The Volkswagen Taigun and Skoda Kushaq currently face competition from the likes of Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos as well as the new MG Astor
The Volkswagen Group has successfully entered the mid-size SUV segment in the Indian market with two different offerings – Skoda Kushaq and Volkswagen Taigun. While the two face competition from the likes of Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos and MG Astor, their biggest rival is none other than their own sibling.
In the month of October 2021, the Volkswagen Taigun ended up outselling the Skoda Kushaq in the market, however, by a very small margin. While Skoda managed to sell 2,413 units of the Kushaq, Volkswagen shipped a total of 2,551 units of the Taigun in the said month.
No matter who comes out on top out of these two mid-size SUVs, it’s a win-win situation for the Volkswagen Group. The mid-size SUV segment is currently one of the hottest spaces in the Indian automobile industry, and has been largely dominated by the Koreans so far.
Talking about the Kushaq and the Taigun, both the SUVs are offered with two different engines – a 1.0-litre three-cylinder TSI unit and a 1.5-litre four-cylinder TSI motor. The former puts out 116 PS of max power and 178 Nm of peak torque, while the latter makes 150 PS and 250 Nm.
A 6-speed manual transmission is offered as standard across both, while the 1.0-litre TSI engine can also be had with a 6-speed torque converter AT and the bigger 1.5-litre engine gets an optional 7-speed DSG. The latter also gets active cylinder technology, which shuts off two cylinders based on driving inputs, which helps increase fuel efficiency.
Unlike their rivals, the VW Group SUVs are not offered with a diesel powertrain. Talking about price, Skoda retails the Kushaq at a starting price of Rs 10.49 lakh, which goes all the way up to Rs 17.59 lakh. The Volkswagen Taigun also gets a similar base price of Rs 10.49 lakh, but the top-end trim is currently available at Rs 17.49 lakh (all prices, ex-showroom).