[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by Mtv

I'm now giving up pure driving joy for a boring car that just works.

I feel the pain - It's not the vehicle that is bad, but the way in which things are executed at Skoda, that even small niggles give you nightmares especially as the warranty ends.

The Elantra is a tempting option to replace the Laura in our case too - though not something we plan on doing immediately, but if it clicks - won't be surprised to see the Elantra at home in about 6 months. The plan of keeping the Laura for 6 years / 100,000kms went down the drain and theres a 90% probability it will go out soon as the extended warranty has just come to an end too - just like all some of the other Skoda's in the extended family.

Thankfully, I love the 525D as a machine and it's still there whenever I need some joy in my life.

[.anshuman]

My vote goes for VW Jetta, it has the best Ride and Handling, the awesome 2.0 TDI + DSG(same as my Laura) is tried and tested, its most solidly built car...

Being a Laura owner the Octavia score well in the paper specs but out in the real world its a let down in a lot of departments including Ride and Handling, dead steering, build strength, quality of switchgear etc and top it all the Poor Skoda support and dealerships. After owning the brilliant Laura for almost 6 years, I can assure the service support cannot get any more worse than this.

I am not a fan of Corolla, just too boring for taste, I would not even prefer this car even in my 70's

Elantra looks awesome, the cabin is nice now but still carries a smaller Diesel, the transmissions are old school(after driving DSG for 6 years, the Hyundai transmissions feel like from stone age) and Hyundai still has a long way to go until they match the Germans for the Ride and Handling.

Let's not even talk about Cruze, it was a nice car 6 years back, the world has moved on, they have been selling the new gen Cruze elsewhere for years now.

[graaja]

Considering build, power, and ride and handling as primary criteria, I would shortlist Octavia and Jetta.

If petrol: Octavia 1.8TSi for its explosive engine, multi link suspension, better equipment like sunroof, BiXenons with AFS II, advanced HU etc.

If diesel: Jetta for its explosive 2.0TDi engine, reliable wet clutch 6 speed DSG, excellent ride and handling owing to its multi link suspension, and the classic understated look.

3 years back, I would have gone with Octavia 1.8TSi purely for the 1.8TSi engine (in fact I had booked Octavia 1.8TSi, and later moved to Jetta due to indefinite waiting period, which I now consider as a blessing in disguise). But today, after seeing many DQ200 failures in the Octavia, and having driven the Jetta 2.0TDi DSG for the past 3 years, my vote goes to Jetta.

[stanjohn123]

My choice in this segment would be

1) Toyota Corolla - For it's looks and amazing reliability. The only thing Corolla looses out on is it's low powered engines.

2) Hyundai Elantra - For it's amazing refinement levels, looks, features, reliability and decent engines. I think the only thing that the Elantra looses out on is the badge value and slightly bumpier ride ( compared to the Germans )

I might have gone with the Octavia if it had the 1.8 Tsi petrol in manual, but Skoda does not provide that.

The Jetta might be a popular choice here but I'm not impressed by it's plain looks as it has a lot of similarity to it's lower sibling the Vento.

[drmohitg]

I would have voted for the Jetta but wasn't it getting shelved? Or was that false news? hence my vote goes for the Hyundai Elantra. Its such a wonderful package backed up with a good after sales support.

Corolla: Honestly I do not like the looks of the new one or the interior dash lay out. I own the previous generation corolla diesel and even though it has proven itself during the last 5+ years and lived upto its image of a workhorse, it does feel underpowered at times when you want to floor the pedal. A car costing so much should have a slightly more powerful engine.

[Aditya]

As things stand today, I wouldn't consider a diesel vehicle in this group. So while my heart says Octavia 1.8, my mind says Corolla or Elantra. In the end, I am a Corolla owner and a very happy one at that. It's as faithful and reliable as an old family dog. I'll stick to my guns. The Corolla it is. It's not the world's best seller for nothing.

[Axe77]

All comments below on A/T options only.

So keeping VAG reliability and service issues aside, the TSI Octy is a no brainer in this group for A/Ts. Second choice would easily be the Elantra over the Altis. The Altis is probably the MOST boring to drive in this group by some margin.

I personally like the look of the Octavia the most, followed closely by the Jetta.

On Diesel A/Ts, I prefer the looks, paddle shifters, notchback boot and sunroof options of the Octy over the Jetta. The only thing I prefer about the Jetta is the multi link suspension. Price of course is another factor. So slightly tough choice there. Elantra diesel not an option at all. Too underpowered and possibly (just my perception) not as refined either as the Euro options.

Bringing the VAG reliability / service factor into consideration, the Elantra is good enough to make the actual purchase cut if its a petrol buy. I TD the Elantra petrol AT and was VERY impressed.
For diesel, I'd probably bite the bullet and take a call on either VAG. The Elantra diesel simply won't cut it.

[dark.knight]

With personal experience, and many dozens of opinions from others.. I can confidently say that Hyundais are just as reliable if not more reliable than Toyotas, today. Its just that Hyundai is never recognised for it, here are a few international rankings by major agencies that they've won :

-CarMD declared Hyundai as most reliable and also cheapest to repair (U.S)

- JDPower Tech Assistance a new 2016 benchmark ranked Hyundai and BMW on top for ease of use of in-car tech coupled with reliability.

- JDPower Quality Index 2015 - Hyundai and KIA pip all Japanese manufacturers (except Lexus which is higher positioned).

I can personally certify that they are very, very reliable. In the end a lot of us here want that.. a trouble-free, stress-free ownership and that's exactly what I got. Whether the service was delayed by a month or 2, whether a scheduled spare-part replacement was delayed by a month or 2, whether the car wasn't used for a week or 2, EVERY time it started on first crank and drove like it did on day one, no noise, no rattle and no issues.. surely one can understand why its easy to respect the brand after such as experience. This brand is surely no slouch when it comes to quality.

As far as the thread goes its simple for me, and its my personal views of course.

> Jetta in manual transmission (DSG simply has too many flaws which haven't been ironed out, Americans run a mile when they hear "dual-clutch" FYI). The main attraction is the multi-link suspension and great value in terms of total package.

> Elantra in automatic transmission - In our hectic lives an autobox will go a long way, the Elantra is unmistakeably well-built and well-specced too so let those aspects not stop anyone from buying it. Some conveniences are segment-leading.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by stanjohn123

The only thing Corolla looses out on is it's low powered engines.

Engines? The petrol MT Corolla is very quick and is city-friendly too. It's the diesel that is down on power and suffers from horrible turbo-lag.

[avi_hi_im]

How about discounts? Do these change your decision.

I'm in the market for a D-segment (1st choice is the 1.8 TSI Octavia Ambition) but discounts ranged from 1.25 to 2.0 lacs. Also heard someone say on the forums on discounts as high as 3.0 lacs.

Elantra comes along with a significant waiting period and the fact it being new practically rules out any discounts.

I haven't checked for Jetta or Altis.

Thoroughly confused :(

[samm]

My favorite has been the Skodas, always. Love them. But wont buy. Downright scared to even think of buying with the information in the public domain.

VW looks classy, but too understated for my tastes.

For the looks, Altis. Looks classy and a bit aggressive. If I buy, i will go for Altis petrol. I wonder how they sell their diesel engine which has a hatchback spec engine!

Sure Hyundai is reliable, and has excellent interiors, but Elantra's looks not to my tastes.

[vishy76]

My pick would definitely be the Jetta. Why?
The solid build is the main reason. When you pay 20 big ones for a car, you expect that kind of an image in the market(I would have gone for the Vento if it weren't for this factor).
The Octavia was a very close second. The price and the lighter build as compared to it's predecessor were the two factors which forced me to go for the Jetta. Also, the ambience wasn't as well equipped as the Jetta when it came to safety(although it was well loaded otherwise).
The Altis lacked the flair of the Elantra as well as the understated yet solid elegance of the Germans. I was ready to sacrifice my urge for a diesel and go for the petrol(1.4 diesel in the corolla was lacklustre to say the least). 2 airbags and ABS along with EBD(even in the top end variant) did not help the Corolla's cause.
However, it was the Jetta Comfortline 2.0 TDI which turned out to be the best deal. 6 Airbags and a host of other safety features sealed the deal for me at that price point. 2 years on, myself and my dad still don't regret that choice.

[Lemon]

I vote for the Jetta for the superb DSG 2.0 TDI motor, driving comfort , ambience and image.
The 6 Speed DSG is trouble free and explosive.
The Corolla seems to be quite expensive for what it offers and the new elantra does not come close in terms of specs.

[Dushyanth]

My vote goes to the Octavia, either be it the brilliant petrol or the oil burner!
The poll looks like a two horse race between the Jetta and the Octavia, but let me sum up my views.
The Octavia has more on offer than the Jetta, Leather seats, reversing camera, Panoramic sunroof, 8 airbags on the style plus variant, whereas the jetta gets just 6. And, not to forget the new 4 years warranty offered by skoda on all their cars now.
And coming to the ASS department, My rapid underwent her second service recently and I must mention that things at skoda have changed, took her to the service center at 9:30 AM and I found myself car driving her home for LUNCH after service! There is a lot more professionalism in everyone at work, and the attitude has certainly improved. skoda is seriously putting in a lot of effort to improve not only ASS but also its dealerships as well, and the overall experience with skoda is better than before, and it shows!

Originally Posted by hillsnrains

Diesel: All the way Jetta, major positives are reliable 6 Speed DSG and Multi link suspension at rear. Octavia lost due to absence of multi link suspension at rear and un reliable 7 speed DSG.
Petrol: Octavia 1.8 TSI (Best engine in the segment)

Correction, The Octavia diesel also gets the same dry type 6-Speed DSG.
Only the 1.8 TSI gets the 7-Speed unit!

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by Dushyanth

And coming to the ASS department, My rapid underwent her second service recently and I must mention that things at skoda have changed, took her to the service center at 9:30 AM and I found myself car driving her home for LUNCH after service! There is a lot more professionalism in everyone at work, and the attitude has certainly improved. skoda is seriously putting in a lot of effort to improve not only ASS but also its dealerships as well, and the overall experience with skoda is better than before, and it shows!

Haven't had the fortune (or misfortune ) to visit my service center yet (still at 9 months / 11000 km), but i noticed that Vinayak Skoda (one of the BLR dealers) is doing major renovation of their sales outlet. Maybe the investment that Skoda India promised is trickling down to dealers!