[Lambydude]

My recent car buying dilemma has led me to reopen this thread. For last 2 year , I ve been searching for a good SUV.
Primary requirements being 1. Automatic 2. Around 25 lacs on road Bangalore
While Jeep compass fit the bill, it didn't have a diesel automatic ( petrol engine is unimpressive). Hence , I decided to wait for jeep compass diesel auto or Harrier automatic. Today, I took a test drive of harrier manual as a preparation for my imminent harrier auto purchase ( maybe in June) and my heart sank. The NVH was a deal breaker.

To be frank, none of the SUVs in 20-30 lac bracket impresses us in their auto box avatar
1. XUV - very competent but too long in the tooth
2. Creta - I will happily drive around my 7 yr Rapid 1.6 TDI, instead
3. Captur, kicks, Duster - lesser torque figures then my 1.6 TDI rapid. So not really an upgrade
4. Hexa, Harrier - NVH issues.

Totally distraught, we decided to address the most important question which we had been ignoring till now. Do we really need an SUV? We took a random decision to check out a sedan which we loved from the days it was released. Went to Skoda TAFE access silk board and checked out Skoda Octavia . Sat in it and both me and my wife said "wow- this is classy". There was so much understated elegance associated with this car.
Test drove 1.8 TSI DSG and was mind blown. 180 bhp, 250 NM, DSG gearbox, awesome drive, classy interiors. Skoda now provides 6 years warranty so not much worried about DQ 200. Plus I've been a happy customer of Skoda for last 7 years. I feel they have their service network sorted in Bangalore.

Want to run the dea in this group to hear different views. Does it make sense to buy Skoda Octavia DSG ( petrol or diesel) instead of the SUVs in the price bracket of 20-30 lacs?

[DPetrolHead]

Originally Posted by Lambydude

Want to run the dea in this group to hear different views. Does it make sense to buy Skoda Octavia DSG ( petrol or diesel) instead of the SUVs in the price bracket of 20-30 lacs?

If you don't particularly require high ground clearance and a SUV stance, the Octavia will be the ideal upgrade from your rapid. Petrol or diesel depends upon your usage.

Also, why didn't you check out the Tucson in the diesel automatic? This might give you all you wanted previously! Try for a 2018 manufactured model for some great discounts

Cheers!

[autorahul]

Originally Posted by Lambydude

My recent car buying dilemma has led me to reopen this thread. For last 2 year , I ve been searching for a good SUV.
Primary requirements being 1. Automatic 2. Around 25 lacs on road Bangalore

Have you checked out Tucson. Its priced directly in your range and there are decent amount of offers going on it too.


Bangalore roads are not the best place for expensive sedans like Octavia/Civic.

[landcruiser123]

Originally Posted by Lambydude

Does it make sense to buy Skoda Octavia DSG ( petrol or diesel) instead of the SUVs in the price bracket of 20-30 lacs?

Absolutely. Buy the car you like the most. Given a budget, the sedan is the better-equipped car compared to a similarly priced SUV.

SUVs are at their peak popularity in the world at the moment, but I think sedans are better cars in most cases. I'd just like to mention:
1. If your commute has bad roads, check the GC by taking an extended test drive
2. Hopefully, nobody traveling in the car is advised against traveling in sedans due to back problems
3. (Doesn't apply to you) Just check the service network of the brand

[Lambydude]

Originally Posted by DPetrolHead

If you don't particularly require high ground clearance and a SUV stance, the Octavia will be the ideal upgrade from your rapid. Petrol or diesel depends upon your usage.

Also, why didn't you check out the Tucson in the diesel automatic? This might give you all you wanted previously! Try for a 2018 manufactured model for some great discounts

Cheers!

That's my confusion as well, do I need the ground clearance. In my 1 lac KM's with Rapid, never have I driven in a place where I required the ground clearance. I have driven only in highways and city roads. I understand that with low GC I won't be able to take the car to a forest or a Ladakh etc. But how frequently one does that?

Do I miss out on such a wonderful package for a once in a while requirement of GC?

Tucson is a great suggestion. I didn't check it out because of one review saying that the interiors are sub par. Plus in Bangalore , it comes above 30 lacs ( auto + diesel top end).however, it now makes sense to check out Tucson also.

[motorworks]

Originally Posted by Lambydude

That's my confusion as well, do I need the ground clearance. In my 1 lac KM's with Rapid, never have I driven in a place where I required the ground clearance. I have driven only in highways and city roads. I understand that with low GC I won't be able to take the car to a forest or a Ladakh etc. But how frequently one does that?



Do I miss out on such a wonderful package for a once in a while requirement of GC?



Tucson is a great suggestion. I didn't check it out because of one review saying that the interiors are sub par. Plus in Bangalore , it comes above 30 lacs ( auto + diesel top end).however, it now makes sense to check out Tucson also.

Just about an year ago, one of my close friends was in a similar dilemma. He was upgrading from a Honda City, and he had almost made up his mind to buy a SUV, again case being the bad roads of Bangalore and all that. He was quite sure that the Jeep Compass would be the car to buy, even before he did a TD. But once he explored the car, his feeling was that the Compass did not feel very special. He checked out thr Tucson too, but like many people say, the interiors are a little dull and nothing wow.

I had then asked him to check out the Octavia. He was reluctant about a Sedan and then it being a Skoda and all, but once he did a TD, he was blown away and did not look at any other option. He has been using for a year now, and he has no complaints about ground clearance, going over bad roads etc.

For about 25 lakhs on road, Bangalore, you can get a very well kitted petrol automatic of the Octavia.

If your commute is along the typical office road corridors of Bangalore, I do not think a SUV is a must, at least not yet!

[graaja]

Originally Posted by Lambydude

That's my confusion as well, do I need the ground clearance. In my 1 lac KM's with Rapid, never have I driven in a place where I required the ground clearance. I have driven only in highways and city roads. I understand that with low GC I won't be able to take the car to a forest or a Ladakh etc. But how frequently one does that?

Unless you have to drive on totally non-existent roads with huge craters, or go off-roading, I don't think GC is a great issue. I have driven my Jetta, lowered Polo TSi with coilovers and BMW GT (lowered again with M Sport suspensions) in really bad non-existent roads. Except for the need to drive a little careful in these roads, I have never faced any issues. And the ride and handling these sedans offer is totally worth that little extra care in those rare situations. Especially the Octavia 1.8 TSi with those multilink suspensions would be fantastic to drive on highways and fast corners.

If you don't have the need for the space or are ok with occasional careful driving on bad roads, and if you like the Octavia 1.8TSi, I would say go for it.

[nidhinsarath]

I was in a similar dilemma. I wanted an automatic diesel suv as an upgrade to my polo. But after searching a lot I learnt that there are no suv’s that feels so special in 15-30L range. I was eyeing on compass but they were not having an auto diesel and I didn’t like the interiors for a 27OTR suv. Finally I ended up booking a Rapid Montecarlo DSG.

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by Lambydude

Does it make sense to buy Skoda Octavia DSG ( petrol or diesel) instead of the SUVs in the price bracket of 20-30 lacs?

Eyes closed Octavia L&K! What you get for that price will run rings around any SUV or sedan in that price bracket. Only add-ons are 3D Kagu mats (6k) and an immediate change to a set of Michelin P3STs (maybe 10k after exchange) tyres.

No other car < 30L will give you that particular smile on your face when you floor it whether in D or S mode.

I'd suggest a quick purchase before Skoda suddenly does away with the 1.8 TSI replacing it with the 1.4 or new 1.5.

[Lambydude]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

I'd suggest a quick purchase before Skoda suddenly does away with the 1.8 TSI replacing it with the 1.4 or new 1.5.

There are a couple of other logical views I heard which again supports the need for quick purchase. In addition to Skoda replacing the engine with a smaller one, there is also an imminent increase in tax/cess on diesel cars. This may tilt the demand towards petrol cars, which again will make Skoda increase TSI prices. Not sure if true

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by Lambydude

There are a couple of other logical views I heard which again supports the need for quick purchase. In addition to Skoda replacing the engine with a smaller one, there is also an imminent increase in tax/cess on diesel cars. This may tilt the demand towards petrol cars, which again will make Skoda increase TSI prices. Not sure if true

Also worth checking if the 1.8TSI engine is BS-6 ready / compliant or not. Fact is that at the cusp of the new BS-6 regime, it makes sense to wait for a BS-6 engine as the resale value will be proportionately higher as and when you sell 5/6 years later.

[roy_libran]

Had a funny incident yesterday afternoon, that I thought would make sense to share on this thread.

Location - A 30 foot stretch of reasonably deep slush near the fields of Dhanauri Wetlands. The stretch had ruts because of passing tractors.

Sequence -
- MY RC390 crossed it first (don't ask why)
- A Honda City CVT followed next
- Then, a Nexon Petrol AMT (not mine)
- Then a Scorpio 4x4 (old model with worn out AT tires)
- Then a TUV 300
- Followed, finally by a Ford Endeavor 4wd (old model with mid-life AT tires)

Guess which one got stuck?
The Endeavor!

I finally managed to rock the Endeavor out of the slush in 4H-Reverse, and drove straight through, but people are free to make whatever inference they want of this entire sequence.

P.S. It was a birding trip, not an Offroad thingy, hence the motley assortment of vehicles.

[Mad Max]

Originally Posted by Lambydude

My recent car buying dilemma .....Does it make sense to buy Skoda Octavia DSG ( petrol or diesel) instead of the SUVs in the price bracket of 20-30 lacs?

I am in the same dilemma and (probably) in the same city - the crater city of India. Every day my mind swings from an Octavia to a Creta to an Endeavour and then I get in my office Innova and forget it. And when I drive my Figo, I don't remember how bad the roads are as I carelessly drive over the potholes. When I am in my Vento, I have to say little prayers each time there's a scrape sound.

I think a median solution would be a low slung cross-over like the S-cross or even the Volvo V40 Cross Country. But they are unexciting vehicles or cost too much.

My mind has also started wondering even if I got my own Endeavour / Fortuner, would I really take it down a muddy path and over rocks? I'd be thinking of damages etc., and maybe my penny-pinching nature will stop me from doing that. Instead, I'd fully load up on insurance in a Zoomcar XUV and just (try to) climb over that kinda terrain.

So there's where I am at 4:15PM today - my whimsical mind says that I should go buy an Octavia and take an XUV from Zoomcar IF and WHEN I go off-roading.

Ask me at 5:00PM and I'll tell you I am all about the X1. That's what this crater city does to you.

[Lambydude]

Originally Posted by Mad Max

I am in the same dilemma and (probably) in the same city - the crater city of India. Every day my mind swings from an Octavia to a Creta to an Endeavour and then I get in my office Innova and forget it. And when I drive my Figo, I don't remember how bad the roads are as I carelessly drive over the potholes. When I am in my Vento, I have to say little prayers each time there's a scrape sound.

I think a median solution would be a low slung cross-over like the S-cross or even the Volvo V40 Cross Country. But they are unexciting vehicles or cost too much.

My mind has also started wondering even if I got my own Endeavour / Fortuner, would I really take it down a muddy path and over rocks? I'd be thinking of damages etc., and maybe my penny-pinching nature will stop me from doing that. Instead, I'd fully load up on insurance in a Zoomcar XUV and just (try to) climb over that kinda terrain.

So there's where I am at 4:15PM today - my whimsical mind says that I should go buy an Octavia and take an XUV from Zoomcar IF and WHEN I go off-roading.

Ask me at 5:00PM and I'll tell you I am all about the X1. That's what this crater city does to you.

. Totally understand as we are in the same boat. Only difference is that my mind swings between Octavia To not yet launched Jeep compass diesel auto To some wonder SUV which is not yet launched but ticks all the boxes . At the end of the day I also wonder if I need a new car because of all the confusion.

Maybe Skoda Karoq , if launched, will solve my problem

[arindambasu13]

Originally Posted by Mad Max

I am in the same dilemma and (probably) in the same city - the crater city of India.

Originally Posted by Lambydude

. Totally understand as we are in the same boat.

I suppose this boat is a common one on which lot of people ride every once in a while Of course, while my principal dilemma has been the same, the price bracket is a little lower. I have been vacillating between the Honda City and the Ecosport/ compact SUVs for a few months now, as an upgrade from my 7 year old Swift. Fortunately or otherwise, my decision has been made a smidgeon simpler due to a troublesome back, which dictates that I avoid a low slung vehicle. The seating position on the Ecosport was very comfortable and way superior to the City, so looks like the City goes out of reckoning for the time being.

But for sure, this is one first world problem which poses no end of trouble when decision-time comes along!!