[.anshuman]

The missing climate control in Jetta is not as bad thing as it is made out to be. My Laura has the same climatic unit, the temperature can be manually set(i keep it at 22), being variable load compressor with variable refrigerant flow it is more advanced and power saving than what competition offers. Just that it does not have the ACC control, all i miss is dual split zones and Auto fan speed(which i do not use in my other cars with ACC). Idling with AC on, my car consumes anywhere between 0.7-1.0 Litre/Hour depending on AC load.

Originally Posted by ghostrider

Euro NCAP actually rates the Cruze as one of the highest in its segment, higher than the Jetta.

To add to what lamborghini said above, Cruze in India does not come with Side + Curtain airbags and ESP in India, not even optional on any trim. Jetta on the other side comes with Side + Curtain Airbags and ESP as standard. Under the surface structural changes to Indian versions are unknown.

[Pedaltothefloor]

Here's my 2 cents on the choice between the new Cruze and the VW Jetta Trendline:

1. Cruze is 164 BHP VS Jetta at 140 BHP
2. Maximum power is achieved earlier by Cruze at 3800 RPM VS Jetta at 4200 RPM
3. Cruze scores on maximum torque by producing 380NM VS Jetta at 320NM
4. Cruze has a variable geometry Turbocharger. Not sure about the Jetta

[drchernish]

Any Jetta trendline owners on this thread?They sure can tell us why they went for Jetta base variant instead of Cruze top variant or viceversa. Come on people actively participate and lets form a team-bhp opinion in this segment which is going to help everybody thinking of upgrading from there vernas fiestas and vento's ...

[an_and]

What about auto options on the jetta? There seems to be none on the base variant unlike skoda.. :-(

[.anshuman]

Originally Posted by an_and

What about auto options on the jetta? There seems to be none on the base variant unlike skoda.. :-(

Auto options?? Did you mean Automatic transmission?

[ipsanand]

Originally Posted by an_and

What about auto options on the jetta? There seems to be none on the base variant unlike skoda.. :-(

Jetta vs Cruze vs Laura....

Ignoring the features, there HAS to be one car which you like... If there's one and it fits your EXTENDED budget, go buy it... No help debating on things which are a given and can't be changed (ex. Jetta having auto only on the HL trim, Laura being dated etc...)

[torquing_points]

I fished out of this VERY same soup as you. I just placed an offer on a 2008 civic with <40,000 KM of Rs. 5L.

I've never owned a used car before. But the prices that the 15 lakh segment are going for in the resale market are *insane*, particularly the beautiful Civics.

PS - I love the new (!) Cruze. But back seat comfort isn't very good. But what a car to drive. With the better city-driving curves now, thats my pick of the lot.

[jkdas]

Originally Posted by Pedaltothefloor

Here's my 2 cents on the choice between the new Cruze and the VW Jetta Trendline:

4. Cruze has a variable geometry Turbocharger. Not sure about the Jetta

Cant imagine a new gen car without it! Jetta looks more premium in my eyes

Originally Posted by .anshuman

The missing climate control in Jetta is not as bad thing as it is made out to be.

Thought they brought it in silently? No?

Originally Posted by torquing_points

I fished out of this VERY same soup as you. I just placed an offer on a 2008 civic with <40,000 KM of Rs. 5L.

I've never owned a used car before. But the prices that the 15 lakh segment are going for in the resale market are *insane*, particularly the beautiful Civics.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by jkdas

Thought they brought it in silently? No?

What you mean? Have they included ACC now?

[drchernish]

Took a test drive of Laura ambient 2.0tdi yesterday to further my ongoing quest in this segment. Car is definitely more spacious than cruze, had run 12000 kms was dirty from inside and had a sqeek coming from left side front passenger door whenever we went over potholes. Discount was 30000 plus 25000(IMA doctors) offered.Wow features were absent because it was the basic variant. Sound insulation was also not upto the mark-over rough patches road noise was more than my verna on Michelins. Sound system was better than in cruze. Overall didn't get a feeling that was driving a premium segment car. Have asked for more discount. What are the ongoing discounts on Laura ? Service cost were told to me to be around 9000/ whereas for cruze 2500/-huge difference.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by drchernish

Took a test drive of Laura ambient 2.0tdi yesterday to further my ongoing quest in this segment.

This maybe a bit useful for you (though Laura is strangelu not included in this comparison):

Cruze vs Fluence vs Jetta comparison by Autocar India - YouTube

[.anshuman]

Originally Posted by drchernish

Took a test drive of Laura ambient 2.0tdi yesterday to further my ongoing quest in this segment. Car is definitely more spacious than cruze, had run 12000 kms was dirty from inside and had a sqeek coming from left side front passenger door whenever we went over potholes.

Rattles are not an known issue in Laura. A muted distant rattle from boot is observed in some cars, my car at 32k is absolutely rattle free.

Sound insulation was also not upto the mark-over rough patches road noise was more than my verna on Michelins.

Can be worn out tires, or improper tire pressure. Road noise again is not an issue with this car.

Service cost were told to me to be around 9000/ whereas for cruze 2500/-huge difference.

Please make a informed decision, ownership threads are the most reliable indicators of any car's ownership cost, much more dependable than any other piece of advice. Service cost for Cruze is definitely not 2500 Rupees. My Laura costs close to 10k for every Oil change service, majority of which goes for the Synthetic oil. Filters and other service consumables are not expensive at all.

There can be some hidden costs associated with cars at times, like Cruze is notorious for high brake pad wear, few BHPians have seen pads wearing off very early, with front and rear brake pads costing close to 15k the maintenance costs(just pads) sometime come out close to 1 Re/Km.

Also Jetta and Laura in both MT and AT variants are considerably more fuel efficient than the Cruze.

My Personal choice- If i were on a stretched budget, i would pick base Cruze. If i could stretch the budget a little more, i would pick base Jetta if MT, Laura if AT. For top of line, my pick would have been Laura L&K.

All 3 are wonderful cars, you cannot go wrong with either of them, just pick the right variant for you.

Why?

• I do not care for fancy gadgetry, i'd pick more Airbags and ESP over Sunroof or Keyless feature any given day. Base Jetta comes with all the safety equipment as standard.
  
• But Jetta does not have DSG in lower variants, Highest variant with DSG isn't as loaded as Laura L&K.
  
• All three cars have more horses than you can use on our roads, in Diesels the spread of torque impresses me more than peak power output.
  
• High speed stability is excellent in all three, so is the ability to munch miles. Euro cousins are considerably superior in dynamics department.

[drchernish]

Calculated the diff between Laura elegance and cruze LTZ after first round of talks and discount to be 100000. Well now needed the help of all our cruze owners -Would you have made this switch from cruze to Laura if were in the same situation -both are drivers car and come with good level of kit. Plus for Laura are dual zone climate large boot good quality plastics and good audio system. Pluses for Cruze are looks sunroof start stop feature and 1 lakh cheaper. Jetta is not into this picture as there are no ongoing discounts and it is working out to be around 2.5lakhs dearer.

Originally Posted by .anshuman

Rattles are not an known issue in Laura...

...Base Jetta comes with all the safety equipment as standard.

Thanks for a quick reply. Not considering base variants as wifey is sick of having to continuously open windows and open the mirrors and then again close them when in dense traffic -Don't want to spend so much and hear it again for the next 5 years -married people would understand the gravity of this situation 😄. Laura with discounts comes right into cruze territory with the Cruze prices being jacked up after each update.

[jkdas]

Originally Posted by vb-san

What you mean? Have they included ACC now?

Website says "Climatic" Air conditioner which on further investigation leads to this http://www.volkswagen.co.uk/technolo...limate-control

"Climatic air conditioning produces a pleasant, consistent temperature throughout your journey. It's extremely user-friendly, automatically achieving your required cabin temperature quickly and efficiently, and regulating it automatically. You can decide the air distribution and blower speed you want and set it manually. The Climatic system includes an interior sensor to measure the current temperature inside the car. The electronic control regulates the temperature of the fresh air intake to reach the set value as quickly as possible and then maintain it."

[torquing_points]

Originally Posted by vb-san

This maybe a bit useful for you (though Laura is strangelu not included in this comparison):
Cruze vs Fluence vs Jetta comparison by Autocar India - YouTube

I wouldnt go by Autocar India's review. I've never seen them beat VW/Skoda down on any count, and VW/Skoda seem to have a good advertising relationship with them. Look at international reviews of the different cars. For instance, this is one:
11 Chevrolet Cruze and '12 Ford Focus vs. Jetta, Elantra, and Mazda 3 - Comparison Test - Car and Driver

Of course, you cant compare the drivetrains with the foreign reviews - so you'll have to bear that in mind.

Im surprised about the Laura rattles - Skodas are solidly built! You can safely ignore that rattle - its probably a bad fixup job after a minor dent or something. You won't find Skoda owners complaining about rattles.

Although I'm a Cruze fan, the lack of discounts might push me towards a Laura. The Laura is also probably a better family car. If I wanted a bachelor's car, Id do the Cruze. If wife not opening OVRM was a concern for me, I'd go for the Laura for sure!