[Swanand Inamdar]

Originally Posted by graaja

Do you have any specific tyre in mind, that has a balance between road noise, handling and durability?

If you want silent tires, i would recommend Yoko DB's. They are as silent as silent can get. Been using them on my Laura for over 8 months now, and I have only good things to say about them.

But, that shouldn't be the main thing on your mind. Firstly, finalize the car , tires and upgrades can follow.

[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by akshay1234

What features and safety does the Superb offer besides the twindoor and 2 more airbags?

Unfortunately all panoramic roofs open out that way, be it a Teana, or the Mercs or Audis, etc. Why is everyone going crazy about the Octys sunroof opening outside.

Just to confirm, the 3 is a sharper and more involving car to drive than the 5. And a 10mm difference in wheelbase doesn't mean a 10mm difference in length. The Superb is wider, much longer, heavier and has less power. Its the best in its segment to drive, but can't match the Octy.

I don't know if I have plucked something close to you heart, all I meant was that the Superb cannot be put down as a non driver focused machine. It is a more well rounded package and if someone had the money, why not skip the 3 and buy the 5? If he were that focused, then he could save his money, buy a T-Jet and remap it.

Oh and I can't be bothered thinking about it but I would hold the twin-door and extra safety to occupants at the rear at a higher value than cornering lights and a larger sunroof

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

I don't know if I have plucked something close to you heart, all I meant was that the Superb cannot be put down as a non driver focused machine. It is a more well rounded package and if someone had the money, why not skip the 3 and buy the 5? If he were that focused, then he could save his money, buy a T-Jet and remap it.

Oh and I can't be bothered thinking about it but I would hold the twin-door and extra safety to occupants at the rear at a higher value than cornering lights and a larger sunroof

It is not a driver focused machine. Nor is the Octavia for that matter, but the Octavia is the better of the two.

I'm not getting into comparing T jets with 5 series. Your statement makes no sense. The fact is the 5 is a great car, but the 3 is a better drivers car. Be it the E90 or the F30 compared to the E60 or the F10.

If you cant be bothered thinking about it then why say the Superb offers far more kit? Considering he says he drives himself and hardly anyone will be in the back what use is extra airbags for the rear?

BTW the Superb has cornering lights too. Both Superb and the Octavia have Adaptive Front Lighting System 2 (AFS2).

[drmohitg]

How much of a let down will be driving the Superb over the Octavia? I feel not much. Plus the larger wheelbase will offer you a more better grip on the road which will be useful in the highway drives. the slightly lesser driving pleasure should more than adequately be compensated by the higher aspirational value of the superb and the extra space and kit.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

How much of a let down will be driving the Superb over the Octavia? I feel not much. Plus the larger wheelbase will offer you a more better grip on the road which will be useful in the highway drives. the slightly lesser driving pleasure should more than adequately be compensated by the higher aspirational value of the superb and the extra space and kit.

More than enough to notice. If the driver is slow and likes to cruise at 80-100 on highways then yes the difference will be negligible. But try and carry the same speed through a corner as you would in the Octy and you will notice more body roll, more understeer and the car feeling a bit heavier. Of course compare the Superb to the Accord, Camry, Teana and it feels leagues ahead in terms of handling and stability.

How will the larger wheelbase offer better grip? The tyre size on both is similar if not the same.

The Superb in this case doesn't offer higher aspirational value since it will be an old product the moment he buys it, what extra use is space in the rear when it is hardly used, and what kit?

Anyway I think I'm rambling on too much now.

[Santoshbhat]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

How much of a let down will be driving the Superb over the Octavia? I feel not much. Plus the larger wheelbase will offer you a more better grip on the road which will be useful in the highway drives. the slightly lesser driving pleasure should more than adequately be compensated by the higher aspirational value of the superb and the extra space and kit.

How does larger wheel base help provide better grip? The Superb is a larger and heavier car. It certainly won't be as agile as the Octavia. As Akshay1234 pointed out its not about the 10 mm longer wheelbase, but the bigger dimensions, increased overhangs, higher weight, more inertia etc...

I will echo what most people have suggested the OP. If you are looking for back seat comfort go for the Superb. But if you are looking for a more involving drive, go for the Octavia. If you are self driven there is no bigger pain than driving/ parking a big car in the city today.

@ graaja : Though Coimbatore is not as bad as Bangalore, an AT gear box is a real boon if its going to be your daily use car. The 1.8 TSI with MT is not a slow speed friendly car. It needs a lot of clutch slipping in slow moving traffic. Since you are going to be driving yourself an AT makes a real case of itself. For the record I prefer to drive my i10 AT in the city compared to my Laura TSI.

[nitinbose]

I would also second most over here: Octavia - if you're driving on your own and if you wish to enjoy the drive on every minute you get. Superb - if you're mostly going on long trips on highways, chauffer driven and at cruising speeds. Straight and simple!

[VW2010]

Take your family with you and let them sit in both the cars and do a test drive. Get their feedback on which one suits the entire family.

You may have to sacrifice the minimal driving pleasure you will actually get out of a Octavia(Due to riding time in such a road to enjoy the difference) for a happy family

[rxpaul]

Well would a Octavia TSI manual be faster in the city than the Vento TSI AT ? I think not.
I have been using an Octavia 1 Tpi for the last 5 years and now also a Santro AT and i must say that i prefer the Nippy santro in the city for ease of parking and driving. Ofcourse the bigger Octavia is much more comfortable and much more faster on the e-way and on long drives.

I would say that the Ideal Sedan, SIZEWISE for India would be the Rapid/Vento class of cars and i wish they would come with more powerful engines. A bit , but still relavant to this discussion.

So would a Vento TSI (used in manual mode) be a better choice ?? It would be easier to park and also Ok for the e-ways

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by 2500cc

My 2 cents.. If driving pleasure is your main criteria, then why dont you take a test drive of Fiat Linea T-Jet ? Am basically a SUV guy, but just happened to TD T-jet while I went to decide a car for my friend. Man, I was completely bowled over by its capabilities, especially the suspension setup. Now am seriously contemplating of owning this as my second car. You can save some bucks too!!

While the T Jet is a nice looker and a nice car etc, it belongs to a completely different segment. I don't really think we can compare it to what the Octy offers overall.

[graaja]

Hi Friends,

Thank you all for the very helpful feedbacks. After considering all the feedback I have decided to keep the Octavia for the following reasons.

1. Octavia with its smaller size, more powerful engine and the DSG gearbox (not withstanding the reliability) provides more fun to drive both in city and highways.
2. The Superb though loaded with more features, owing to its size and lower powered engine (resulting in a lower BHP/ton) will not be as fun to drive compared to Octavia, though by itself, it is definitely a great car.
3. The Superb will become outdated the moment the facelift is announced.
4. Last but not the least I will have to stretch my budget by another 1.7L

The only fly in the oinment now is the long waiting time till March or April

[Voyager-1]

Originally Posted by graaja

I have already communicated to Skoda that I will not take delivery of the car without the extended warranty. And they have called me and confirmed that they are working out the details of the extended warranty with the insurance company and will introduce the extended warranty by this quarter before March.

How can an insurance company offer extended warranty? Did you confirm if this extended warranty would be directly from Skoda or from the dealer?

[graaja]

Originally Posted by Voyager-1

How can an insurance company offer extended warranty? Did you confirm if this extended warranty would be directly from Skoda or from the dealer?

My understanding is: Extended warranty is offered by Skoda. But the reimbursement for the parts replaced is paid by the insurance company to Skoda. I may be wrong about this though.

[adi_petrolhead]

Originally Posted by graaja

My understanding is: Extended warranty is offered by Skoda. But the reimbursement for the parts replaced is paid by the insurance company to Skoda. I may be wrong about this though.

You are absolutely correct. Usually with these German car companies, their insurance partners have a plan in place which would reimburse costs to the dealer or the customer directly. All you get is a Extended Warranty booklet from the dealer, but the reason why EW claims take weeks to clear is the same process has to be followed like survey, market comparison, possibility of repair, etc. My fingers are crossed for when it will be launched. You will be surprised but here the dealer has his own Insurance handling company (LLC type) which sells insurance to the customer. They negotiate terms with Insurance partners such as ICICI or Bajaj or Bharti Axa. I met with him during my visits to the workshop for all the problems my car faced and he informed me that Skoda India has deals in place with insurance companies, to give them OEM spares, etc. at a subsidised rate, as compared to if a customer buys directly from Skoda India. Hence they have to go through the channel of Insurance company in between, so that the end benefit of a lower cost of repairs and spared is transferred to the customer. All one has to do is avail extended warranty.

[B747]

Originally Posted by GTO

The Octavia is built for self-driven owners, while providing "acceptable" backseat comfort.

Suggestion: I would highly recommend the Octavia diesel MT or even better, the Jetta Diesel MT (multi-link rear suspension). The VAG diesels are very fast, fuel-efficient, have nearly zero turbo-lag and are more robust too. I drove the Octavia MT for 3 days and can tell you, it would be my pick over the TSI....eyes shut.

These words from the most respected person among auto enthusiasts gave me tons and tons of confidence and reinforced my decision as I too booked Octavia TDI MT after weeks of research and sleepless nights.