[aseem]

I think I am officially going insane and my family is getting more confused by me by the day.

So it all started with fun to drive car with preferably a DSG. The Polo was ruled out due to size & the fact wife didn't want 2 Polo's in the house. So we came to Vento TSi. The Vento TSi is for 12.5 Lakh OTR Bangalore.

When I consider 12.5 Lakh for a Petrol car which is just a boot job, then I think lets stretch by 6 lakhs (doable) and get the Octavia TSI 1.4 manual for 18.75. Its a segment higher, has better infotainment system, meatier tyres & alloys, more power, better handling and leather interiors.

So great we close on the 18.75 Lakh Octavia, then we think that a Petrol Octavia will have a lower resale compared to the diesel, so we consider the Diesel MT Octavia Ambition, thats for 20.75 OTR Bangalore. The increased EMI would be offset by lower fuel bills.

When I reach 20.75, it looks very tempting to pay 1.25 lakhs and get the DSG automatic variant of the car. Then we come to 22 lakhs. We end up where we started!!!

22 lakhs is simply too much for a car like Octavia without bi-xenon lamps and the goodies. Then you think would you be better of buying a BMW 320i 2 years old with BMW warranty for a few lakhs more?

So we consider safer choices like Corolla, but Corolla is not fun to drive. Then we might as well consider Honda City which is more VFM and better value proposition then Corolla, then you might as well throw the EcoSport in their which has a better diesel engine, wife says consider XUV (big no no from me) if we are targeting the C segment.

Someone please pore some sanity in me and advise me which is the best option given that I need an upgrade from Fiesta, thats fun to drive, not very heavy on pocket and something thats practical & fun doesn't loose too much resale @ under 18 lakhs or thereabouts!

Sold the Fiesta after 2 years some months. Even the last drive was exciting. I must say I had a drop of water in my eye letting it go. Got a decent price given all things. I will sure miss it. It was a drivers car...

[xtremeshock]

I think looking at your Dilema I have figured out that you only have 2 options:
1. Corolla Automatic (If you settle for Petrol), good resale, tension free ownership.
2. Oactavia DSG (if Diesel)(Purchase Extended Warranty, then you will have ease of mind, forget about the xenon) alternatively you can check the VW Jetta and see if they are having any discounts, being an older car you maybe lucky) I have driven the Octavia Diesel Automatic and it is very easy and good to drive. You will get a re-sale of around 10 -12 lakhs after 4 years if you have not done too many kms.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by aseem

I think I am officially going insane and my family is getting more confused by me by the day.

I think you want a fun to drive car which has space. Manual or AT does not matter as a deal breaker. So I would just end up looking at the top end Rapid or the Vento diesel. You get FE, resale and also driving pleasure.

[ToyotaFan]

Originally Posted by aseem

I think I am officially going insane and my family is getting more confused by me by the day.

So it all started with fun to drive car with preferably a DSG. The Polo was ruled out due to size & the fact wife didn't want 2 Polo's in the house. So we came to Vento TSi. The Vento TSi is for 12.5 Lakh OTR Bangalore.

When I consider 12.5 Lakh for a Petrol car which is just a boot job, then I think lets stretch by 6 lakhs (doable) and get the Octavia TSI 1.4 manual for 18.75. Its a segment higher, has better infotainment system, meatier tyres & alloys, more power, better handling and leather interiors.

So great we close on the 18.75 Lakh Octavia, then we think that a Petrol Octavia will have a lower resale compared to the diesel, so we consider the Diesel MT Octavia Ambition, thats for 20.75 OTR Bangalore. The increased EMI would be offset by lower fuel bills.

When I reach 20.75, it looks very tempting to pay 1.25 lakhs and get the DSG automatic variant of the car. Then we come to 22 lakhs. We end up where we started!!!

22 lakhs is simply too much for a car like Octavia without bi-xenon lamps and the goodies. Then you think would you be better of buying a BMW 320i 2 years old with BMW warranty for a few lakhs more?

So we consider safer choices like Corolla, but Corolla is not fun to drive. Then we might as well consider Honda City which is more VFM and better value proposition then Corolla, then you might as well throw the EcoSport in their which has a better diesel engine, wife says consider XUV (big no no from me) if we are targeting the C segment.

Someone please pore some sanity in me and advise me which is the best option given that I need an upgrade from Fiesta, thats fun to drive, not very heavy on pocket and something thats practical & fun doesn't loose too much resale @ under 18 lakhs or thereabouts!

Sold the Fiesta after 2 years some months. Even the last drive was exciting. I must say I had a drop of water in my eye letting it go. Got a decent price given all things. I will sure miss it. It was a drivers car...

Get the Honda city CVT VX. Good fuel economy, good resale and complete peace of mind. VAG cars are a gamble and considering you have a polo no point in going for a vento.

[imp!]

Originally Posted by aseem

I think I am officially going insane and my family is getting more confused by me by the day.

So it all started with fun to drive car with preferably a DSG.

Dude, you are going about this in the wrong manner. The Octavia 1.4TSI is just not worth the money if you don't need the large size. Additionally from the last 2-3 pages of posts, it really seems that 15 lacs would be the sweet spot budget for you (in terms of not stretching yourself, not letting a car purchase impact lifestyle and not having to worry about servicing and repair costs); Now personally, as much as I love cars, I'm always going to try and buy something that I can easily afford without having to stretch myself, both in terms of initial cost and running costs.

If pre-owned is not out of the question, have you considered a pre-owned Laura or Civic or some other such car?

If it has to be new, forget about the EcoSport, the waiting periods are too long. I honestly feel that the best options for you are the following:

NEW :

1) Honda City
2) VW Vento
3) Skoda Rapid
4) 1.4TSI Jetta is cheaper than the Octavia. Worth Considering IMO, if you are willing to live with the engine.

Pre-Owned:

1) Laura Petrol or Diesel
2) Jetta Diesel
3) Passat
4) Accord
5) Civic

No particular order of preference for pre-owned, depends on individual taste.


If it were me, and I wanted a car primarily for city driving or work commutes, I'd buy the City. It's not as much fun as the VAG offerings, but, its more comfortable for passengers and has more creature comforts. I currently use my Laura 1.8TSI to commute, and I feel like I am wasting the car in B2B traffic.
I also think the current Corollas/Octavias/Jettas are very inanely priced and I would not want anything to have to do with them. 24 lacs for a 1.8 TSI Octavia with poor thigh support, no passenger side seat height adjust and a poorly designed rear arm rest? You've got to be kidding me. There is a massive 6-7 lacs price difference between the top of the line Rapid and the base Octavia. It puzzles my mind and doesn't seem to conform to any reasonable logic. I'm going to drive my Laura till kingdom come and when the time comes, either go down a segment for my daily commute or shell out more for a Bimmer or Merc.

[aseem]

Vento, City etc don't offer much upgrade over Fiesta. Looking for upgrading to D segment.
I thought Octavia 1.4 Tsi does 0-100 in under ten seconds and meets my requirements to the T except being an automatic... am I missing something?

[imp!]

Originally Posted by aseem

Vento, City etc don't offer much upgrade over Fiesta. Looking for upgrading to D segment.
I thought Octavia 1.4 Tsi does 0-100 in under ten seconds and meets my requirements to the T except being an automatic... am I missing something?

In the D segment, if you are buying new, the 1.4 TSI does indeed offer you everything you are looking for except for the DSG box. Its performance is better than the Jetta's and if you are planning on running stock, it would be a better bet. I'm not sure about the exact 0-100 figures, but, if I remember correctly its a shade under 9 seconds (but please do confirm that). If you are buying pre-owned, look at Laura diesel DSG as a serious contender.

[aseem]

Originally Posted by imp!

In the D segment, if you are buying new, the 1.4 TSI does indeed offer you everything you are looking for except for the DSG box. Its performance is better than the Jetta's and if you are planning on running stock, it would be a better bet. I'm not sure about the exact 0-100 figures, but, if I remember correctly its a shade under 9 seconds (but please do confirm that). If you are buying pre-owned, look at Laura diesel DSG as a serious contender.

I am slightly sceptical buying a Skoda used. Else many Superb with DSG can be had for 11 lakh.

Plus I get tax benefit in buying new. Please suggest will I be able to sell it in 8 lakh after 4 years and 30 k on odo.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by aseem

Vento, City etc don't offer much upgrade over Fiesta. Looking for upgrading to D segment.
I thought Octavia 1.4 Tsi does 0-100 in under ten seconds and meets my requirements to the T except being an automatic... am I missing something?

Aseem, if you need a well spec'ed D-segment sedan, then we are definitely looking at a budget of around 20L. I hope you are OK with that. If yes then a diesel Manual Jetta/Octy depending on your liking. DSG will go way past. I think at one point in time, you will have to stop looking for that little extra step for the next version. There is no end to that!

You should then also be prepared to afford the maintenance part.

[aseem]

Alright just booked Skoda Octavia CR AT ambition. Will update the booking experience shortly. Thnx everyone who helped.

[imp!]

Originally Posted by aseem

Alright just booked Skoda Octavia CR AT ambition. Will update the booking experience shortly. Thnx everyone who helped.

Congratulations Aseem! Wish you many many kms of happy motoring with that car. What colour did you buy? Do you plan on installing any accessories? Those black covers on the side view mirrors look beautiful and give the car an uber premium look! What are the features that come standard with Ambition?
I knew it was a bad idea to come to this thread, I can feel the bug beginning to bite me. Maybe next year I'll retire my Laura for fun drives and buy a City/Vento AT for my daily commute!

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by aseem

Alright just booked Skoda Octavia CR AT ambition. Will update the booking experience shortly. Thnx everyone who helped.

Congratulations and good call. There's no point hanging around in half way house. You've taken that plunge and invested that important little bit extra to tick every box you were looking for. All the best.

[aseem]

Originally Posted by imp!

Congratulations Aseem! Wish you many many kms of happy motoring with that car. What colour did you buy? Do you plan on installing any accessories? Those black covers on the side view mirrors look beautiful and give the car an uber premium look! What are the features that come standard with Ambition?
I knew it was a bad idea to come to this thread, I can feel the bug beginning to bite me. Maybe next year I'll retire my Laura for fun drives and buy a City/Vento AT for my daily commute!

Color booked is white as Black (though awesome and drool worthy) is a dust magnet. I don't plan on any accessories because I am afraid Skoda may not honour warranty else a steering swap for paddle shifts was on the card. I am only going to change the tires. I really hope that I can get angel eyes installed someday as the standard halogen lights are an eye sore in the ambition model.

Ambition misses out on sun roof, electric driver seat with lumber support, has only 2 airbags, no cruise control, no bi-xenon projector headlamps. Rest all are same to my best recollection between the 2 cars.

I had decided to compromise and go for the City VX diesel. However the reason I finalised Skoda was not "only" because it checked all my parameters, but because there was a 6 month waiting on Honda City which was not acceptable to me at all. So I decided to go the extra mile which my heart wanted in the first place. I didn't consider second hand, as spending 13-14 lakhs on second hand would be same as spending 22 lakhs on new given the tax benefit and low interest rates you get on new cars. Plus I don't have to break into my savings.

I actually wanted to book the 1.4 TSi manual which at 18.8 lakhs was some 3 lakhs cheaper then the diesel DSG. However calling VW for Jetta TSi the SA told me that they don't have those cars in stock as demand for petrol is very low. The Honda City guy too told me 90% of cars booked were diesel. Plus I hadnt seen a single thread on TBHP which talks about 1.4 TSI ownership review. Everyone was either going for 1.8 TSI (poor mans sports car) or 2.0 CR. So I decided to be conservative and stretch a little more. I was tantalisingly close to book the Ambientte but I was already on the brink of my month expediter budget. So 2.0 CR DSG ambition it was.

I have been unofficially committed 1 months time for delivery but I am ok even if they give me by September. Thanks all to those who contributed to this thread. I hope I don't live to regret this decision. Given Honda City VX Diesel was 14 lakhs something, I have paid an additional 8 lakhs to get a better engine & DSG. There are 250 people out there somewhere who book Octavia every month. I am one of them now. God I just hope after 3-4 years I find someone like me who is willing to buy this car second hand and pay me 10-11 lakhs!

[aseem]

Dear Friends, came across a news on TBHP that Skoda Octavia 1.8 TSI DSG is/was available in Amibition trim. Is this news true or just a rumour?

[iliketurtles]

Originally Posted by aseem

Dear Friends, came across a news on TBHP that Skoda Octavia 1.8 TSI DSG is/was available in Amibition trim. Is this news true or just a rumour?

It's absolutely true Aseem. When I was shopping for the Octavia it was an option offered to me. I pushed for a clarification, asking if they meant an Elegance AT, but they did mean the Ambition. I even saw it listed out as an option on the price sheet, so it's very real.