[.anshuman]

^^ I am keeping this a last option. First i am going to check with spare part suppliers if they can get me convex RHS OVRM Mirror, if no, i'll try to order online.

Will try my best to be at the meet.

[VW2010]

@Anshu,

Does your RHS come with that dotted lines as in the Jetta. My Jetta RHS OVRM mirror comes with the dotted lines which makes the right most part of the mirror convex giving a broader view from the driver side. Will a Jetta RHS OVRM fit a laura. I meant just the mirror inside and not the whole casing?

[.anshuman]

I did a Gurgaon-Jaipur-Gurgaon run yesterday. I was either stuck in jams all the time or following trucks 40kph or overtaking them at full burst+ some local driving in Jaipur. According to MID the car returned 6.0litres/100kms=16.66kpl for a close to 500+kms trip with 11+hours spent driving.

I am happy i chose the AT version, imagine shifting every few seconds on such a stretch and holding clutch all the time stuck in Jams. Not even once the DSG was in wrong gear or hesitated to downshift, the kickdown button is godsent for rapid overtaking. I am loving it

Originally Posted by VW2010

@Anshu,

Does your RHS come with that dotted lines as in the Jetta. My Jetta RHS OVRM mirror comes with the dotted lines which makes the right most part of the mirror convex giving a broader view from the driver side. Will a Jetta RHS OVRM fit a laura. I meant just the mirror inside and not the whole casing?

No it does not have a dotted line like the Jetta. I observed the Audi A4's mirror in traffic yesterday, from distance it looked exactly like my Laura's mirror(Shared parts??). Let me check it again properly.

BTW How's your Jetta doing? It's been quite some time since you updated your thread.

[Sheel]

I don't want to go OT here Anshuman, but me and Gemi are getting not an iota over 16kmpl on our Figo D's. The 16kmpl figure is a combined figure (highway, commutes, idling).

All I can say is I envy the Car more than the FE, especially the way you have presented your ownership and have clicked the photos.

I was all sold to buy myself a fast I-4 M'cycle (I still am) but this thread isn't helping the cause. Can't wait for a dealer like JMD to start its operation somewhere around my area. (One of my friend owns a vRS and a Fabia in Calcutta and the sole dealer (for Cal & Siliguri, Jiah Autos) aren't very good as far as service goes.)

Wish you many miles of happiness with the Car

[R. Kotwal]

@anshuman
The post so far has greatly influenced me with regard to countless hours and sleepless nights spent in the 'decision making process'. The choice is between all variants of Laura. Things have come to such a pass that I am ready to stretch my existing budget that is currently in the realm of 15 to 16.5 lacs. There is an intense battle going on to decide whether or not to opt for a DSG. I usually let my heart rule the mind, and want to do so here too but am only concerned about the average life of the DSG. If one were to research various threads on the web it brings up a mixed bag that pins down its average life to about 65000 kms. Again that may be a one off case, so uncertainty remains.

The second battle is fought between the Elegance and the Ambiente models. No amount of justification ( 16" rims, leather seats, Climatronic A/C, or fully closing ORVM) seems to warrant an increase of around 1.5 lacs upgrading from the Ambiente to Elegance variant. The bottom line being that I would readily like to spend an extra buck for feature that justify the expenditure, and not because its just a marketing strategy.

So, since you probably have your ears to the ground as far as experiencing the new Laura is concerned, I would request to help me out -not literally of course- but to give me a perspective mainly on two points:

1) leaving the 'heart to mind' debate aside, coming on to performance,- does the DSG really make a difference ? And no, I am usually all right with manual gears and don't mind the extra work that my left leg is used to since decades. Also, have to heard of any DSG failures so far in your circle?

2) Does the difference of features between the elegance and ambiente versions reduce the ownership experience in any way?

[.anshuman]

Originally Posted by Sheel

I don't want to go OT here Anshuman, but me and Gemi are getting not an iota over 16kmpl on our Figo D's. The 16kmpl figure is a combined figure (highway, commutes, idling).

All I can say is I envy the Car more than the FE, especially the way you have presented your ownership and have clicked the photos.

I was all sold to buy myself a fast I-4 M'cycle (I still am) but this thread isn't helping the cause. Can't wait for a dealer like JMD to start its operation somewhere around my area. (One of my friend owns a vRS and a Fabia in Calcutta and the sole dealer (for Cal & Siliguri, Jiah Autos) aren't very good as far as service goes.)

Wish you many miles of happiness with the Car

To add fuel to the Fire adding pics i just clicked-

I reset the MID 25=30kms after i started the trip.

Originally Posted by R. Kotwal

@anshuman
The post so far has greatly influenced me with regard to countless hours and sleepless nights spent in the 'decision making process'. The choice is between all variants of Laura. Things have come to such a pass that I am ready to stretch my existing budget that is currently in the realm of 15 to 16.5 lacs. There is an intense battle going on to decide whether or not to opt for a DSG. I usually let my heart rule the mind, and want to do so here too but am only concerned about the average life of the DSG. If one were to research various threads on the web it brings up a mixed bag that pins down its average life to about 65000 kms. Again that may be a one off case, so uncertainty remains.

The second battle is fought between the Elegance and the Ambiente models. No amount of justification ( 16" rims, leather seats, Climatronic A/C, or fully closing ORVM) seems to warrant an increase of around 1.5 lacs upgrading from the Ambiente to Elegance variant. The bottom line being that I would readily like to spend an extra buck for feature that justify the expenditure, and not because its just a marketing strategy.

So, since you probably have your ears to the ground as far as experiencing the new Laura is concerned, I would request to help me out -not literally of course- but to give me a perspective mainly on two points:

1) leaving the 'heart to mind' debate aside, coming on to performance,- does the DSG really make a difference ? And no, I am usually all right with manual gears and don't mind the extra work that my left leg is used to since decades. Also, have to heard of any DSG failures so far in your circle?

2) Does the difference of features between the elegance and ambiente versions reduce the ownership experience in any way?

The car now comes with 4years/1,00,000kms warranty(Skoda Shield), so if DSG fails before this it will be covered.

Talking about driving experience, DSG is several notches above any other gearbox offered in a segment or two above. I have been driving MT cars since i learnt driving, but after moving on to DSG i do not miss the MT cars at all. In fact love to drive MT cars on open roads when in good mood but for other times i am happier with AT.

The major differences between Ambiente and Elegance are-

• Normal AC with thermostat with temperatures marked on knob vs Auto Climate control.
• Fabric upholstery vs Leather upholstery.
• 15" Rims vs 16"Rims.
• Electronically folding mirrors.

For the price difference i found Ambiente better. I plan to get custom leather seats by next year, 15" rims suit my usage better than 16" rims and i am OK without ACC.

I would have picked the L&K version if the price difference was any lower. L&K comes loaded ESP, more airbags, Xenons, Touch screen Audio, memory seats, Sunroof and lot more equipment.

[VW2010]

@Anshu,

Waiting to complete atleast some miles before updating the other thread. 16.67 or 6L/100KM is something what I get driving out in 40% City and 60% Highway traffic. Rarely i get to drive for a long period in 5th gear. I am guessing you are doing similar drives. And its hard to believe you have already completed 10K

Last trip to banglore gave me close to 22KM/HR driving between 100-120. Over that its definitely around 18KM/L. Getting a FE of 18KM/L driving at 140kmph is like "SWEET".

[.anshuman]

^^ The Jetta with the detuned 110hp version is slightly more efficient than the Laura 140hp DSG. Expect the Laura MT with the same 110hp engine to be as efficient.

BTW even i get figures as good as 22kpl with easy driving on highways.

[Swanand Inamdar]

@Anshuman, I vouch for those figures! My Laura MT gives pretty much the same on highways. Spirited driving results in average going down to 20-21 KMPL, but sane driving does churn out 22 KMPL. Pretty satified with the beast I say!

You said that you plan to go in for custom Leather covers for your Ambiente. Could you please let me know the source? I plan to do the same for my Ambiente. A little over a year and the fabrics have started showing, why beige is not a good option in our country .

[.anshuman]

Originally Posted by Swanand Inamdar

You said that you plan to go in for custom Leather covers for your Ambiente. Could you please let me know the source? I plan to do the same for my Ambiente. A little over a year and the fabrics have started showing, why beige is not a good option in our country .

I plan to get the seats done from Stanley unless i come across some better option.

Given an option would pick all black interiors over Beige. The beige carpets in Laura get soiled so easily. Sadly the mentality in our country is Beige=Luxury. Some manufacturers which start with Black interiors end up offering Beige at a later stage.

[VW2010]

The beige carpets in Laura get soiled so easily.

Cleaning Black is breaking my back. White or Black jetta would have been my car if they gave me a black interior.

@Anshu.
Does Your version ambiente come with fabric? Did you pick the 3-D mats? Its far more useful than i imagined.,

I dont see changing my leather black in the near future. Only thing i want to add or wish to add is the Blue tooth kit. If only one of my friends picks it up from the US. The phone functions in the steering wheel is currently useless. Thanks to Indian version of jetta that doesn have the BT kit.

[trumpcard]

I would have picked the L&K version if the price difference was any lower. L&K comes loaded ESP, more airbags, Xenons, Touch screen Audio, memory seats, Sunroof and lot more equipment.

sunroof????the facelifted version of laura doesn't have a sunroof on offer even on L&K or am i missing something here(have they introduced it recently?)

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by trumpcard

sunroof????the facelifted version of laura doesn't have a sunroof on offer even on L&K or am i missing something here(have they introduced it recently?)

Nope no sunroof. You are right, it was stopped at the time of the facelift.

[download2live]

Originally Posted by Swanand Inamdar

@Anshuman, I vouch for those figures! My Laura MT gives pretty much the same on highways. Spirited driving results in average going down to 20-21 KMPL, but sane driving does churn out 22 KMPL. Pretty satified with the beast I say!

Stop discussing this astronomical FE. You guys are giving heartburn to fellow small car owners who struggle to get such figures. My car just about manages 17. And further rubbing in of the salt is that Laura has a tighter turning radius than Punto. Sheesh. Big car, Big FE and small turning radius. Talk about having your cake and eating it too.

[Swanand Inamdar]

Originally Posted by VW2010

Did you pick the 3-D mats? Its far more useful than i imagined.,

What are these 3D mats? Are they VW specific or do you get them for the Laura too. Are they those trasnperant mats? The Beige mats really break one's back when it comes to cleaning those.

Originally Posted by download2live

Stop discussing this astronomical FE. You guys are giving heartburn to fellow small car owners who struggle to get such figures. My car just about manages 17. And further rubbing in of the salt is that Laura has a tighter turning radius than Punto. Sheesh. Big car, Big FE and small turning radius. Talk about having your cake and eating it too.

. These are the figures on the highway only. City driving gives me a mere 12 -13 KMPL.