Selection process: Since I was driving a Polo, similar car with a boot did not excite me. I never considered Vento (for example) as an upgrade. Requirement was not just a higher powered engine, but also an upgrade in terms of overall performance of the car (No offence intended towards Vento owners) - Preference was limited to a Diesel car. This forced me to omit the immediate next segment and look at the price range of 15-20 Lakhs. Since I had Polo to trade in, I could manage the budget with some savings + loan.
Build quality, Ride & Handling, High speed stability, Safety features, Interior fit & finish, Comfort (including rear seat) & Space, Proven engine... etc were some of the requirements. We as a family narrowed down our selection to 4x2 Yeti, Laura, Octavia, Corolla Altis and Jetta. Yeti was our first choice since we thought of trying a Mini SUV for a change (Our previous cars being Hatchbacks with normal GC). BMW 1-Series was out of my mind, the moment price was announced!
1.
Yeti: Even though Ride & Handling was not comparable to a Sedan, it was well within acceptable limits. We found the rear seat to be very basic and lacked comfort both in terms of dimensions and support. This was probably since the rear seats were designed to be totally detachable. Frankly speaking, this was the main deal breaker.
2.
Laura: This ticked all requirements. But the car was almost discouraged by the dealer themselves, trying to promote Octavia. Finally, we dropped it since it was an out going model.
3.
Corolla Altis: Interiors were very comfortable. Good ride but Average handling. Soft suspension setup, does not inspire highway driving and cornering. Engine power lowest among competition. Even the next generation Corolla is rumored to be planned with the same engine.
4.
Octavia: Discussion on Laura gave rise to 3rd generation Octavia. Cost cutting measures such as avoiding Independent Multi-link suspension for Diesel cars, did not argue well for the product. Also, rear-end design of the car is very ordinary..
5.
New Jetta: Jetta was liked by all of us. In our opinion, this car can be at best termed as "Top end Executive Sedan" but not a premium Sedan. Never the less, for us, this was definitely an upgrade in all aspects. Driving this car, reminded me, of the way BMW 3-Series handled. We narrowed down on Reflex Silver Tdi Comfortline MT. More on this later..
With the selection narrowed down to Jetta, my objectives were clear: Check for the best buy-back value for Polo and book Jetta with the same dealer. To cross check and verify, I did visit a couple of used car dealers and took their feedback. After all the ground work, I got values varying between 4L to 5.5L! Finally, I narrowed down to the Mysore dealer who had given me the best indicative price. Fixed up an appointment with the dealer sales manager and went to Mysore to finalise the deal.
Dealership Experience: Every body at the dealership were cordial and polite. Decisions were given within acceptable time delays. Test drive was arranged for the second time. I was not asked to stick to a particular route during test drive. Jetta had an offer of free Insurance + exchange bonus. I needed only a TR at Mysore. So, I had to pay only Ex-Showroom price at the dealership. Road Tax to be paid to RTO directly at the time of PR. Waiting period for Comfortline Diesel was 3 to 4 Months. Ex-Showroom price to be, as applicable at the time of delivery.
There was a White Highline Diesel MT at dealer stock. This was 2013 model manufactured in the month of May and with 12 Kms on the ODO. Jetta being a CKD kit, car had reached the dealer only in the month of July. Customer who had booked this car, changed his mind and bought a Trendline Passat. This was available for immediate delivery.
Buyer who was to purchase Polo came to the showroom. After a couple of rounds of negotiation, exchange price was fixed at Rs. 5,34,919/- including exchange bonus of 20k, if Polo was handed over within a weeks time. If the Polo was handed over 3 months later, Rs.20,000/- would be reduced from the offer. Dealer agreed to give free Mud-flap. This collectively gave an advantage of Rs.27,000/-. Also, this would save us the cost of the HU, which had to be changed in case we bought a Comfortline.
We decided to go with White Highline Diesel MT. Final deal was that Rs.5,34,919/- would be deducted from an Ex-showroom price of Rs. 18,42,919/-. TR to cost additional 2k. Mud-flaps and Insurance to be provided free of cost. Since the loan was processed and kept ready for disbursement, we concluded the deal on the same day and got the delivery a day later, that is on Friday. After taking delivery, filled Diesel, got the pooja done and drove back to Bangalore. On the way back, MID was showing an Avg FE of 18+ Kmpl! I have one month time to get the PR done in Bangalore. I will be using my NCB (50%) next year during Insurance renewal.
Note: We thank all the staff of
KPR Cars Pvt Ltd for their services and co-operation.
Interesting point: Break-up cost for Jetta in Karnataka is as follows:
- Jetta Diesel HL MT - Unit price - Rs. 16,09,536.20 (Including Customs duty - Must be about 30%?)
- VAT @ 14.5% ------------------- Rs. 2,33,382.75
- Road Tax ------------------------ Rs. 3,47,760.00
- Insurance as applicable.
- Interest on Loan as applicable.
Almost 5.8 L (excluding customs duty) is collected in the form of TAX! And this, we pay through TAX paid money! Plus the Interest on the Loan!
God help us! Least our politicians can do is to give us decent roads...