[BackInTheFold]

Originally Posted by ajmat

Let me add another car into the ring - The current Skoda Superb Ambition diesel. Proven mechanicals, there might be some in stock with attractive discounts. You could also consider the petrol manuals also

Thanks. Three reasons to not consider the erstwhile Superb:
1. To paraphrase the well-known proverb, what is good for GRaaja is good for me (Link to the big discussion
2. As I'd mentioned earlier, we frequent a few basements which're pretty tight for Superbs
3. To take away even the theoretical possibility, I've already called around dealers in all neighboring states and there are none left

Originally Posted by vb-san

Add on to what GTO mentioned, the new S60 falls into an entirely different price range. I believe the base Kinetic will easily go into 35 lakhs+ in Bangalore – already into the BMW 320d range.

This (or the Highline MT) indeed looks like the ideal option. But I would still suggest to wait for the updates coming through in the Auto Expo.

Good input. Do you know of any launches/updates which could materially impact the decision?

Sorry I did not respond to your earlier post about the Fluence. I'm not a fan - the shape is polarizing and I'm on the wrong side of the polarized spectrum; also, from reviews, the car is a tad under-powered and lags in the handling department

[graaja]

Sorry to be jumping in late in the discussion. As many have pointed out, if it is diesel the choice is Jetta, and if it is petrol, the choice is Octavia.

Especially, if you are looking at the Comfortline trim, Jetta trumps the equivalent Octavia Ambition in terms of ride and safety. Whereas Jetta comfortline has 6 airbags, Octavia has only 2. Similarly Jetta has the multilink suspension whereas the Octavia has the torsion beam. So, if you are fine with upgrading the music system and Xenons, Jetta comfortline is the best bet.

OT, any idea what is the lead time for the Jetta? When I had enquired about the delivery time here in Coimbatore about 6 weeks back, I was told it would take minimum 4 months for the delivery and that too was not guaranteed. And they did not have any test drive car (not even the pre face-lift one).

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by BackInTheFold

Good input. Do you know of any launches/updates which could materially impact the decision?

I am not exactly sure of the prominent launches. From what I read around, the new Santa FE will be there, new Corolla, facelifted Fluence (which you already mentioned as not an option), probably the A3 sedan and facelifted Yeti? The segment you’re in is quite limited and since your Laura is already off, some of those models which are shown first and released a few months later may not work for you.

If you’re open to crossovers, it maybe a good idea to check the new Santa FE when it get launched the Expo. Hyundai has not overdone it with their Fluidic design thoughts and the car is quite a looker. I checked out one recently here, the interiors were excellent, and overall the car looked very European. And it had the best Euro-NCAP rating in its category (2012 ratings).

[BackInTheFold]

Originally Posted by graaja

Sorry to be jumping in late in the discussion. As many have pointed out, if it is diesel the choice is Jetta, and if it is petrol, the choice is Octavia.

Especially, if you are looking at the Comfortline trim, Jetta trumps the equivalent Octavia Ambition in terms of ride and safety. Whereas Jetta comfortline has 6 airbags, Octavia has only 2. Similarly Jetta has the multilink suspension whereas the Octavia has the torsion beam. So, if you are fine with upgrading the music system and Xenons, Jetta comfortline is the best bet.

OT, any idea what is the lead time for the Jetta? When I had enquired about the delivery time here in Coimbatore about 6 weeks back, I was told it would take minimum 4 months for the delivery and that too was not guaranteed. And they did not have any test drive car (not even the pre face-lift one).

Thanks for stopping by. Last I spoke to the dealer, I was assured a delivery in 2 weeks for the Comfortline and almost immediate delivery for the Highline DSG

Originally Posted by vb-san

I am not exactly sure of the prominent launches. From what I read around, the new Santa FE will be there, new Corolla, facelifted Fluence (which you already mentioned as not an option), probably the A3 sedan and facelifted Yeti? The segment you’re in is quite limited and since your Laura is already off, some of those models which are shown first and released a few months later may not work for you.

If you’re open to crossovers, it maybe a good idea to check the new Santa FE when it get launched the Expo. Hyundai has not overdone it with their Fluidic design thoughts and the car is quite a looker. I checked out one recently here, the interiors were excellent, and overall the car looked very European. And it had the best Euro-NCAP rating in its category (2012 ratings).

With a pressing need for a car and those impending announcements, I'm not sure if it would be worthwhile to wait. The Santa Fe might be interesting, but could have some lead time too.

[Sanjubose]

Originally Posted by BackInTheFold

Thanks for stopping by. Last I spoke to the dealer, I was assured a delivery in 2 weeks for the Comfortline and almost immediate delivery for the Highline DSG

I am in the same boat and am looking comfortline TDI in Bangalore. The sales told me that no upgrade is possible in CL (which means they will void the warranty I guess if I do). If feasible, we can get together and look for better offers. Please PM me. I am unable to do it.

[androdev]

@BackInTheFold

You will not be having any more fun with a diesel Octy/Jetta than what you already experienced. Sort of anti-climax after all the drama :-)

As you said you need two cars in your garage, consider the usage level of the other car. You can look at having a utility car for all the city abuse and a real fun car for the occasional highways.

If I were you, I would probably think in these lines:

Play it safe: get a used car which is a direct replacement for the car lost in accident. get on with life as if nothing happened.

Take advantage of the loss: Dial up the fun factor, get a TSI or some such thing. TSI is king of fun, btw.

Midlife crisis: Buy a used BMW directly from A.S.S paying for extra 2yr warranty, etc. Just give them a call and see what is readily available.

[slamnos]

Originally Posted by BackInTheFold

I'm not keen on buying a 3-series or an A4 due to the high maintenance and insurance costs and don't care a bit about any snob value.

Why dont you wait for A3, as it would be refreshing new car.

You have owned a Laura and why again an almost similar car?

[BackInTheFold]

Originally Posted by androdev

@BackInTheFold

You will not be having any more fun with a diesel Octy/Jetta than what you already experienced. Sort of anti-climax after all the drama :-)

As you said you need two cars in your garage, consider the usage level of the other car. You can look at having a utility car for all the city abuse and a real fun car for the occasional highways.

If I were you, I would probably think in these lines:

Play it safe: get a used car which is a direct replacement for the car lost in accident. get on with life as if nothing happened.

Take advantage of the loss: Dial up the fun factor, get a TSI or some such thing. TSI is king of fun, btw.

Midlife crisis: Buy a used BMW directly from A.S.S paying for extra 2yr warranty, etc. Just give them a call and see what is readily available.

Good and interesting perspective. I resent your belief that I'm old enough to have a midlife crisis by the way

Your suggested approach would make a lot of sense if my wife and I were to use one car and save the other car for road trips. Our need is for parallel usage - i.e. both of us need a car each. Therefore, one of our cars has to play double duty and be both practical + fun to drive. I've bravely volunteered to drive the car which wears both these hats (we have a chauffeur for the other car).

Going by your logic, I would therefore need 3 vehicles - one for my wife, one for me and one "fun" vehicle for the road. That stable is a little while away and might very well involve a certain motorcycle launched recently.

In the meantime, if I were to have fun without an associated bonfire of rupees (i.e. the TSI, used premium cars with high maintenance etc), I believe that the choices we're debating make the most sense. I could then remap the car I buy now (in a few years, when a true midlife crisis ensues) or just upgrade our other car.

Originally Posted by slamnos

Why dont you wait for A3, as it would be refreshing new car.

You have owned a Laura and why again an almost similar car?

The Audi is also from the same family, no?

Jokes apart, my requirement for rear seat space strikes out some cars. Besides, I have owned and remapped an A4 before. If anything, I'd like to get an A6 Quattro

[vinj14]

Just read your thread on your laura the was totaled. Really glad you guys came out this unscathed.

Im going to stick to the title of the thread and not confuse you with civic, altis, cruze, used bmw, superb, volvo etc etc (Not that you would get confused..your 3 choices are bang on). I gotto agree with graaja who has quite rightly brought it down to two choices.
Petrol=octavia 1.8 dsg and Diesel=jetta highline.
At 15km/year with frequent long drives, for a explorer like yourself, diesel maybe a wise choice. You also wont have to worry about the 91/95 RON issue.
Jetta has in its favour- Tried and tested pq35, reliable 6 speed dsg, SOLID build quality, better NVH levels
The octavia- sunroof, memory seats and a more fun to drive thanks to 180hp +7 speed dsg.
Negatives for the octavia - Reliability, build quality and a possible guinea pig like experience considering its a newly launched car with known unreliable components (like the 7speed dsg).
The 180hp would be enough to convince me if i had to decide.
But if you want the best of..hmm..all the worlds, then the jetta highline dsg is the way to go.
Looking forward to your ownership threads.
Also props to your writing skills. Really darn good!!

[shashank.nk]

I think you might have considered this,but just in case you overlooked it, if you add xenons etc to your comfortline Jetta,you may have trouble getting warranty approvals from VW should something fail.

If I were in your position, i'd buy the Highline for this reason alone even though its overpriced.

[BackInTheFold]

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

I think you might have considered this,but just in case you overlooked it, if you add xenons etc to your comfortline Jetta,you may have trouble getting warranty approvals from VW should something fail.

If I were in your position, i'd buy the Highline for this reason alone even though its overpriced.

I'm not too particular about the bi-xenon's. As a couple of members have mentioned, they actually have limited efficacy during rains.
I just quoted the price to make the case that the Highline variant seemed overpriced. In any case, VW too sells these aftermarket and you can install them without voiding the warranty.

[shashank.nk]

Originally Posted by BackInTheFold

I'm not too particular about the bi-xenon's. As a couple of members have mentioned, they actually have limited efficacy during rains.
I just quoted the price to make the case that the Highline variant seemed overpriced. In any case, VW too sells these aftermarket and you can install them without voiding the warranty.

Thanks.I didn't know they offered it as an official accessory. Last I checked (2012) there was no such accessory for Jetta. May be they introduced it with the facelift in 2013.

[prakhar1998]

The fact that the vehicle will be self driven somewhat rules the Elantra out. I think you had a good ASS experience with your Laura, therefore a Skoda should not be a problem. You should go for the Jetta I think for its better suspension and slightly cheaper price. Go with the Highline DSG with all the bells and whistles. If however you want to ferry people around, the Octavia is a better bet because it is much roomier than the Jetta, but the Jetta feels more solid and definitely rides better. But, the Jetta usually has large waiting periods and I suppose you need a car ASAP, therefore go for the Octavia. There have been a few horrors but it should be fine.

[RJ555]

@BackInTheFold, why not you have an eye on the corolla altis D, a no nonsense car from toyota, reliable to the max with safety goodies that you look for and a mile muncher with good FE and not so poor power

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by RJ555

@BackInTheFold, why not you have an eye on the corolla altis D, a no nonsense car from toyota, reliable to the max with safety goodies that you look for and a mile muncher with good FE and not so poor power

89bhp is not so poor power? Especially after coming from a 140bhp engine?

backinthefold - Buddy if you are decided on the Jetta get the highline DSG. The manual may seem tempting, but a week after you get it you will wish you had the DSG again. I know enough of people who had similar thoughts to you and now wish they had stuck with an automatic.

The xenons are a big deal for me, they are still better than halogens in the rain and now with the cornering function, etc they are a big help for night driving.