[ajindal]

Having recently bought the Octavia after shopping for close to 4 months here's my story. When we went into the Audi showroom and looked at the car , we thought that we can get 2 cars of Rs. 20 lac each instead of buying one Audi for Rs. 40 lac. Of course you get the brand value with the Audi but for me, it's not really worth it.
Lets look at what I get with my TDI Elegance:
1) A/T box with DSG - Super fast gear changes, mind blowing performance and exceptional fuel economy.
2) Excellent seating comfort with electric seats be it front or back (I doubt Audi can provide it)
3) Excellent suspension helping the car to avoid belly scraping.
4) Humongous boot useful all the time.
5) Panoramic Sunroof
6) Bi-xenon headlamps with adaptive lighting
7) Decent entertainment system sufficient for most usages

The Audi will be able to surpass only a few of the above items and add only a little more that would make it worth its while. Hope it helps. Good luck!

[Sudden123]

Originally Posted by ajindal

Having recently bought the Octavia after shopping for close to 4 months here's my story. When we went into the Audi showroom and looked at the car , we thought that we can get 2 cars of Rs. 20 lac each instead of buying one Audi for Rs. 40 lac. Of course you get the brand value with the Audi but for me, it's not really worth it.
Lets look at what I get with my TDI Elegance:
1) A/T box with DSG - Super fast gear changes, mind blowing performance and exceptional fuel economy.
2) Excellent seating comfort with electric seats be it front or back (I doubt Audi can provide it)
3) Excellent suspension helping the car to avoid belly scraping.
4) Humongous boot useful all the time.
5) Panoramic Sunroof
6) Bi-xenon headlamps with adaptive lighting
7) Decent entertainment system sufficient for most usages

The Audi will be able to surpass only a few of the above items and add only a little more that would make it worth its while. Hope it helps. Good luck!

How do you find the suspension in the rear? And what was your waiting period? Thanks

[h_man]

Booked the Octavia 1.8 tsi Elegance, after having done the Audi A3 priority booking when it opened on August 1 (prior to the launch on Aug 7 when the prices were revealed).

I was very impressed with the new Octavia when it launched in 2013, and was in the market for a larger petrol vehicle, preferably automatic transmission (to upgrade from the Polo 1.6: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...-7-days-2.html). However, Audi A3 had been making the right noises about the India launch and decided to wait it out.

However, the Audi A3 petrol on road price came out way too high (39 lacs on road Mumbai). The Octavia 1.8 tsi is the same engine (and from what I know - the same DSG gearbox - can anyone confirm?) but sells for 22 lacs on road, a difference of 17 lacs. From a features perspective, there isn't a lot to differentiate both - except the badge and the perception of luxury - I am not very bothered about either. Although, I would prefer the smaller size of the A3 as for people moving or very long trips we use the XUV500, and for the office commute in the city the A3 is perfectly sized.

The Jetta is fantastic too, however I am not in the market for a Diesel (XUV500 fits that need). We did a test drive and came away impressed with the Highline DSG.

Key differentiator of diesel octavia vs diesel jetta: Jetta is planted, while octavia feels just a bit more nimble and playful.

Bonus point for the petrol Octavia over the diesel one: Multi Link suspension in the rear. Multi Link should have been provided for both the engine options.

Bonus point for the Octavia over the Audi A3: Driver seat memory - glaring miss by Audi. This is important for me with at least 2 different people driving the car regularly.

One thing that I do wish the Octavia had (even as an accessory) was the provision for a rear camera. This would have made the Octavia the complete package as far as I am concerned.

[Chethan B G]

Originally Posted by h_man

Bonus point for the petrol Octavia over the diesel one: Multi Link suspension in the rear.

One thing that I do wish the Octavia had (even as an accessory) was the provision for a rear camera. This would have made the Octavia the complete package as far as I am concerned.

Hi Congrats!!

Octavia is the best choice in this segment, when in the market for a Petrol sedan.

Don't worry. Reverse camera will not be missed. Parking sensors are very precise..

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by Chethan B G

Hi Congrats!!

Octavia is the best choice in this segment, when in the market for a Petrol sedan.

Don't worry. Reverse camera will not be missed. Parking sensors are very precise..

The Skoda Combi Optical and Audio Parking sensors are indeed very precise as I will vouch for, from my three years of Yeti use.

I think frankly the Octy is a segment above, when it comes to comparing it with the A3.

The A3 is a bit of a gimmick to appeal to rich buyers with a sense of snob value.

Personally, I think they should have offered us the A3 in its cuter Hot Hatch form.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

I think frankly the Octy is a segment above, when it comes to comparing it with the A3.

The Octy is definitely not a segment above the A3. The A3 definitely has the more premium interiors and the additional features if you look at the higher spec ones.

The major disadvantage for the A3 is the fact that Octy and A3 have same engines and the Octy being nearly 15L cheaper makes it a better VFM option. You get 85% of the Audi but at 60% of the cost.

The A3 is a bit of a gimmick to appeal to rich buyers with a sense of snob value.

Personally, I think they should have offered us the A3 in its cuter Hot Hatch form.

Looking at how poorly the A class, B class and 1 series have done, Audi have done the smart thing by not getting the hatch. The sedan atleast has the snob value vs the hatch.

[veedub89]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Looking at how poorly the A class, B class and 1 series have done, Audi have done the smart thing by not getting the hatch. The sedan atleast has the snob value vs the hatch.

While you are absolutely right that the 1 series has performed poorly, the A and B Class have done well. Merc itself has admitted that the these two models combined have generated a lot of sales for the brand and in a way are responsible for pushing Merc ahead of BMW in terms of sales.

The CLA (due next year) will build on this. Merc believes, and rightly so, that these three models will give them volumes. Plus the footfalls that they will generate will certainly help in overall sales of all Merc models.

[ajindal]

Originally Posted by Sudden123

How do you find the suspension in the rear? And what was your waiting period? Thanks

Hi Sudden123

I'll say that I don't have a problem with the rear suspension as my I am using this car mostly on NH-1 which has more than decent roads. During my TD of the Jetta I didn't encounter any particularly bad roads to help me identify its strengths.(The VW and Skoda showrooms are right next to each other, so the TD route is same).

I got lucky with the waiting period. I had initially booked my car in Delhi where they told me a waiting of 2 months. But I had enquired from the dealership in Karnal earlier. After booking in Delhi they called me and told me they had a cancelation so I got lucky there and got it in a week.

[deepakraina]

... And the twist in the tale (or a twisted tale) continues ...

My story from finalising the Jetta to booking the A3 has moved over to the Skoda Octavia. All this happened yesterday when i got a call from Audi Gurgaon informing me that i could come and take a look at the attraction model which has come for delivery for someone. I immediately went over to take a look with a lot of anticipation and anxiety. My first look at my dream car and i went 'meh' .. The biggest disappointment which i wasn't informed my the dealer were the door chrome finishing which was missing in the attraction model which made the exterior looks really dull. The fabric was well done, but just didnt get a premium look. Also the retractable rear view mirrors are missing even in the premium model and its wrongly printed in the catalogue. Couldn't fathom walking out of my Audi and closing the mirrors every time i park! We walked away from the dealership thinking about how to manage the additional 4.5L and thats when i suggested to my wife that i have read good reviews of the Octavia (on Team BHP) and its worth taking a look.

Without going into details of comparison, what compelled me towards the Octaia was the fact that i got some features that even super premium cars dont offer these days viz, memory seats for passenger, dial for different positions of the sunroof, auto focus headlight and fog lamps based on the direction of car and an IMMEDIATE delivery! I guess i was a lucky guy to be offered a black Octavia which was in stock.

Heres the sad part now.. Upon calling Audi to cancel the booking, they have informed that there is a cancellation fees of Rs 50000 from the booking amount. This amount seems ridiculous to me and i have read other threads which state that by law they cannot cut any money from a booking amount. I was given an invoice and a plain paper receipt and not a copy of the booking form. The sales rep has now sent me a scanned copy of the booking form which does state a fees of 50000, which i have to admit i didnt read while signing the document. I am in a fix now as i am not ready to let go Rs 50000 on a car model that surely is going to be sold very soon based on the bookings done.

Need some guidance and help from the experts here to understand a work around and the right approach that i should take from here on.

[iliketurtles]

Originally Posted by deepakraina

Need some guidance and help from the experts here to understand a work around and the right approach that i should take from here on.

Deepak, it seems like you're out of luck as far as getting that money back goes, but I hope I'm wrong here. As you said, Audi does have a cancellation fee mentioned in the booking documents and as harsh as it may sound, you can kiss that 50,000 goodbye if you cancel the booking.

If you do want to go for the Octavia, you have to move quickly. It won't be around for long as there will be a lot of takers for it. My advice: since you're saying you wondered how to move up the chain and get the extra cash for the higher variants of the A3, avoid spending on it unnecessarily. Go for the Octavia as it gives you everything the A3 has and more, except the snob value.

Yes, you'll be out Rs. 50,000, but just grin and bear it. Look at it this way; you're losing 50,000, but saving lakhs by picking the Octavia over the A3. Food for thought.

[Santoshbhat]

Originally Posted by deepakraina

The sales rep has now sent me a scanned copy of the booking form which does state a fees of 50000, which i have to admit i didnt read while signing the document. I am in a fix now as i am not ready to let go Rs 50000 on a car model that surely is going to be sold very soon based on the bookings done.

Don't give in so easily! Talk to them. I am sure you can get the cancellation charges reduced if not waived completely. Just don't tell them you've decided to go for another car. Tell them that you are an Audi fan and this 50,000 cancellation charge may just drive you away from Audi for good. Tell them that you do understand that they have taken your booking and have spent their valuable 'energy' in doing so for which they can deduct some 5,000 or so which according to you is reasonable. Besides there is already a queue for the car, so its not like they will be burdened with unsold inventory.

If your sales exec is not ready to budge, try talking to his higher ups or shoot a mail to the management. Keep a very positive tone and talk them up. Make them feel like you will be a prospective customer in future, if not now and also how your opinion carries weight amongst your friends and relatives.

[tbppjpr]

Deepak, IMO shoot a mail directly to Audi India and tell them that I am canceling A3 but still buying a VAG car so I am still your customer, you are not loosing me as a customer. Though can not say if it will work.

[deepakraina]

Thanks for the suggestions guys.. I am going to the Audi showroom tomorrow and intend to have a word with the GM directly.. I am not giving up very soon .. No harm trying!

[shyamkb]

I got my Octavia 1.8TSI 2 months ago, and I can tell you that my face lights up in absolute delight every time I drive it.. It is spectacular. The buttery smooth rocket propulsion 1.8TSI engine, with the immaculately elegant DSG gear box, and precise steering makes this a joy to drive. The A3 petrol is essentially the same car, with different badging and marginally better (albeit smaller) interiors. Think of the Octavia as an A3 with a 33% discount. Go for the Skoda petrol and you wont regret it..

[ajindal]

I wonder what's still keeping Jetta at the top of the list. Don't see that many Jettas on the road, but I have started seeing fair bit of Octy's now. No TSI seen so far though.