[abhilashvk]

Magnum and Laura are two different categories. Its like comparing Civic and SX4.. Magnum can be compared to Octavia.
Given the budget i will choose Laura, having said that Magnum is VFM and has good power and fairly good refinement and mileage.

[androdev]

@anant.arora: I am not recommending any car because you already know what to expect and I am simply saying your assessment is 100% correct. The pros & cons you listed are very accurate. Magnum is definitely the VFM car - but it wont look like an upgrade. Have no doubt about that. Pride of ownership is a very key factor unless you believe everything is 'Maya.'

Btw, I heard Laura elegance will soon come with DSG. My only complaint with Elegance is its poor ICE which is not easy to upgrade. Diesel VRS is a very long way to go. If you are not convinced about Laura, then look for alternatives or wait for something better. IMHO Magnum is not an upgrade from your Rider. Btw, why not Accord which usually appeals to heart and mind.

PS: The latest skoda joke among VW owners: it's better to buy a car made in Czech proudly by czech people than a car made in Germany by turkish people.

Rant: I found this forum very unkind to Skoda, mostly from members who have not owned one and owners who are upset with spare part costs. I own a Laura L&K and it is a VW in every part except the design (which is outstanding!), badge and price. So unfortunately the spare part costs will be on par with VW and Audi. I am not saying Skoda is great, but it is not as bad as it is made out to be on this forum. Even if I were to shop again, I will end up buying the same thing as I don't see another car (in that budget) which pampers its driver so much. Long post..

[vkochar]

No comparison between these cars - laura is a segment aprt. It is a a BIG luxurious car.

My advise - go for the Laura as the 4Lacs you pay extra - you get plenty of stuff extra.

Magnum is a good car - But a basic - no frills car. Resale is ver poor. Laura on the other hand has terriffic VFm and resale should be also very good.

Cheers !!!

[reignofchaos]

Eh... how many diesel magnums have you seen for sale to proclaim that resale will be bad. Don't just assume things.

Laura in terms of space is no bigger than the magnum and having driven both, the magnum is way better. Yes the laura has tonnes of creature comforts and features but a 102bhp engine on a 1500kg body doesn't cut in. Its way too underpowered for the price you pay.

[shuvd]

Originally Posted by reignofchaos

a 102bhp engine on a 1500kg body doesn't cut in. Its way too underpowered for the price you pay.

@ reignochaos - My point exactly. The current Laura IS underpowered. (105Bhp). The Octy Tdi is 90Bhp. If its gizmos that I want, I would go for the Octavia L&K which is still nearly 1.5 lakhs cheaper.

@ anant.arora - Laura makes for a brilliant upgrade from the TDi Rider in all respects except performance. Its better than the TDi no doubt, but your CRDi has more grunt than the Laura. Just my thoughts.

Guys, don't get me wrong. I love Skodas and have been using Skodas since they were first launched here. Its just that the Laura's performance leaves a lot to be desired. I would rather wait for the vRS than put my money on the 1.9PD.

[amtak]

Time for the SONATA EMBERA to be driven? After all, Hyundai has better aftersales and *** as compared to the other 2.

[anant.arora]

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]Thanks guys for the(mixed)suggestions .

@ironwolf- Yes the features on the laura do excite me but when i test drove the magnum i just coudnt believe that a car priced under Rs. 10 lacs actually be better(engine and comfort) than the car worth Rs. 15 lacs ??

Originally Posted by aadix

hey why not the sonata embera crdi?

Becos of its poor resale and the brand Hyundai .

Originally Posted by Mugen_Power

I didnt understand Why are you comparing Magnum with laura ?

because of its size , space , engine performance ... If you drive both you would not feel much difference ...

Originally Posted by androdev

Magnum is definitely the VFM car - but it wont look like an upgrade. Have no doubt about that. Pride of ownership is a very key factor unless you believe everything is 'Maya.'

Very true ,thats my only concern ... 'the magnum would not look like an upgrade' . This is the only factor thats actually keeping me away from buying one ....

Guys ,let me summarise my situation ....

I am driving a Octavia rider , i am looking for an upgrade ... I love the magnum but if i replace Octavia for magnum would it really be an upgrade ???

I like the Laura for its features and the solid build quality .

I thought the Laura elegnce was a good VFM but after when i test drove the magnum ,the story changed .

the ques remains ... one provides fantastic VFM but wont actually be considered as an upgrade , the other one is a lil overpriced(atleast magnum makes it look so) but provides you tons of extra features and will be considered as an upgrade ...

Magnum provides me pure VFM and save me Rs. 4.5 lacs but loses out on the image factor and the Laura is overpriced but gives me the image and features and expensive spare parts ....

Guys ,i need more of your suggestions
Thanks .
[/SIZE][/FONT]

[androdev]

You might find my suggestion funny but here it is:

Magnum is not an upgrade. No doubt about it. So ruled out.
Laura is not justified for the 'image' alone when compared to Magnum. So ruled out.

I am assuming you need a diesel. Buy a new Passat if budget permits or buy a used Superb. OTOH you have plenty of choices in petrol that appeal to body, mind and soul.

[shuvc]

You need to define 'upgrade' to yourself. What does it mean to you wrt the Octy you'll replace ?
A car which
- Has a next segment (higher) price
- Is bigger
- Has more features
- Has more space (inside)
- Has more power
- Has more image/snob value
- Is more FE
.....

Once you can define 'upgrade' it'll become easier for you to decide.

[anant.arora]

Originally Posted by androdev

You might find my suggestion funny but here it is:

Magnum is not an upgrade. No doubt about it. So ruled out.
Laura is not justified for the 'image' alone when compared to Magnum. So ruled out.

I am assuming you need a diesel. Buy a new Passat if budget permits or buy a used Superb. OTOH you have plenty of choices in petrol that appeal to body, mind and soul.

Thanks for the suggestion androdev . I cant stretch my budget to buy a Passat . The max i can spend is Rs. 16 lacs ...

Guys ,i just got my copy of What car and it says that the Chevrolet inida will be launching the SUV Captiva by diwali this year within the price tag of Rs. 15 lacs with the same engine as in optra(120 bhp) ??? the car looked preety good atleast in the pics ... Do you guys think its worth waiting for this car and will it actually be priced around Rs. 15 lacs ??? Should i trust this news ?

[ancer]

i think you should wait! you don't sound one bit convinced about which car you want and at 16 lakhs you don't want to make a mistake! an easy way to make your mind up is to book a test run with all your shorlisted cars on the same day and drive them down the same road, take in account the goodies you get with the car and aftersales and you should be able to fix on the car by the evening

[deepakvrao]

Originally Posted by anant.arora

Thanks for the suggestion androdev . I cant stretch my budget to buy a Passat . The max i can spend is Rs. 16 lacs ...

Guys ,i just got my copy of What car and it says that the Chevrolet inida will be launching the SUV Captiva by diwali this year within the price tag of Rs. 15 lacs with the same engine as in optra(120 bhp) ??? the car looked preety good atleast in the pics ... Do you guys think its worth waiting for this car and will it actually be priced around Rs. 15 lacs ??? Should i trust this news ?

You need to decide whether you want an SUV or a car. Lots of difference in driving each.

[reignofchaos]

Funnily enough the Optra is not a Chevy in GM's home country... its a Suzuki Forenza . Imagine if the Optra were badged Suzuki in India .

[channelv]

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]I also had similar confusion when considering an upgrade for a Lancer D. I did lil bit of comparison study….am no expert n this is how I came to a conclusion.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Optra Magnum….[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Performance…….good, sporty, spirited. The engine is this car’s USP. Better than the Octy but the solid tank like feeling of Skoda is missing[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Ride Comfort……especially the back seat is far better than Laura, it also seems like it has got more space inside.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Features…..almost all those needed 2 get into the D Segment. Nothing great, not at all comparable to Laura.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Service n Spares…….one of the cheapest……3 yr/45K for 18K…..gotta b the least![/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Looks……..not the best, looks more like a C segment car. The rear could have been made a lot better…..[/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Brand value……missing, Chevy brand…is not something I would b very proud of. After all it’s a “Daewoo Lacetti”[/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]FE……not as good as Skoda but good enough for a performance car.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Skoda Laura....[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] [/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Snob n wow factor.....not anymore....old n familiar car, Octavia is a 10 yr old model, n the new Octavia which they sell here as Laura is still a 3 yr old model! Sadly, the car is mostly chauffer driven.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Looks.......depends on person's taste....I would buy a Laura for my dad but I rather use a car looking more sleek n sporty[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Features.....better than Optra but for the price it’s never justified! And most of the features not really important for me.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Price........The car is sold outside at 2/3rd the price they sell here![/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Spares n *** n reliability.....the worst in D segment![/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]check out this link......The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Ludhiana Stories[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]spares are too costly and the service is pathetic.....even worse is their attitude![/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Ride........bumpy n stiff.....back seat comfort is sad! In some European countries even dignitaries prefer the co-drivers seat than back seats. I guess its cos they use Skoda! [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]FE……….amazing for a powerful non CRDI car…..reason why most ppl go 4 Skoda[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]but what most ppl overlook is the fact that the service maintenance cost n the cost of parts which nullifies any gain in running cost.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]The car is underpowered especially for the price. I thought the car was sold at that price cos of the image factor but after Magnum, it just don’t make sense to spend so much for Laura. My confusion was settled by deciding to go for Magnum n use the savings on customizing looks n ride! [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]But honestly……I would say its not fair to compare Laura with Magnum, even Chevy’s website compares Magnum with Octy.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] [/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Funny note…..the word ‘Skoda’ in Czech (home country) means “damage, detriment, disadvantage”. "To je škoda", roughly means, "It's a pity"!! hihi, I wonder if the manufacture is trying to be very honest…… :P[/FONT][/SIZE]

[deepakvrao]

Originally Posted by shuvc

You need to define 'upgrade' to yourself. What does it mean to you wrt the Octy you'll replace ?
A car which
- Has a next segment (higher) price
- Is bigger
- Has more features
- Has more space (inside)
- Has more power
- Has more image/snob value
- Is more FE
.....

Once you can define 'upgrade' it'll become easier for you to decide.

Extremely sensible bit of advise I must say.