[adi_petrolhead]

Originally Posted by Mohan Mathew A

I had a chance to see the car yesterday.

Was it the petrol version or a diesel one? Dying to take test drive of the TSI yar! Cant wait for the delivery.

[himanshu_j]

Originally Posted by Warwithwheels

Any guess if the existing Laura will be sold along with the new Octavia line up? The Laura with its bold looks and excellent GC looks like a better preposition.

Image Courtesy: Car wale

Why not pick one up while stocks last? Petrol ones were sold out long back if I remember but MY2013 had a lot of added features even on the Diesel.

[Warwithwheels]

Originally Posted by himanshu_j

Why not pick one up while stocks last? Petrol ones were sold out long back if I remember but MY2013 had a lot of added features even on the Diesel.

Don't wanna buy a product that goes out of production immediately post my purchase, hence the query.

If the Laura would be produced along side the Octavia atleast for a year or two, then I can seriously consider buying the Laura ASAP.

I guess atleast the Laura vRS, being a relatively new product in the market would not be phased off, along with the Laura.

[adi_petrolhead]

Originally Posted by Warwithwheels

Don't wanna buy a product that goes out of production immediately post my purchase, hence the query. If the Laura would be produced along side the Octavia atleast for a year or two, then I can seriously consider buying the Laura ASAP. I guess atleast the Laura vRS, being a relatively new product in the market would not be phased off, along with the Laura.

Personally I think you should wait. Octavia is going to be far more refined to deal with everyday. And why buy a 5 year old model when the new one is almost out? What is your budget? The Laura is going to be sold only till stocks last and will be completely replaced by the Octavia.

[himanshu_j]

Originally Posted by Warwithwheels

If the Laura would be produced along side the Octavia atleast for a year or two, then I can seriously consider buying the Laura ASAP.

I highly doubt that. I am presuming Skoda India will launch the Octavia at sub-14L ex showroom for the 1.4 TSI considering the Jetta 1.4 TSI starts at about the same price point. As far as I know VW has stopped production of the Jetta until November, I believe they will be rejigging the variants and equipment level on offer to maintain their premium over Skoda. Let's see how all this plays out to the consumer's benefit

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by Warwithwheels

Don't wanna buy a product that goes out of production immediately post my purchase, hence the query.
If the Laura would be produced along side the Octavia atleast for a year or two, then I can seriously consider buying the Laura ASAP.
I guess atleast the Laura vRS, being a relatively new product in the market would not be phased off, along with the Laura.

From what I have read around, the Laura (including the vRS) is already out of production, and will stay on until they clear off the existing CKD kits. So consider getting one only if you get hefty discounts.

[wysiwyg25]

Does it make sense to get a Laura ambiente model for 14.5L on a company lease for 3 years especially when the Octavia is going to completely replace it in 2 days.

Current deal on the ambiente is 3.25L discount.

Please advise

[Mohan Mathew A]

Originally Posted by adi_petrolhead

Was it the petrol version or a diesel one? Dying to take test drive of the TSI yar! Cant wait for the delivery.

It was the diesel DSG Elegance. They didnt have a TSI. I too couldnt get a TD.they have promised to call back on the 3rd

[shetty_rohan]

CarWale comparison: Skoda Octavia vs Skoda Laura
http://www.carwale.com/news/11273-ca...undUp30Sep2013

[Warwithwheels]

What's this button like thing on the head restraints? Height adjuster?

[nirav]

Originally Posted by imp!

As a disclaimer my family are audiophiles so I'm very demanding of music systems. Having said that, none of us ever felt the need to upgrade the Laura system. We feel that is money better spent getting a re-map and suspension upgrade (which we haven't done yet);
I am going to tweak with the audio settings and play high quality WAVs and lossless formats through all 3 possible mediums (CDs, SD card and Media reader) but frankly the initial viewing session left one feeling that a system upgrade ought to be on the agenda at one point. Unfortunately the car is expensive enough as it is. Expect it to come between 21.5/22.5-23.5/24.5 lacs OTR for the Elegance models which will leave room for the L&K and VRS in the future (insane pricing IMO) and the cheaper trims and engines will come in at 18-20 in all probability.

As a current Laura Tsi owner (and adorer), this is hugely disappointing. I was all set to change the system when i first got the Laura, but the sound on the stock was just awesome (of course my use is limited to ipod 320 quality mp3's over the aux so im not too fussy)... Also, at 21-23L OTR for the new 1.8 i feel its a tad pricey- they should have tried to keep it below that psychological 20 barrier.

Kudos to you IMP for your honest opinions! I was pretty much as gaga as everyone else after reading the spec sheets and reviews, though now im going to approach it with a much more neutral view. Also helps that we are both Laura owners so i know where you are coming from.

Also read in the review by SS that he would have liked the manual option- trust me after owning the manual 1.8 in Bangalore for over 2 years, im yearning for this DSG! The everyday traffic is just too slow for a manual nowadays.

Am going to pop by Vinayak to take a look at the car in the flesh later today- will post my thoughts soon.

[adi_petrolhead]

Originally Posted by Warwithwheels

What's this button like thing on the head restraints? Height adjuster?

Indeed height adjuster. Convenient change. Sadly, no 4-way adjust like the fluence, just height adjustment.

[imp!]

Originally Posted by nirav

As a current Laura Tsi owner (and adorer), this is hugely disappointing. I was all set to change the system when i first got the Laura, but the sound on the stock was just awesome (of course my use is limited to ipod 320 quality mp3's over the aux so im not too fussy)... Also, at 21-23L OTR for the new 1.8 i feel its a tad pricey- they should have tried to keep it below that psychological 20 barrier.

I know this is disappointing, but lets see how the system performs with necessary adjustments better quality inputs. Just for kicks, try playing some wavs through a cd or your phone. You'd probably start going that route as much as possible!

Originally Posted by nirav

Kudos to you IMP for your honest opinions! I was pretty much as gaga as everyone else after reading the spec sheets and reviews, though now im going to approach it with a much more neutral view. Also helps that we are both Laura owners so i know where you are coming from.

Thank For your kind words Nirav, I think the only ones who are going to approach this car with a neutral view are enthusiasts and Laura owners who have different approach to cars in general than the Indian public. Most of India will find this car to be the bees knees, current Laura owners will appreciate the rear space and lust after the Laura's thigh support. The car is also easier for ingress and egress for the elderly than the Laura thanks to the increased width. All in all it's a good car, it's just not going to make me fall in love with the Octavia lineage all over again. The Mk1 did that, the Mk2 certainly did, this one, will become our work horse that is good, but not something that I'll ever dream about.

Originally Posted by nirav

Also read in the review by SS that he would have liked the manual option- trust me after owning the manual 1.8 in Bangalore for over 2 years, im yearning for this DSG! The everyday traffic is just too slow for a manual nowadays.

You know, I tend to agree with you, but, honestly, if someone owns the 6 speed TSI, I'd highly recommend buying the Octavia 2.0TDI DSG if and when you can afford it, drive that in the city and on family trips BUT keep the Laura 1.8TSI, cause if you sell it you'll always wish you hadn't, even if and when they launch the Octavia TSI 6 speed or VRS. The Laura just has so much more soul!

Originally Posted by nirav

Am going to pop by Vinayak to take a look at the car in the flesh later today- will post my thoughts soon.

If you get an opportunity to post your views please do, I look forward to reading them. We are thinking about a booking on the 5th (something about auspicious times according to my Aunt...go figure...)

[adi_petrolhead]

I notice that Skoda India's Octavia web page is closed! no links working whatsoever. Even those discovered by fellow BHP-ian. Prepping up for Launch tomorrow?? hope their new page is as impressive as the one by skoda.co.uk

[Warwithwheels]

Originally Posted by adi_petrolhead

Prepping up for Launch tomorrow??

That seems to be the case.

Can we also expect TBHP's official review to roll out of the assembly line tomorrow?

BTW... was just looking at the prices of Octavia '13 on SKODA UK website. On conversion to INR the prices almost match the prices speculated here!



NOTE: Prices are Ex-Showroom UK and its equivalent in Indian currency.