[Gill22g]

Brother 320D is a great car to drive, but expensive to maintain, but a great car nevertheless, and also give the new Teana a try too, it looks great with its huge sunroof, and has lots of other goodies too, it drives well too

[sacank]

Originally Posted by rahul016

Skoda and Passat have way more features than the Bmw CE.Its really difficult for me to choose between them as both(Superb & Passat) are evenly matched cars.My mind ask me to go for the Superb but my heart say go for Passat.
Guys what do you think that the New Passat will be priced higher or it will be in the same price band as it is currently?

I think superb would best serve your requirements at this point of time. 2011 Passat would take some time to come, and it certainly would be priced at a little premium as compared to the outgoing model. My guess here (and its just a guess) that the newer passat too would not be launched with a DSG gearbox (it might be offered later), which is just a sheer delight to operate.
Superb (Automatic) seems to be the best bet, but after duly checking the servicing credentials of your local skoda dealer.

[Gurpartap Singh]

Originally Posted by PlatzdaTurbo

Ok i knew that the superb has parking sensors all round obviously but "graphical" ?????? Now i surely did not know nor was expecting that in the superb. I thought they were strictly audio based.Passat has graphical too ?

Yes. The Passat with DSG that I test drove had it.

Originally Posted by rahul016

Skoda and Passat have way more features than the Bmw CE.Its really difficult for me to choose between them as both(Superb & Passat) are evenly matched cars.My mind ask me to go for the Superb but my heart say go for Passat.
Guys what do you think that the New Passat will be priced higher or it will be in the same price band as it is currently?

Actually, your heart could pump Superb blood too. Just think Passat being so much behind Superb in terms of features and VFM. (if those matter to you).

The Passat was very boring to drive. Felt like I was forced to move this thing ahead. No idea about Superb.

If you ask me, I'll buy BMW CE for the engine alone. Not from fanboy point of view, but from agility and power at hand (or foot? ) perspectives.

Go for Superb (then Passat) if read seat comfort is more important than agility.

[FlyingSpur]

All I have to say is, if it's equipment you're after, the 320d CE is NOT for you. You'll spend your entire relationship wondering about iDrive and Xenons and the rear armrest and a sunroof. Instead, just stick with the Passat / Superb and you will not regret it. They're fantastic cars and definitely thrash the CE on equipment. More spacious too, and they get their share of eyeballs as well.

[rahul016]

The only problem why i am evading skoda is because of the dealer in my city.The sales guys are very arrogant.They don't even have single demo car of any Skoda vehicle.The test drive they gave me was not even of a km.They disconnect the car's speedo and these are the vehicles that have to be delivered.The thing that shocked me was when i went to talk to the service adviser i saw that there were only 3 cars for service.The mechanics were goofing around.

Further when i asked them that when can i get to see the car he simply said that when we receive the next lot of cars then he will call me.On asking when is the next lot going to reach the dealership he simply replied August end.
Further i met a friend of mine who is having a Laura TSI and he simply told me to get the car from Delhi or Chandigarh and get it serviced from these cities only as the dealer in Dehradun is not at all worth getting your car serviced from.

BMW CE no doubt is a great driving machine.But the on road price of the car in Chandigarh(nearest to my city) is somewhere around 25,00,000/- and if i get it registered in my city i have to shell out another 58,000/-.This is without BMW service select package that are there for 3 and 5 years time.I feel they are must to have when you are buying a car which is expensive to maintain.On opting for these packages they shoot up the car price by lac and a half.So the overall price comes close to the Audi A4 1.8TSI which is bigger and more equipped than the BMW.So it will be better to go in for Audi than BMW.

What i want is that the car i get should be good to drive which i feel the 1.8 Tsi engine is very good at.Another thing i want is that the car should be well equipped with features because when some one sits in your car you can at-least tell that person what so special in the car that it cost 20-21lacs.
We are Indians and we believe in a simple policy of "Seeing and Believing".The more we see the goodies in a car the more we consider its cost justified.I think the Passat and Superb fits this criteria best.

[FlyingSpur]

Originally Posted by rahul016

BMW CE no doubt is a great driving machine.But the on road price of the car in Chandigarh(nearest to my city) is somewhere around 25,00,000/- and if i get it registered in my city i have to shell out another 58,000/-.This is without BMW service select package that are there for 3 and 5 years time.I feel they are must to have when you are buying a car which is expensive to maintain.On opting for these packages they shoot up the car price by lac and a half.So the overall price comes close to the Audi A4 1.8TSI which is bigger and more equipped than the BMW.So it will be better to go in for Audi than BMW.

This is what confuses most buyers. When one adds the 1.5-2 lac for the BMW BSI package, the car becomes a little more expensive and goes closer to the next model, which happens to be a little bigger, and a little higher on equipment. And one is tempted to wonder what is the point of buying the earlier option when the next option is within sniffing distance.

One needs to compare apples to apples. Agreed that 3CE+BSI ~= A4, but it's an A4 without any service package!

So on one hand, you say that for cars in this segment where TCO is high, a service package is a must. But on the other hand, an A4 without any service package is giving you reason to drop the CE. You are not factoring the TCO of the A4 into this decision-making equation at all.

I think there is a certain clarity of thought which will help in making such a decision easier for a buyer.

[SafeDrive]

If you don't like the Skoda dealer in your city but like the VW dealer, then I think this alone should help you decide. Along with the car, you're also going to have to live with the dealership and customer service provided for as long as you have the car.

And boy, I wish I had your problem.

[ajmat]

After collecting my Skoda to day, I can safely say that service levels are improving. Will update my ownership thread accordingly

[rahul016]

Originally Posted by ajmat

After collecting my Skoda to day, I can safely say that service levels are improving. Will update my ownership thread accordingly

Sir i am looking forward to your thread and maybe decide accordingly.

[goingout]

I would say go for the Superb. The Passat is a nice car no doubt but it is soon going to be replaced by a newer and better model. Just imagine the day when you see a newer Passat on road just few months after you shelled out 20+ lacs on your 'old generation' car. That feeling will surely leave a bitter taste for the rest of your car's life lol!

Regarding the service: New Delhi is very close to Dehradun so why not buy it from here and get it serviced here as well?

The Superb is an awesome car and the level of luxury is the same as a Merc. Only the dealers are a let down but then you also get a really nice car for such low price (as compared to the competition).

Imagine this:

BMW Corp Edition - 26 lacs - peace of mind from the maintaince point of view, better performance (which you can't use in DDun unfortunately). But then no one wants to sit in your car and rather prefers to sit in a 5 year old accord because it is more comfortable.

OR

Skoda Superb - 21 lacs - everything great except the dealers and doubts about maintenance (which is improving, plus now you have extended warranty).
You don't look desperate but still travel in luxury and comfort. And you know that you got the best deal of the lot!

Plus imagine when its raining and you pop out an umbrella from your car's door

PS: Or wait for the new Passat, or any other new car that may come out in the next few months.

All the best!

[androdev]

Nice post there @goingout! If I were in the OP's situation, your post alone would have cleared up all my confusion.

I own a Laura (3+yrs) and a Fabia (3 months) and I have always felt Skoda cars are great value for money. Service experience is great in Bangalore, the cost of regular consumables like brakepads, filters, etc. and body repairs (painting, denting) is very reasonable. I have not replaced any expensive parts like clutch, A/C compressor, etc. but I hear people have successfully got these parts in the open market at lower prices. I personally don't mind paying the a.s.s prices because I trust the a.s.s work - saving 20K on once-in-a-blue-moon is not worth the hassle for me.

Here in the south, people in general don't buy Merc/BMW/Audi unless all their close family members also drive those. Too much talk happens and many people don't like it. Nobody talks if one buys a Skoda, another reason why it is raining Skodas in Bangalore Anyways, gone off topic!

[njh]

I own a Passat, the current one being the second Passat I've owned, and i can very proudly say that i have had nothing but good service, and overall happy with the car. I have the old 2.0lt engine. The new 1.8 TSI is supposed to be absolutely out of this world. I have no say as far as Skoda goes, because I don't own a Skoda. But, from the other threads that I have read on this website as far as service and dealers are concerned, I would not hesitate, and simply buy a Passat.
The current Passat is the B6 Platform and the new platform (B7) i am almost sure will only be out only in 2012.

[rahul016]

Originally Posted by njh

I own a Passat, the current one being the second Passat I've owned, and i can very proudly say that i have had nothing but good service, and overall happy with the car. I have the old 2.0lt engine. The new 1.8 TSI is supposed to be absolutely out of this world. I have no say as far as Skoda goes, because I don't own a Skoda. But, from the other threads that I have read on this website as far as service and dealers are concerned, I would not hesitate, and simply buy a Passat.
The current Passat is the B6 Platform and the new platform (B7) i am almost sure will only be out only in 2012.

Thanks @goingout,njh for your wonderful post.I wrote a mail to Sidharth of car and bike show regarding the launch of New Passat and he told me that the car will not make it to India before 2012 and its safe bet buying the current model.Skoda Superb no doubt is an excellent car but the only let down is my dealer.Volkswagen on the other hand has a very courteous staff.

Complaint of my Skoda dealer in Dehradun.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...und-skoda.html

[ivar1951]

Originally Posted by ajmat

By the way, what features does the Passat have that the skoda does not offer/ am curious

Push-button hand brake; blue tooth. Good features to have but the Superb is still the better buy.

[FlyingSpur]

Originally Posted by ivar1951

Push-button hand brake; blue tooth. Good features to have but the Superb is still the better buy.

I would have to agree here, it's newer and more spacious. Passat's a killer car but on its way out.