VW Taigun has an upright stance
The mid size SUV segment will soon get populated as carmakers including MG, Skoda and Volkswagen are going to enter this segment which is currently dominated by the Korean twins.
Skoda Kushaq recently made its world premiere and all the details of the SUV has also been revealed. It is based on MQB A0 IN platform and comes with high localisation of parts as well.
Exterior
It gets a sporty and aggressive front fascia while the rear section is pleasant looking too. While the top variant gets 17-inch alloys, the other two trims rides on 16-inchers.
Interior
It features a two tone cabin with 10-inch dash top infotainment system. Steering wheel is a two-spoke unit and features controls in piano black finish and scroller as well.
Engine Options
There will be two petrol engines on offer. Skoda has ditched the diesel unit and the SUV is unlikely to get it in near future.
-The first one is 1.0-litre TSI 3 cylinder turbo petrol engine with 113 BHP and 175 NM of peak torque. Transmission options are 6 speed manual and 6 speed torque converter automatic. Mileage yet to be revealed.
-1.5 litre TSI turbo unit comes with Active Cylinder Technology. The unit employed makes 148 BHP and 250 NM of torque. Gearbox choices are 6 speed manual and 7 speed DSG.
Variants
There are a total of three variants on offer – Active, Ambition and Style. While the higher two trims are offered with all the engine and transmission options, base trim Active remains limited to 1.0-litre petrol engine with manual gearbox.
Dimensions
| Skoda Kushaq | Hyundai Creta | Kia Seltos | Renault Duster | Nissan Kicks | Maruti S Cross | |
| Length | 4225 mm | 4300 mm | 4315 mm | 4360 mm | 4384 mm | 4300 mm |
| Width | 1760 mm | 1790 mm | 1800 mm | 1822 mm | 1813 mm | 1785 kg |
| Height | 1612 mm | 1635 mm | 1620 mm | 1695 mm | 1669 mm | 1595 mm |
| Wheelbase | 2651 mm | 2610 mm | 2610 mm | 2673 mm | 2673 mm | 2600 mm |
| Ground Clearance | 188 mm | 190 mm | 190 mm | 205 mm | 210 mm | 180 mm |
| Boot Space | 385 L | 433 L | 433 L | 475 L | 400 L | 375 L |
Here is a dimension comparison of all mid size SUVs.
Colour Options
A total of 5 colours are available – Candy White, Carbon Steel, Honey Orange, Tornado Red, Brilliant Silver while the SUV doesn’t offer blue or black colour scheme.
Features
Skoda Kushaq is quite feature rich and surely it had to be loaded to the brim to take on Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos.
-Top features are ambient lighting, LED Projector headlamps with DRLs, 17 inch alloys, 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless android auto, Apple CarPlay, front ventilated seats, automatic ac, cooled glovebox with 6.1 litre storage space, leather seats, electric sunroof, wireless phone charging, Skoda connected car technology.
-Top safety features are 6 airbags, ABS with EBD, ESP, Auto wipers and headlamps, Auto Dimming IRVM, reverse parking camera, TPMS, multi collision braking system.
Expected Price
Skoda Kushaq is expected to have a starting price of Rs 9.5 lakhs with range topping variant costing close to Rs 15.5 lakhs (Ex showroom).
Launch Date
Skoda Kushaq will be launched in June 2021. Deliveries of the SUV will commence from July 2021.
VW Taigun will be amongst one of the biggest launches of the year. The mid size SUV will share underpinnings along with engine options with Skoda Kushaq SUV.
Exterior
VW Taigun draws resemblance from Tiguan All Space 7 seater. It surely looks big. Upfront it features LED Projector headlamps with DRLs flanked by premium 2-slat grille.
The wheel design works well with the overall design. While the rear section is surely one to watch out for and a fleeting gaze won’t be enough to satiate your eyes. It features connected LED tail lamps and very smartly the design of the rear skid plates is also reminiscent to that of tail lights.
Interior
Taigun features two tone interiors wit contrasting accents on the dash and on the door trims. Steering wheel is a flat bottommed unit while digital instrument cluster and dash integrated infotainment system are a direct lift from T-Roc.
Engine Options
Volkswagen Taigun shares engine and transmission option with Skoda Kushaq SUV.
-First one is the 3 cylinder 1.0-litre 999 cc TSI unit which is good for 113 BHP and 175 NM. Gearbox choices are 6 Speed MT/AT. It is also expected to CNG option on a later stage.
-Second one in another turbo petrol engine. The SUV plonks in 1.5-litre petrol engine which also does duty o T-Roc and figures are similar in both the SUVs – 148 HP and 250 NM. Gearbox options are 6 speed manual and 7 speed DSG.
Engine Options
While the exact specifications of the VW SUV are yet to be revealed, but the dimensions will be close to Kushaq SUV which translates into 4.2 m length, 188 mm ground clearance and 2651 mm wheelbase.
Features
Along with engine, platform, Taigun will also share a number of features with the upcoming Kushaq SUV.
-Top expected features are touchscreen infotainment system with wireless phone projection, leather seat upholstery, LED Projector headlights, LED Tail lamps, digital instrument cluster, electric sunroof, front ventilated seats, cruise controls among others.
-Top safety features are 6 airbags, TCS, ESP, ABS with EBD, reverse parking camera, rain sensing wipers, automatic headlamps.
Expected Price
Price of Volkswagen Taigun is expected to start from Rs 10 Lakhs with top end trim costing around Rs 16 lakhs.
Launch in India
Volkswagen’s upcoming Taigun SUV will be introduced in India most probably in August 2021.
MG Motors India have Harrier/Jeep Compass rival in the form of MG Hector and wants to expand its SUV lineup in India by entering one of the most toughest and most rewarding mid size SUV segment.
Exterior
MG Astor exterior will be similar to ZS EV with certain tweaks to front grille as well as headlamps. Headlamps are slimmer with redesigned DRLs. Alloy wheel design is all new as well. LED Element inside the tail light is also redesigned.
Interior
MG Astor’s interior will be similar to the donor, ZS EV while except for certain changing including a new 10-nch infotainment system coming which means the departure of 8-inch unit. Also the SUV is likely to feature digital instrument unit as well.
Engine Options
Like the above two mentioned SUVs, the MG’s mid size SUV will be offered with a set of petrol engines in India:
-1.3 litre turbocharged petrol engine with 161 BHP and 230 NM of torque. Transmission duties will be handled by manual and automatic gearbox. This unit will take on Creta/Seltos’s 1.4 T-GDI, Kicks/Duster 1.3 Turbo and Kushaq/Taigun’s 1.5 TSI engine.
-1.5 litre naturally aspirated petrol mill which produces 118 BHP and 150 NM of torque. It will be available with manual as well as automatic transmission.
Dimensions
While the official dimensions are yet to be revealed, MG Astor will be 4.3 metres in length while Hector measures 4.6 m long. Astor’s dimensions will be in the ballpark of the other rival mid size SUVs.
Price
Price of MG Astor is likely to undercut all its rivals with introductory ex showroom price expected to begin from Rs 9.5 Lakhs with fully feature rich variant having a price sticker of Rs 15 lakhs.
Launch Date
MG’s fourth car for India, Astor will be launched just before Diwali, most probably in September 2021.