[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by lamborghini

Why not the current Laura Ambition 2.0 TDi with the superb DSG gearbox? If you can, even the Laura Elegance is terrific VFM.

We recently - 3 months - picked up a candy white Laura L&K DSG and I am loving every moment of it. What started out as a very Pro-Jetta purchase ended up with us bringing the Laura home.
It has the superb 140BHP engine, with the excellent DSG gearbox. It is adequately loaded, and still looks contemporary. IMO the interiors are nicer than the Jetta (in terms of touch and feel), and I didn't notice a significant difference in the legroom. Ride and handling is very similar once again, though it is said that the Laura has the edge in handling, with the Jetta in ride quality.
While the Jetta looks fantastic, the Laura with the DSG just might be a better bet for you.
Do give it a shot!

I agree! Both are excellent options. When checked both cars back to back, I felt the Laura have an edge. And as you mentioned, it still looks contemporary. I felt the Laura’s interiors are better than the Jetta , especially with the brushed silver inserts in the Ambition variant (instead of faux wood). And Laura has the advantage of having the DSG option in lower variants. On the other hand, the Jetta offers 6 airbags and ESP across all variants.

In actual fact, there is nothing much to differentiate between the siblings, except for personal preferences.

On a side note, when you have time, please pen an ownership review of the L&K

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by Abhi_Automobile

The only thing is that within a few months I'll be left with an old gen car (though a still good one). Since I have to live with this car for a few years, this fact may come to haunt me later. But, worth a consideration. I am going to keep thinking about this one...

Well, my doubt is not with the current gen Laura. I am not even considering one. Why should I? When I get more powerful, larger , later gen car with a better badge value in jetta at only nominally more price. The point is whether it worthwhile waiting for the next gen Octavia (which is larger, sexier and newer than the Jetta. Much to VW annoyance, it may have better outright quality than the Jetta too)

Posted in your thread, but I think it got deleted. I had said you should pick up a Laura L&K at a big discount, maybe a tad bit more than the Jetta CL. What you get is a smaller Superb minus the sunroof. Its got all the features you want and the Jetta looks spartan in comparison.

Yes you will be left with an old gen car, but a tried and tested one. The new Octy may come with a couple of niggles here and there, which may need sorting out. Also it will be called the Octavia while this is the Laura so it may not feel that bad. Honestly, each generation will have their pros and cons, I bought the E90 less than a year before the F30 came out and I have no regrets. Unless some people telling you that you have an old car will bother you, I don't see any reason why you shouldn't buy the Laura L&K at a big discount.

P.S - The Jetta will look spartan, and dated too after the new Octavia comes out.

Originally Posted by vb-san

And Laura has the advantage of having the DSG option in lower variants. On the other hand, the Jetta offers 6 airbags and ESP across all variants.

I hear MY13 models have only 4 airbags now, and not 6.

[.anshuman]

With the Laura almost all the niggles have been sorted out by now, the current batch cars are reliable and niggle free. My 2010 Laura DSG has done 45k in around 2 years, the only issue i have faced is compressor problem, cars after my batch come with newer compressor design which i am told is much more reliable and is stronger.

Personally i rate both Laura and Jetta as equals, i have a Jetta in my family and i get to drive it often. The final difference comes down to what vb-san said few posts above. You cannot go wrong with either of these cars.

But, you need to be aware, some parts can be very expensive in both VW and Skoda. Do not expect much from their customer care departments, i guess do not really exist, even if they exist they are only known to favor their dealers blindly, on whom they do not have much control. Buy only if you have a decent dealer in your area.

If i were in the market right now for a new car in this segment, i'd try to wait for new Octavia, which to me looks very tempting.

[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by Abhi_Automobile

In case you didn't know, that was my first thanks at t-bhp in all this time

The only thing is that within a few months I'll be left with an old gen car (though a still good one). Since I have to live with this car for a few years, this fact may come to haunt me later. But, worth a consideration. I am going to keep thinking about this one...

Well, my doubt is not with the current gen Laura. I am not even considering one. Why should I? When I get more powerful, larger , later gen car with a better badge value in jetta at only nominally more price. The point is whether it worthwhile waiting for the next gen Octavia (which is larger, sexier and newer than the Jetta. Much to VW annoyance, it may have better outright quality than the Jetta too)

Thank you sir!

Personally, me and dad drove the Laura and Jetta back to back before deciding on the Laura. It somehow just felt better to drive - and the fact that they had an Ambition with the 15" wheels gave it a nice ride too!
I was VERY pro-Jetta before, but thanks to some friends (and t-bhpians), I checked out the Laura and have been in love ever since.
Also, the Laura with the discounts in Ambition (if you can not get the Elegance A/T), would save you enough over the Jetta to throw in some accessories. Plus you get a DSG with 140 bhp - a big big plus!!

As akshay1234 says in his post, each generation will have its pros and cons. The new octavia will be more spacious and will have similar/better level of equipment. However, it won't be out for another 6-9 months at the very least. if you can wait - no harm doing so!
Worst case scenario - you don't like the new octy and you decide to get the Laura or Jetta at a better discount.

If I may recommend two other options:
The Yeti 4*4 with 140BHP L&K trim. Looks are subjective, but capability isn't. Huge discounts, very practical, and fully loaded.
The Laura vRS/Ambition petrol: Huge discounts - possibly enough to nullify the wait for the new Octavia and definitely superior to the 1.4TSi Jetta. Plus, the engine is a dream!

Originally Posted by vb-san

On a side note, when you have time, please pen an ownership review of the L&K

Yes sir! Coming up soon!

Originally Posted by akshay1234

Posted in your thread, but I think it got deleted. I had said you should pick up a Laura L&K at a big discount, maybe a tad bit more than the Jetta CL. What you get is a smaller Superb minus the sunroof. Its got all the features you want and the Jetta looks spartan in comparison.

Trust me, if you can stretch for the L&K, do it! Don't think twice!

Originally Posted by .anshuman

With the Laura almost all the niggles have been sorted out by now, the current batch cars are reliable and niggle free. My 2010 Laura DSG has done 45k in around 2 years, the only issue i have faced is compressor problem, cars after my batch come with newer compressor design which i am told is much more reliable and is stronger.

That is very reassuring to hear as a new Laura owner!!!

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by akshay1234

I hear MY13 models have only 4 airbags now, and not 6.

I was told by the dealership that the MY13 Jetta Highline gets bluetooth + adjustable armrest, but will now get 6 airbags instead of 8. But as of last week, they were still waiting for an official confirmation on this
Also, I read in some other thread that the Trendline will now have only 4 airbags instead of 6.

For the Laura, the SA confirmed that they did a delivery of MY13 Ambition with touchscreen audio with bluetooth (same as the Superb) + 16" alloys.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by vb-san

I was told by the dealership that the MY13 Jetta Highline gets bluetooth + adjustable armrest, but will now get 6 airbags instead of 8. But as of last week, they were still waiting for an official confirmation on this
Also, I read in some other thread that the Trendline will now have only 4 airbags instead of 6.

For the Laura, the SA confirmed that they did a delivery of MY13 Ambition with touchscreen audio with bluetooth (same as the Superb) + 16" alloys.

Yes you are right about the Jetta, now 6 instead of 8 in the highline and 4 instead of 6 in the other 2.

That is very unlikely about the Laura, it must have been a Caska unit. I doubt they would add the Bolero to the Ambition. How would they justify the other variants and their prices then?

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by akshay1234

That is very unlikely about the Laura, it must have been a Caska unit. I doubt they would add the Bolero to the Ambition. How would they justify the other variants and their prices then?

Indeed... But he actually took me to a Superb parked there to show the touchscreen audio system features

Anyway, they have promised to email me the full-specs for MY 2013 variants once they receive it. I will update here if I hear anything further.

[Abhi_Automobile]

Originally Posted by vb-san

I agree! Both are excellent options. When checked both cars back to back, I felt the Laura have an edge. And as you mentioned, it still looks contemporary. I felt the Laura’s interiors are better than the Jetta , especially with the brushed silver inserts in the Ambition variant (instead of faux wood). And Laura has the advantage of having the DSG option in lower variants. On the other hand, the Jetta offers 6 airbags and ESP across all variants.

In actual fact, there is nothing much to differentiate between the siblings, except for personal preferences.

On a side note, when you have time, please pen an ownership review of the L&K

Yes, even I felt that the Laura's interiors are just a wee bit better and have more of a robust feel to them. However, I found the difference to be miniscule.

How irritating is it for VW? The brand they are trying to position as more upmarket has a less of a quality feel to it than its so called cheaper counterpart.

Originally Posted by akshay1234

Posted in your thread, but I think it got deleted. I had said you should pick up a Laura L&K at a big discount, maybe a tad bit more than the Jetta CL. What you get is a smaller Superb minus the sunroof. Its got all the features you want and the Jetta looks spartan in comparison.

Yes you will be left with an old gen car, but a tried and tested one. The new Octy may come with a couple of niggles here and there, which may need sorting out. Also it will be called the Octavia while this is the Laura so it may not feel that bad. Honestly, each generation will have their pros and cons, I bought the E90 less than a year before the F30 came out and I have no regrets. Unless some people telling you that you have an old car will bother you, I don't see any reason why you shouldn't buy the Laura L&K at a big discount.

P.S - The Jetta will look spartan, and dated too after the new Octavia comes out.

I hear MY13 models have only 4 airbags now, and not 6.

I have decided that I will not go in for the L&K version. Even after the discounts, its a little too costly for me.

And yes, while I agree that even the new Jetta will look 'older car' when the new Octavia come out, it will at least not be an 'out of production' car. So, it'll be more like a model (Jetta) that is already half way in its life cycle compared to another (Octavia) which is at the beginning of its. While in absolute terms, it may not mean much, in relative terms, its a bit of a solace to the mind.

Originally Posted by .anshuman

With the Laura almost all the niggles have been sorted out by now, the current batch cars are reliable and niggle free. My 2010 Laura DSG has done 45k in around 2 years, the only issue i have faced is compressor problem, cars after my batch come with newer compressor design which i am told is much more reliable and is stronger.

Personally i rate both Laura and Jetta as equals, i have a Jetta in my family and i get to drive it often. The final difference comes down to what vb-san said few posts above. You cannot go wrong with either of these cars.

But, you need to be aware, some parts can be very expensive in both VW and Skoda. Do not expect much from their customer care departments, i guess do not really exist, even if they exist they are only known to favor their dealers blindly, on whom they do not have much control. Buy only if you have a decent dealer in your area.

If i were in the market right now for a new car in this segment, i'd try to wait for new Octavia, which to me looks very tempting.

Even I seem to be leaning in that direction. The new Octavia has sexier look, slight size advantage and better quality quotient (I am almost certain about this coz even the last gen had 'better than Jetta' quality; this one is dubbed to be much better)

The best thing with the new upcoming (as with the current gen) is that I may have a shot at buying the DSG automatic in the base variant, a luxury that I don't get with the Jetta. Although I am not exactly dying for an auto, I don't mind buying one if I can afford it.

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Guys, I am slowly leaning towards a plan:

The plan is to wait till maybe Aug/Sep for the new Octavia. If we have a launch or even a launch announcement (impending launch in a say next month odd), I will wait for it before deciding.

If we still don't have a concrete launch plan by then, I will simply go ahead with the Jetta (I anyway like the car)

This gives me a shot at a couple of things:

1. I get a shot at buying a base model with an auto tranny (I have decided that I will only buy a 'high tech auto box' like DSG, Powershift etc., if at all. No torque converters for me. If the auto tranny Octavia is launched only in the top version, I will simply go ahead with the manual one)

This also gives me a shot at buying a car with the newer MQB platform. BTW, VW is so bullish on this platform's capabilities that it 'accelerated' the dev on new GOlf (VW's most important model worldwide), effective shortening its life cycle by at least a year! The platform also powers the new Audi A3 and Seat Leon.

Related Read:
http://www.autocarindia.com/News/325...w-octavia.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Golf : Notice that the life span of 6th gen model in only. Unusually short for a car this imp!

2. I also get to see if VW makes any updates to the Trandline model. I am okay with even the Trendline if the look and feel and a couple of basic features such as steering mounted controls etc were present on the Trendline. With VW, I am forced to consider Comfortline and above, basically due to the interior look and feel.

What say guys???

[shalini_g]

What is the OTR price for Laura vRS and Jetta base petrol variant in BLR ?. I am also in the same boat with a max limit of 15L.

[pganapathy]

I would like to know whether you would be willing to consider pre-worshipped cars. If so, you should be able to find a4/3 series/c class in your budget. Yes, service for these cars definitely exceeds that of the vw/skoda options you are looking at. Additionally any showroom upgrades cost more (especially if in warranty and you want to keep that). Do the math and see if the costs work for you

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by Abhi_Automobile

I have decided that I will not go in for the L&K version. Even after the discounts, its a little too costly for me.

And yes, while I agree that even the new Jetta will look 'older car' when the new Octavia come out, it will at least not be an 'out of production' car. So, it'll be more like a model (Jetta) that is already half way in its life cycle compared to another (Octavia) which is at the beginning of its. While in absolute terms, it may not mean much, in relative terms, its a bit of a solace to the mind.

Since you are waiting a few months, no harm is keeping at a look at the L&K. After the new Octy is announced you may get one at a real bargain.

Well its good that you are waiting for the Octavia, I think it will be a real beauty. I had thought VW were going to make Skoda more economical, but it seems the Octy is going to be more loaded than the Jetta by a lot.

[Abhi_Automobile]

Originally Posted by shalini_g

What is the OTR price for Laura vRS and Jetta base petrol variant in BLR ?. I am also in the same boat with a max limit of 15L.

Do you really want to consider Jetta 1.4 TSI? Why would you do that? I mean, the 1.4 TSI engine is great as a standalone application, but pales in comparison to the 1.8 TSI. So, I think you should be looking at either the Laura TSI or the vRS. I believe there may be close to 2-3 lacs discounts to be had on the Laura TSI (especially in the vRS guise) if you can haggle hard.

Originally Posted by pganapathy

I would like to know whether you would be willing to consider pre-worshipped cars. If so, you should be able to find a4/3 series/c class in your budget. Yes, service for these cars definitely exceeds that of the vw/skoda options you are looking at. Additionally any showroom upgrades cost more (especially if in warranty and you want to keep that). Do the math and see if the costs work for you

Not for this one buddy Though I love the feel of Euro luxury cars (as you may have figured out by now, I'm going to skip the pre owned option the the Euros. Most of them tend to report problems around the 50k mark. And I don't want to get in a 'white elephant' situation. Most importantly, financing the pre owned car will be an issue. The financing options for new cars are much better.

Having said that, my car upgrade road map clearly shows that my next upgrade (after the impending purchase), will be in the 'Holy Trinity' (and include Jag if they come up with a smaller sedan by then) group, completely bypassing the Superb/Passat/Accord/Camry segment.

Originally Posted by akshay1234

Since you are waiting a few months, no harm is keeping at a look at the L&K. After the new Octy is announced you may get one at a real bargain.

Well its good that you are waiting for the Octavia, I think it will be a real beauty. I had thought VW were going to make Skoda more economical, but it seems the Octy is going to be more loaded than the Jetta by a lot.

No harm in doing so Will keep an eye on that. More importantly though, do you conform with the thought of waiting for the new gen Octavia? Do you think it will be worth enough over the Jetta to justify such a long wait?


EDIT: nobody likes the Fluence a bit? Huh. http://www.autocarindia.com/News/328...ming-soon.aspx

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by Abhi_Automobile

No harm in doing so Will keep an eye on that. More importantly though, do you conform with the thought of waiting for the new gen Octavia? Do you think it will be worth enough over the Jetta to justify such a long wait?

Definitely, I think it will be worth the wait. No point in compromising if you are ready to wait. I think VW messed up with the Jetta (no offense to owners, this is my opinion). They didn't offer enough and priced it too high. It is priced above the Laura just because VW is supposed to be the higher end brand of the two, when the Jetta actually offers you nothing more over the Laura. Yes it looks nice, but just as an example, look at the tail lamps at night. They look like they should have been on a 10l sedan, the earlier Jettas tail lamps looked so much more premium.

The new Octy will be loaded with features, and will be as big if not bigger than the Jetta. It also has essentials like xenon headlamps, and climate control something which a car this price should have. Also in the months till your purchase, you can probably save more dough and get a higher version of the Octy.

[Abhi_Automobile]

Originally Posted by akshay1234

Definitely, I think it will be worth the wait. No point in compromising if you are ready to wait. I think VW messed up with the Jetta (no offense to owners, this is my opinion). They didn't offer enough and priced it too high. It is priced above the Laura just because VW is supposed to be the higher end brand of the two, when the Jetta actually offers you nothing more over the Laura. Yes it looks nice, but just as an example, look at the tail lamps at night. They look like they should have been on a 10l sedan, the earlier Jettas tail lamps looked so much more premium.

The new Octy will be loaded with features, and will be as big if not bigger than the Jetta. It also has essentials like xenon headlamps, and climate control something which a car this price should have. Also in the months till your purchase, you can probably save more dough and get a higher version of the Octy.

If the Octavia does come along in the time frame I am looking at, I'll be considering the low variant DSG (equivalent to Ambition DSG) or mid variant Manual (equivalent to the Elegance manual, provided the manual does not come detuned version of the cracking 2.0 TDI). BTW, the power rating for the new Octy says 150bhp and not 140bhp

I do have a couple of cars to potter around, so I am not desperate in terms of requirement. But since I 'want' the new car so badly, I can't seem to wait.

You don't like Fluence either (as most others) They are supposed to add a EDT (dual clutch box) to the facelifted lineup.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by Abhi_Automobile

If the Octavia does come along in the time frame I am looking at, I'll be considering the low variant DSG (equivalent to Ambition DSG) or mid variant Manual (equivalent to the Elegance manual, provided the manual does not come detuned version of the cracking 2.0 TDI). BTW, the power rating for the new Octy says 150bhp and not 140bhp

I do have a couple of cars to potter around, so I am not desperate in terms of requirement. But since I 'want' the new car so badly, I can't seem to wait.

You don't like Fluence either (as most others) They are supposed to add a EDT (dual clutch box) to the facelifted lineup.

The Octavia will be here by Q3, I don't think they can delay it further. Yes they have made the engines a bit more powerful for the Octy 3.

I actually do like the Fluence, but I find it too underpowered. If they get the 130bhp engine along with the facelift it will be a better deal.