[cedricsg]

After months of contemplation, I finally booked myself a Skoda Laura 1.8 TSI Ambiente. Always having owned Japanese cars (Known for their reliability) and the reputation of Skoda A.S.S, I kept procrastinating my decision to own these wheels. Guess I could not hold back this 160 bhp turbo beauty for long. To be honest and straight from the heart, a massive discount sealed the deal. At least at that point of time the discount looked huge, but it was more of a perception trap that me any many buyers have fallen to. Will give me more details on this later, will focus on the positives first.

Actual price of the Skoda TSI is around 16 lacs. With the exchange of my Baleno (Sad departure) and a 1.5 lac discount, net out of pocket was around 12.5 lacs. Once these figures were in my mind, jumped to my cheque book and then was eagerly waiting for the delivery date. Booked my car from Autobahn, Andheri. Hiren, the sales rep did a pretty good job I must admit. I took a TD of the car atleast 5 times to be sure of the product. I even took a TD at 7 in the morning to experience the free revving engine, as Mumbai roads in peak times and this engine don’t do justice to each other.

Took my delivery on Friday the 13th. Yeah I know, I got guts to pick up a car, that too a Skoda on this day. There is a horror story here too, which I will get in to later. I know I am building some suspense here, but just want to talk about all the good things this beast has to offer first.

Hiren made sure all the paperwork was ready, explained all the features to me, gave me a couple of goodies and there my foot was on the pedal to accelerate it all the way to my home. Minutes after taking this from the showroom, I found that in a specific gear, I could not accelerate beyond a specific speed limit. I had to change the gear to go faster. Actually rechecked the logo on the steering wheel to make sure that I was driving a Skoda and not a Toyota or any other unenthusiastic motors. Perplexed and panicked. Soon I recalled Hiren’s educating lessons. My car was in Safe Mode. For the benefit of all, let me explain this. Till 60 Kms, the Laura works on a safe mode; wherein all exciting features like the one I mentioned is locked and gets released only once the odo crosses 60kms & when an authorization code gets punched in. Rationale being, when the car is driven for registration, the driver can’t get carried away with such a gem of a motor. Interesting!

I recall, when I was deciding to buy this beauty, a lot of advise started flowing in. Why not a Skoda diesel (Better resale & low fuel bill)? Why not a Cruze (Top Selling, aggressive looking & again diesel) Why not a Honda (Cheaper Spares & Resale) or a Toyota (Reliability)?

For me the decision process was fairly simple. It had to be petrol; cause refinement was one area I did not want to compromise. I am never too concerned about resale. I buy a car for myself and don’t bother if the next buyer would buy it or not. Can’t understand how people can get confused between investments and cars. Top selling tag, again did not appeal to me, I am not one of those guys who believe more the merrier. Japanese cares are reliable, and I love them for that, especially Honda, with a sweet engine, but it just could not hold a candle before the performance of 1.8 TSI. To sum it up, best driving pleasure inside 15 lacs. Compromising on the risk of Skoda A.S.S, lets see how it pays off.

Now coming to the horror story. Skoda has silently removed the Fog Lamps from the Ambiente version, which is the top end petrol. This has happened for all 2011 models. None of the brochures/ portal messages highlight this removal. Thus what one perceives as a discount is actually nothing but stripping of features to make it more saleable. Sad & disappointing move from Skoda. I have highlighted this to Skoda officials and am keen to see their resolution.

Apart from this, it’s been all smiles for the TSI. Wife and kids are enjoying this & so am I.

Summary of 1000 kms drive update:
Positives:
1. Fantastic engine. Refined and has power on demand.
2. Build quality, top notch.
3. Detailing, which can be seen on the branded headlamps, glove box dampeners, light illumination system, etc.
4. Boot space, carnivorous
5. Engine bay, compact & organized
6. Dasboard, soft and yet solid
7. Comfortable interiors, feeling of it long lasting
8. Good road grip. Excellent confidence at high speed turnings


Shortcomings
1. Poor ergonomics of armrest and hand brake. Try using both, its sloppy.
2. Step motherly treatment to the petrol version by stripping key features, like fogs, powered seats, retractable mirrors etc.
3. Stiff ride, especially at low speeds. Need to fill it with nitrogen asap.
4. Gearshift could have been better. One place where the Civic scores real high.

Additions done
1. 3d Kagu Mats. They match with the car interiors and the exact dimensions of the Laura, making sure the beige carpets are taken care of.
2. Stanley Leather - Nappa
3. Wood trims, from the Superb

[FanaticOnWheels]

Congratulations on the new Laura. It is quite a looker. Eagerly waiting for your reports after driving the car for a good 500-600 kms. Enjoy the turbo petrol, and do keep us posted on how the service is.

[varunsonu]

congratulations on the purchase. Can you post the prices you paid for the 3 accessories you got.
and can you please explain in detail about the car stopping in a particular gear at a specified speed. That first 60 kms funda. What speed does the car go to in 1st, 2nd and 3rd gear?

[bluevolt]

Congratulations for your new Skoda Laura. Fantastic car in its segment. Please update the thread with your servicing experience with Skoda A.S.S.

Wishing you many years of Happy Motoring.

[luky_13]

Congrats cedricsg, that's a beast in a very sober garb for sure. 2 quick queries. First, how much did the wood panel inserts cost you. Second, where and for how much did you source the 3d mats from. Thanks.

[mayankjha1806]

Congratulations, this is certainly the most pleasure giving drivers car. Only thing that keeps it low on sales chart is probably Skoda bad A.S.S. A wonderful product indeed.

I am sure you have taken a informed decision and things will be surely be fine. Drive safe and all the best.

[Maibaa]

Congratulations cedricsg. Beautiful choice of car and color. Wishing you many happy miles.

Even I am one of the new owners of a TSI and enjoying this beauty to the fullest. The only grouse I have is about the missing features like Fogs, rain-sensing wipers and cooled glove box, which I realized after Booking and during PDI.

I have a white one and I have upgraded my alloys to 17inch. It changes the look of the car dramatically and the handling is awesome. Ride quality is good and I didn't notice any change. So am happy.

[thenomad]

Congratulations on your new car cedricsg. Nice pictures. The sheer smile when you accelerate this beauty is worth the price paid for.

I believe you are aware of the fog lamps missing from a batch of Ambiente from the plant itself. Hopefully that gets sorted out soon by the dealer. See the post below

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ml#post2373813

[razor4077]

Congrats cedric! Car's looking super... love the interior shots. Any plans of upgrading the tyres and maybe upsizing the rims to 16/17"?

[Santoshbhat]

Congrats Cedricsg on your new Turbo beast. I too brought home a Silver TSI recently and am loving every single moment driving it. Went through the same decision process as you, having owned the Toyota Corolla for 8 years. The Toyota having lived up to its legendary reliability status had been a truly satisfying experience. Wanted to experience a European car with good driving dynamics and a peach of an engine. Was a bit nervous having read about so many horror stories about Skoda on Team-BHP. Was able to muster up courage since there wasn't a single unhappy TSI owner on the forum.

[vb-saan]

Congrats Cedricsg on the fully loaded 1.8 TSi. And excellent write-up - crisp and clear decision making.

Hope you get the silently deleted items incorporated soon

[aks_karthik]

Congrats cedricsg,

Enjoy the Beast. Surely a good purchase

For Fog Lamps issue, Please read the Thread below.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ml#post2374699

Enjoy and Drive Safe.

[Sahil]

Congrats !! Car is looking great !

I have been meaning to try out the 3D floor mats but not sure where to find them?

Does it come with a rear center-transmission bay piece too?

Do let me know how they last through the monsoon, do they seems as water repellent as plastic? I fear they will get stained very easily especially in beige.

[VW2010]

Great car. I love this car from the front. Has the best design. I love the front more than that of my Jetta

3. Stiff ride, especially at low speeds. Need to fill it with nitrogen asap.

I am using my Jetta at 35 and the ride is far more comfortable compared to 32. Bad roads are now driven over with ease and the only place i find 35 a bit high is on hard speed breakers. For 95% of the time i feel ride on 35 PSI is far more comfortable than 32 i used to have. I am just experimenting with different tyre pressure.

Does it come with a rear center-transmission bay piece too?

Rear transmission piece is not a foam piece. Just like a U shaped sheet which just protects your carpet.

Do let me know how they last through the monsoon, do they seems as water repellent as plastic? I fear they will get stained very easily especially in beige.

Actually they handle monsoon very well. And these mats can be washed easilly with water and soap and most of the stain or dirt is history after a wash. Its far easier to maintain and clean the car. Fits very snuggly into the slot and the chances of ruining to carpet is very low.

[Swanand Inamdar]

Many congratulations on the new beast mate! Looks a stunner doesnt it?
Now, i did read that the fogs have been stripped of the Petrol version. Has that issue been sorted out with the dealer?

A few q's if you dont mind answering

1. Did you retro fit the leather? If so, do you mind sharing the cost, and also the place from which you got it done.
2. The 3d Kagu mats look awesome. Are they easy to maintain, unlike the beige mats provided by the company.
3. Does your car also have the feature of keeping the clutch pressed to start the car? The '10 models dont seem to have that feature.

Many happy miles with the beast .