[nishant_kingpin]

So the big question is....
Is the car worth it or not....Lets look at what is the competition for the car... Currently:
1. Octavia Old
2. Accord Old
3. Camry Old
4. Sonata Embera

They all fall within the same price range...both the Accord and the Camry are due for a polish and I recently saw the new models in Malaysia which look better than the current running vehicles in India.
- Agreed the new car has a sissy name but this is the first time we see a manufacturer serve us the best techno from its stables.
- When the face lift for the Accord and the Camry happens, we all would be listing the same posts suggesting it will fail and all...REMEMBER most manufacturers are planning hikes in prices come JANUARY due to increased import costs. $1 = Rs.47 almost will be taken from our pockets for sure.
- Laura IMO will sell for the same price as today.

So what we should be comparing it with should be the following:
1. Octavia Old
2. Accord New (18.5+)
3. Camry New (19.5+)
4. Sonata Embera (16.5+)
5. Laura (16.8+)
**The above prices are estimates for the coming upgraded models.

Once we look at the above, the price and everything just might start falling in place. Look at the techno, and features available to us. Also the Petrol should be a little cheaper than the diesel...

[shuvc]

Originally Posted by nishant_kingpin

So what we should be comparing it with should be the following:
1. Octavia Old
2. Accord New (18.5+)
3. Camry New (19.5+)
4. Sonata Embera (16.5+)
5. Laura (16.8+)
**The above prices are estimates for the coming upgraded models.

Once we look at the above, the price and everything just might start falling in place. Look at the techno, and features available to us. Also the Petrol should be a little cheaper than the diesel...

a. Should we consider Octavia Old in the same price bracket ?
b. Are the other price estimates OTR figures ? The Laura OTR is around 18. Ex-showroom is 16.8

[GTO]

They should have done the Innova/ Honda City approach and replace the old model totally. If you notice, these cars have a solid demand still. I doubt anyone would have looked at the Qualis/ OHC after these came in if sold side by side

Absolutely and totally agreed!

So much of hostility towards a car thats offering DSG with the Pumpe Duse technology! For donkey's years, I have been reading posts from all of you whining about how Skoda is not launching the Pumpe Duse diesel engine here and about how DSG is not being brought here. When it's here we are still not satisfied! Anyway, everyone here feels Rs.16-18 lacs is too much for a car equipped with DSG transmission. DSG shifts faster then the Ferrari Enzo and BMW M3's transmission. Here is a million dollar tip for free. When the car comes into the showroom, drive the automatic Octavia A4. Right after that take the Laura for a test drive. You guys will see the difference for yourselves.

Amit, no one is taking credit away from Skoda for giving us a world class transmission. But the new Octavia is 180% of the price of a regular Octavia. Does it offer that much more value?

Skoda has guts selling an almost 10 year old car, and a brand new generation of the same car side by side.

GTO

[mohit]

Originally Posted by GTO

Skoda has guts selling an almost 10 year old car, and a brand new generation of the same car side by side.

They are going that all over europe.... The price is not so drastically different but yes you can still buy the old octavia in UK & other parts of europe. But they call it the new Octavia and not Laura!

Check these linkys

http://www.skoda.co.uk/skoda3g/conte...a/octavia.aspx

http://www.skoda.co.uk/skoda3g/conte...aviaintro.aspx

[Born To Drive]

Originally Posted by nishant_kingpin

Once we look at the above, the price and everything just might start falling in place. Look at the techno, and features available to us. Also the Petrol should be a little cheaper than the diesel...

But i would suggest you to go and 've a look at the car and i am sure you ll be very dissapointed with the cabin space , the shoulder room . I agree the car is fully loaded and has some excellent features but who would like to buy a car when it nearly has the same cabin space like the octavia and is preety small in size than the rest . I doubt it 'll sell .

[veyron1]

Originally Posted by Mpower

Dosent the Octavia L&K version make more power (110 hp) than this PD

.

abroad-yes; out here-no. the L&K here has the same 1.9 TDI, pumping out 90 ps...

as for the infamous DSG- okay, so it might shift faster than an enzo or an m3 or an m5 or....but the point being- why not offer it in a vRS variant too...? wouldn't THAT, be more appropriate..? offering the DSG in just the diesel doesn't make much sense. and besides, after a 15 ps increase in power and all the other goodies, the laura is just about a second off the 1.9 TDI manual's 0-100 mark, with not much to separate the two in terms of top speed or fuel efficiency.

scenario: the new laura, at 18.5 lacs on-road, is a diesel, gives almost the same amount of performance and F.E as the 1.9 TDI manual, and offers almost the same amount of comfort. so, do i see the aam junta or us bhpians standing in line for the laura-hell no. i doubt anybody would pick the laura over the L&K as a owner-driven car. as a corporate vehicle, it makes perfect sense; but for individuals like me, i would rather wait, pay 2 lacs extra and go for the 3.0 V6 manual....

p.s- the perfect way to judge the DSG would be to test a vRS manual and a vRS DSG (if skoda ever launches one). all the pluses and minuses could be brought into the fore...

[amit]

the perfect way to judge the DSG would be to test a vRS manual and a vRS DSG (if skoda ever launches one). all the pluses and minuses could be brought into the fore...

The Jetta 2.0T Manual does 0-100kmph in 7.1 seconds while the Jetta 2.0T DSG does 0-100kmph in 6.9 seconds.

Our service manager is driving the Jetta 2.0T DSG with re-mapped software. The car pumps out about 300bhp!

why not offer it in a vRS variant too...?

Maybe Skoda will launch the Laura RS with DSG. Let us not jump to conclusions before the Laura variants are all out in the market.

[ajmat]

Walked past hte Skoda showroom and took a peek in the Laura. Quite nice and elaborate on the inside but bit of an octy meets Superb on the outside. Quite black and bleak inside. Plastics fit well but the lower interior panels are cheap for the money you pay. Talking of which - it is Rs 19.94 L OTR. Jeez, they go for 10-12 L in the UK that too for a 150 bhp TD. I was thinking Honda Accord V6 for this price- this looks too much like a normal Octy. Got most features except for the computer, DSG etc.

for comparision sake, jumped into a Vrs, quite sparten inside but v functional. Not sure if Skoda or I was confused. Superb TD was 26L on road

Expect a price correction some time

[GTO]

Good stuff Ajmat. You have just confirmed what this topics title reads out.

GTO

[merve_extreme]

Originally Posted by nishant_kingpin

So the big question is....
Is the car worth it or not....Lets look at what is the competition for the car... Currently:
1. Octavia Old
2. Accord Old
3. Camry Old
4. Sonata Embera

They all fall within the same price range...both the Accord and the Camry are due for a polish and I recently saw the new models in Malaysia which look better than the current running vehicles in India.
- Agreed the new car has a sissy name but this is the first time we see a manufacturer serve us the best techno from its stables.
- When the face lift for the Accord and the Camry happens, we all would be listing the same posts suggesting it will fail and all...REMEMBER most manufacturers are planning hikes in prices come JANUARY due to increased import costs. $1 = Rs.47 almost will be taken from our pockets for sure.
- Laura IMO will sell for the same price as today.

So what we should be comparing it with should be the following:
1. Octavia Old
2. Accord New (18.5+)
3. Camry New (19.5+)
4. Sonata Embera (16.5+)
5. Laura (16.8+)
**The above prices are estimates for the coming upgraded models.

Once we look at the above, the price and everything just might start falling in place. Look at the techno, and features available to us. Also the Petrol should be a little cheaper than the diesel...

The Laura and Accord,camry etc are not from the same segement.Laura is a C+ segment car while rest ar D-segment ones.so it is futile to compare them.

It is not how good the laura is,what is bad is Skoda india is trying to cheat the indian public by selling 2 versions of the Octavia alongside when the new one should have replaced the old octavia.

Most new versions of the current cars have greater dimenssions than their predecessors but that does not mean manufactures sell them as different models.

and the most appaling thing,now i see their Laura adv "designed for india",i feel like giving them a big kick in the butt.

Skoda is trying to do a Suzuki alto with their Octavia.it will work in a-b segments but not in the d segment.

[amit]

what is bad is Skoda india is trying to cheat the indian public by selling 2 versions of the Octavia alongside

They are selling the current and new Octavia in Europe simultaniously too. Lets wait and see how the Indian buyers respond to the Octavia & Laura variants.

and the most appaling thing,now i see their Laura adv "designed for india",i feel like giving them a big kick in the butt.

Nothing wrong with that. Didn't Ford launch the made specifically for India Fiesta worldwide first in India?

[amit]

Just went through the car's specs on the Skoda India's website. The biggest complaint here is that the car is not VFM. But go through the list of featrues guys. My question is, is Skoda offering all of the following features on the Laura 1.9TDi DSG?
Safety
1. 6 Air Bags.
2. ABS
3. ASR
4. ESP ( over here VW offers ASR standard with the option of upgrading to ESP. Wonder if it's gonna be the same with the Laura?)
5. TPM (Tire Pressure Monitoring)
6. Rain sensing wipers.

Comfort & Conviniance
1. Power Seats with Memory (I can see the photograph but the site doesn't list it out)
2. Cruise Control. (I know it's useless for India but it's there!)
3. Multifunction Steering.
4. Parking Aid Control.
5. 12 Speaker sound system with 6 CD changer.
6. Front signal lamps integrated in rear view mirrors (only Accord V6 gives you that, not the 4 cylinder)
6. Xenons!

All this with the TDI engine with Pump Duse technology and of course 6 speed DSG transmission. If the DSG variant is packed all these features then the pricing is pretty good and reasonable. Yea it still looks a lot like the current Octavia but if Indians can accept weird looking cars like Santro and NHC then why should the Laura fail because it looks too similar to it's sibling.

[Born To Drive]

I think (bt not sure), it offers each of the things you mentioned in your list but as devarshi said(some other thread) you would not buy a baleno for 10 lacs even if its packed with each and every feature in the world .

I would go with the majority , the car does not justify its high sticker price . Butt.. on the other hand i feel this car coud meet with some success cos the varient we are talking about right now is the L&K which is for 16.8 lacs (ex showroom new delhi ) so we can assume the base version to be priced at under 14 lacs when launched ... Now that would turn the tables but they need to launch the base version as soon as possible .

[racing4cure]

well today is the day...the big man mr. imran hasan has OFFICIALLY launched the laura...pics in the business standard..

i wonder what happens to the superb...cause they look damn so similar..!!

[nishant_kingpin]

Originally Posted by amit

Just went through the car's specs on the Skoda India's website. The biggest complaint here is that the car is not VFM. But go through the list of featrues guys. My question is, is Skoda offering all of the following features on the Laura 1.9TDi DSG?
Safety
1. 6 Air Bags.
2. ABS
3. ASR
4. ESP ( over here VW offers ASR standard with the option of upgrading to ESP. Wonder if it's gonna be the same with the Laura?)
5. TPM (Tire Pressure Monitoring)
6. Rain sensing wipers.

Comfort & Conviniance
1. Power Seats with Memory (I can see the photograph but the site doesn't list it out)
2. Cruise Control. (I know it's useless for India but it's there!)
3. Multifunction Steering.
4. Parking Aid Control.
5. 12 Speaker sound system with 6 CD changer.
6. Front signal lamps integrated in rear view mirrors (only Accord V6 gives you that, not the 4 cylinder)
6. Xenons!

All this with the TDI engine with Pump Duse technology and of course 6 speed DSG transmission. If the DSG variant is packed all these features then the pricing is pretty good and reasonable. Yea it still looks a lot like the current Octavia but if Indians can accept weird looking cars like Santro and NHC then why should the Laura fail because it looks too similar to it's sibling.

And adding to what Amit just mentioned...consider there was a full replacement of the old Octy then where did we all expect the laurent and klement model. The current L&K Ex Delhi Costs around 15.5L and the with all other models included the sales have been relly good. Lets wait up and see how the other models are placed and we should be able to give a more appropriate judgement.