The Skoda Kushaq and the Volkswagen Taigun are soon going to be the hottest offerings in the compact SUV segment. While their launch is still sometime away, there's already a lot of anticipation and excitement around both these cars. This European-duo have their competition cut out against the Korean-duo of the Kia Seltos and the Hyundai Creta. When the Kushaq and Taigun are launched in the market, the competition is going to be extremely fierce. And one of the biggest differentiating factors will be their styling. We think that the Kushaq-Taigun duo are already ahead of the Korean-duo in terms of styling, but how do they compare against each other?
Skoda Kushaq - Exterior Design
Skoda has already revealed the production-spec Kushaq and in our opinion, it is easily the best looking compact-SUV around. The face of the Skoda Kushaq is characterized by a prominent and wide Skoda butterfly grille, flanked by a split-headlamp setup on either side. The bumper down below is slightly toned down from the concept, but is still very aggressive and sporty-looking. At the rear, a roof spoiler and a faux diffuser element add some sense of sportiness to the design. The wraparound LED tail lights and the reflector elements accentuate the width of the SUV.
The Kushaq comes wearing heavy body cladding all around, and the rugged-looking skid plates on the front and rear bumper further add to its SUV-appeal. It looks quite butch and truly SUV-ish with its upright bonnet and flared wheel arches. The twin five-spoke 17-inch alloy wheels and roof-rails on the top-spec versions look very stylish as well.
Also Read : Top 5 Hits and Misses of Hyundai Creta-Rivalling Skoda Kushaq
Volkswagen Taigun - Exterior Design
Although Volkswagen has not shown the production-spec Taigun yet, the model previewed at the 2020 Auto Expo already seemed pretty much expect ready, expect for the large alloy-wheels obviously. The Volkswagen Taigun actually looks very similar to the T-Cross sold abroad and more specifically to the one sold in China. The India-spec model, just like the China-spec model, gets a lot more bling to suit local taste when compared to the European-spec model.
It has a boxy design with rectangular design elements. While most body panels feature clean and mature lines typical to Volkswagen, the front and rear bumpers make the SUV stand out with a healthy dose of chrome and black body cladding. The front fascia of the SUV will get twin-pod LED headlights with LED DRLs. The grille will get three chrome slats with the new VW badge sitting in between. The lower air dam of the SUV looks quite aggressive and big with mesh styling. It will also employ a faux skid plate below the air dam. It, however, remains to be seen if VW retains the LED light bar connecting the tail lamps at the rear on the production-spec model.
Also Read : Production-Spec Volkswagen Taigun Global Debut On March 31, 2021
In our opinion, it is the Skoda Kushaq that looks a lot more sophisticated and contemporary. The Volkswagen Taigun looks a little too blingy from certain angles but we are yet to see the production-spec model. Both SUVs are underpinned by VW Group's MQB-A0-IN platform. It has been specifically developed for India with a very high levels of localization. Being based on the same platform, the Taigun should be identical to the Kushaq in terms of dimensions. That means it will measure about 4.2 meters in length and will have a 2.6 meter wheelbase.
Under the hood, both SUVs also share their engine options. There's the 1.0-litre TSI turbo petrol engine that produces 115PS of power and 175Nm of torque. This engine will come mated to either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed torque converter automatic transmission. There's also a larger 1.5-litre TSI turbo petrol engine that will come mated to a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission or a 6-speed manual. This engine produces 150PS and 250Nm of peak torque. While the Kushaq is slated for a launch sometime in June, the Taigun ix expected to hit showrooms around September 2021.
Stay tuned to IndianAutosBlog.com for more Skoda and Volkswagen updates and other four-wheeler news.
