[sarthakgupta]

Hearty congrats to you dezrskb!! . This is one car along with Jetta that makes me go weak in my knees whenever I see them on road.

Originally Posted by dZired

Kindly refer to the given price list to have a rough idea.
Attachment 983599

This is the Skoda Fabia price list and not the Laura. Same list was handed over to me by Indore dealer when I had inquired for Fabia and discussed about its expensive upkeep.

Originally Posted by dZired

EDIT: Got this from another thread on tbhp. Member manuc posted it after a repair on his laura.
Attachment 983603

This seems to be the actual one. It actually makes sense since Laura is assembled in Aurangabad plant with CKD kits. Aurangabad is the assembly plant for D segment and higher models for VW, Skoda and all of Audi. Fabia-Rapid and Polo-Vento are manufactured in Chakan plant. These are the bread and butter models which actually have been localised.

Originally Posted by F150

Absolute rip off by SKODA. There is no valid logic why the MT should have 110 horses instead of 140.

Congratulations dezrskb !!

Its nothing but Skoda offloading outdated tech to Indians. This 2.0 TDI-CR 110 PS engine is Euro4 compatible diesel and has been phased out of Western Europe with the advent of Euro 5 norms there. The 140 PS (and 170 PS) version is the new Euro 5 version of that engine. AFAIK new DSG box is compatible with new Euro5 engine only.

I think that Skoda might have imported hell lot of 110 PS kits from Czech when it was being put out of production and is still assembling and selling them in India.

[dezrskb]

Thanks sarthakgupta and F150,
Obviously you people know bettter about these european engines.
But I have a habit of worrying no more about negatives of a product once i purchase it and think only positive. I might have felt those missing 30 horses if I was previously driving a more powerful vehicle. Coming from Dzire Vdi it feels very good to me

[F150]

Originally Posted by dezrskb

But I have a habit of worrying no more about negatives of a product once i purchase it and think only positive. I might have felt those missing 30 horses if I was previously driving a more powerful vehicle. Coming from Dzire Vdi it feels very good to me

Yes sir, I respect your decision.
Is there any turbo lag ?
We both know about the turbo lag with DDis.

[animeshb]

Originally Posted by dezrskb

Now my Skoda Laura 2.0 CR TDi Elegance MT is 10 days / 400 kms old and this is how I see it -

Congrats dezrskb!! Which day did you get home the Laura? I got mine on the 31st of August.

Originally Posted by dezrskb

Anybody knows whether Hyundai / Fords / Honda provide them?

My Ford Fusion does have this and I think most cars above B+ segment should have it as well.

Originally Posted by F150

Absolute rip off by SKODA. There is no valid logic why the MT should have 110 horses instead of 140.

This is the reason why I took the TSI and not go in for the TDI. Wanted a Laura and power and MT so the 110 MT didn't cut it for me. The other weird thing about most manufacturers in India is that they don't offer the higher variants in Petrol.

[maheshramaling]

Originally Posted by dezrskb

Thanks sarthakgupta and F150,
Obviously you people know bettter about these european engines.
But I have a habit of worrying no more about negatives of a product once i purchase it and think only positive. I might have felt those missing 30 horses if I was previously driving a more powerful vehicle. Coming from Dzire Vdi it feels very good to me

Congrats dezrskb for the Laura!

I too have a CB Laura Elegance MT done about 20K kms since Feb 2011 and believe me 110bhp is more than sufficient for any road! So - enjoy the experience. It's a wise decision you have made to get the Elegance Variant than the lower Ambient or higher L&K!

Yes A/c has been an issue and I thought they modified it in 2012 Laura F/L...but looks like - it's not taken care.

[Vipin Kumar]

Congratulations dezrskb on becoming a Laura owner.

And photos speak about the style! I personally like the beige interior. If it is leather upholstery, then you don't have much of a problem in maintenance too. But I would prefer a black holder for the inside door handle instead of beige. The areas we touch frequently should get black coloured material.

I always thought it has plenty of space at the rear to accommodate three people comfortably. From you, I am learning other way round. Did you notice wider space in the VW Jetta when you took TD?

Doesn't the Laura come with a stock touch screen GPS navigation and music system? I thought so!

What about the Automatic Climate Control?

And does the L and K offer a sunroof?

Vipin.

[dezrskb]

Originally Posted by animeshb

Congrats dezrskb!! Which day did you get home the Laura? I got mine on the 31st of August.

This is the reason why I took the TSI and not go in for the TDI.

Thanks animesh!
Congratulations on your purchase too !!! Have you posted your review already?
I got my car on 30th Aug.

For me, the fuel economy in terms of lower fuel rate and better mileage of the TDi were deciding factors and in fact didn't shortlist any petrol model at the beginning of the search. 30 less horses was not a deal breaker at all for me as I test drove the manual pre-facelift version and felt happy with the power.

Originally Posted by F150

Yes sir, I respect your decision.
Is there any turbo lag ?
We both know about the turbo lag with DDis.

Turbo lag is not felt as an issue. In fact My Dzire Vdi felt lively only nearer to 2K RPM. But even in the Laura test drive vehicle, I felt the pull linearly from 1200 onwards. In one sentence, Laura is far better for me coming from DDis.

Originally Posted by Vipin Kumar

Congratulations dezrskb on becoming a Laura owner.

If it is leather upholstery, then you don't have much of a problem in maintenance. The areas we touch frequently should get black coloured material.

I always thought it has plenty of space at the rear to accommodate three people comfortably. Did you notice wider space in the VW Jetta when you took TD?
Doesn't the Laura come with a stock touch screen GPS navigation and music system? I thought so!
What about the Automatic Climate Control?
And does the L and K offer a sunroof?
Vipin.

Thanks for the comments Vipin!
Upholstery is indeed leather.
You are right regarding door handles. They will get discolored soon by handling. Any suggestions to change their color? Any leather dyeing solutions? Or wrap something around them?

The back seat is wide enough to seat 3 average build adults for short journeys. Its not the width but the prominent floor hump at the back which makes middle person uncomfortable over long journeys. In fact he has to sit with floor hump in between his legs. A child however is comfortable. No. VW Jetta too is same regarding the floor hump aspect. As far as width is concerned, I didn't feel it had more to offer. May be on paper, but not in real life. Again, all of us in my family are of small to avg build and that makes shoulder and leg space quite sufficient for us in any seat .
No touchscreen music system in Ambient or Elegance versions. L&K has it. But I am not sure again about GPS in L&K.
My car has Automatic climate control.
L&K has sunroof? I didn't notice it in L&K specs. Probably not there.

[joslicx]

congrats dezrskb

somehow I always had this inkling that you'd buy the Laura. It is such a compelling buy in this segment. I think the best of the lot!

And it is a beautiful color you've chosen. Though only it is a bit too common

Enjoy your new car and have a long and happy association. And yes, its a wonderful review of the machine with lot of useful information for everyone. Thanks for the same.

And about the leather upholstery, dont worry about it too much. I also got beige leather done from Karlsson and Sajith (the owner of Karlsson) assured me that leather is easy to maintain. He even suggested not to buy any leather cleaner but to use a soft soap/surf solution (just spray a bit and wipe with a cloth).

[animeshb]

Originally Posted by dezrskb

Thanks animesh!
Congratulations on your purchase too !!! Have you posted your review already?

Thanks, am yet to post a review due to lack of time, infact I have done only about 200 kms on the Laura since I got it. Everything is so close by from my place!! Infact my 7 month old Honda CBR250R-CABS has done 700 kms till now

Originally Posted by dezrskb

No touchscreen music system in Ambient or Elegance versions. L&K has it. But I am not sure again about GPS in L&K.
My car has Automatic climate control.
L&K has sunroof? I didn't notice it in L&K specs. Probably not there.[/FONT]

Touchscreen is there in L&K and vRS only. No GPS in any of the trims in India though overseas Skoda/VW has the Columbus music system as an option. Also, only the vRS has a sunroof now. Even the L&K has lost it recently. Some crazy stuff from Skoda (no steering controls other than on the L&K, no Climate-control other than on Elegance and L&K, not even in the vRS whereas most B+ hatchbacks seem to have these features these days).

Do you have any plans to upgrade the ICE?

Cheers
Animesh

[dezrskb]

Originally Posted by animeshb

Thanks, am yet to post a review due to lack of time, infact I have done only about 200 kms on the Laura since I got it. Everything is so close by from my place!! Infact my 7 month old Honda CBR250R-CABS has done 700 kms till now

Do you have any plans to upgrade the ICE?

Animesh

We are eager to see your ownership report as well. Do post it soon.
If your workplace is nearby, decision to go for TSI rather than TDI is indeed right. Even petrol rate hikes too should not worry you

Upgrade ICE? Absolutely not. I am not an audioholic and I find quality of OEM music system excellent coming from my old Dzire Vdi even where I found it ok!. Also I believe in keeping everything OEM in this car unless something absolutely essential is missing. I have decided to go by the guidance in the thread "7 simple guidelines if you are buying a European car.." by VeyronSuperSprt in this forum. Also after my first meet with the service team at dealership, I thought I should avoid alterations / dissembling anything.
But please let me know what you think about the plain right ORVM. I find it tough to compare images in right (plain) and left (convex) ORVMs especially while reversing. I have ordered a stick on aspherical mirror from UK online here https://www.wingmirrorman.co.uk/stick-on-glass/skoda
There is another one available with back plate etc which requires removal of old mirror. But let me try the cheaper stick-on glass at present.

[animeshb]

Originally Posted by dezrskb

We are eager to see your ownership report as well. Do post it soon.
If your workplace is nearby, decision to go for TSI rather than TDI is indeed right. Even petrol rate hikes too should not worry you

Better still, both me and my wife work from home 90% of the time

Originally Posted by dezrskb

Upgrade ICE? Absolutely not. I am not an audioholic and I find quality of OEM music system excellent coming from my old Dzire Vdi even where I found it ok!. Also I believe in keeping everything OEM in this car unless something absolutely essential is missing. I have decided to go by the guidance in the thread "7 simple guidelines if you are buying a European car.." by VeyronSuperSprt in this forum. Also after my first meet with the service team at dealership, I thought I should avoid alterations / dissembling anything.

This definitely is the right way to go, unfortunately I have always had sufficiently good custom ICEs. The sound quality is pretty good (I like the fact that the bass is not too heavy) though I got to do something about the HU. The only options are getting a second hand Columbus shipped from EU and getting it installed locally, or get the OEM Caska HU or a good Pioneer with a dash-kit. Am quite confused. Thought I have already got a couple of screens with a separate DVD player mounted on the front seat Headrest inserts. Extremely needed to keep my 3-year old son in his car-seat. As far as external modifications go, a rear lip-spoiler does change the look of the rear which I think is too sedate.

Originally Posted by dezrskb

But please let me know what you think about the plain right ORVM. I find it tough to compare images in right (plain) and left (convex) ORVMs especially while reversing. I have ordered a stick on aspherical mirror from UK online. There is another one available with back plate etc which requires removal of old mirror. But I think I will avoid all that for time being and use a stick on convex mirror and experiment.

I have kind of adjusted to the plain right ORVM but I haven't driven my car yet at high-speeds to understand how that would effect my judgement yet though. I have seen folks use a stick-on mirror but I guess you loose the heating effect! A stick on aspherical mirror also makes a lot of sense though.

Sorry, don't intend to highjack your thread!!

Animesh

[ACM]

Originally Posted by dezrskb

Thanks ACM !
I have a question reg mirrors - How about convex mirror for right ORVM? Have you bought an aftermarket one? Plain mirror is a real pain. Also issue will be whether aftermarket one will be auto dimming.
Elegance trim doesn't have rear curtains. So till now I have felt that auto dimming is sufficient in both overhead and outside rear view mirrors (I have noticed all lights turning greenish with no glare. that is auto dimming?)
You have made me think about Yokohamas. If I need a good value for money tire in Yokohama with better driving comfort than the present Goodyear NCTs but should last around 40K, which one would it be? Wider tire like 225 has no troubles with extreme steering turns?

The ORVM are Heated (rear defog mode) this may be lost in the aftermarket ones. My mirrors are infact even worse since they are the earlier thinner shape one - look better but are more show than go. The mirrors though are fine from the convex angle.

Yep the greenish glare is auto dimming - There should be a button below the inside mirror to enable this auto mode. (on position shown by a green light going on on the mirror frame itself.)

ES501 would be the longer lasting Yoko's - 225 width does not foul with the turn angle but may void the warranty. I think 205 or 215 too is available. 225 with would be higher priced compared to 205 width tyres so for an apple to apple comparo check out the same width tyre prices first.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by Vipin Kumar

And does the L and K offer a sunroof?

Vipin.

The old Skoda L&K used to have sun roof etc. Unfortunately they have knocked it off in the newer L&K model.
Sad.
But overall I prefer the older shape of the Laura to this newer one. Somehow it was more 'tank-like' in that avatar!

[Vipin Kumar]

Originally Posted by animeshb

Touchscreen is there in L&K and vRS only. No GPS in any of the trims in India though overseas Skoda/VW has the Columbus music system as an option. Also, only the vRS has a sunroof now. Even the L&K has lost it recently. Some crazy stuff from Skoda (no steering controls other than on the L&K, no Climate-control other than on Elegance and L&K, not even in the vRS whereas most B+ hatchbacks seem to have these features these days).

These days we get sunroof only in Cruze I think--in a diesel model! I mean below 18L range. VW Jetta offers steering mounted controls and ACC in the basic models too(?).

Vipin.

Originally Posted by dezrskb

Upholstery is indeed leather.
You are right regarding door handles. They will get discolored soon by handling. Any suggestions to change their color? Any leather dyeing solutions? Or wrap something around them?

No, no. It will be better not to use any dyeing solutions, because if you want to revert it, you may not be able to do that. If you want, you can try to get a leather material (black or so in colour) stitched as a wrapper on handles. That will retain the old handle as such and will not make it dirty also.

Any plans on taking your Laura for long trip, as it is a 2.0L TDI?

Vipin.

Note from Team-bhp support: Please use the EDIT or MULTI-QUOTE buttons instead of typing one post after another on the same thread!

[Santoshbhat]

Congratulations on your new car.

The Laura is a very well rounded product. Its got a well sorted ride & handling combo, quality interiors, solid build, proven engine, and fantastic boot space. The 2L 110 hp engine sounds low for the segment but with well chosen gear ratios it does not feel underpowered under most circumstances. The mileage should be fantastic as well.

The current Laura is a pretty reliable vehicle as well compared to the prev gen Laura. Besides with four years extended warranty you have got complete peace of mind.

Enjoy the car and drive safe.