Team-BHP - Volvo S60 2012 vs Skoda Superb vs Sonata 2012

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A friend was looking to buy a car in the similar price range and after considering all cars you've considered, we TD'd the Passat just for the heck of it.

I must admit, it was not in waste. The car is very impressive, not very involving to drive agreed, but as an overall package its pretty hard to beat. Its got all the features you want plus a few more.

The only downer may be the all black interiors and a tad but overpriced(highline variant). If you have a family of tall people, space may also be an issue but for average build adults, its more than sufficient(personal opinion).

Quote:

Originally Posted by .anshuman (Post 2699655)

What missing features are you talking about? It comes with most of the safety equipment, real leather seats.....the equipment list, feel & ambiance of interiors is still way better than any of cut cost BMW corporate variants.

The only major issue i can think of in comparison to Germans is Volvo's lack of service infrastructure. Somehow i feel Volvo is not really serious about their car business in India, they don't have local manufacturing/assembly setup, meaning all the cars are CBU which are easy to withdraw in case they are not doing well in market. Existing sales figures do not boost confidence.

Well, it seems you have caught the bull by its private parts. :) I agree that the car is well equipped with all the safety essentials and gets even real-leather seats. However,IMO the Skoda Superb despite being cheaper offers a lot more. The basic Kinetic variant which falls in the Skoda territory misses out on the seven-inch screen, a sunroof and a few other things. After shelling out 28 lakhs, these things obviously seem a little uncanny.I even agree that the BMW CE variant's are also poorly equipped and hence I would any day prefer a VW or a Skoda over them.

For the Volvo's strategy for India, I too am a little surprised. With all the manufacturers now coming to India, its time even Volvo settles for a local manufacturing base. That'll give Volvo such a great advantage over its competitors. I wonder what's stopping them from doing it.

Just some quick info for those of you who might be interested -
Turns out that the 320d Dynamic edition comes with iDrive which has the communications features built in as well - unlike what's listed on the website. You also get 12GB inbuilt harddisk on the iDrive, to hold your music. You can also watch television on the display, but its only Doordarshan which is picked up ;)

What I loved about the iDrive is the comprehensive car information system that it provides - from tyre pressure stats, speed averages, fuel consumption stats, status of components in the car (oil levels, brake pads etc.) which is awesome! You can configure many small things which makes the overall customizing experience really cool - such as how the doors lock etc.

The sheer power felt so overwhelming that it just feels sooo good to grab the wheel and drive! And of course, must admit it - BMW has a brand image that nothing comes close!

The reasons why I ruled out Volkswagen was mainly due to the unreliability issues in the DSG gearbox. All skodas have gearbox issues, and if you look around the web - you'll find a lot of sites talking about problems with the DSG gearbox of volkswagen. Few recalls, 10 year warranty from VW to compensate, how to use you DSG so that it doesn't fail etc. are things I dont want to be reading when I'm spending anything over 20L for a car!

It was more like love at first sight! Haven't test driven the passat, jetta, sonata 2012, superb (i had scheduled them over this weekend, which i need to cancel!) - but I know it can't get better than this :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Abhinav667 (Post 2699524)

Agree with him completely. The Superb would satisfy your fetish for features very well, however if you can stretch, the VW Passat would be a better buy. Buying a Hyundai in this segment would be like, spending 10k on dinner at a Haldiram's outlet. The Other options are more like a buffet at Marriot for the same price. The Volvo again is a respectable buy, but with limited features on the base variant , I think the German's here have done a better job. :)

Nice one but sadly Gemans aren't reliable like the others. The cost of parts, no of service centers etc are like Marriot too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dreamtheater39 (Post 2699750)

Just some quick info for those of you who might be interested -

The reasons why I ruled out Volkswagen was mainly due to the unreliability issues in the DSG gearbox. All skodas have gearbox issues, and if you look around the web - you'll find a lot of sites talking about problems with the DSG gearbox of volkswagen. Few recalls, 10 year warranty from VW to compensate, how to use you DSG so that it doesn't fail etc. are things I dont want to be reading when I'm spending anything over 20L for a car!

Why cant they give the same warranty for Indians! We can afford to get cars repaired than others?

And why not wait for the new gen 3 series?

Thrown in the New Camry too to this comparo. It will have a super reliable new engine and also will come with an upgraded feature list.

BTW I was offered the Petrol Superb yesterday with 1.5L discount on the sticker price. It was coming at nearly 19L on road UP. But if it's petrol that you want then isn't Toyota's new 2.4 engine better?

For me it boils down to between the New Camry, New Sonata and the Luxurious Superb.

New 3 series - it'll take a while before it comes out (and i lack patience at this stage ;))
The camry - for some reason a toyota can never feel like a premium car no matter how hard i try.

I'm super excited about the 3, and I just can't seem to wait! :) Any 320d owners, can you give me some perspective on the car, dos and don'ts, things the dealer won't tell you? :)

Quote:

I too am looking for a Sedan in that segment. I have been going through a lot a research and test drives as under -

1. BMW 320D CE - It just lacks space and features but driving pleasure surely will be big. I am a bit concerned about it hitting bottom on our bad roads in West UP/Delhi/Faridabad area. Was offered 1.75L discount on CE and 2L discount on Exclusive (1.25L for X1) 1 day prior to budget. Donno exact situation today. It was 24.14L (including BMW secure insurance, temp Delhi registration and handling charges of 25K (rip off?)). Uttaranchal registration would be 2.5% extra. Total expected cost on road would be around 24.75L

2. Audi A4 2.0 TDI - Was offered 3L discount a week back (pre budget) on 29L ex showroom price. Loaded with features but my friend owning this sedan in Meerut gave me the feedback that it is a status symbol BUT high maintenance. I did not find the test drive so invigorating. There is a lag before the turbo kicks in and then it drives like a rocket. But the lag is disturbing. Me being a Manual transmission man, found the Auto disconcerting. The same auto works in almost all Audi/VW/Skoda cars in this segment, I presume.

3. Volvo S60 D3 Kinetic - Looks like a James bond car (with black interiors) on the special Pearl White colour (comes rarely and takes 100 days for delivery). The quality of interiors was the best amongst the above two. Overall quite a good car but no discounts offered on the 26.46L on road price (UP). Also ground clearance is just 136mm!!

4. Pajero Sports - Has better interiors (slightly) than Fortuner but lacks in space in comparison. Also overpriced at 25.21L on road (UA)/ 27.59 (Delhi)

5. VW Jetta - Great car turned off by lack of Auto AC. Was offered Highline AT at 20.1L which just didn't justify the car. It's pricy by at least 3L.

6. VW Passat Trendline MT - Lacked features for its 24L on road price (UP). The highline at 29.68L was just too pricy and entering Audi territory.

7. Skoda Superb 1.8 Elegance MT - At 18.91 lacs (after discount/pre budget) on road (UA) with Skoda zero depreciation Insurance and 4 year/1 lac km extended warranty, this looks a SUPERB product for its price. Its Diesel is 24.5L on road in comparison. This one's a manual (so NO DSG worries, which seems solved now anyways) and comes fully loaded (now with bluetooth et al). The (rarely seen) Mocca Brown colour (from the Audi stable) is to die for and makes the car stand out more. I was also informed by my dealer friend that a Ambiente trim is being launched 10/20 days from now which will just skip the Sunroof and Xenon headlights and will be around 2L more cheaper which may make it a killer deal in this segment. Also a minor facelifted variant to be launched in September which may add Keyless Go (with Start/Stop button. Details here - http://new.skoda-auto.com/en/models/...&Page=exterior ) and LED lights. Main point is that the Meerut Dealer (C&T Motors) is a close friend so I can be rest assured about (lack of) bad after sales service, unless he does a total U-Turn after the sale ~ lolz.

Game changers to be launched -

8. Toyota Camry - Was blown away by its looks in the flesh at the Auto Expo. Me being a Toyota fan, this was my first choice but sadly they are not launching it before September.

9. Hyundai Sonata - Seems a great product, BUT a Hyundai with a petrol engine may not put sales charts afire. Launching in a few weeks.

Conclusion - I am leaning towards the SUPERB 1.8 Petrol MT for now (and a 5 Series Beemer as the next upgrade, which I would call a proper BMW rather than the 3 series)

Finally chose the Superb because it offered the maximum bang for my buck in this luxury segment and my first choice, The Camry, was not launching before 6 months. Also the local Skoda dealer at Meerut was a close friend. Going to Haldwani to take delivery tomorrow. Ownership thread to follow.

Congrats. Its a great price for a car that offers supreme and superb comfort.

The 1.8 may not excite exactly like the diesel does but the engine is very smooth and the interiors are something to beg for.

4 year warranty is also a great deal.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dkaile (Post 2724920)

I have chosen the Superb 1.8TSI MT at a killer ON ROAD price of 18.4 lacs. I had the dilemma of not only choosing amongst the 3 cars on your list but my list in addition also included Audi A4, BMW 3 Series & Honda Accord amongst many others -

Finally chose the Superb because it offered the maximum bang for my buck in this luxury segment and my first choice, The Camry, was not launching before 6 months. Also the local Skoda dealer at Meerut was a close friend. Going to Haldwani to take delivery tomorrow. Ownership thread to follow.

Congrats dkaile!

Looking forward to the ownership thread.

Hope you don't you get spoiled by the Superb's creature comforts and ride, and start neglecting the YT-1300 :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by nilanjanray (Post 2725872)

Congrats dkaile!

Looking forward to the ownership thread.

Hope you don't you get spoiled by the Superb's creature comforts and ride, and start neglecting the YT-1300 :)

Thank you Nilanjan.

Its here -

Volvo S60 2012 vs Skoda Superb vs Sonata 2012-superb-front.jpg

At 18.4L (with 2+2 year 1 lac km warranty & 0% depreciating insurance), its nearly at the cost of a Corolla (ok, 2L extra, but worth every penny).

Neglect of the Falcon is out of the question. Both are different animals. The Fortuner is the best in SUV class as on date and the Superb is the largest selling D Segment in the country today.

Await the detailed ownership thread...

Quote:

Originally Posted by dkaile (Post 2725982)

Thank you Nilanjan.

Its here -

Attachment 907285
At 18.4L (with 2+2 year 1 lac km warranty & 0% depreciating insurance), its nearly at the cost of a Corolla (ok, 2L extra, but worth every penny).

Neglect of the Falcon is out of the question. Both are different animals. The Fortuner is the best in SUV class as on date and the Superb is the largest selling D Segment in the country today.

Await the detailed ownership thread...

Congrats mate.

And Jesus, that's cheap.
Makes me feel like I shouldn't have bough a civic and bought this instead :P
The car is no doubt brilliant, much better than many cars above its price range.

I hope Skoda A.S.S. does not disappoint you as it has done a lot of people.

Congratulations on buying this wonderful car, have been fascinated with this one since Sam hilarious buying log came up, but could not muster enough courage to touch a Skoda.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dkaile (Post 2724920)

Also the local Skoda dealer at Meerut was a close friend.

This will hopefully ensure the ownership will be a satisfying affair, it also will give you peace of mind that you are so used to from the Falcon.

wow that is great price, congratulations, on a great buy.

The MT, turns out almost 4+ lacs cheaper as per your on-road price, how did you manage 2+2 warranty & 0 Dep insurance from the dealer? is it because he is good friend as you mention? or are these the prevailing prices down there in Meerut? drive safe..

Moderator's note: Thread closed as both dkaile and dreamtheater39 have purchased their cars and have posted ownership reviews.

Note from Support: Please continue the discussion on Dkaile's car in his ownership thread. Thanks