[vb-saan]

Any idea when the launch will be? Is it going to be around October this year?

Originally Posted by dharmana

Let's say i am looking for the fastest car in sub 25 lakhs category. for me performance is all about speed and acceleration along with good handling. Still, Laura 3.5 ltr V6 will smoke a Laura VRs on a straight line dash. Speed and acceleration is all about 0-100 and 100-200 kmph times. that's what puts cars like mitsubishi evo X in a different league to cars like Laura. If it was not about acceleration and only about handling, Honda civic would have been called a sports car.
Of course laura VRs got good sporty styling and handling but that doesn't make it a sports car.Neither kizashi or laura V6 are sports cars either. But they are faster than Laura VRs and that's what i'm trying to say.

I am not here in for an argument. For me power without adequate control is of no use. But I hope Kizashi does better nos. in India.
And on a separate note, I don’t think there is a Laura/Octavia 3.5 v6.

[dharmana]

Originally Posted by vb-san

Any idea when the launch will be? Is it going to be around October this year?


I am not here in for an argument. For me power without adequate control is of no use. But I hope Kizashi does better nos. in India.
And on a separate note, I don’t think there is a Laura/Octavia 3.5 v6.

Laura VRs is going to be launched in Sept this year with the same 1.8 ltr Tsi petrol engine as the current Laura. I meant the Skoda superb 3.5 ltr V6, you are right: there is no laura V6

[skjlives]

Originally Posted by dharmana

some observations from you tube:
This is the big surprise, Kizashi automatic transmission 0-100kmph: 9 secs. So the kizashi manual transmission can atleast do a full second better than the automatic version, meaning it will accelerate from 0-100 in 8 secs, which makes it faster than laura 1.8 tsi. And as we know Laura VRS will have same engine as laura 1.8 tsi which has a 0-100 time of 8.5 sec, kizashi MT will be the new winner in the performance department in the sub 20 lakhs category.

Dharmana - I am also a sucker for 0-100 times of muscle cars and had read about Kizashi's sub 8 second dash to the ton before the car was launched in India. I don't know what they did to the tuning or gear ratios (unlikely) but no Indian test that I am aware of could get even a sub 9 sec time for the manual Kizashi. Following is an excerpt from ACI website:

2011 Suzuki Kizashi Review

We tested both the six-speed manual and the CVT automatic but it was the manual that we preferred. The gearbox is positive and easy to slot accurately and the action is nice and light despite the fact that the gate is a bit wide. Performance is strong though and the wide powerband allows the Kizashi to shoot to 100kph in 9.13 seconds, 150kph coming up in 20.12sec. Skoda’s Laura TSI is much quicker in comparison though, with 100 and 150 coming up in 8.1sec and 18.5sec respectively........

......The performance of the automatic, as expected, is not as strong. It takes 10.1 seconds to reach 100kph, due to the initial sluggishness of the CVT ’box. It’s only marginally nicer when you use the paddles and put the ’box in manual mode. The ‘rubber band’ effect is now a bit less and you have some control over the gearbox, which improves things a bit. And there is less droning and whining from the belts in the gearbox as well. We suggest you opt for the auto if you are going to do a lot of city commuting only.

IIRC Sidindica did a test for TBHP and got a 9+ time for the manual, although he perhaps did not use a V-box but a good old stopwatch.
To my mind, Laura TSI remains the speed champ this side of 20 lakhs (and I continue to be a massive fan of that machine because not only does it have the legs but also the poise to handle all that poke).

Side Note: Kizashi manual is 20.5 L OTR Bangalore, so it's also on the wrong side of 20 for us Bangaloreans :P

[nirav]

I would be happy if they also launch a vRS upgrade package for existing Laura 1.8 owners am hugely disappointed with the trim levels on offer currently.

[Frank Zappa]

Nirav, what would you look for as an upgrade package? Just curious... as lot of the things are available in the open market.

[ACM]

Somehow I think intrested people with the current 1.8 TSI engines should just get their machines done up with a further remap, spoiler, sportier dampers, a brake kit and a size up in rims and they pretty much have a VRS on their hands. The VRS grill and skirting kits are available reasonably easily if one looks around, and the engine has sufficent pull, yes it is under tyred presently but that can be sorted out.
Actually the 2.0 CRDI engine with 140bhp to is a candidate for this kind of a make over. The vRS entry into india is not going to set the sales charts on fire but will get Skoda a refreshed image once more.

[rammkp]

Folks

Heard from a reliable source that Laura vRS might be launched in Sep' 11. And mostly its gonna be the petrol version.

I will probably get more information in the 2nd week of July.

Regards
Ram

[nirav]

Originally Posted by Frank Zappa

Nirav, what would you look for as an upgrade package? Just curious... as lot of the things are available in the open market.

Hi frank, I would probably be interested in a vrs body kit, xenons, larger and sportier rims + tires, possibly sportier seats, higher HP either through an engine remap or some other simple method. The reason this is appealing from Skoda and not the open market (I'm sure options like these are available piecemeal) is the warranty and the peace of mind of getting it directly from the manufacturer.

[rana_kirti]

All I hope is that it has the DSG. Today's enthusiast wants the "automatic"..!!!

[Berj79]

i hope they launch the laura vrs soon, as the FL Laura has already been in the market for 2 years now, after 2 more years the new Laura/superb are expected

Cheers..

[ACM]

Originally Posted by rana_kirti

All I hope is that it has the DSG. Today's enthusiast wants the "automatic"..!!!

Well yes why not if the DSG AT is faster and more fuel effecient than the manual. Plus it has the S mode.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by ACM

Well yes why not if the DSG AT is faster and more fuel effecient than the manual. Plus it has the S mode.

It does make more sense. Plus, Indians have associated automatics with premium cars for the better part of the last 2 decades. Yes we do have cars below 10 lakh with the auto-option which is a good thing. But you'd find more cars in the 15-25 lakh bracket sold with the auto-tranny over the manual.

[bharatbs]

Originally Posted by ACM

Well yes why not if the DSG AT is faster and more fuel effecient than the manual. Plus it has the S mode.

Is the DSG more fuel efficient over the manual? any figures around that?

[ACM]

Originally Posted by bharatbs

Is the DSG more fuel efficient over the manual? any figures around that?

The general preception is that Manual boxes are more fuel effecient that Auto boxes, the reality is that it is the other way round, but the perception is not wrong either how is that:

Well when the Cielo AT and Opel Astra AT had 3 gears the Esteem had 5 gears.

When the Accord AT had 4 gears the Accord Manual had 5 gears. Obviously lesser the number of gears the lesser the number of exact gears that match the most fuel effecient speeds.

The earlier CVT also were interently less fuel effecient.

The DSG box ensure very fast and effecient shifts, (as the next gear is already held by the spare clutch) gear changes in traffic result in a lot of losses dipping the fuel effeciency, and the DSG solves this, besides Laura/ Superb / Passat Skoda/VW/Audi - DSG boxes have 6/7 gears, (diesel/petrol) one automatically is in 6th gear at speeds of just about 70-80 in the Laura. Even in Manual one will end up slotting into 6th only past speeds of 100kmph.

All the above results in AT DSG combo getting the vehicles to be more effecient than their manual equivalents.

[.anshuman]

Originally Posted by bharatbs

Is the DSG more fuel efficient over the manual? any figures around that?

I drive a car with DSG and i verify that. Reason is a human being cannot drive all the time focusing on precise shift points and exact gear ratios, DSG is much smarter + it does not have any torque convertor etc which saps power so all of the torque is directly transmitted to wheels.

Whenever i try driving with just a light tap on accelerator pedal, i get shockingly good FE figures. Even in the D mode the response time is rapid, now for example i am slowly overtaking a truck and i spot something heading towards me and i need to get away, all i have to do is push the pedal all the way down to press the kick down button and by the time i would have taken to calculate the right gear and executed the task in a MT car this car is already rushing with all the power available(Kick down button works in all modes including Manual).

Seven months and 15000 kms later, i do not miss the Manual transmission at all. I am not sure if i will ever buy a MT as my daily drive.