The Quick Take:
Score: 8.4/10
The Skoda Kushaq is arguably the best driver’s car in the popular C-SUV segment. Great driving dynamics, decent fuel efficiency, and now updated to have as many features as any other car in this segment.
The 2026 facelift of the Skoda Kushaq has been one of the most important car launches of this year for enthusiasts. The Skoda Kushaq, first launched in India back in 2021, received its first real update earlier this year with a more mature design, more features, a new transmission option, and the same solid European elegance that the Skoda Kushaq initially brought to this sub-₹20-lakh C-SUV segment.
It took a couple of months for me to experience the new Kushaq, but after living with the car for about a week, it was worth the wait. While not much has changed, the same things just somehow feel better. Skoda has added touches that only make the new Kushaq more relevant for a 2026 buyer, more in line with the design language that’s working, without changing anything about the car’s character.
HOW I TESTED
| Reviewer: Darab Mansoor Ali, Consulting Editor, Technology & Auto, has 10 years of experience with 1000+ reviews across various publications. Test Unit: Skoda provided the car and a full tank of gas. They did not, however, get to see this review before you did, nor did they have any say in our final score. Duration and Environment: I drove the Skoda Kushaq across Delhi NCR and used it as my primary car for a week to see how it is to live with the new Kushaq. We did not, however, do any long highway drives in the car. Competitors: Renault Duster, VW Taigun, Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Tata Sierra, Honda Elevate, Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, Maruti Suzuki Victoris, Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder. |
The Good
- Matured, more elegant design
- Fantastic performance
- Rear seat massagers
- Panoramic sunroof
- Front parking sensors
- Decent fuel efficiency
- Updated digital instrument cluster
The Bad
- Touch-based climate controls
- The air conditioner isn’t very efficient.
- No cabin lights at the rear
- No 360-degree camera
- Poor camera quality
2026 Skoda Kushaq Review (Facelift): Design and Styling
In terms of design and styling, the Skoda Kushaq has matured quite nicely. Everything that felt incomplete with the previous generation now feels complete. Despite having a distinct Skoda-like design, the front and rear fascia always felt a bit too busy with the previous design. The split headlamps and tail lamps, the chrome bezel across the grille, the claddings on the bumper – there was too much going on.
The new design fixes all of that. A slightly sleeker and longer headlamp with an improved LED structure and a grille that is not only bigger, but it also gets rid of the chrome bezel around it. Even the bumper design is more subtle and looks cleaner with the new Skoda Kushaq. The same can be said with the rear.
The rear is where the Skoda Kushaq truly looks like the modern-day C-SUV for young buyers. I love the connected taillights that only break for the LED “SKODA” badging. Looks really good. On top of this, Skoda has added sequential turn signals to the rear, which just make things come together beautifully. In my opinion, this is the best-looking rear in this segment. Not too basic, not too over-the-top. The rear end also gives a bit of an Audi Q3 feel. The car’s profile remains similar, but the alloy wheel design has changed. This is one design bit that I felt looked better in the previous generation.
2026 Skoda Kushaq Facelift Review: Interior and Comfort
In the interiors as well, things remain similar to the previous generation, but with updates, of course. Nothing inside is different, but it just feels more premium than the outgoing Skoda Kushaq. Let’s first talk about updates. We’re getting electronically adjustable seats with ventilation for both front passengers. And we’re also getting a panoramic sunroof this time around. The most talked-about update, however, is the rear seat massagers, which make the Skoda Kushaq probably the only car under 1 crore to offer massaging seats for rear passengers.
Now, those are all the new features we’re getting with the Kushaq, in terms of comfort and the overall feel of the interior. Of course, the rest of the things in the cabin remain the same, which means my least favorite thing about this cabin also remains, but we will talk about that in a bit.
Overall, I rate this cabin quite highly. The improvements from the previous Skoda Kushaq are significant, and they don’t change the overall feel of the cabin. It isn’t, however, the most premium cabin in terms of the look and feel in this segment.
Interiors are mostly hard plastic. Apart from the steering wheel, armrest, and seats, everything you touch in the front and the doors is hard plastic. Now, it is hard plastic, but that doesn’t mean that it looks cheap. Skoda has used good-quality materials everywhere, and everything is very well put together. It doesn’t look bad, but it doesn’t feel premium either.
2026 Skoda Kushaq Facelift Review: Features and Tech
We have discussed many features in the comfort section of this review. The seat ventilation, electric seats, panoramic sunroof, rear seat massagers, and the like. But there is more. With the new 2026 update of the Skoda Kushaq, we also get a new 10.1-inch infotainment display, a new 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, and a new ambient lighting setup. The updates are sensible and work really well.
The infotainment display is much better, giving you much more real estate to navigate your maps and media screens. Although the volume controls for passengers are slightly tricky to find (swiping left from the edge of the screen reveals them in Android Auto/Apple CarPlay), this is a very good update. The display quality in terms of sharpness, brightness, and responsiveness has also improved quite a bit, apart from the sheer size, of course.
Coming to my favorite upgrade in the new generation and probably the most important upgrade for those who will actually own and drive the new 2026 Kushaq, it is the 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster. Yes, the new Skoda Kushaq 2026 has an updated instrument cluster that offers much more detail, looks much better, and makes the overall experience of looking things up much simpler and better. From the driver’s point of view, it feels much better than the previous generation. You can adjust this in multiple ways and choose any layout that best suits your style and driving requirements.
And now, coming to the fact that since most of the things in this cabin have remained the same, so has my least favorite thing. It is the touch-sensitive climate controls. Yes, the new Kushaq comes with the same touch-based panel for climate control, but it still has no haptic or sound feedback. This is inconvenient and will always require the driver to take their eyes off the road. Not good.
2026 Skoda Kushaq Facelift Review: Performance and Drivability
We got the 1.5 litre 4-cylinder TSI variant with the automatic DSG gearbox for our review. This is the top-most engine and gearbox combination that Skoda offers with the Kushaq. For perspective, I have also driven the previous generation Kushaq with the same 1.5 TSI mated to a 7-speed DSG transmission, and there is really no major difference.
Yes, with the new car, I felt that the power delivery isn’t as harsh as it was with the previous generation, and the 1.5 TSI engine is always ready to go, and the super-quick DSG downshifts at the tap of a pedal. Super fun! It also remains excellent in terms of ride quality and handling. The 2026 Skoda Kushaq is very stable even at higher speeds, and it’s pretty quick off the line. I just wish they gave a manual transmission, then this 1.5 TSI would have been even quicker off the line.
The handling is also as good as it gets. The steering is very precise, and the feedback is also just right. Here, I didn’t feel any difference compared to the previous generation. It is as good as we know it to be. I’m also a big fan of this two-spoke steering design from Skoda.
The suspension is tuned on the stiffer side. It does a great job in keeping the car absolutely stable and supple at high speeds, but on bigger bumps and potholes, it feels slightly jerky. Not to take away from the shock absorption, that is pretty good, just that our roads demand something a bit softer. This in no way hampers the driver’s confidence in taking on these rather large obstacles.
It is also efficient, thanks to Active Cylinder Tech (ACT), which switches off two of the four cylinders in the TSI engine when the car is driven slowly and in a relaxed manner. During my time, however, I wasn’t able to achieve much fuel efficiency with the new Kushaq. I was having my fun with the limited time I had with the car.
In city driving, I managed to get just over 8 kilometers per liter with the car after driving it close to 500 kilometers over 7 days in Delhi NCR. During this time, I also conducted many 0 to 100 kmph tests with the car and drove it over 150 kmph in a closed environment to test the top speed, so this was in no way an efficient or “relaxed” way of driving. You can, however, easily eek 14 kmpl or more in city driving with the 1.5 TSI.
All in all, the 2026 Skoda Kushaq 1.5 is one of the best cars to drive in this popular segment. It is quick, stable, reaches high speeds effortlessly, handles well, and now looks more complete and poised than the previous generation. We haven’t tested the 1.0L engine option yet, but based on the previous generation, it’s not a sluggish engine, and now it even comes with an updated 8-speed automatic transmission.
Review Verdict: Should You Buy the 2026 Skoda Kushaq Facelift?
Smartprix Rating: ⭐8.4/10
- Design and Build: ⭐8/10
- Features and Tech: ⭐7.5/10
- Driving Pleasure: ⭐9/10
- Performance: ⭐9/10
- Comfort and Space: ⭐8/10
The Skoda Kushaq 2026 facelift is a good upgrade. Skoda has put in things that make the car more appealing to the modern buyer. With the rear massaging seats, the distinction between the Skoda Kushaq and the VW Taigun is also more prominent than ever, where the Kushaq is now for those who want a more premium and luxury-oriented cabin feel, and the Taigun is for those who don’t care for all that and will probably end up modifying the only tuner-friendly engine in the segment.
For me, this is an easy recommendation because not only is the Kushaq a good looking, comfortable, fun to drive car from a trusted European brand, it is also very efficient when it comes to the mileage. The 1.5L TSI comes with the Active Cylinder Tech (ACT) which switches off two of the four cylinders when the car is being driven slowly and in a relaxed manner, offering a better fuel efficiency.
First reviewed in June 2026.
