[Ohh!Oxygen]

This is definitely a good bargain for Skoda enthusiast(I used to be one!). MQB platform with 1.8 TSI + DSG will be a treat. I dont think its going going to do any wonders to the pathetic sales numbers.
You buy it if you want to keep it and forget resale value. I wish this car has come from some manufacturer other than this deranged one. Just imagine you get handed lemons.

[vikramk]

I went to the Skoda showroom (Tafe) this morning to inquire about getting the navigation system on my 1.8 TSI. The sales executive told me that they do not have much details about the it currently and it would be about November by when cars with the navigation system will start getting delivered.

He's guessing that apart from a software update, it'll also include some hardware module and said he'll try to find out if updates to non-navigation equipped head units is possible.

Interestingly, even the top of the line Superb currently does not come equipped with a navigation system!!

[RohanDheman]

Originally Posted by vikramk

I went to the Skoda showroom (Tafe) this morning to inquire about getting the navigation system on my 1.8 TSI. The sales executive told me that they do not have much details about the it currently and it would be about November by when cars with the navigation system will start getting delivered.



He's guessing that apart from a software update, it'll also include some hardware module and said he'll try to find out if updates to non-navigation equipped head units is possible.



Interestingly, even the top of the line Superb currently does not come equipped with a navigation system!!

Absolute crap. I am sitting in the Skoda dealership right now. And my car with navigation is confirmed for delivery in the first week of October. There is a software and some hardware update as well. The screen size remains at 6.5". The dealer further informs me that the superb L&k is also getting the navigation feature.

Rohan

[itwasntme]

Well, Kenwood makes an Skoda OEM unit which looks like the one that is being fitted. Comes with its own memory and maps can be updated too.

http://www.kenwood-electronics.co.uk...VN-MIB1/?view=

http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/Kenwood-GVN-...-/231727734551

£600 option. Are they going to use this excuse to raise prices yet again?!!!

Gents, are they giving Smartgate too? http://www.autocarindia.com/auto-new...ty-397292.aspx

[khoj]

Your post mirrors my thought process on this vehicle. I am sitting on the fence as I want to buy a petrol with an auto box in this segment but there are no choices except this and the new Elantra, which does not feel premium at all and on the other hand in the seemingly better put together Skoda the DQ200 7speed DSG scares the **** out of me. There are no confidence inspiring episodes anywhere on the forum regarding this gearbox. Queries at a couple of Skoda service centres were met with deadpan responses from the respective service managers "All problems sorted with s/w upgrades".

Maybe I will stop counting the lesser number of airbags and buy the Jetta with the more reliable 6speed gearbox but then that is a diesel and the NGT buffoons will force me to get rid of the vehicle in the short span of a decade.

Originally Posted by Ohh!Oxygen

This is definitely a good bargain for Skoda enthusiast(I used to be one!). MQB platform with 1.8 TSI + DSG will be a treat. I dont think its going going to do any wonders to the pathetic sales numbers.
You buy it if you want to keep it and forget resale value. I wish this car has come from some manufacturer other than this deranged one. Just imagine you get handed lemons.

[vikramk]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Gents, are they giving Smartgate too? http://www.autocarindia.com/auto-new...ty-397292.aspx

Don't see any mention of Smartgate on the India website. The dealer also said the difference in the upgraded model is just the addition of a navigation option and some new alloy for the 1.4.

[vikramk]

Originally Posted by khoj

Your post mirrors my thought process on this vehicle. I am sitting on the fence as I want to buy a petrol with an auto box in this segment but there are no choices except this and the new Elantra, which does not feel premium at all and on the other hand in the seemingly better put together Skoda the DQ200 7speed DSG scares the **** out of me. There are no confidence inspiring episodes anywhere on the forum regarding this gearbox. Queries at a couple of Skoda service centres were met with deadpan responses from the respective service managers "All problems sorted with s/w upgrades".

Maybe I will stop counting the lesser number of airbags and buy the Jetta with the more reliable 6speed gearbox but then that is a diesel and the NGT buffoons will force me to get rid of the vehicle in the short span of a decade.

I too had the DQ200 issues at the back of my head before taking the plunge and getting the 1.8 last month. However after going through several European forums and checking with multiple dealers, convinced myself that the issue has been sorted out. Touch wood .

Could not find any other car in this price range with similar features and big grin inducing drive.

[khoj]

Brave Man! Hope you have a trouble free experience.
Do share your ownership periodically, hopefully your feedback will give me the courage to take the plunge (now planned for February 2017).

Originally Posted by vikramk

I too had the DQ200 issues at the back of my head before taking the plunge and getting the 1.8 last month. However after going through several European forums and checking with multiple dealers, convinced myself that the issue has been sorted out. Touch wood .

Could not find any other car in this price range with similar features and big grin inducing drive.

[vikramk]

Originally Posted by khoj

Brave Man! Hope you have a trouble free experience.
Do share your ownership periodically, hopefully your feedback will give me the courage to take the plunge (now planned for February 2017).

Yes, I will be creating an ownership review thread in some time. Still in discovery mode figuring out all features. Never thought I will read an owners manual but doing it in this case. The 45 minute walk through of all features by the sales guy at the dealer is just too much information to remember.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by dragstar

Fail to understand why do car manufacturers omit this from middle or base models. Not that it costs a lot, just a less than ₹500 camera with some wiring and software rejig in the already present 6.5inch screen.

Nothing to do with the cost. It's to push customers toward buying the higher variant. If lesser variants have it all, who'll buy the top variant?

Originally Posted by Ohh!Oxygen

I dont think its going going to do any wonders to the pathetic sales numbers.

What pathetic sales numbers are you talking about? The Octavia sold 225 units last month, while the 6 month average is 215. That's a whole lot more than the Jetta & old Elantra (too early to tell how the new Elantra will perform).

Of course, the Corolla is much ahead, but no.2 in the segment is still a strong position.

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by GTO

What pathetic sales numbers are you talking about? The Octavia sold 225 units last month, while the 6 month average is 215. That's a whole lot more than the Jetta & old Elantra (too early to tell how the new Elantra will perform).

Good point GTO. Do we have the break-up between Octavia diesel and petrol sales? I suspect the brilliant 1.8 + multi-link suspension + diesel uncertainties has sharply skewed sales towards the petrol Octavia rather than the diesel.

[imp!]

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, why on Earth would anyone want to spend this kind of moolah on the Octavia?! Even in Bangalore 20-25 Lakhs will get you a practically new BMW 320 D which is a far superior car in every manner, buy one with the correct warranty package and you get as much peace of mind as a new Octavia.

A little over a year ago, I was looking for a decent automatic and bought a pre-owned Jetta. The car gets the job done, but every time I see a 328i or a 530D or even a 320D, a part of me wonders what if? I couldn't go the BMW route because of family views on high profile cars, but for the next upgrade...Seriously folks if you are reading this and thinking of an Octavia, I urge you, hold out for a pre-owned BMW3/5 or Mercedes E. This pricing is firmly in oompa-loompa territory.

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by imp!

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, why on Earth would anyone want to spend this kind of moolah on the Octavia?! Even in Bangalore 20-25 Lakhs will get you a practically new BMW 320 D which is a far superior car in every manner, buy one with the correct warranty package and you get as much peace of mind as a new Octavia.

Well, for me at least the risk premium charged by banks to finance a used car is too high and makes it uneconomic.

For example, from the SBI website:

NEW CAR
Rate: 9.70%
Maximum tenure: 7 years
Margin: 15%

USED CAR:
Rate 13.10%
Maximum tenure: 5 years
Margin: 20%

I could not digest the latter numbers and picked up my Octavia.

[vikramk]

Originally Posted by imp!

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, why on Earth would anyone want to spend this kind of moolah on the Octavia?! Even in Bangalore 20-25 Lakhs will get you a practically new BMW 320 D which is a far superior car in every manner, buy one with the correct warranty package and you get as much peace of mind as a new Octavia.

A little over a year ago, I was looking for a decent automatic and bought a pre-owned Jetta. The car gets the job done, but every time I see a 328i or a 530D or even a 320D, a part of me wonders what if? I couldn't go the BMW route because of family views on high profile cars, but for the next upgrade...Seriously folks if you are reading this and thinking of an Octavia, I urge you, hold out for a pre-owned BMW3/5 or Mercedes E. This pricing is firmly in oompa-loompa territory.

When you say 'practically new', which model year or how many kilometers run car are you referring to? A brand new 320d base variant retails upwards of 40L OTR and anything prior to 2015 is no longer new.

[84.monsoon]

In Chennai, it is tough to find a 320D with less than 30K miles and less than 3 years old below the 25 Lakh mark. Plus the feel good factor associated with a new car is something else. This is what makes me lean towards a new Octavia over the used 320d.