[androdev]

Congratulations driveanddrive, it is a car meant for true car lovers :-) When I saw the thread title, I was like "okay, just another TSI thread!" but you did a fabulous job of putting up a very detailed review. Let me guess, you are still in college, arm-twisted your dad to buy the car you wanted, have loads of free time and very much in love with the car :-) Just kidding! Great review!

The pictures are really good, especially the white car contrasted against the old building - is that a village school?

Wish you a happy ownership. Drive more! 1500km in 5 months is less, your car will be confiscated :-)

[arup.misra]

Congrats you truly are a petrol-head and your ride has given you just the excuse. That's one wonderful ride and it looks even better in white.

Wish you a very happy motoring and trouble free ownership for many years. Did you opt for Skoda Shield?

[GTO]

In this time of exorbitant fuel prices and the country's obsession with fuel economy, it's refreshing to see a reviewer who thinks with his right foot . ~80 bucks a liter be damned, all of it seems worth it when you high-revv a sweet petrol engine.

The thread title caught my eye yesterday, while this report was still in the Assembly Line. Am amazed you completed the entire writeup, picture sorting etc. by the same evening. Either you are a very fast writer or extremely organised

The Laura TSI is one Skoda I love and probably the only car from the brand I'd considering buying (pre-worshipped of course!). The engine was just built to high-revv and completely overshadows the petrol mills of its competitors.

Congrats & do drive safe.

[shajufx]

Originally Posted by driveanddrive

.....The car is very well put together. The paint quality is superb. There are no panel gaps or loose parts. Doors are heavy and close with a convincing thud. The car feels solid and built to last.
Inside, the cabin is very very spacious. It has huge glass areas and feels very airy......

Agree 100% to whatever you have posted so far. Congrats on owning a beautiful piece of machine. This is the only machine I would buy if I am considering a sedan in the sub 15 lak segment. My present tug of war is between a compact SUV vs comfortable sedan and if the latter wins, there is only laura taking that position. My love for this machine started when Robi left his white beauty with me for a month, its a pleasure to drive and a beauty to own. Wish you many happy miles ahead

[deepfusion]

Hi driveanddrive, Congratulations for the lovely white Skoda Laura TSI you got yourself.

A very nicely composed review, and neatly written.

Wish you many many happy miles with the lovely machine.

[driveanddrive]

Originally Posted by ketla2411

Will take delivery of my white vRS on 1st June.

Thanks a lot. Congratulations on your vRS! We want a detailed report with lots of pics. The black interior is superb!

Originally Posted by mayankjha1806

Enjoy the run and do stick some Team BHP stickers so as next time when we are crossing Nagpur, will hope to spot some stickers.

I am keeping my fingers crossed. Also, a lot depends on the dealership too, which thankfully is good here. The 'Live to Drive' is right there on the top left of the rear windhshield

Originally Posted by Driving_Nomad

Congratulations on "The Bullet" DriveandDrive! A very nicely written review with a host of pictures!

Thank you, means a lot.

Originally Posted by androdev

Congratulations driveanddrive, it is a car meant for true car lovers :-) When I saw the thread title, I was like "okay, just another TSI thread!" but you did a fabulous job of putting up a very detailed review.

Thank you androdev. Yes and No. I am actually quite free right now as I just got done with the CA finals, so putting the free time to some good use! Arm twisting my father is no easy job, he bought it because he loved it.

Originally Posted by arup.misra

Wish you a very happy motoring and trouble free ownership for many years. Did you opt for Skoda Shield?

Thank you so much. Yes, we opted for Skoda shield.

Originally Posted by GTO

In this time of exorbitant fuel prices and the country's obsession with fuel economy, it's refreshing to see a reviewer who thinks with his right foot . ~80 bucks a liter be damned, all of it seems worth it when you high-revv a sweet petrol engine.
Congrats & do drive safe.

One of the main reasons was we knew our run was very limited. But you know, frankly, when you are sold on a car, all the logics go for a toss and you just find reasons to buy the car. The car is plain addictive, no other words.

I am quite free right now and had arranged and edited the pics on Sunday itself, so just went with the flow.
The pre-worshiped market is not that good over here. I envy all the people here on the forum who have some really great pre-worshiped cars, your Civic included!

Thank you so much.

Originally Posted by shajufx

My present tug of war is between a compact SUV vs comfortable sedan and if the latter wins, there is only laura taking that position.

Thank you so much shajufx. Looking forward to the ownership report!

[robimahanta]

Originally Posted by shajufx

Agree 100% to whatever you have posted so far. My love for this machine started when Robi left his white beauty with me for a month, its a pleasure to drive and a beauty to own.

Well Shaju you need to drive my car now after the upgrades (200bhp with 300NM torque with the sports suspension and exhaust)..its a different beast altogether

Driveanddrive..congrats on having the courage to buy this drivers machine in view of the price hikes. I am sure you'll not regret it.

[shajufx]

Originally Posted by robimahanta

Well Shaju you need to drive my car now after the upgrades (200bhp with 300NM torque with the sports suspension and exhaust)..its a different beast altogether......

Ho ho ho ho, I cant believe it yet, my craze for power is dead long long back, may be its to do with my age, but your love for this beauty is something I cant find with many other friends who own the same. Power upgrade for a city drive is useless, but you do a lot of highway and I am sure it would give a wide grin throughout.

You could give the links of the double din unit & the audio to driveanddrive, I am sure he will find it really worth an upgrade Reversing was a pleasure with that display and its very accurate I must say.

[driveanddrive]

Originally Posted by androdev

The pictures are really good, especially the white car contrasted against the old building - is that a village school?Drive more! 1500km in 5 months is less, your car will be confiscated :-)

Sorry I missed this part! That building is an old and abandoned cultural center.
I so want to drive more but was busy till now and as I said earlier, Dad's places of work are nearby.

Originally Posted by robimahanta

Well Shaju you need to drive my car now after the upgrades (200bhp with 300NM torque with the sports suspension and exhaust)..its a different beast altogether

Thank you so much.
Now your upgrade makes the stock TSI feel puny! Superb stuff, you must be having a blast out there

[vb-saan]

Thanks driveanddrive for the beautiful review and those beautiful photos.
Looks like the recent petrol hike have no impact on the Laura TSI (and the vRS). It may have been around for a while, but the Laura still has the right mix of grace and aggression.

Do keep updating the thread, and drive safe!

[dkaile]

Congratulations driveanddrive on owning the 'Bullet'

Originally Posted by driveanddrive

Aah, the engine. What a lovely engine this is. 160 BHP. 250NM @ 1500 rpm. 6 speed. You have to drive this car to believe and experience the thrill.

You have summed it beautifully. It is indeed a gem of a engine. We share the same engine and transmission in our cars and I am just in love as you are.

Originally Posted by driveanddrive

Regarding the dealership, the experience has been good so far.

Much has been written about the service woes of Skoda. To quote from a letter in ACI, "Skoda has recently been getting some unwarranted publicity in the blogosphere for its poor service reputation (and DSG failures). But the fact is, none of the premium car makers have got their service act together yet, and that includes Volkswagen. Yet, somehow, the public is less vitriolic about other brands. Also not every Skoda owner has had a bad experience."

Enjoy the Bullet and keep updating your experience.

[supertinu]

Congrats Driveanddrive, great choice and a very well written thread as well. pics are great and lot of attention to detail. It was fun watching the boot space demo . Is that a hint of putting it to better use . You probably don't need to worry too much about reliability since this car is with manual and not the dreaded DSG.

[superutp]

@Driveanddrive: Congrats on the 160BHP monster!! That is a very very well written and documented write-up. Appreciate the time and effort on your part to include yourself as the 'model' for the parking sensor and boot space demonstration

Forget justifying a diesel car, 1500kms in 5 months doesn't even justify a petrol car. Please drive more

Happy miles and safe journeys on your TSI!

[driveanddrive]

Originally Posted by vb-san

Thanks driveanddrive for the beautiful review and those beautiful photos.It may have been around for a while, but the Laura still has the right mix of grace and aggression.

I totally agree. I still find the Octavia very good looking. This, for me, is a timeless and graceful design.
Thank you so much, will keep you all updated.

Originally Posted by dkaile

Yet, somehow, the public is less vitriolic about other brands. Also not every Skoda owner has had a bad experience."

Enjoy the Bullet and keep updating your experience.

Thank you dkaile. I believe Fiat and Skoda have faced similar wrath. A lot depends on the dealer really.

Originally Posted by supertinu

Congrats Driveanddrive, great choice and a very well written thread as well. pics are great and lot of attention to detail.You probably don't need to worry too much about reliability since this car is with manual and not the dreaded DSG.

I don't intend to put it to that kind of use. But yes, the boot is huge and loading and unloading is very easy.
I am keeping my fingers crossed.
I am so glad everybody loved the review. Thank you so much.

Originally Posted by superutp

That is a very very well written and documented write-up. Appreciate the time and effort on your part.Forget justifying a diesel car, 1500kms in 5 months doesn't even justify a petrol car. Please drive more
Happy miles and safe journeys on your TSI!

Thanks a lot superutp. Glad you liked.
The person in the boot is me and the one in the park assist demo is a good friend who helped take the pics.

I so knew I was going to get bashed for not putting the TSI to good use.
Hopefully I'll get a chance to take her on a really long drive!

PS - It is overwhelming to see the thread on the Homepage. Thank you!

[shankar.balan]

Nice thread. Nice pics. Nice car.
I like Skoda cars and have always found them to have that Euro class and yet somehow exude purposefulness and a sort of controlled aggression.
Wish you all the best with your new acquisition. Both your Laura and my Yeti are about the same age I think!