Skoda Slavia vs Kushaq: Which Skoda Impresses With Its Space And Practicality?

Underneath their distinctive body styles, both models are underpinned by the same platform and powertrains. Does that mean similar space and practicality?

A regular car buyer will describe the Skoda Slavia and Kushaq merely as a sedan and SUV. But, underneath the skin, both models share the same engines, platform, and even the same 2,651mm wheelbase. A look at the price list shows that they aren’t priced apart either. Hmmm, this makes for a very tempting sedan vs SUV familial feud. Which one wins this test? That’s what we’ll answer by the end of this report.

Looks

Design is subjective, and this being a SUV vs sedan comparo, you tell us in the comments at the bottom of the page, which car’s design you prefer. Both, the Kushaq and Slavia, are well proportioned with clean lines and classy design touches. Plenty of design elements are similar to their bigger brothers and that lends them a premium appeal.

In case of the Kushaq, the headlight, small fog lamps, and the tail lamps are similarly styled to the more premium Karoq. Shifting focus to the Slavia, the L-shaped DRLs and projector LED headlights and the familiar Skoda grille gives it a mini Superb-like look, especially when looked at a distance at night.

It’s on the side profile where the Slavia takes the edge as its longer length gives it a better size-to-money ratio. On the other hand, the Kushaq looks more like a slightly larger sub-4 metre SUV. That being said, this author personally likes the Kushaq’s more minimalistic and classy 17-inch alloy wheel design over the Slavia’s 16-inch unit. 

Interior Design And Quality

Both cars get a layered dashboard design with different materials and colours for better ambience. The Kushaq’s dashboard has more blacks and greys for a sporty touch, while the Slavia’s unit is finished in black, beige and bronze that looks more premium. But do they really feel premium to touch?

Certain bits do. Shared parts like the two-spoke steering wheel, the 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system, gear lever, and stalks not only feel high quality, but good to use as well. But from here onwards, things take a downhill turn for both cars as quality levels are certainly not up to the mark. 

Controls like the power windows and AC vents are low rent, while the roof liner feels loosely fastened (near the sunroof) in both cars. And speaking of fit, the Slavia’s plastics, especially around the central AC vents and ambient lighting strip, creak and move when you apply even a little bit of pressure. Clearly, this is not what we expected from Skoda, who is known for making premium quality cars. 

Features

Both cars are almost neck and neck in terms of features in their top-spec Style trim. Just that the Slavia offers digital driver’s display, a feature that’s absent in the Kushaq at the moment and is expected in the upcoming Monte Carlo trim. 

Apart from that, they are neck and neck when it comes to comfort and safety features:

Missing features in both cars include powered driver’s seat, a high quality parking camera, electronic parking brake, and a head-up display. 

Rear Seat Experience

The Slavia’s lower roof height means you need to duck in to get into the cabin a bit, and that might be difficult for ingress and egress for elderly people. And the low placement of seats means underthigh support is slightly on the lower side. But, there’s a work around: simply stretch out, and the seat squab offers better support and comfort levels improve. 

Kneeroom is in abundance and two six footers can sit comfortably behind each other. But, the lower placement of the front seats means foot space is limited unless the front occupants jack up the seat height. Also, the lower roof height might be an issue for taller occupants’ headroom as your head might brush against the roofliner.

No such issues in the Kushaq as the taller roof height means there is plenty of headroom to not spoil your hairstyle. Also, the seats are placed higher up in the SUV, and coupled with the taller ride height, ingress and egress is easier, especially for elderly people. Kneeroom is available in plenty as well, and so is foot space as the front seats are placed higher than the Slavia. 

That said, it isn’t all good news in the Kushaq as the seatback is slightly upright than the Slavia, which reduces the feeling of relax-edness while stretching out. The difference however, isn't that big. The sedan offers more glass area and the lighter black/beige colours gives you a sense of airiness, which is lacking a bit in the darker cabin of the Kushaq. 

Also, there are two common drawbacks for both cars. First, the narrow width of the cabin and the contoured seats make them best as four-seaters rather than five. Secondly, the contouring for the backrest is a bit too snug for broader frames. Me being a wide 102kg adult, would have liked it to be a tad broader.

Practicality And Convenience

Continuing with the rear seat experience, both cars get rear-AC vents, USB-C charging (your kids iPads can be fully charged all the time), and large door bins that can accomodate 1-litre bottles. All good, but rear sunblinds would have completed the package. The Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos get this feature for both rear windows, while the Ciaz and City get it for the rear windscreen. 

And at the front part of the cabin, the door pads of both cars are capable of gobbling up 1-litre bottles and knick knacks. There are cup holders behind the gear lever to place your cup of coffee or small 500ml bottles. 

But from here onwards, the Slavia takes a step ahead as it gets a cubby hole below the headlight knob. Plus, the storage below the AC controls is larger, and apart from the wireless charging tray for your mobile which is placed at an angle, it can accommodate your wallet and keys easily. In the Kushaq, the space is just enough to place your phone on the wireless charging pad and everything else goes over it.  

Being a Skoda, both cars get Simply Clever touches to make life easier inside the car. These include:

• The cup holder behind the gear lever has grooves to hold the bottle in place, so you can open it using one hand. 

• A string on the front door pads to hold stuff like newspapers or magazines.

• Ticket holder on the windshield to place your parking ticket or toll receipt. 

• Red reflector on the door to warn people and motorists that it’s open.

• And finally, a slot in the front seat backs to place your phone. 

Boot Space

The Skoda Slavia’s 521-litre boot is larger here and if you’re a heavy packer, this is the car to pick. A nice wide opening and slightly lower loading lip means loading and unloading heavier luggage will be less of a pain. Also, the boot is wide and flat, and as a result can accommodate a weekend's worth of luggage for the family. 

We managed to pack our test luggage -- three suitcases (large, medium and overnighter) and two softbags -- with room to spare for a couple of soft or laptop bags. Also, the boot is reasonably tall for a sedan and you can place a suitcase over another. It’s also when you’ll notice that you can’t use the 60:40 split folding seats to its fullest as the sedan body doesn’t allow you to load tall things… say like a table. 

No such problems in the Kushaq as the taller body allows you to utilise this feature to a greater extent by placing things like a table for example. But, things take a downhill turn from here as the Kushaq’s 385 litre boot simply can’t gobble luggage like the Slavia. In our test, the Kushaq just managed to take three suitcases and one soft bag. Also, the loading lip is slightly taller than usual and it requires a wee bit more effort to place the luggage.

Ride Quality

The Skoda Slavia’s ride quality is one of the best we have seen in recent times. This is no doubt helped by the comfort-oriented setup and tall profile 205/55 R16 tyres. Thanks to which, speed rumbles, expansion joints, and minor imperfections on the road are ironed out with a flat ride. Even while traversing over bad roads, the potholes and craters barely seep through the cabin and side to side body movement is limited. 

That is something we can’t say about the Kushaq, whose ride simply doesn’t have the plushness of the Slavia. The larger 17-inch tyres and stiffer springs means you do feel a bit more of the road imperfections and speed rumbles, but not to the point of being uncomfortable. Build up the speed a bit and the ride becomes more flat. 

What’s not pleasant though is the excessive body movement while traversing over bad patches of roads. Large potholes and uneven roads unsettle the cabin and you need to tackle them at slower speeds. You also need to go over speed breakers slower than usual as they too can be felt more prominently and harshly than in the Slavia.  

Drive Experience

The controls of both cars are nice and light, and you really won't have a reason to complain when driving in traffic or on the highway. But, it’s the Kushaq’s smaller length and higher seating position which offers better visibility that makes it easier to manoeuvre, especially in town.

But, the Slavia isn’t far behind as its large glass area also gives you a good view out of the car. It’s just that you sit lower down and doesn’t give you a commanding view of the road that is generally associated with SUVs. However, with its 179mm ground clearance, the Slavia just sails over speed breakers without you having to slow down much. 

And in case you’re wondering how good the ride and handling is, read our detailed report on our sister portal, ZigWheels, where our detailed handling and performance comparison test is live. 

Price Talk

As you can see in the table above, the Slavia is up to Rs 1.1 lakh more affordable than the Kushaq. However, it must be noted that the Slavia’s prices are currently introductory and they will be increased in the future. 

Verdict

The Skoda Kushaq is easy to drive, offers you a comfortable rear seat experience, and has a decent amount of features to tempt most of the buyers. Also, the taller body allows better use of the 60:40 split-rear seat functionality. But, it isn’t perfect as the stiffer suspension brings more of the road surface in the cabin, while the smaller boot simply can’t gobble enough luggage in every circumstances.  

The Skoda Slavia, on the other hand, shines in these two areas and more. The softer suspension shields you well from bad roads while the larger boot is more practical. Given that the rear seat experience is better, feels more premium and costs upto a lakh less than the Kushaq, it is the better choice for the family.

Words- Aniruthan Srithar

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