[ACM]

Originally Posted by stanjohn123

The verna could beat the 105Hp Laura which is till the Elegance variant. The top end L & K variant comes with a 140 Hp Diesel.Its more powerful than a Verna at 19 Laks.

Originally Posted by stanjohn123

Hmm...Now someone should really set up a track day between The Skoda Laura L & K and the Cruze LTZ..Interesting contest this

Originally Posted by entropy

As per ACI data, Cruze is faster in 0-100 runs. Much faster infact with a difference of nearly 2 secs. The workaround is to chip it as I have done to my Superb for which more details are here:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...pd-diesel.html

It brings down 0-100 from 11.2 to 9.5.

Pls dont confuse the 1.9 PD L&K Laura - 105 bhp (no longer available in L&K trip) with the 2.0 TDI L&K Laura -140 bhp. Both have a significant difference in 0-100 times, the 1.9 PL L&K Laura Auto DSG has a 0-100 time of 11.2. (that is the slowest Laura) the Laura is one of the only cars where the Auto is faster than the Manual. this is because of the DSG Auto 6 speed gear box, which has a dual clutch that reduces gear change time to half of what it is with other non dual clutch transmissions.

The Laura in the real world is a different animal from what the specs speak, and that is something that all Automagazines have acknowledged. Even the base 105 bhp 1.9 PD has more usable power than higher power cars, due to its availability in the correct power band as well as the drive stability while braking and cornering.

Even earlier the Optra Magnum had higher BHP ratings that the 1.9 PD itself, till the 2.0 Laura with 140 bhp came along, if just BHP / power sold a car then the magnum diesel would have been a run away hit.

The Cruz is admittedly faster than the 1.9 PD, but in the real world all reports indicate an initial hesitation before power deployment, which is something that the 140 bhp newer laura does not face to that extent. Also the DSG makes for much faster gearchanges at the correct time to ensure you stay in the power band, and if one want even more of that then there is the sport mode.

Verna is also a very powerfull car, but driving one and then driving the laura makes one aware that the Laura from the inside feels a good 30kmph slower than the verna even when both are going at the same pace. This has been the edge that fiesta has had over the verna right from the start.

Since this is a cruz threat the above is a bit OT, but felt that a guy who has ridden the verna, fiesta, Laura (all 3 versions), and the magnum a objective comment is due. (Of course have yet not riddent the cruz, and will suggest the comparision between the cruz and laura be reserved for someone who has ridden the cruz as well as the 140 / 168 bhp Lauras (not the 105 bhp version that I own).

[Country Road]

Just did a TD.

- Its smooth as butter as far as pick-up and speed is concerned. Its a rocket.
- Did 165 kmph on the expressway.
- Reached fifthe too early and I was already at 120 kmph. It was too crowded to really riiip it.
- Fully loaded.
- Front seat is great.
- The back seat is BAD. It is cramped for a 5 ft 11 inch well built male like self. The head room at the back is particularly BAD. Too low. My head was constantly rubbing against it.
- Had no ground clearance issue.

[stanjohn123]

I guess rear seat space could be the only major jinx in the Cruze's interiors.
But i never felt the ground clearance of 165 would ever be an issue for the cruze.Because i had TD'n the new Laura (which has the same ground clearance of 165 mm) on the worst possible roads in my village and it went through them without any problem at all.

[bashani]

@ACM
I am very happy to see you compare the Laura 2.0 with the Cruze simply because the Skoda 2.0 costs a cool 5L more than it.
Makes the Cruze a steal, terrific value. IMO Not many come close to it, Skoda Laura certainly not.

[sabynag]

Originally Posted by bashani

Thanks a tonne mjothi & rajivn.
Wow the response to the Cruze is amazing by the looks of things, and I don't mean just on this forum. The number of bookings, the vibrant show room that I visited.
For all those people comparing the Skoda Laura to the Cruze, I for myself considered the Laura TSI myself, I drove around in my cousins Laura Diesel for 1 full day (the new face lifted model). I loved the TSI's performance, the interiors were nice and fresh, looks are alright (prefer the older one any day).
But what stopped me from buying that car are the following points:
1) The Petrol if driven with a heavy foot gives awful FE, the TD car was showing something like 9.xx (I drive 50+ kms in a day so FE is a must)
2) The horror A.S.S. stories on this forum have scared me to no end and not just that after inquiring a bit from friends who own skoda's they were satisfied with the product but absolutely disgusted with the A.S.S. due to their behavior, disgruntled with the company due to its high cost and availability of spares.
3) The diesel TDI Laura feels a little sluggish in comparison to even my Verna.
4) The Laura is in its mid life, at most 3 years down the line we would have a new laura (maybe introduced as the flaura in the Indian market as I read on another thread ) where as the Cruze is just beginning its new life cycle (Even if it is an Optra in other countries this is a new model not just a face lift like the laura)
5) The brand perception of people here of Skoda is premium but not so world over. GM has taken a lot of beating in the recent past because of it going bankrupt but IMO it cannot get worse then this, looking at its strategy and the future product line up they have the strength to bring back GM back on its feet. Simply put Skoda's rep is going down and GM is gonna "Cruze" ahead easy.
I have nothing personal against Skoda as a brand but it better clean up its act in India or else it is headed for trouble, I would like it to pull up its notorious dealers and train them Toyota style. They have fantastic products, as an auto enthusiast it is a shame to see the numbers dwindling due to the obvious issues.

It is not only the BHPians, even the Volkswagen folks (Skoda's parent) use Skoda's service reputation as a competitive feature when proving Jetta's superiority over Laura. As per them, quite a few Laura L&K prospects are switching to Jetta Comfortline just to avoid the future pain in the A-S-S.

Cruze is going to create a big dent in the sales figure of both Skoda and VW. While L&K and Comfortline may still find buyers because of their "premium" image, sales of Ambiente/Elegance and Trendline trims will simply dry up.

[sabynag]

I started a new thread on "Cruze v/s Jetta v/s Laura" (diesel only versions). Please share in your thoughts on who leads the pack in upper C segment diesel sedans in India.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/sedans...ml#post1532032

[anujmishra]

Why same cruze is sold with two different badges in South Korea? One is Daewoo Lacetti and other ofcourse Chevrolet Cruze. First time I saw same car in two different badges in a country. Both car are parked in my neighbourhood.

Here is pic of Daewoo Lacetti from Wikipedia.

[rosh2]

Originally Posted by sabynag

...
Cruze is going to create a big dent in the sales figure of both Skoda and VW. While L&K and Comfortline may still find buyers because of their "premium" image, sales of Ambiente/Elegance and Trendline trims will simply dry up.

+1 to that. Finally the battle starts to heat up in this segment. Will be fun watching how Skoda and VW respond.

[aneeshanand]

nice looking car
But I doubt the A.S.S from Chevy... We have so many incidents here in TBHP itself...

[raul]

Thanks tsk1979, unfortunately my friend is in China currently and intends to buy a car as soon as he reaches India in November, and the Jetta was more or less finalized with Civic lurking in the background.

There is a new Chevrolet outlet right next to my house in Goregoan SV road flyover signal so the plan is to drag him there there for a test drive.

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Everyone has different height and width.
Since cruze is a narrow car, seating for 5, esp with upright back seat may be an issue.
Best thing to do is that your friend goes to the dealer, and sits on the front, with family sitting at back.
If they like it, they can book it!

[vinaydas]

what is happening right now in this thread is people who are buying the cruze or have booked it love it over the laura because of the fact its cheaper and better equipped sort of.
and people who have driven the laura or own one prefer the laura over the cruze.
personally minus the skoda india attitude and service from poor dealers ,I find the laura a much better car than the cruze
despite being Czec by brand it is truly German by heart. As reviewed by Many and all of their opinion is that Laura TSI is one of the if not best handling FWD car out in the market and for that 15-16 odd lacs on road nothing in the range of 30-40 lacs can smoke you.(few exceptions to this statement )
Cruze which i feel is a killer package is korean/american at heart made to look and feel like a german

But given choice between the two i would probably pick the cruze.

[aneeshanand]

so, Cruze will definitely have a road to cruze...

[Baron]

Cruze which i feel is a killer package is korean/american at heart made to look and feel like a german

Well. IMHO the suspension was done by Aussie (Holden), designing by European GM, material used were defined by Korea and Australasia GM, engineered by European. Infact there is very little american stuff in it (apart from the parents).

Actually, the Aussie setup was taken to be the default setup for the car. And then this was turned around by different units of GM to suit different customer base they intend to serve.

[inwester]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

Bingo! Well said, Tanveer!. In fact the Embera has more room than any car south of 25 lacs, inclucing the Accord. The only competitor, methinks, is the Skoda Superb.

You wish. Accord is the biggest mid-size sedan in the world right now and overall has the biggest cabin (front/rear leg/head/hip/shoulder room). Yes, roomier than 5-series or the even new E-class w212.

Like Accord, Sonata however, qualifies the definition of a full-size car by the U. S standards (EPA), but they both are listed as mid-size cars.

2009 Nissan Altima vs. 2009 Honda Accord vs. 2009 Hyundai Sonata vs. 2009 Toyota Camry

Originally Posted by anujmishra

Why same cruze is sold with two different badges in South Korea? One is Daewoo Lacetti and other ofcourse Chevrolet Cruze. First time I saw same car in two different badges in a country. Both car are parked in my neighbourhood.

Here is pic of Daewoo Lacetti from Wikipedia.

Attachment 210128

GM only sells Cadillac's and Saab's in Korea, obviously, apart from Daewoo. So there is no Chevrolet Cruze in Korea and it's badged as Lacetti. The range starts at little less than US $10,000 with a 1.6 engine outputting 114bhp.

[iTNerd]

Went to check out the new Cruze at Regent Automobiles, Mathura Road. They just received a blue Cruze LTZ for display. No test drive yet. But they promised me to send one tomorrow at my residence!

Quick Impressions:
1) It is HUGE. Feel very European. Very imposing front with the grill. The bonnet itself is raised above, giving a meatier front look. There is considerable space between the front grill and the radiator. why?

2) The overall profile and design cues are typically BMWish.

3) Build quality are superb,but the rubber beads on the doors are quite dull, and seems to be of inferior quality. Interior design is awesome, quality of plastic is OK OK. Not too good, Not too bad. But the aluminium like plastic panels on the dashboard (around the ACC and ICE) is bad.. If I press a bit, can hear the plastic panel rubbing beneath the other plastics..

4) The clutch/acceleartor/brakes are engulfed deep within..I mean, I don't have long legs (I am just 5.7) and I have to literally bring the seat to the front to get a comfortable reach.. which leaves a reasonable space on the rear!

5) The driver console/instrument panels are awesome.. the blue ambient lighting is to die for.. I started the engine with the button, but one has to press the clutch fully, to start.. spend a good 2-3 mins trying so.. but when it started, all lights glowing.. revved to 1200-1500 RPM, before the sales cosultant requested not to do so.. The engine noise from outside is very loud.. thought common rail diesel engines are refined and make less noise! Apparently, its not the case with the VCDi.

6) Sound proofing is good, but one can still hear the engine. But the good thing is the gear lever don't shutter, unlike other.. the gear level is also very comfy, and short..

7) The leather is a bit greenish/azurish in color and quite comfortable.

8) Integrated rear parking sensors only beeps, no display!

9) The tyres are big and chunky. It would look even better with 225/60 R16 and to improve handling.

10) The leg rooms on the rear according to me, is quite reasonable, though I am not that tall..

Overall, the car impressed me even more, when seeing in person. It is low-slung car, and despite that, it looks huge, and appears one segment above to the likes of Accord/Camry. Engress/ingress was no problem, unlike Civic. What I creep is the plastic quality and the engine noise.. (first time, trying a way to convert to diesel!)... But anyhow, I am sold to this car.. only need to take a thorough test drive and see how comfortable it is on city drive and highway.. (in comparision to Civic, which is not a very good city car)