[stringbh]

Originally Posted by sunikkat

Challenge is what is 'elsewhere'? Now with Rapid, Vento and Polo going there isn't anything which is really fun to drive in ~ 15 lakhs.

True. But, just nitpicking a few random lines from the review (hope it doesn't give a wrong impression):

Originally Posted by Omkar

Build Quality, Fit & Finish

If you compare it to some of the brand's European cars, the Slavia's doors, bonnet and tailgate don't feel as heavy. The doors make a bit of a clunky sound rather than a satisfying 'thud' on shutting. The Rapid seemed to fare better in this aspect.

Cabin Design & Quality

However, the plastics don't feel premium and the cabin lacks the sturdy feel of some of the other Skoda cars.

We want Skoda to do well and appreciate that they have given us a new product in a segment which is loosing popularity. But, they could have charged a couple of lakhs more, and given us a product with better interior quality and build, and then put that Skoda badge on it, or made a couple of more compromises and priced it 50k below Honda City. Actually, Honda and likes can now breathe a sigh of relief that they have to do nothing. This is bad for competition (or time will tell).

It might still actually be fine for someone who wants to own a Skoda for the first time, as an alternative to competition, to belong to a different club. Of course, eagerly waiting for the test drive and reviews of the 1.5L variant, and I might still actually go for it or the wait for Virtus too. As the next closest thing is Octavia for double the price, or one has to go the preowned route. Not a great time to be shopping sedans.

I am sure many are in a similar dilemma as me and it would be interesting to know what the existing Vento/Rapid owners are contemplating, and what they are planning for their next ride.

Originally Posted by sunikkat

The review calls out the ride and handling being better than rivals and Kushaq. Infact mentions as benchmark in ride and handling in the segment.

Mate, there is not a single remotely negative point mentioned in all of 13.08 minutes. It sounds like a Slavia chalisa

Originally Posted by sunikkat

I think it’s time for us to go test drive and see it by ourselves and conclude based on one’s priorities.

Some of us in tier 3 cities are still relying on high resolution pics (the product has not even arrived in the showroom, let alone test drive) and with eagerness to participate, giving our opinions based on online reviews. There, the warnings come after the spells

[firstguri]

Originally Posted by vagman

Variant Wise feature distribution is out!

Attachment 2278603

Attachment 2278604

Attachment 2278605

Was just going through the feature list.......What is anti glare outside rear view mirror?
I've heard of auto auto dimming outside mirrors and the manual anti glare inside mirror but never anti glare outside mirrors! And if they're supposed to function like the manual inside mirrors, then how does one tilt these outside mirrors!

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by firstguri

Was just going through the feature list.......What is anti glare outside rear view mirror?
I've heard of auto auto dimming outside mirrors and the manual anti glare inside mirror but never anti glare outside mirrors! And if they're supposed to function like the manual inside mirrors, then how does one tilt these outside mirrors!

Anti glare ORVMs just mean the glass is tinted. Few members on the forum have replaced the ORVM on their VAG car with the anti glare version. Example -

[Nithesh_M]

Originally Posted by Angad sahani

Honda has played it safe and is offering a slightly more tuned variant in 2020 of the same engine one could buy back in 2009 with just a 10 bhp bump in power and yes like skoda even their quality took a hit. But customers kept their faith and the 5th gen car is built better than gen 4.

The L15A SOHC unit on the 4th gen City is not the same as the L15B DOHC unit on the 5th gen City. So no, you couldn't buy a 2021 City engine back in 2009.

[amit1agrawal]

Slavia Pricelist in Bengaluru. 1.0 TSI Manual Style, which I am interested in, is 17.8L on-road, about 70-80k on-road more than the City ZX manual.
Skoda is providing a 5th & 6th year extended warranty, which is a must IMO.

[400notout]

How come no summary of pros/cons, likes/dislikes? Has this been done away with?

[sid3091]

Originally Posted by amit1agrawal

Slavia Pricelist in Bengaluru. 1.0 TSI Manual Style, which I am interested in, is 17.8L on-road, about 70-80k on-road more than the City ZX manual.
Skoda is providing a 5th & 6th year extended warranty, which is a must IMO.

Simply obscene taxation in Bangalore. My cousin is buying his in Gurgaon, and the top end auto is costing him 17.3

[bhp_maniac]

Crisp review as always Overall the styling looks good, however there are few red flags here. The missing European thud on the doors, suspension tuned for comfort over ride quality, and did I read it correctly when I saw "Auto up/down" and anti-pinch feature for driver side windows? Does that mean the other windows doesn't get this function? This is something which I absolutely love about my Rapid. Would definitely give it a test drive with the 1.5 TSI DSG, but not considering this one as a proper replacement for the loveable 1.5 TDI + DSG combo.

[ron178]

Originally Posted by thiagust

Also would any of the fellow bhpians know the NCAP rating for Slavia?>

They don't seem interested in sponsoring a test. I don't know what it is, whether it's too expensive to ship the cars to Germany for the test (it's really all I could think of) or NCAP ratings are just not part of Skoda's marketing strategy in India yet, but it's mysterious nevertheless, especially when you consider Volkswagen has been actively sponsoring Latin NCAP tests, even back when they used the same protocols as Global NCAP.

Maybe they'll sponsor a test when Global NCAP gets tougher, which could explain why, for example, the car has standard ESC. Or maybe Global NCAP will test it themselves.

Originally Posted by vagman

Attachment 2278604

Rear pretensioners! Is that a segment-first? When they put it in the Kushaq's brochure I thought it was a mistake. Looks like it's not.

[thanixravindran]

Skoda claims that the car's safety systems have not only been tested for generic crash tests like homologation and the GNCAP @ 64 km/h front deformable barrier but are also designed and tested to work in crash scenarios based on internal VW standards. The side and curtain airbags have been designed to meet a crash scenario of side pole crash, which is higher than GNCAP standards. The curtain airbags offer head protection to the front as well as rear passengers. The Slavia has been designed to meet European pedestrian safety norms. Currently, the Indian regulatory requirements only mandate protection for lower leg & head impact; the Slavia will reduce upper leg injuries too.

Originally Posted by ron178

They don't seem interested in sponsoring a test. I don't know what it is, whether it's too expensive to ship the cars to Germany for the test (it's really all I could think of) or NCAP ratings are just not part of Skoda's marketing strategy in India yet, but it's mysterious nevertheless, especially when you consider Volkswagen has been actively sponsoring Latin NCAP tests, even back when they used the same protocols as Global NCAP.

Maybe they'll sponsor a test when Global NCAP gets tougher, which could explain why, for example, the car has standard ESC. Or maybe Global NCAP will test it themselves.

Hi ron178, Above is the quote from the official review on Safety. Are these indicative that this is future GNCAP ready? I know companies won't provide their internal test reports for retail buyers (they do for fleet or commercial buyers) but do you know anything more about these test standards and results. I am asking you since I follow your posts on safety and NCAP which are quite informative and valuable.

[neoonwheels]

Originally Posted by thanixravindran

Hi ron178, Above is the quote from the official review on Safety. Are these indicative that this is future GNCAP ready? I know companies won't provide their internal test reports for retail buyers (they do for fleet or commercial buyers) but do you know anything more about these test standards and results. I am asking you since I follow your posts on safety and NCAP which are quite informative and valuable.

We have seen Kia shouting about high tensile strength and safety of Seltos during launch but we know where it stands now. Until they formally test it (Which I dont know what is stopping them from), its all perceived.

[Turrrb0]

Originally Posted by Kickdown

You are right. I am in the market for a good upgrade on my Ford Aspire DCT. Had high hopes on the Salvia esp the 1.5 DSG version. But going by the 1.0 pricing (and that of the Kushaq 1.5), 1.5 would be atleast 22 lacs for the top end trim. That's a whole 5 lac higher than the City top end . Doesn't look worth the money to me.

To be honest, I don't think comparing the honda city with the 1.5 TSI slavia is a fair comparison. That engine is half a segment at least higher than the ivtec.

The 1.5 ivtec and 1.0 TSI are more comparable to each other.

Don't be fooled by the 999cc engine displacement. "No replacement for displacement" doesn't really hold good when turbo charging is thrown into the mix.

[sachin_cs]

I'm on my way to Raipur from Goa after attending the Drive with Slavia event organised by Skoda India ltd. I went along with my brother. What an experience it was, very well executed drive event with fellow 28 enthusiasts from all over India, met Zac Hollis and his wife, such lovely and down to earth folks. A detailed report of the same would be coming very soon, till then enjoy some pictures

















And I also got to meet many BHPians and special mention to Dr Vikas from Sangli, it was pleasure meeting you sir.

Skoda covered for our travel expenses, food & beverages, local commute in Kushaq with a chauffeur and of course the Lovely Slavia in Red.

Originally Posted by thiagust

Also would any of the fellow bhpians know the NCAP rating for Slavia?>

From my conversation, I can tell you that the car is designed to meet far more stringent crash norms and ncap might be on the cards.

[TheHelix0202]

Originally Posted by divyadeeptsi

0-100 in 11 secs is strictly average.

Aren't the extra 5bhp and 8nm torque enough to propel this to 100kmph as quick as the outgoing 15 yr old PQ platform based Rapid which easily used to do in 9.7 secs. Heck, my Polo TSI is at least 1.5 sec faster.

Those who bought Rapid tsi, especially the rider variant are too lucky to be enjoying faster with way better handling characteristics.

My pre-facelift 1.6 MPI Rapid is quicker than this thing. Heck, the Slavia is only marginally quicker than an old 1.6 Ford iKon!

Try as I might, I can’t fall in love with this VAG car the same way the older products had me falling for them. The exteriors have too many sharp lines, the headlights + grill are a size too bulky, the AC vents on the inside don’t fit in with the Czech crystal theme, and - wait for it - the steering wheel is utterly disappointing to say the least. It’s a very sloppy design at the end of the day. Don’t even get me started on the pricing. In an effort to please the mass-market customers, Skoda has lost its integral and core elements.

[ron178]

Originally Posted by thanixravindran

Are these indicative that this is future GNCAP ready?

I'm not really qualified to answer that but what I do know is that it's not very safe to trust what the manufacturer is telling you.

Those internal tests, I think it's not for future Global NCAP per se (though Global NCAP will do some of those tests in the very near future), but more for the Latin NCAP tests on the Virtus that will be exported from India. They probably copy-pasted it for the Slavia.

What I think is that VW have probably engineered the LHD MQB-A0-IN Virtus to do well in Latin NCAP tests because the left hand-drive versions of the Virtus/T-Cross will be exported there from India and VW normally aims for nothing less than five stars there. In fact, every new VW model launched in Latin America since 2013 has achieved the maximum five star Latin NCAP rating even through two protocol changes, except the Fox (which was launched in 2005 and here's an interesting bit from an experimental test long before Latin NCAP started: )

Originally Posted by PROTESTE

The most dramatic conclusion is that, despite the bad result, if it were compared with other similar national models, the Brazilian Fox would probably be considered even safer than the others. Analysis of the Fox's body shows that it was designed to be a safe vehicle, but the structure is useless if essential safety equipment is not present.

Source: see attached PDF

VW as a manufacturer have generally never changed steel/spot-welds for emerging markets but it's still not safe to take it for granted that the Indian car would score similarly at Global NCAP.

The first thing to know is that in Latin NCAP you can do just okay in the frontal impact and make up elsewhere to score well in the adult protection box. So it's possible that something that was a four star car under the older protocol (which Global NCAP uses) could become a five star car under the tougher protocol. But VW have generally done well across the board.

Secondly, the Latin American car will get side airbags as standard because Latin NCAP requires that. Global NCAP will use a fitment rate for the pole test. That means that the car in the MDB (barrier+trolley) side impact in Latin NCAP will have side airbags, while the one in the Global NCAP MDB side impact won't, and might perform differently.

Now let's say that the exported LHD MQB-A0-IN Virtus does well in the Latin NCAP frontal impact itself. It's still not possible to extend a left hand-drive frontal result to the right hand-drive Virtus/Slavia.

Many right hand drive cars face serious issues in offset frontal crashes because the engine sits right behind the steering column and pedals. For example:
ANCAP: 2015 Hyundai Tucson
ANCAP: 2015 Kia Carnival
And don't miss this one: Euro NCAP: 2007 Chrysler Voyager:


So it's important that Škoda tested a right hand-drive Slavia for the 64km/h frontal offset test during early development itself. If the test they're talking about is not just based on their LHD Virtus tests, then I would be fairly confident of the Slavia doing at least acceptably.

The reason I think they're talking about Latin NCAP and not Global NCAP is:

GNCAP @ 64 km/h front deformable barrier

Latin NCAP does that test too, and Global NCAP will continue to do it after the protocol update.

The side and curtain airbags have been designed to meet a crash scenario of side pole crash, which is higher than GNCAP standards.

Not anymore

The curtain airbags offer head protection to the front as well as rear passengers.

2022 Global NCAP and 2016 Latin NCAP didn't require head protection for rear passengers, in fact there was no geometric evaluation of the head protection, just a head airbag (which is why the old Virtus had only a combination torso-head airbag for the front occupants). Since 2020, however, Latin NCAP also requires geometric coverage of the head protection device for rear passengers.

Currently, the Indian regulatory requirements only mandate protection for lower leg & head impact; the Slavia will reduce upper leg injuries too.

Again, even after the protocol update, Global NCAP will only do the UN GTR9/R127 tests for adult+child headform and lower legform, not upper legform. But Latin NCAP's 2020 tests include an upper legform impactor.

The only way to know how the Slavia would perform is to wait for the result, and goodness knows when it will be. We'll have a small idea about the LHD cars and whether there's any 'A0-IN'-specific dilution when Latin NCAP tests the exported cars and since exports of the T-Cross (Taigun) to Mexico started I wouldn't be surprised to see it in the next Latin NCAP publication. However, even if there's no intentional 'IN'-specific dilution it doesn't mean that the Indian car will perform the same.

Originally Posted by sachin_cs

ncap might be on the cards.

Gosh, I hope it is! I'd really like for Škoda to join the five star club. Then competition will start to sponsor tests too and eventually the testing will become self-sufficient. Everybody wins.