[vb-saan]

Congratulations Ganeshram! I had a feeling that you ended your search with the Laura (after the booking cancellation of Optra) :-)
Good choice indeed. The Caska head unit looks very well integrated with the car.
The seats and the ICE update were done at the dealership itself?

[Santoshbhat]

Originally Posted by babhishek

hi
would you elaborate on your findings which explain your above statement?
would be interesting to know what exactly has changed in terms of reliability

When we decided to go for the Laura I did a bit of research on T BHP and elsewhere on the net and found that the prev gen Laura had a lot of reliability issues with respect to failure of the DSG gear box, the AC compressor, turbo failures, horn failures etc... But I rarely came across owners of the facelifted Laura reporting such issues.

[Y@SH]

Congratulations on the laura!! You made a great choice. It has a monster under the hood! And thank god skoda changed the base carpet to black color, it makes life easier.
Even I got my self a laura last month link to the ownership thread: Black Beauty
Driven it for 1500km & had got just a minor problem till now. Getting a FE of 10.5 in city. Why dont you opt for the wood finish on the panels? It will really make the interiors feel more classy.

[ganeshram]

Originally Posted by Swanand Inamdar

Also, are all the Laura carpets in black color nowadays?

Yes it does. I got a black Kagu mat to go with the interiors.

Originally Posted by goutham_r

Congrats on the new car mate.

Originally Posted by kiransri_bng

Congrats on new Ride Ganesh. wishing you Safe Miles in the Years to come.

Originally Posted by Y@SH

Congratulations on the laura!! You made a great choice.

Thanks a lot!

Originally Posted by Y@SH

Why dont you opt for the wood finish on the panels? It will really make the interiors feel more classy.

Part of the wish list How much did it cost you?

Originally Posted by vb-san

Congratulations Ganeshram! I had a feeling that you ended your search with the Laura (after the booking cancellation of Optra) :-) The seats and the ICE update were done at the dealership itself?

Yes, got both done from the dealership. Magnum is an excellent car, but Laura feels more fresh. And the interiors are miles ahead. And AT was what got me hooked to the Laura. But the cost difference is quite huge. Not that I repent

[Y@SH]

Originally Posted by ganeshram

Thanks a lot!
Part of the wish list How much did it cost you?

I got the leather seats and wood inserts for Rs50,00 by the dealer it self.
Since I took this package didnt ask for the break up but
one of our BHP-ian, buz, had got it done and it costed him 17k. Link to his thread Laura

[ghostrider]

Originally Posted by goutham_r

IMHO, the problem is with the all black interiors of the cruze, makes it feel less spacious. In comparision with the almost all-beige interiors of the laura, which gives it a very airy and spacious feel. In terms of actual space they both are almost on par with each other.

You're absolutely right. It's a combination of the fact that the interiors are all black as compared to the Laura's (extremely light) beige interiors. Also, the fact that the coupe-like roofline of the Cruze does offer slightly less headroom than the taller Laura, but then again I think you've got to be pretty tall to find your head touching the ceiling.
The Laura and the Cruze are the best cars in the segment, in my opinion. None of the others offer as much as these two do.

[ganeshram]

Originally Posted by ghostrider

Also, the fact that the coupe-like roofline of the Cruze does offer slightly less headroom than the taller Laura.

I agree. I think one of the issues with Cruze is that ingress/egress is a bit difficult for the rear passenger. As my Chevy dealer put it, "Its more of a sports car than a family car" My mom is a permanent rear seat passenger and she found it difficult to get in/out of the Cruze. We did not take a test drive, but sat in the demo car when we went for the Magnum TD.

Personally I do like the Cruze, but have had one hard experience with GM(My previous car, the Corsa Sail, had no takers after it was stopped). So decided not to risk 18 L on a GM car. But it is an extremely personal opinion. I am sure you are loving the Cruze, so enjoy it

[sagpatel]

Hi ganeshram,

Nice car that you have bought. I have bought a Yeti and have also gone for caska. However I am finding it tough to get the speaker settings correct specially when playing FM. I feel my Fabia sounds better when listening to radio.
Could you please share your sound setting.
Also I have to turn on the ignition inorder for caska to start, is it the same way in your car too. I asked the caska guy, he said "saaar Skoda me aisa hi system diya hai"

-Sagpatel

[ganeshram]

Augusta leather - Experience

As mentioned in the previous posts, I went with Augusta Leather seats for my Laura. I paid 40K for the same. I was initially ok with the fit and finish. But a couple of weeks later, the covers started becoming loose, especially in the front seats. I called the Augusta guys and they asked me to come over for a free repair. They tried their best, by adding more foam etc, to make the fit tight enough. And the executive gave me a very strange reason for the not so good fit - "Our main guy was busy on the day your car was done."

This week I gave the car for interior detailing and to my surprise I found that there are a lot of imperfections on the seat edges(Shall post photos soon). I paid close to Stanley price and I am extremely unhappy with the service. Guys, go with Stanley or Ovion.

[amidoc]

Originally Posted by ganeshram

First of all a big thanks to all of you, for sharing your thoughts on this wonderful forum. Team BHP has definitely helped me in the process of buying my dream machine!

Hi Congrats on your new buy. Was looking at finalising the ambition myself. just one feedback i need. what has been your feedback on the ac. was not really very happy during the test drives we had.

[ganeshram]

Originally Posted by amidoc

just one feedback i need. what has been your feedback on the ac. was not really very happy during the test drives we had.

Sorry for the delayed reply.

I have faced no issues with the AC. It cools well and pretty fast. Even in the summer, I never felt that it was inadequate. But sometimes my mom, who uses the rear seats, complains that it is a bit warm. Maybe the vents were not properly adjusted.

[anandpadhye]

Originally Posted by amidoc

Hi Congrats on your new buy. Was looking at finalising the ambition myself. just one feedback i need. what has been your feedback on the ac. was not really very happy during the test drives we had.

Originally Posted by ganeshram

Sorry for the delayed reply.

I have faced no issues with the AC. It cools well and pretty fast. Even in the summer, I never felt that it was inadequate. But sometimes my mom, who uses the rear seats, complains that it is a bit warm. Maybe the vents were not properly adjusted.

I have the TSi.
The AC is not chilling - on a hot summer afternoon.
Only consolation is it has not failed in last 2 and a half years...