[naman]

Hi,

We need to upgrade from current NHC Vtec and have to finalize between -
1. Jetta Comfortline 2.0 TDI
2. Skoda Laura Elegence DSG.

The car will be used by my father for office commute ( chauffeur driven ) and will be with me during the weekends and family getaways. This ruled out Sonata right away (no driving pleasure whatsoever).

After discounts etc, on-road price of both of these come to be same. Can't extend the budget further to consider L&K. Finally might even settle for Laura Manual.

The search began almost couple of months back and after test driving, cabin feel and build quality; I've eliminated Civic & Corolla ( felt just like a bigger City on the inside ), although Civic is very fun to drive. Cruze just didn't feel nice from the inside. Its very rough.

I have driven my cousin's Laura 2.0 Cr-Tdi L&K and it felt fabulous with the DSG. So now I've to choose between the comfort ( jetta comfortline interiors very similar to L&K) or DSG (Laura Elegence).

Other queries in my mind are -
1. Recommended VW / Skoda dealer in NCR / Faridabad.
2. Service costs comparison of VW vs Laura ( quantitatively )
3. VW comes with extended warranty (no 3 yrs / 45 K service maintenance contract anymore) while Skoda comes with 2 yr warranty.
4. Although DSG is fantastic, how is the reliability ?

Looking to close the deal in 3-4 weeks.

Cheers,
Naman

[androdev]

Do you have access to a good Skoda dealer/A.S.S? If you don't, it is VW without much debate.

Since the self-drive is only during weekends and family getaways, DSG doesn't seem like a critical requirement. In that case, just pick a Manual, whichever of the two appeals to your family. Jetta should feel more premium. Ownership costs, ride, FE all should be nearly equal.

Skoda wins if you have a proven A.S.S that is customer friendly, and if your family prefers its more VFM package to the premium Jetta.

We have a good skoda a.s.s in Bangalore and I'm pretty happy with my Laura L&K Manual ownership (3 yrs). Except the A.S.S, everything else is just personal preference. If I were to do it again I would by Laura again due its better VFM factor - unless someone in the family says they like the looks of Jetta.

[ampere]

How urgent is the need?

Do you want to consider Altis diesel ? Although underpowered compared to what you are looking for, but, if its Chauffeur driver, do you care?
Its releasing 21 July. Back seat comfort is all that you are looking for.

[kpzen]

Originally Posted by ampere

How urgent is the need?

Do you want to consider Altis diesel ? Although underpowered compared to what you are looking for, but, if its Chauffeur driver, do you care?
Its releasing 21 July. Back seat comfort is all that you are looking for.

I think Naman drove the Altis diesel and didn't find it as exciting as the Jetta or Laura.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by kpzen

I think Naman drove the Altis diesel and didn't find it as exciting as the Jetta or Laura.

Wow! Already driven the Altis diesel?
Even I would be interested to know about it!

[naman]

Hey Guys,

So the update, dad and me test drove Laura and Jetta back to back.

1. Jetta felt so much better in terms of overall ride quality and quietness of the cabin. The best part is the way it simply glides over the rough roads with impeccable stability (I thought Laura was the best here, but Jetta is far ahead)

2. Also, overall Dad liked the understated design of the Jetta rather than the Laura.

3. We also visited Toyota. The rear space in Altis is just about OK and I can confidently say its less than Jetta. In Jetta, the seat is quite low while in Altis it is higher which may make Jetta's seat uncomfortable for very tall guys. But dad ( Height is 5 feet 10 ) liked Jetta's seat better than Altis.

4. Engine at 110 bhp / 250 Nm is more than decent although no where same as 140 bhp / 320 Nm in Laura DSG. So for our use we don't really require A/T (although DSG is fab).

5. Hence the Jetta
-- Much better than Laura in terms of ride quality
-- Interiors are truly amazing ( in Comfortline )
-- Dad like the looks
-- greater peace of mind compared to Laura and no risk of DSG reliability
-- You can feel its built like a tank.

Now, the bad part
-- VW *** is not at all proven and it may well be very similar to the Skoda.
-- Service expenses will be around 8-10 K / 15 K kms which is high but manageable.

I need to know a reliable VW Dealer in Delhi / NCR. Help guys. I'm not very confident after interacting with VW South Delhi ( Bhasin Motors ).

Regarding Altis Diesel
I test drove one in Indore ( Rajpal toyota ) on 10th July. even Delhi dealerships ( Espirit, Mathura road) don't have test drive vehicle yet. The engine is very refined and quiet and no turbo lag. But that's it. It's not a performer and is meant for relaxed cruising. Rest of the car remains more or less the same.

Naman

[ampere]

Originally Posted by naman

Regarding Altis Diesel
I test drove one in Indore ( Rajpal toyota ) on 10th July. even Delhi dealerships ( Espirit, Mathura road) don't have test drive vehicle yet. The engine is very refined and quiet and no turbo lag. But that's it. It's not a performer and is meant for relaxed cruising. Rest of the car remains more or less the same.
Naman

Did they quote anything on the price?

[vkochar]

I'd go for an Altis Diesel any day as Toyota sales are far more btter laid out than VW / Skoda.

The second choice would be the Laura DSG.

The VW no matter how good it be BUT it all narrows down to resale and after sales if you plan to change a car every 5 years or so. You could sell a Toyota for a good price BUT a VW would be tough.

Having said that VW is well established in India and with the Polo and now vento it will be pretty big and will expand now. So if its the heart that decides over the brain - chose the VW Jetta.

How much is the OTR difference between these 2 ?

[issigonis]

Originally Posted by naman

Hey Guys,

1. Jetta felt so much better in terms of overall ride quality and quietness of the cabin. The best part is the way it simply glides over the rough roads with impeccable stability (I thought Laura was the best here, but Jetta is far ahead)

2. Also, overall Dad liked the understated design of the Jetta rather than the Laura.

3. We also visited Toyota. The rear space in Altis is just about OK and I can confidently say its less than Jetta. In Jetta, the seat is quite low while in Altis it is higher which may make Jetta's seat uncomfortable for very tall guys. But dad ( Height is 5 feet 10 ) liked Jetta's seat better than Altis.

4. Engine at 110 bhp / 250 Nm is more than decent although no where same as 140 bhp / 320 Nm in Laura DSG. So for our use we don't really require A/T (although DSG is fab).

5. Hence the Jetta
-- Much better than Laura in terms of ride quality
-- Interiors are truly amazing ( in Comfortline )
-- Dad like the looks
-- greater peace of mind compared to Laura and no risk of DSG reliability
-- You can feel its built like a tank.


Regarding Altis Diesel
I test drove one in Indore ( Rajpal toyota ) on 10th July. even Delhi dealerships ( Espirit, Mathura road) don't have test drive vehicle yet. The engine is very refined and quiet and no turbo lag. But that's it. It's not a performer and is meant for relaxed cruising. Rest of the car remains more or less the same.

Naman

>>> Agree on all your points. I found the Jetta's quality benchmarks superior to the comparable Laura.

Originally Posted by naman

Hey Guys,

Now, the bad part
-- VW *** is not at all proven and it may well be very similar to the Skoda.
-- Service expenses will be around 8-10 K / 15 K kms which is high but manageable.

Naman

>>> This is the crunch question. Please do your due diligence-if you get word of mouth references from Jetta owners in Delhi/Gurgaon/Noida, so much the better. Else I'd recommend that you get in touch with VW directly and ask them to help you a 'good'- reliable-honest dealer.

Happy and safe motoring.

Regards


P.S. : I had approached the V W dealers in Pune, Ahmedabad and Goa with an open mind (had not joined t-bhp and hence had no idea of the Skoda *** when I decided) for a good deal; there were no dealers in Bombay then. The (previous) dealer had been axed and the new dealer was some months away. I completed my deal through emails and over the telephone and touch wood, have not regretted my decision on the Jetta. Of course my previous driving experience of VWs eased my decision making process toward the Jetta over the Laura, the Corolla Altis and the Civic.

[brags]

Most of the points on Laura vs Jetta have alread been covered. Some things I (as a recent Jetta 2.0C owner) would like to point out are:

1. The features where a Laura scores are DSG & parking sensors. Even an auto transmission is not a requirement, this is a small point.
2. The overall build quality, fit and finish and quality and feel of interiors in a Jetta were far superior to the Laura for me.
3. I bought my car from VW Gurgaon, a pleasant experience. From the start to finish, it was transparent, responsive and if the free monsoon check up is an indicator, the service guys are good.

[sabynag]

From now until April 2011, the following will go against Jetta :

1. Very low ground clearance
- VW folks built Jetta with an assumption that the car will run on road. But, unfortunately in Bangalore, this assumption is not valid.

2. New Jetta is coming in
- Expect to see more Indianization and localization by then
- Higher ground clearance
- More powerful horn
- More powerful A/C
- More Indian parts
- May include new features
- Bluetooth phone ??
- GPS navigation ??

As a car, Jetta is definitely superior to Laura, but as "a car on Indian road" Laura may have a slight edge over Jetta. I don't expect VW service to be any better or worse than Skoda. The fundamental (back-end) problems remain the same for both the brands - unless that change, it is unlikely to see a broad change at the service outlet level.

[msd63]

Originally Posted by sabynag

From now until April 2011, the following will go against Jetta :

=====================

As a car, Jetta is definitely superior to Laura, but as "a car on Indian road" Laura may have a slight edge over Jetta. I don't expect VW service to be any better or worse than Skoda. The fundamental (back-end) problems remain the same for both the brands - unless that change, it is unlikely to see a broad change at the service outlet level.

Exactly my thoughts. Now that the new Jetta has been unveiled in US, it remains to be seen how long it will take to reach India. Even though I had seriously considered the Jetta I am now not keen because of the arrival of the new Jetta which will depreciate the current one drastically. I will only now consider it if they offer a very good discount (unlikely). After test driving the Altis, I have decided to wait for the Vento or the new Jetta.

[sabynag]

What is your thought on Altis after the TD ? Is it petrol or diesel ?

[msd63]

Originally Posted by sabynag

What is your thought on Altis after the TD ? Is it petrol or diesel ?

Well it was the Diesel that I test drove. I felt it was OK. Compared to the Jetta or Laura it feels massively underpowered. The other thing I felt was the Jetta mainly felt much more solidly built. The Altis though good is almost priced to Jetta trendline. Even though Jetta may some features missing eg: steering mounted controls, it has some additional features eg: rear air bags and rear AC vents. So overall the price difference for me was not great to get tempted by the Altis D.

[sabynag]

Originally Posted by msd63

Well it was the Diesel that I test drove. I felt it was OK. Compared to the Jetta or Laura it feels massively underpowered. The other thing I felt was the Jetta mainly felt much more solidly built. The Altis though good is almost priced to Jetta trendline. Even though Jetta may some features missing eg: steering mounted controls, it has some additional features eg: rear air bags and rear AC vents. So overall the price difference for me was not great to get tempted by the Altis D.

You too seem to be hit by Jetta-bug. Once it hits you, you can't buy any other car easily, neither can you buy Jetta before April 2011 !!

BTW, have Skoda dealers started heavy discounting on Laura ? Jul-Sep is an important quarter for car sales and Laura-D is under attack from Altis-D. If you get fabulous discounts from Skoda, you may look at Laura-DSG. Skoda has now launched a 4-year worry-free ownership scheme that may address most of the CoO issues. But Laura has its own problems like windshield misting (when A/C is ON), underpowered A/C, poor rear visibility etc. - these are things that money can't buy, for everything else there is Skoda Shield !!