific, I had (with a sheepish grin on my face) a Porsche.

Okay, let’s gloss over that deeply embarrassing fact about me and come back to the original story – my ideal car.

17 years later, I was reading an article by Chirag Moro on Team BHP which broke my heart.

This hunt led me to an interesting find on a used car website called Giga Cars. It was a blue Maruti Baleno Altura. Now, if you are mad and take the time out to stalk me on Team BHP, you’ll immediately know how huge my crush is for estate cars. I have drooled over Chevy Foresters and Combis and Alturas here since 2013. I have even contacted a few asking if they’ll sell to me (and no, I did not stalk any of them. Well, what would you do if you saw the car you wanted and it was with someone else?) Anyway, this blue Altura looked good, and it was cheap. However, the guy had gone for a blue Scooby look. I wanted one in stock condition but if it was just a question of replacing the wheels (the stock 5 spoke was so so neat) I would have probably ended up with it.

Unfortunately, it did not work out, and I moved on cursing my lack of disposable cash.

Alternatively, I was browsing through new cars as well (more about all this later) and inevitably stumbled upon the Kushaq. I drove both the 1.0 and 1.5, and of course, fell in freakin’ love with them! Raja Skoda SA, Ravi was very friendly and cooperative. I wanted a long test drive and he obliged without hesitation. We test drove it on a Wednesday night. My wife called it a ‘plane on the road’ and she was hooked by the driving experience.

Since the TD car was the Style variant, it had the ventilated seats worth coveting. Our budget had a 15 lakh cap, which meant the base Active was the only one we could get. However, I was adamant about split folding seats and all the ‘Simply Clever’ features so it had to be at least the Ambition variant. Although the automatic was a joy to drive, we were totally okay with the manual and that’s what we decided we would get ‘someday soon’.

And that was that – we decided to wait for a year perhaps until we could raise the budget. But fate had something else in store for us. Sound like a teenage love story yet?

By now, half of Bangalore’s new and used car showrooms knew I was in the market. I took a lot of test drives, saw a lot of cars and met a lot of people. Since my wife (influenced by me) was an integral part of the search, we did encounter some casual yet polite sexism. We went to a well-known used car showroom in Kalyanagar (close to Manyata tech park), to look at some Cretas and found one in a nice cognac brown. Have I mentioned I am anti-white? My wife was more keen on a Denim blue.

The brown was auto and the blue was manual. The sales rep there politely recommended the auto box because “my wife could enjoy it as well…” She was positively livid. In the interest of discouraging such behaviour and due to the sheer fear of being in a situation where I was explaining to the police as to why a doctor had just spent 2 hours removing a wheel spanner from that SA’s ear, we agreed to never buy a car from there.

One week later, I was called back by Giga Cars because there was a tasty little blue S-Cross that had low mileage and was top-of-the-line. I went there by myself to see this car and make sure the SA wasn’t a jerk but that’s when all my plans just fell apart.

It was 8 pm – closing time – and some lights were off. In the dimly lit distance, I saw what looked like a Skoda Kushaq being driven into a parking spot on their showroom floor. As I squinted and leaned forwards to get a good look, it was just that – a Kushaq! But already in the used market? I inquired about it and as it turned out, it was a brand-spanking-new Kushaq.

It was so new that all plastics were in place and it had 200 km on the odo. What’s more, it was the Ambition auto. Was it meant to be?? No, hang on! Such emotions were okay for a new car but this was a used car. Yes, it still had the ‘new car smell’ and only 200 km on the do but it still had 200 km worth of history under its bonnet. What if it had issues and that was why the owner was getting rid of it? I didn’t want to fall for ‘it’s meant to be dude!’, emotions at that point! So I did my due diligence, inquired further, drove it for a bit and snooped around everywhere for signs of tampering, accidents – everything. I was quoted 15.5 and I booked the car the same night. I was assured a full refund if I did not want the car for any reason.

I went home, told my wife about the Kushaq and she was over the moon. It was then that I realized that I had completely forgotten to see the S-Cross! Oops-a-daisy!

Finally, everything went smooth and I finally, finally, ended up with a brand new (used) Skoda Kushaq. With this, I fulfilled a 17-year-old dream, of owning a turbo-charged Skoda. If you read all the way, I salute you Sir…and Ma’am (no sexism here, haha!)

Why is the thread titled like that? Kushaq in Sanskrit means ’emperor’.

Reasons for buying a new car:

My wife and I have been using a ’15 Tata Nano Twist with OTG (openable tail gate). It has its share of positives and problems. But the biggest problem of them all was that we could never take it out on those weekend trips. Yes, I loved the Nano but it wasn’t exactly a petrolhead’s wet dream. It was a problem solver, not a heart breaker. That void in my heart was yet to be filled and boy was I itching for it to happen. The plan was to keep the Nano as a workhorse and have another steed in the stable for those early morning breakfast drives and frequent road trips.

One fine Saturday morning, I pulled out a piece of paper and wrote down the 10 things that matter most to me:

Must haves:

• Fun factor – I wanted the fizz! Enough said.
• Safety – No compromise here – it had to be 4 star rated at least!
• A good ride and handling package.
• Seat comfort – Thigh support, lumbar support, side bolsters etc both from and rear.
• Smart interiors – I wanted at least four cupholders, arm rests, cubby holes, charging ports, large door pockets for 1 litre bottles at least, bright interior lights.
• Split folding seats and a practical boot – An extremely practical feature to have. Flat folding would be an added bonus! A decent sized boot enough to carry 4 people and their luggage for a 4 day trip is good enough.
• Steering rake and reach adjustment.
• Reliability and low on maintenance.
• Handsome/ interesting looks or at least good proportions – As a design student, I was honed to be a sucker for aesthetics.
• Apple CarPlay. Yes I like my music in lossless quality, thank you!

Good to have:

• Keyless entry.
• Any other colour other than White – preferably yellow, green or blue. (Like that was going to happen. This is India)
• Skoda.
• Or VW/ Tata (because I am an Indian and all that)/ Toyota/ Ford.

And so, armed with a list and a strict budget of 13 lakhs, I commenced the hunt!

The hunt:

I think this was the best part of making the decision to buy a car because it gave me a reason to be always discovered by my wife with an auto mag, at a dealership or online watching a review and get away with it. Like I said earlier, I looked at many many cars – new, used everything. Here’s the list:

New cars:

Skoda Rapid:

First call I ever made was to a Skoda dealership. I was interested in the Onyx edition and the Lapiz Blue was interesting. But there was a problem. There was this nagging feeling that the only reason I wanted a Rapid was because I couldn’t afford the Octavia VRS. So, I decided to revisit the Rapid after browsing further down the list.

• Best thing for me – Looks, performance and the Blue paint.
• What made me hold back – Who I am really after is it’s big brother.

Suzuki Jimny:

Yes, a car that does not even exist in the market yet. But why? Well, I did like the idea of having a boxy SUV in Bottle Green. I did a lot of research and learnt that I had to wait till the end of the year if I want one. I was okay to wait so I kept it on my list.

• Best thing for me – Looks and the off road potential.
• What made me hold back – Unsure of it’s arrival and delivery times.

Hyundai i20 N Line:

I did not like the standard i20 but the N Line was my ticket to entry into the special limited edition cars club whose meeting are held once a month directly in petrolhead heaven. So why not? I missed grabbing the VRS and the Tiago JTP. I wasn’t going to make the same mistake again!

• Best thing for me – Absolute special feeling and fun factor!
• What made me hold back – Expensive. Interiors felt a bit tacky. My wife refused to sit inside it.

Mahindra XUV300:

I did not like it’s looks but everything else was quite tempting.

• Best thing for me – Seat comfort on the W8 was fabulous. The steering sensitivity adjustment worked well. Great stopping power.
• What made me hold back – Boot space was less for my requirements. Mahindra’s response to my enquiry was very laid back.

Toyota Urban Cruiser:

The UC ticked each and every requirement of mine. Reliable 1.5 engine, smooth gearbox, decent performance, super bright headlights, split and flat folding rear seats. Honestly, I did not mind the design despite it’s blandness. I liked the Espresso Brown a lot and if I got it, I surely would have painted it teal green!

• Best thing for me – Preferred the styling of the UC over the Brezza. Checked all my boxes.
• What made me hold back – The back seats were a bit too upright for my liking. Was on the fence about the looks.

Hyundai Verna:

I did like the way the iTurbo looked and felt it was worth looking at.

• Best thing for me – Lots of features. Ventilated seats.
• What made me hold back – New iTurbo was out of budget. I wasn’t drawn to it. When I saw it in the flesh, it looked a bit boring. I wish they had more exciting colours!

Skoda Kushaq/ VW Taigun:

Actually, the first thing that made me consider the Kushaq was the Taigun in Curcuma Yellow. After seeing them both in the flesh, I preferred the subtle looks of the Kushaq. I fell in love with it during the test drive. I wanted to hate this car but ended up falling in love with it.

• Best thing about it – Gave me the fizz. Drove well, good steering feel and ride quality, manual gearbox was slick.
• What made me hold back – It was out of budget and the seats did not fold flat. Nothing else really.

Honourable mentions – Tata Altroz turbo XZ(O) in Blue. I like Tata and wish to support them by buying their cars. I loved the interiors and of the Altroz. The smart band was a nice feature too. I spent some time looking at it on the website and saw one at the dealership when I went in to get my Nano serviced. But my experience Tata ASC is hit or miss.

Used cars:

(2017+) VW Vento 1.6 manual:

Loved the driving experience and the looks! I even found a car in mint condition with upgraded music system. It had done 44k. Interestingly, most VWs/ Skodas I saw were sold at the 46-60k mark! Curious.

• Best thing for me – Gave me the fizz.
• What made me hold back – Nothing really except that it’s hard to find a low mileage petrol manual.

Hyundai Creta (Diesel):

Checked it out only because everyone and their uncles who knew I was looking for a car recommended the Creta. Every – single – one. I wasn’t very keen on it’s bulky looks but it did now on me. It’s worth mentioning that Spinny was loaded with Cretas and I had a good TD experience with them.

• Best thing for me – Space and comfort. Boot was more than sufficient.
• What made me hold back – Unexciting to drive. 2018 and below models did not even have a trip computer with avg fuel efficiency and DTE readouts! Hard to find cars with split folding seats in the right price because manual top-end variants did not have that feature. Why?

First gen Skoda Octavia/ VRS/ Combi:

The original sinner. I couldn’t resist looking for cars in bottle green, red and black.

• Best thing for me – Had I found a vRS, I would have fulfilled the dream of a lifetime. Bottle green or yellow Combi would have made me live in the car. Simple driving machine, huge customising potential – simple tune up job, custom upholstery, good alloys and that’s it really.That glorious boot hatch and all it’s practicality!
• What made me hold back – Obviously, parts are not easy to find and are expensive. I had to find a damn good example in stock condition. So, a bit far fetched.

Face-lifted global Ford Fiesta (Diesel):

I really wish this car had done well in the Indian market. I was surprised by the amount of practicality it offered and how much fun it was to drive. It ticked a lot of my boxes and even had split folding seats for boot access from the cabin.

• Best thing for me – Gave me the fizz. Looked beautiful and was a hoot to drive.
• What made me hold back – The car I found and it was the only face-lifted one I found in the market had a rattly interior and needed many trim pieces to be replaced. I asked on TBHP forum if I should go for it and was advised against it!

Fiat Linea T-Jet:

The car looks brilliant and is an absolute thrill to drive. It’s interiors remind me of the Maserati Quattroporte and it oozes classy aesthetics.

• Best thing about it – Beautiful and built like a tank.
• What made me hold back – Found a great example in black that was apparently driven by a doctor. After thorough inspection, I found some rust under the carpets. That made me drop it because I planned to hold on to the car I would buy for a long time.

Maruti S-Cross 1.6 (Diesel):

If it was an S-Cross, it had to be the 1.6! I liked it’s handsome proportions from the side and some good wheels will really turn this car around. I loved the space it offered and comfort. If my head got it’s way, it would be this car!

• Best thing about it – It gave me the fizz and ticked many of my boxes. Comfortable and simple.
• What made me hold back – The clutch was a touch heavy over long distances. It was more like a head over heart sort of thing – you would buy it because it’s a sensible choice.

A long list as you can see. However, just three cars made it to the shortlist:

• Toyota UC (new).
• Maruti S-Cross (used 1.6).
• Skoda Kushaq.

We extended the budget a bit and decided to finalise on the UC premium manual variant. Rohan at Nandi Toyota gave us a good experience. However, I was still not convinced with the back seat comfort. The showroom thought I was haggling and offered discounts on accessories.

My wife and I often discussed the Kushaq and decided to wait for it instead of going in for something we were not completely sure about.

My fall back option was the S-Cross which is what I thought I would end up with. It seemed more sensible than the UC and I was wondering why I was holding back. Finally, the my fate was sealed with a white Kushaq! An anti white got served with a generous chunky dollop of white goodness.

I took delivery on December 10th so this thread was long overdue:

Little irritants about the Kushaq:

• The seats don’t fold back flat. It’s not a big deal though, I can live with it.
• The boot is not completely squared off. The side that faces the rear seat backs have a weird conical protrusion into the boot area and that means you can’t line up boxes or suitcases dead against the seat backs. However, it’s not a deal breaker.
• The boot floor has no stitched pull tabs – I stapled some velcro strips myself and made a handle to lift up the floor to access the tools and the spare wheel. But it’s okay, not a deal breaker.
• Interestingly, the extra brake lights set on the hatch door don’t light up in the Ambition variant. I guess this is reserved only for the top-of-the-line.
• Touch controls for the AC means you have to take your eyes off the road to see what your are doing.

• As soon as you start, the three cylinder makes it’s presence felt in terms of the noise. No vibrations whatsover anywhere.

Things I absolutely love:

• There is room for little umbrellas in the front door bins. (Yay!) All the simply clever features are exciting to use. Yes, I am a child.

Puts a smile on my face every time I sit behind the wheel. Driving dynamics are fabulous.

The automatic was definitely worth it. I use the paddle shifter to downshift quite a lot.

• The cabin is quiet and you barely notice the climbing speeds.
• Fizz fizz fizz. All over the place! It’s exciting to sit in and be seen in! I love arriving at places now!
• Wireless Apple CarPlay means there’s always music in my car now (Sorry if I am making this a big deal but the Nano was handicapped in that area).
• Valet mode is useful when you pull up at restaurants.
• Cornering lights are a great feature.
• Seats are very supportive.
• The dimensions are great – compact and spacious.

I have already covered 2,300 kms across two road trips – Hyderabad and Coonoor. Stay tuned for those updates and pictures!

First drive:

Bangalore > Hyderabad > Bangalore:

We were itching to take delivery of the Kushaq! It arrived on the 10th of December and on the 17th we were out of Bangalore!

Highlights:

• Hit the road at 4:40 AM. The airport road was extremely foggy. I had to drive very cautiously until 5:30 am:

• Stopped at Kritunga for breakfast at 7:30 AM. Idlies and vadas were hot, fresh and delicious:

• Roads were under construction near Kurnool and the drive was quite chaotic.
• Reached Hyderabad at 12:00 PM.
• We arrived fresh as daisies!
• Shopped at Ikea for some furniture and a whole lot of other stuff.
• Boot swallowed everything – Needed some planning and rearranging to make everything fit.
• Trip back was smooth too.
• As soon as we entered Bangalore, we got a ticket for doing 90 km/hr after the toll. The road was a downward gradient.

Observations:

• During the initial 100 kms, there was a weird crackle in the speakers. After this it went away and never bothered me again.
• The cornering lights formed condensation for a couple of days and hasn’t happened since then (May be due to winter?).

• Some interior creaks that surfaced whilst driving on poor roads during the first few days were all gone.
• Seats are very comfortable.
• Cruise control was a boon in many places.

• Brake dust changed my front wheels colour to gun metal grey.

Keyword: Bought a 200 km run used almost new Skoda Kushaq AT