[sunny310c]

Originally Posted by graaja

+1. Had been to the Skoda dealer to collect the refund of my advance booking amount and had a chance to talk to the sales manager. When I asked him hypothetically had I not cancelled, when would I have received the car, his reply was: somewhere around October!! He said only 250 kits get allocated for India every month and the car is extremely overbooked for this supply! I feel relieved that I cancelled and booked the Jetta.

October?? That is shocking. By that estimate, I will only get mine next year. As much as I would love to own this car, am definitely not waiting that long. Maybe I should consider other cars as well (read Jetta), just as a backup. I spoke to my dealer yesterday and he said they received 2 diesels (Ambitions) this week. Also, they aren't receiving any cars in the Elegance trim. Don't know what to expect anymore.

[iliketurtles]

How long have you waited for Sunny310c, and when is the dealer saying he'll deliver the car? Elegance waiting periods are extraordinarily long, so maybe a bit more patience is in order. The Jetta is a good choice, but perhaps you could wait for the A3 too.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by sunny310c

October?? That is shocking. By that estimate, I will only get mine next year. As much as I would love to own this car, am definitely not waiting that long. Maybe I should consider other cars as well (read Jetta), just as a backup. I spoke to my dealer yesterday and he said they received 2 diesels (Ambitions) this week. Also, they aren't receiving any cars in the Elegance trim. Don't know what to expect anymore.

I would suggest you check with your dealer once again before making any decision. Find out how many cars on an average they get every month and what is your number in the waiting list. Waiting times may vary from city to city. The delivery time I mentioned is in Coimbatore which is a tier-2 city and also for a petrol Elegance, which happens to have the worst lead time. I guess Hyderabad is a tier-1 city and tier-1 cities may get more allocations than tier-2 cities. Also, as iliketurtles mentioned Elegance trim has a longer waiting time than the Ambition trim. Good luck

OT, I also had a pleasant surprise from the Skoda dealer. When I had booked the car, they had mentioned that in case I cancelled, I will get a 100% refund of the booking amount in 3 weeks time. Just two days after I had cancelled, I received a call from them saying that the refund check is ready and I got it today! Except for the unbearable waiting time for the car, my experience with the dealer here has been very satisfactory.

[beejay]

Originally Posted by graaja

OT, I also had a pleasant surprise from the Skoda dealer. When I had booked the car, they had mentioned that in case I cancelled, I will get a 100% refund of the booking amount in 3 weeks time. Just two days after I had cancelled, I received a call from them saying that the refund check is ready and I got it today! Except for the unbearable waiting time for the car, my experience with the dealer here has been very satisfactory.

I had visited the same dealer and the bookings have been put on hold. What is the waiting now, any idea?

[graaja]

Originally Posted by beejay

I had visited the same dealer and the bookings have been put on hold. What is the waiting now, any idea?

When I had visited the dealer to collect my cheque, I enquired about the waiting time. He told me had I waited for my 1.8TSi that I had booked in December, I would have got it earliest by October. He also mentioned that only 250 kits are being allocated per month for the whole of India! So, in my opinion, provided if you get to book one, you may be looking at 6 months minimum (I am being very conservative here) for diesel models.

[beejay]

Originally Posted by graaja

When I had visited the dealer to collect my cheque, I enquired about the waiting time. He told me had I waited for my 1.8TSi that I had booked in December, I would have got it earliest by October. He also mentioned that only 250 kits are being allocated per month for the whole of India! So, in my opinion, provided if you get to book one, you may be looking at 6 months minimum (I am being very conservative here) for diesel models.

Just called them. They can take booking and demo car is available too. Waiting is 6 months for the Elegance.

Its a tough call, I have never owned a Skoda and the horror stories are not making things easier. Its a tough call between the Jetta, Octavia and 320D.

There is also news about the Civic to be launched with the idtec.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by beejay

Just called them. They can take booking and demo car is available too. Waiting is 6 months for the Elegance.

Its a tough call, I have never owned a Skoda and the horror stories are not making things easier. Its a tough call between the Jetta, Octavia and 320D.

There is also news about the Civic to be launched with the idtec.

Is the 6 months waiting for 1.8TSi or 2.0TDi Elegance? If you are looking at Diesel, then I would say Jetta scores over the Octavia, if you are looking at ride and comfort due to the multilink suspension in Jetta vs. torsion beam suspension in Octavia. If you are looking at other factors like sunroof, notchback opening of the boot, fresh look (both interiors and exteriors), then you could choose Octavia. If it is petrol, then Octavia, it has to be. A detail comparision of Jetta vs. Octavia has been done in the following thread.

D1 Sedan Quandary: VW Jetta, Skoda Octavia or Used Laura

If you have the budget for a 320d, then you should definitely go for it as 320d would be far superior to the Octavia and Jetta in ride and handling with its RWD, 184bhp engine and 8 speed automatic gearbox. However, the lower trims in a 320d may not be kitted as much as the Octavia Elegance or Jetta HighLine and you will miss out on features like Xenons, Sunroof, Electricall

Good luck with the decision making process

[iliketurtles]

Originally Posted by beejay

Its a tough call between the Jetta, Octavia and 320D.

This almost made me laugh out loud buddy, please don't be taken aback by my honesty. How is it a tough call between these three cars when the BMW is part of the equation? If you can afford a 320D, by all means go for it. The fact it has BSI is a massive, massive plus and that's before you factor in the snob value, comfort and above all driving pleasure of the BMW. If you like the Jetta/Octavia, the 320D takes everything that's good about it and amps it up. It's no comparison and really isn't a tough call unless the BMW lies on the outer limit of your budget and you're worried about maintenance and owning the car. Even in that scenario, BSI solves your problem. So really, it shouldn't be a tough choice between these three.

What works in the Jetta's favor is that it's available more easily, is cheaper and has the more advanced suspension compared to the Octavia TDI. Personally, I liked the Octavia TDI/TSI a lot, but its waiting period and the fact that the Jetta only loses out on a few creature comforts swung me towards the Jetta. Between these two it's a tough choice indeed. Factor in the BMW and there's only one obvious choice if budget is no constraint.

Originally Posted by beejay

There is also news about the Civic to be launched with the idtec.

Where did you read this? By all accounts, the Civic isn't coming here anytime soon.

[Santoshbhat]

Originally Posted by iliketurtles

If you like the Jetta/Octavia, the 320D takes everything that's good about it and amps it up.

Except ground clearance

[iliketurtles]

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

Except ground clearance

Haha true that, that's one case where less isn't more

[el lobo 6061]

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

Except ground clearance

Originally Posted by iliketurtles

Haha true that, that's one case where less isn't more

After reading below specs you all would prefer 320d more.

Ground Clearance:
1. 320d : 157 mm
2. Jetta : 159 mm
3. Octavia : 155 mm

If 320d, Jetta & Octavia are in contention, then 320d Sport Line any day. You live only once.

[beejay]

Originally Posted by graaja

Is the 6 months waiting for 1.8TSi or 2.0TDi Elegance? If you are looking at Diesel, then I would say Jetta scores over the Octavia, if you are looking at ride and comfort due to the multilink suspension in Jetta vs. torsion beam suspension in Octavia. If you are looking at other factors like sunroof, notchback opening of the boot, fresh look (both interiors and exteriors), then you could choose Octavia. If it is petrol, then Octavia, it has to be. A detail comparision of Jetta vs. Octavia has been done in the following thread.

D1 Sedan Quandary: VW Jetta, Skoda Octavia or Used Laura

If you have the budget for a 320d, then you should definitely go for it as 320d would be far superior to the Octavia and Jetta in ride and handling with its RWD, 184bhp engine and 8 speed automatic gearbox. However, the lower trims in a 320d may not be kitted as much as the Octavia Elegance or Jetta HighLine and you will miss out on features like Xenons, Sunroof, Electricall

Good luck with the decision making process

Originally Posted by iliketurtles

This almost made me laugh out loud buddy, please don't be taken aback by my honesty. How is it a tough call between these three cars when the BMW is part of the equation? If you can afford a 320D, by all means go for it. The fact it has BSI is a massive, massive plus and that's before you factor in the snob value, comfort and above all driving pleasure of the BMW. If you like the Jetta/Octavia, the 320D takes everything that's good about it and amps it up. It's no comparison and really isn't a tough call unless the BMW lies on the outer limit of your budget and you're worried about maintenance and owning the car. Even in that scenario, BSI solves your problem. So really, it shouldn't be a tough choice between these three.

What works in the Jetta's favor is that it's available more easily, is cheaper and has the more advanced suspension compared to the Octavia TDI. Personally, I liked the Octavia TDI/TSI a lot, but its waiting period and the fact that the Jetta only loses out on a few creature comforts swung me towards the Jetta. Between these two it's a tough choice indeed. Factor in the BMW and there's only one obvious choice if budget is no constraint.


Where did you read this? By all accounts, the Civic isn't coming here anytime soon.

My bad, and apologies for the confusion. I meant used 320D.

[B747]

Originally Posted by el lobo 6061

After reading below specs you all would prefer 320d more.

Ground Clearance:
1. 320d : 157 mm
2. Jetta : 159 mm
3. Octavia : 155 mm

If 320d, Jetta & Octavia are in contention, then 320d Sport Line any day. You live only once.

It is not right to just see the ground clearance only and say it will create problems, octavia has a stiff suspension and hence even with 155 it won't hit any humps even with 5ppl(this is very clearly mentioned in tbhp review also) , where as a Vento which has 168mm will scratch on humps due to its soft suspension.

[joethomasv]

Originally Posted by B747

It is not right to just see the ground clearance only and say it will create problems, octavia has a stiff suspension and hence even with 155 it won't hit any humps even with 5ppl

Yes but the Jetta's and the 320's aren't soft either right.

I guess the GC also depends on where the lowest point is. In case of the Octavia, it is definitely not in the front half. I have no idea about the other two though.

[el lobo 6061]

Originally Posted by B747

It is not right to just see the ground clearance only and say it will create problems, octavia has a stiff suspension and hence even with 155 it won't hit any humps even with 5ppl(this is very clearly mentioned in tbhp review also) , where as a Vento which has 168mm will scratch on humps due to its soft suspension.

I never said Octavia will have problem due to less GC. I was just comparing stats of all the cars in consideration by @beejay with preference given to GC.

Even Vento with 168 mm would not have any problem. Its suspension is no way soft. If we were to compare it to a Honda City 165 mm GC then we can definitely say it will scratch on humps due to its soft suspension.