[shankar.balan]

Ahoy Behemoth old chap. Looks like your garage is truly befitting of your handle on TBHP.

It is a lovely car, the Laura - a friend of mine bought an Ambiente about a month after I got the Yeti and last week we were comparing the two, just for fun.
The cavernous boot of the Laura is probably one of its most excellent features along with of course, its fantastic feel, fit, finish and tank like build plus the sheer comfort and luxury inside. That Rosso Brunello, Crimson/Maroon is really a nice shade too.
I really like the looks of these Skoda cars - so understated and yet so elegant - quite unlike these super blingy things that the less evolved manufacturers seem to be dishing out for the mass market to gobble up.

[Omtoatom]

Many congratulations Behemoth. Rosso Brunello is the newest addition to the Laura line-up and looks spanking. Splendid choice of car also btw.

Until only a few weeks back, we were torn between the Elegance DSG and the RS. Had we picked the Elegance, we would've blindly run with the RB. It suits the Laura nicely. Anyway the wait for the RS has officially begun and it is killing me!

Would also love to know your feedback on the PLCs, I plan on getting rid of the stock NCTs too.

Drive safe and here is to a hassle-free and enjoyable ownership experience.

[Behemoth]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Ahoy Behemoth old chap. Looks like your garage is truly befitting of your handle on TBHP.

It is a lovely car, the Laura - a friend of mine bought an Ambiente about a month after I got the Yeti and last week we were comparing the two, just for fun.
The cavernous boot of the Laura is probably one of its most excellent features along with of course, its fantastic feel, fit, finish and tank like build plus the sheer comfort and luxury inside. That Rosso Brunello, Crimson/Maroon is really a nice shade too.
I really like the looks of these Skoda cars - so understated and yet so elegant - quite unlike these super blingy things that the less evolved manufacturers seem to be dishing out for the mass market to gobble up.

Thanks Shankar!
Yes, even I have started to appreciate the subtle design philosophy of the Skodas and each car has it's own character (unlike VW where every car looks the same now!). The Rosso Brunello colour is actually amazing and makes the car look quite different from what it looks like in other colours.

Originally Posted by Omtoatom

Many congratulations Behemoth. Rosso Brunello is the newest addition to the Laura line-up and looks spanking. Splendid choice of car also btw.

Until only a few weeks back, we were torn between the Elegance DSG and the RS. Had we picked the Elegance, we would've blindly run with the RB. It suits the Laura nicely. Anyway the wait for the RS has officially begun and it is killing me!

Would also love to know your feedback on the PLCs, I plan on getting rid of the stock NCTs too.

Drive safe and here is to a hassle-free and enjoyable ownership experience.

Thanks OmtoAtom and welcome to TBHP!
You made a great choice with the vRS and I hope you get the delivery soon! (You booked the Race Blue ? It was one of my personal favourites too!)

Yes, first thing I would recommend is to get rid of the NCT5 tyres! You can consider Primacy LC if you want comfort and less Noise, but if you want to really leverage the stiffer suspension and handling that the vRS offers, you could go for sportier tyres like Yoko Db series, which would give you sportier handling, but may be less in comfort than the Primacy LCs.
You can seek advice on the tyres from some of the tyre gurus like Nikhilb2008 and WasavaTyres.

Wish you many years of thrilling driving with your vRS and drive safe!

Regards,
Behemoth

[Omtoatom]

Thank you on both counts Behemoth. It's nice to meet a fellow Laura'ite mate

Yup, I'm swinging between the 215s and the 225s. Anyway I prefer the Yokos myself but given the appalling condition of the roads in Mumbai (and what will soon become of them in the monsoon) I'm tempted to curb my instincts, go conservative and stick with the PLCs. Perhaps it's time to invoke the gurus on this one.

[vishaltanksale]

Hey guys, need your advance.

I got call from Skoda dealer in Mumbai with offer on Laura Ambient TDI (MT) for 2011 models.

They are offering free registration + 50% on Skoda shield. This seems tempting, but then 2011 models makes me feel risky.

What I heard from them - SKoda typically have last year models selling almost till Feb-Mar of next year, so they sell 2011 models almost till Feb-Mar 2012.
I know this is true, but then how do I know there is nothing fishy or am not walking into any test drive / accident vehicle.


What do you suggest? They are ready to share Chassi no also with me.

[Santoshbhat]

Originally Posted by vishaltanksale

Hey guys, need your advance.

I got call from Skoda dealer in Mumbai with offer on Laura Ambient TDI (MT) for 2011 models.

They are offering free registration + 50% on Skoda shield. This seems tempting, but then 2011 models makes me feel risky.

What I heard from them - SKoda typically have last year models selling almost till Feb-Mar of next year, so they sell 2011 models almost till Feb-Mar 2012.
I know this is true, but then how do I know there is nothing fishy or am not walking into any test drive / accident vehicle.


What do you suggest? They are ready to share Chassi no also with me.

You can easily decode the VIN and ascertain the manufacture date for Skodas. I guess you can take the risk if its a Dec 2011 model. Anything earlier than that raises doubts. Do a thorough inspection and check for signs of any patch up jobs For eg. : Inconsistency in paint finish. Check condition of tyres. If the car has been used as a TD vehicle the tyres will not have the 'brand new' tyre look. Although most brands these days have dedicated test drive cars. If the car has plastic protective film on certain interior areas (like makers logo on steering wheel) all the better.

If everything seems right I don't see why you should not for it. Looks like a good deal

[bloodred]

Originally Posted by vishaltanksale

What do you suggest? They are ready to share Chassi no also with me.

Hi Vishal. Skoda dealer in Gurgaon is also offering special pricing on 2011 cars. Also they carry lower excise duty. If you are tempted, visit the yard with TBHP checklist to inspect pieces they have. If the cars are from late 2011, the protective packaging is intact and the cars don't look used inside, you may go ahead. Also, if they have more then couple of pieces for you to see, the risk of landing with a troublesome pass on would be lower. Once you finalize a piece, stick to it and don't allow the dealer to change the car at later stage.

[trumpcard]

hey behemoth,
i suppose i saw you this morning with your black yeti with the team BHP sticker on the hatch and the russo brunello laura do you by any chance put up in sector 51?

[Behemoth]

Originally Posted by trumpcard

hey behemoth,
i suppose i saw you this morning with your black yeti with the team BHP sticker on the hatch and the russo brunello laura do you by any chance put up in sector 51?

Yes, we stay in Mayfield in Gurgaon. Do you also stay in the vicinity?
Wife is driving the Yeti with LTD these days and I am driving the Laura with IDS on the rear windshield.

See you around and why don't you join for our TBHP Gurgaon meets sometime? You can follow the thread http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/team-b...thread-43.html for the latest.

Regards,
Behemoth

[trumpcard]

Thats nice even i put up in mayfield
I'll surely try to come for the meets,Its nice to have a fellow bhpian in your neighbourhood.

Regards

[Behemoth]

An update on our Ruby Raptor so far. It has completed 1050 Kms and now over the Run-in period and has opened up well in terms of performance. It's now time to start revving it to higher rpms a little to help the engine settle in properly.
No problems / issues faced so far, apart from the occasional creak once in a while. One small irritant is the passenger side seatbelt which keeps on hitting the B-Pillar when no-one is in the Passenger seat - need to find a jugaad solution for this!
Apart from this, one exercise in futility was the Sunfilms (Garware NF) that I had gotten installed in Mid-March for 3300 bucks. With the recent ban on sunfilms, had to get them removed and they made one big mess with all the Glue . Finally have gotten most of it off, including from the rear windshield and with no damage to the defogger. Got it off from the rear windshield with Thinner+ little turpentine + Colin and a plastic dish scrubber in around 40 min.
This Glue is really sticky and especially on side windows, for people removing sun film, get the glue taken off completely, otherwise it will cling to your window channels / beadings and jam the power windows - I have seen many such cases happening with people who were in a hurry and did not get the Glue removed when they were getting their films removed.
In my case , even after getting the glue removed completely, there was some residual glue which had dripped into the door trims and was making screeching noises when raising the power windows - promptly dusted them with Talcum powder and now they are working perfectly.

Mileage so far is decent and we have got a long term mileage of 17.24 kmpl in our usage so far, most of which has been with AC on 100% and commuting to Delhi / Gurgaon and mixed driving.
The Tyres change to Michelin Primacy LC has also made the ride very quiet and comfortable and tyres have good levels of grip.

More to follow as we clock the miles on our Ruby Raptor!

Originally Posted by trumpcard

Thats nice even i put up in mayfield
I'll surely try to come for the meets,Its nice to have a fellow bhpian in your neighbourhood.

Regards

That's good to know! TBHP really helps like minded Auto-enthusiasts like us connect!
The next Gurgaon meet is planned for this Friday 7:00 Pm at Castle Rock on Golf Course road (Audi Chowk) - more details on the Gurgaon Meet thread.
See you there!


Regards,
Behemoth

[joules]

Hi Behemoth,

Loved your review and the car colour is just great.I'm in a dilemma now between the Laura 2.0 DSG elegance trim and the VW Jetta comfortline.I just love driving the Laura and it's readily available with a fat discount.It's just that i feel the car's gonna get upgraded really soon.Whereas,The Jetta is newer,pretty much the same performance.Drawbacks-long waiting periods and no discount...Dunno know which to go for !!

Joules

[Behemoth]

Originally Posted by joules

Hi Behemoth,

Loved your review and the car colour is just great.I'm in a dilemma now between the Laura 2.0 DSG elegance trim and the VW Jetta comfortline.I just love driving the Laura and it's readily available with a fat discount.It's just that i feel the car's gonna get upgraded really soon.Whereas,The Jetta is newer,pretty much the same performance.Drawbacks-long waiting periods and no discount...Dunno know which to go for !!

Joules

Thanks for the appreciation Joules.
Underneath, both the Laura and the Jetta are very similar in terms of design and construction. But in terms of external design philosophy, I find the VW cars to be looking too much alike and don't have their own uniqueness. The Laura in its current form still looks more expressive than the Jetta, which is quite plain jane. Also, the way that VW and Skoda are positioned, there will be a few features extra in the Jetta, for around 2-3 lacs higher price, depending on the variant. So over to you to take the call on which features you want. I personally found the Laura more value for money and Skoda was a known animal for us (we also have a Yeti) and we felt more comfortable with the Skoda team rather than the VW team (which I have found extremely arrogant and unresponsive in my pre-sales experiences with them!).
But let this not bias you and you should base your decision on the local dealership that you are in touch with.

(For more details on the Laura DSG experience, you can also go through Anshuman's Laura DSG ownership thread.)

All the best!

Regards,
Behemoth

[vb-saan]

^^Behemoth has summarized it pretty well. To add on, with Laura, you can have the mid-variant with DSG, whereas with the Jetta the auto-box is available only the top end variant.

Evaluate your priorities again. If you need a 140bhp MT, Jetta comfortline is the option, and if you need something with the same power and the convenience of DSG (at a cheaper price), Laura is the choice.

[.anshuman]

Originally Posted by Behemoth

Also, the way that VW and Skoda are positioned, there will be a few features extra in the Jetta, for around 2-3 lacs higher price, depending on the variant.

Laura vs Jetta- Comparing top variant Jetta is under-equipped but amongst lowest variants Jetta gets more safety equipment compared to Laura.

Top variant of Jetta does not come with-

• Xenon Lights with auto leveling
• Headlamp washers
• Projectors
• Genuine Leather seats
• Automatic Climate control with split zones
• Tire pressure monitoring system

Laura L&K comes with all the equipment listed above.

But i feel Lowest variant Trendline of Jetta is a better buy than Laura Ambition MT because-

• It has side and curtain airbags
• ESP is standard
• Gets more powerful 140hp state of tune
• 16"(not really an advantage for me, i prefer 15")
• But DSG is only offered in top variant Highline. Laura has DSG optional in all variants including base Ambition.

Jetta has considerably better rear legroom but Laura scores better on fun to drive factor with better steering and lively handling. Suspension in Jetta is even softer than the softened post facelift Laura.