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Old 27th April 2023, 20:58   #31
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Re: My Skoda Slavia 1.5 DSG | The Blue Tiger | Ownership Review

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Originally Posted by Torque123 View Post
Will contact PPS Skoda service centre tomorrow & get a quote for the same. Assuming total cost of the repair is around 8-9k max, should I get it done via an insurance claim or get it done by paying out of my pocket to keep the NCB intact? Which of these options makes sense?
I would suggest to choose whichever comes cheaper between the NCB amount and the repair amount out of pocket (once you have a quote). It will also matter if the insurance is cashless or not.
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Old 13th June 2023, 00:31   #32
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5000 KM update!

It has been 5 months since I got home the Skoda Slavia 1.5 DSG & the Blue Tiger has been an absolute bliss to own & drive. Below are a few observations & updates on the steed after clocking 5,100 KMS.

Key observations:

1. In-gear acceleration combined with the mind blowing 7 speed DQ200 DSG is crazy. One can feel the rush of the 250 NM torque or insane pulling power (on expressways or tolled roads) when cruise control is re-engaged (speed is set to anywhere between 85 - 120 KMS/HR). One will fall short of roads to experience what the top end power (140+ KM/HR) of this beast of an engine is capable of delivering. I am talking about all this in D mode. Shift to the S mode & the car turns into an even bigger beast.

2. The power is spread across the band (low, mid & top) & driving around in medium to high city traffic in D mode is not a hassle at all. The DSG shifts from 1st to 2nd once the vehicle crosses 5 km/hr speed in crawling traffic too. Plugging in the gaps is easy during medium city traffic with a gentle dab on the gas pedal. Paddle shifters make city & highway driving even more pleasurable.

3. Six things that I religiously follow:
a) Wait for the RPM to settle down below 1K during cold start
b) "Switch Off" the auto start/off functionality at the start of my every drive
c) shift the gear lever to "N" mode after engaging the hand brake at every traffic signal or situation where the car will be stationary for more than max 5 seconds
d) switch of the AC & infotainment & idle the engine for more than a minute before switching it off (for turbo's longetivity)
e) Always fuel up on or before the DTE reaches 100 (this will prevent the debris if any in the tank damaging the fuel pump or other parts to a certain extent. Read this somewhere & made sense to me. Not sure how authentic this info is but I follow it).
f) Always fill in XP95

4. Realized the comfort, no fatigue & incredible performance the DSG & paddle shifters provide. I dont think I will ever switch back to any other form of transmission.

5. Ride quality is top notch. Small to medium undulations/bad patches on the roads are not felt as confirmed by family who occupy the rear bench frequently.

6. Passengers in the car dont get a feel of the speed while cruising (90 - 120 kms/hr) unless they glance at the speedometer. The speed is so well masked by the build, ride quality & NVH levels. My family used to instantly know without even looking at the speedometer whenever I crossed 80-90 KMS/HR in my Ford Fiesta 1.6.

7. Brakes are awesome. Had a couple of hard braking situations & the car came to a halt without any fuss. For a person like me upgrading from a Fiesta 1.6, it took a couple of drives to get used to the bite of the brakes as they are very sharp.

8. The seats are neither very soft nor hard & are a boon on long drives. I don't feel uncomfortable even after driving continuously for a few hours or for a few hundreds of KMS nonstop.

9. I find the position/placement of the engine start/stop button to be ideal because it is intuitive & also apt from a safety perspective. A couple of office colleagues did not find it as a hassle & said it was intuitive as cars with the conventional keys have the keyhole in the same spot.

10. Bluetooth, wired AA & voice commands work like bliss. No issues faced so far. Wireless charging works well but heats up the phone only during longer charging times.

11. I have the habit of pressing the lock button on the remote multiple times to double/triple check that the car is locked. I am sure many of us do it.
The auto folding of ORVM's on locking the car has now ensured I press the lock button on the remote only once. If the mirrors are folded after pressing the lock button means I am good to go.

12. Excellent support & service from Tafe Access & transparency from PPS motors service centers. Met with a minor accident last month which resulted in a small dent on rear bumper & scratches on LHS doors. No impact on LHS doors & paint as PPF took the impact but had to replace the rear bumper. If not for the small dent, rear bumper replacement was not required as PPF took majority of the impact there as well. Will put up a detailed post on this shortly.

13. ACT (Active Cylinder Technology) is real & actually works very well. One will gradually get familiar to the kind of driving style required that triggers the ACT after driving the Slavia for 1 to 1.5K KMS or so in various driving conditions. The best part is that ACT gets activated even when the car is in lower gears (3rd & 4th) too provided a constant lower speed is maintained (very helpful in city driving conditions with medium traffic).

14. Last but not the least that majority of them are waiting for - FE : For the initial 2k kms or so had been getting an average of ~9.5 to 10.5 kmpl in medium to heavy city traffic conditions (100% AC ON) based on tankful to tankful auto cut off method. MID is almost accurate with a difference of +/- 0.25 - 0.5 kmpl. Post 2k kms, I have been getting an average of ~11 to 11.5 kmpl in medium to heavy city traffic conditions (100% AC ON) based on tankful to tankful auto cut off method. I am happy as this is what I expected/needed which I have mentioned in my first post too. Highway FE has been between 15 - 16.5 kmpl during the 4 to 5 long drives I have had till date. Did a one nighter trip (456 kms overall) over the weekend. As per MID, FE is 15.6 kmpl (100% AC ON) with DTE showing another 200 kms. This is after setting up cruise control @ 115 KM/HR & covering a distance of ~290 kms on expressway/tolled roads & the remaining ~166 kms in sports mode (no cruise control) on single lane roads. Will update the actual FE (tankful to tankful) once DTE shows 100 - 120 kms or so & fill up the tank again.

I have read & heard about the 1.5 TSI giving an FE of 18-19 kmpl which even the company claims. I think this is surely possible only if the car is driven on expressways or tolled roads for long distances with cruise control set between 75 - 85 km/hr where the RPM hovers a tad below ~2k & ACT performs it's duties for longer durations. For me it is too boring & difficult to drive this monster at those speeds & I for one surely did not buy this car for FE.


My Skoda Slavia 1.5 DSG | The Blue Tiger | Ownership Review-car.jpg


Neutral Views:

1. I am of the opinion that for a first time DSG/DCT automatic transmission car owner like me (doesn't matter which brand you own), it needs some time, effort & change in driving style to extract the best & maximum from the car. One cannot drive it like an MT car. Once you get a hang of it there is no turning back to MT/AMT/IMT/CVT. A well calibrated OEM TC being an exception. At the same time there is the question of the DSG reliability (touchwood) which I am mentally & financially ready for. Have opted for the extended warranty too & keeping the car absolutely stock with no upgrades or mods which will void the warranty.

2. I always use the AC in manual mode. It's a habit hard to let go off as I have owned cars with only manual AC for the past 17 years. I have set the temp & blower speeds to 21 degrees & 3 respectively from the time I have got the car. Under all kinds of weather conditions (hot, pleasant & cold) I have found the cooling to be good & adequate. The blower sound is what I found to be louder than usual. However, If someone asks me if the cooling can be better at the settings that I have mentioned then the answer would be a 'Yes' but it doesn't mean am not happy with its current performance. I have not got any notification from Skoda or the dealer regarding the update on AC either. Maybe it was done during the delivery of the car, but I am not sure on this.

3. I have not faced the auto up/down driver side power window issue till date as reported by few owners. Will update this thread if I come across this issue even once in future.

4. Have used the sunroof only twice or thrice till date during long drives. After the initial excitement, even family wants it to be closed all the time (which I had told them during the car purchase & it happened eventually & that too in just 5 months of ownership). Over a period of time features will become monotonous in a car but not its drive & performance.

5. Though the stock 16" alloys look good, the car should have come with stock 17" alloys. Would have looked even better. I sometimes get the itch to upgrade the car with 17" wheels but ultimately refrain from doing so. The reason to upgrade is because there are lot more options (very good- & better-looking alloys) in 17" compared to 16".

Things that could have been better:

1. I would have preferred the default setting of the auto start/off functionality to be set as "Off" rather than "On". This would have avoided switching it off every time I start the car as I find this feature very irritating. I am not sure of the pros & cons of this feature if it's always turned on but I feel it would reduce the turbo & battery life in the long run. Again, this is just my opinion & I may be wrong.

2. I would have preferred the suspension to be tuned a little stiffer. This will reduce the otherwise superb ride quality a bit but would have enhanced
the handling even more. No doubt, the Slavia along with Virtus has the best handling in the segment but every time I approach a corner I don't get the same exact thrill I was getting from the Fiesta 1.6.

3. Had a couple of hard braking situations & the car came to a halt as expected. However, the stock Ceat Securadrive Tyres are not up to the mark as I heard the squealing sound of the rubber once or twice. I would recommend upgrading to a better set of rubber right at the time of car purchase (if one's budget permits). I will be upgrading to Vredestein Ultrac Vorti's (as it is available in stock size) once I cross the 15 to 20K mark on the ODO.

4. I have observed a lot of brake dust (blackish powder) getting accumulated in the front alloys/wheels especially after a long drive where some spirited driving is involved. It is surely not impacting the braking efficiency or is causing any kind of weird sounds but I am not sure if it will reduce the life of brake pads or discs. This used to not happen in the Fiesta 1.6. Are other Slavia owners facing the same issue?

5. The rear camera display does not come up on the infotainment screen sometimes. It throws up an error "This function is not available" or something like that. I have observed that this happens when you engage the reverse gear more than 2 times in very short intervals (tight parking spaces). Again, this does not happen every time & is a rare occurrence.

6. A luggage net in the boot could have been provided by Skoda. Would have been really useful storing things like the Jopasu duster which keeps moving around & making irritating sounds when the car is being driven spiritedly. I don't mind paying for it even now if it is provided as an accessory.

7. The design & quality of switches of the roof mounted LED reading lamps is pathetic. They are very hard to press/operate. Skoda could have given the push button kind of switches which are easy to operate.

8. For every damn upgrade using OEM parts or feature activiation (like horn, enabling RPM meter via coding etc), hearing "This will Void your warranty" statement from service centers is disgusting. When Skoda can provide the RPM meter & Speedometer in the same view with the MY 2023 Slavia's, why can't they do that for the 2022 ones? Heck, I am even ready to get it done from the service center & pay for it too if needed but cannot digest that "It will void your warranty" statement. Horn upgrade is not rejected by all service centers. Some do it (without voiding warranty) & some don't (PPS rejected but Tafe Access obliged). Got my Slavia's horn upgraded using OEM part (wind tone or dual tone whatever they call it) from Tafe Access.

Last edited by Torque123 : 13th June 2023 at 00:48.
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Old 13th June 2023, 14:12   #33
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Re: My Skoda Slavia 1.5 DSG | The Blue Tiger | Ownership Review

I have closely followed your ownership report & god knows how many times I have read it again & again while I was waiting for my car to be delivered , in fact got my Slavia 1.5 DSG delivered less than 2 weeks ago and ashamed to say its yet to cross even 200kms thanks to never-ending work situation. Have a first long drive scheduled this weekend & can't wait experience it first hand.

Having spent enough time with the DSG in vento I agree once you get used to it you can't go back to any other transmission

First thing I did post delivery was to get the tyres changed to continental UC6 as I have had them on my vento for a year and they're as silent as they can be.

I'm soon getting the coding done to remove the speed chime etc
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Old 14th June 2023, 11:31   #34
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Re: My Skoda Slavia 1.5 DSG | The Blue Tiger | Ownership Review

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Originally Posted by Gotham View Post
I have closely followed your ownership report & god knows how many times I have read it again & again while I was waiting for my car to be delivered , in fact got my Slavia 1.5 DSG delivered less than 2 weeks ago. Have a first long drive scheduled this weekend & can't wait experience it first hand.

First thing I did post delivery was to get the tyres changed to continental UC6
Glad to know that my review had some kind of positive contribution during your Slavia purchase . Congratulations on your Skody buddy. She looks fabulous in red. UC6 is also a great option for tyre upgrade. Wishing you happy & safe miles with the Skody. From whom are you getting the coding done & what are the charges (if you don't mind)?
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Old 14th June 2023, 11:40   #35
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Re: My Skoda Slavia 1.5 DSG | The Blue Tiger | Ownership Review

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Originally Posted by Torque123 View Post
Glad to know that my review had some kind of positive contribution during your Slavia purchase . Congratulations on your Skody buddy. She looks fabulous in red. UC6 is also a great option for tyre upgrade. Wishing you happy & safe miles with the Skody. From whom are you getting the coding done & what are the charges (if you don't mind)?
Thank You

I'm planning to get the coding done from Dr. Code My vag ( found him through Instagram) . The charges quoted is 7500
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Old 14th June 2023, 11:41   #36
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Re: My Skoda Slavia 1.5 DSG | The Blue Tiger | Ownership Review

What am I doing wrong? My mileage is 20-30% less than the posted numbers even if i drive with the lightest foot. I fill only xp 95.
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Old 14th June 2023, 12:32   #37
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Re: My Skoda Slavia 1.5 DSG | The Blue Tiger | Ownership Review

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What am I doing wrong? My mileage is 20-30% less than the posted numbers even if i drive with the lightest foot. I fill only xp 95.
Can be because of a lot of factors assuming you have the 1.5 TSI DSG -

1. Car still being in run in period.
2. Auto start/off engaging at stops for less than 30 seconds which doesn't help in improving FE.
3. Your driving style which might prevent ACT from kicking in frequently.
4. Occasional hard acceleration from standstill is fine but doing it frequently even if you are limiting the speed to say 100-120 km/hr will reduce FE. The way the engine - gearbox are tuned, hard acceleration is not at all required unless you want to have even more fun.
5. Not using cruise control on expressways & tolled roads will not maximize FE. ACT works for longer durations when the car is running on cruise control. The car will definitely deliver an FE of 17+ KMPL minimum if driven at 75-90 km/hr with cruise control for extended periods. I have tried this during the run in period. Let me warn you that it's too boring to drive at these speeds on expressways & tolled roads. I maintain a speed between 110 - 120 km/hr on expressways & tolled roads with cruise control ON these days (either in D or S mode). I can confirm that minimum FE will be 16 + KMPL if majority of the travel is on expressways & tolled roads.
6. The route & time you travel frequently (within city) might always involve bumper to bumper traffic. I doubt this after seeing your location though.
7. May be you are having too much fun with the car (i don't blame you for that as the car encourages one to do so) as your location says you live closer to the hills.

Last edited by Torque123 : 14th June 2023 at 12:33.
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Old 15th June 2023, 16:30   #38
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Re: 5000 KM update!

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Originally Posted by Torque123 View Post
4. I have observed a lot of brake dust (blackish powder) getting accumulated in the front alloys/wheels especially after a long drive where some spirited driving is involved. It is surely not impacting the braking efficiency or is causing any kind of weird sounds but I am not sure if it will reduce the life of brake pads or discs. This used to not happen in the Fiesta 1.6. Are other Slavia owners facing the same issue?
My Fiesta (AKA classic) 1.6 does this also on the disk brakes. The service engineer said it is normal.
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Old 16th June 2023, 16:09   #39
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Re: My Skoda Slavia 1.5 DSG | The Blue Tiger | Ownership Review

One more observation I missed to add in the 5K Kms update is that once I set up the cruise control @ 100 KM/HR, I get the single speed warning chime once the car crosses the 80 KM/HR mark. If I have to brake slightly & let's say the speed falls to around 90 KM/HR when I re-engage the cruise control, I hear the single speed warning chime again. This does not happen every time though. Ideally this should not happen right? As the car never went below 80 KM/HR during braking. Or does this happen in cars of all brands?

Last edited by Torque123 : 16th June 2023 at 16:13.
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Old 17th June 2023, 14:56   #40
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Re: My Skoda Slavia 1.5 DSG | The Blue Tiger | Ownership Review

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Originally Posted by Torque123 View Post
One more observation I missed to add in the 5K Kms update is that once I set up the cruise control @ 100 KM/HR, I get the single speed warning chime once the car crosses the 80 KM/HR mark. If I have to brake slightly & let's say the speed falls to around 90 KM/HR when I re-engage the cruise control, I hear the single speed warning chime again. This does not happen every time though. Ideally this should not happen right? As the car never went below 80 KM/HR during braking. Or does this happen in cars of all brands?
I guess it's common for all the brands. I've observed the same in my Hyundai Verna which was bought two months back. There is no specific period or time interval as such for this occurance. It beeps whenever it feels to do so between the 80-120kph band. Quite annoying tbh.
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Old 17th June 2023, 17:05   #41
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Re: My Skoda Slavia 1.5 DSG | The Blue Tiger | Ownership Review

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Originally Posted by Torque123 View Post
I re-engage the cruise control, I hear the single speed warning chime again. This does not happen every time though. Ideally this should not happen right? As the car never went below 80 KM/HR during braking.
The 80kmph chime regulation says that it should repeat every 2mins of staying above 80. Thats why you get it even though you hadn't gone below 80.
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Old 19th June 2023, 11:52   #42
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Re: My Skoda Slavia 1.5 DSG | The Blue Tiger | Ownership Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by Torque123 View Post
Can be because of a lot of factors assuming you have the 1.5 TSI DSG -

1. Car still being in run in period.
2. Auto start/off engaging at stops for less than 30 seconds which doesn't help in improving FE.
3. Your driving style which might prevent ACT from kicking in frequently.
4. Occasional hard acceleration from standstill is fine but doing it frequently even if you are limiting the speed to say 100-120 km/hr will reduce FE. The way the engine - gearbox are tuned, hard acceleration is not at all required unless you want to have even more fun.
5. Not using cruise control on expressways & tolled roads will not maximize FE. ACT works for longer durations when the car is running on cruise control. The car will definitely deliver an FE of 17+ KMPL minimum if driven at 75-90 km/hr with cruise control for extended periods. I have tried this during the run in period. Let me warn you that it's too boring to drive at these speeds on expressways & tolled roads. I maintain a speed between 110 - 120 km/hr on expressways & tolled roads with cruise control ON these days (either in D or S mode). I can confirm that minimum FE will be 16 + KMPL if majority of the travel is on expressways & tolled roads.
6. The route & time you travel frequently (within city) might always involve bumper to bumper traffic. I doubt this after seeing your location though.
7. May be you are having too much fun with the car (i don't blame you for that as the car encourages one to do so) as your location says you live closer to the hills.


The car is still in its run in period, about 4k kms. I'm currently in chennai, so it's bumper to bumper mileage that is rarely above 8.5 kmpl. For the short 3km commute from my residence to the office, it's about 6.5 kmpl according to the car infotainment.

I do in fact drive with a very light foot when i bed to. On the highway from Chennai to Coimbatore, i had Initially touched 14.5 for the first half of the journey while maintaining the speed at 80-90 while having the occasional two cylinder feature and cruise control enabled. For the second half i maintained 100-140 while using paddle shifters to hold a brisk pace and saw the final mileage at 12.5, a 2kmpl increase over my a6 which gives 10.5 for the same journey.

I seriously have no idea how 17 plus kmpl is even achievable when my residence to office commute is 6.5kmpl. On a day with light traffic in the city, i see about 8.5kmpl.
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Old 22nd August 2023, 18:56   #43
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Re: My Skoda Slavia 1.5 DSG | The Blue Tiger | Ownership Review

I am owning this beast since almost 6 months now. Will complete 10k by the end of this week. Have driven her extensively on Pune-Mumbai highway.
Low, med, high ranges are really impressive. Every time i floor the gas pedal, it gives a wide grin to my face. Pedal shifters work like a charm.

FE figures are impressive too, and depends on how we drive. I have got FE of 10 on highways, as well as 20. The more we drive on 2 cylinders, better the FE is.

There is one thing which I absolutely hate - the tendency of the DQ200 to downshift on bad patches, especially when at lower speeds.
My observation - when the speed is between 6 to 14 (precisely), the car downshifts from D2 to D1 suddenly (almost like a jerk) when the rubber hits even the smallest of the potholes. And then it upshifts to D2 only when the speed goes upto 18.

Another not so good point is the wireless charging. It doesn’t work for newer iPhone models (12 and above).

Otherwise, the car is absolute fun to drive.
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Old 3rd September 2023, 17:28   #44
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Re: My Skoda Slavia 1.5 DSG | The Blue Tiger | Ownership Review

I have been getting a notification every few minutes today from MyskodaED app on my mobile that my vehicle is being towed. The notifications are received from the time I start driving & till the time I complete the drive & park the car. I did 4 trips (total distance of around 30 -35 kms) today & the notifications are popping up from my third trip onwards. When I click on the most recent notification received during my fourth trip of the day, the location shown is of a place that i passed through (did not even stop there) during my first trip. I even clicked on all the notifications to see if the location shows different but no, it's the same location.

There are absolutely NO warning lights glowing on the instrument cluster before, during or after the drive. The cars runs & performs as usual with zero issues. I filled in fuel & normal air (XP95 & 35 PSI) today from my regular bunk. I forgot to reset the tyre pressure during my first trip but did it before the start of my third trip. Do the tyre pressure reset everytime I fill in air as I was advised so by the skoda rep during the car delivery.

Kindly advise if I should be concerned & visit the service centre or should I just ignore the notifications. Tried calling my service guy but no response as today being a Sunday (understandable).
Attached Thumbnails
My Skoda Slavia 1.5 DSG | The Blue Tiger | Ownership Review-screenshot_2023090316501708_81b9410aa676f3029504a8b8046b5083.jpg  


Last edited by Torque123 : 3rd September 2023 at 17:30.
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Old 28th September 2023, 15:01   #45
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10K kms update

The car has now clocked 10,250 KMS on the ODO in 8.5 months. Out of the total KMS clocked, highway & city usage/running is 50% each. It has been an absolute bliss to own & drive it. Have got used to the paddle shifters now & oh man, that’s called fun. In my recent trip, used them for around 100 kms of driving on a single lane highway & it was one of my best drives till date. Not getting into a lot of other specifics of the car such as performance etc as I have covered them in the 5K KMS report posted a few months back. The driving & ownership experience is only getting better day by day & “I AM A VERY VERY CONTENTED & HAPPY SKODA SLAVIA OWNER”.


My Skoda Slavia 1.5 DSG | The Blue Tiger | Ownership Review-10k.jpg

I have NOT yet come across the low engine oil warning which a lot of 1.5 TSI owners have experienced. I never drive the car under hard acceleration from standstill (not that I am a conservative driver, I drive quite spiritedly). May be have done it once or twice till date & I feel this has what led to the low engine oil consumption. Going by some of the updates on our very own forum & online, most of them received the low engine oil warning when they clocked around 6-8K kms. A simple engine oil top up is what is required to resolve this issue though.

Call me old school, I have been practicing the 1 min & 1.5 mins idling rule before & after every drive respectively. Also slot the gear lever to N & engage the handbrake while at traffic signals or other stops which require the car to be stationary for more than 5 seconds. I also ensure the brake pedal is pressed->move the gear lever to N->engage the handbrake->move the gear lever to P->Release the brake pedal while parking the car. These practices have been followed since day 1. I very rarely drive during peak bumper to bumper traffic hours as my work timings do not coincide with the same & I use office transport on a very regular basis when the need to work from office arises.

Received an SMS from Skoda in the first half of August to visit the nearest service center for a software update they have released for the power window issue. I have not got it done as all 4 power windows & the driver side one touch up & down work perfectly fine in my car. Will get it done during the first service (which will be due in next 3-4 months) if I face any problems. The sound of the power window motor is louder as stated in a lot of reviews but I have got used to it & it doesn’t bother me. 99% of the times the windows of my car are always rolled up. Does the power window related software update reduce the motor sound as well? Any owners who have got this done, please let me know.

My Skoda Slavia 1.5 DSG | The Blue Tiger | Ownership Review-side.jpg

Coming to one of the most discussed points of the VAG 2.0 cars which is the AC, I did not find any issues till I had clocked around 9K kms. The cooling is not on par with a lot of other cars but it is surely not as bad what it has been made to look/sound online. I keep the temp at 22 & fan speed at 2 or 3, the cooling I get is more than sufficient even during hot afternoons. Recently, I found that only on one occasion the AC chillness had reduced a bit (when I say a bit, I mean the usual chillness it provides & makes me comfortable when temp is set to 22 felt like the chillness it provides when temp is set to 24). I observed that this occurred only during my recent trip which involved driving continuously & quite spiritedly for more than 240+ kms. Happened during the return journey. In city driving conditions the AC works totally fine as per my expectations. Will watch out for the reoccurrence of this issue (if any) during my next long drive.


As my previous car was the Fiesta 1.6, I was pampered with the mind-blowing handling of that car. The Slavia though is the best handler in its segment along with the Virtus, I still crave for better handling. Heart says to go for Cobra lowering springs but mind says not to do so to keep the warranty intact. It not only improves the handling but also adds to better external looks. As of now, forcing myself to keep it on the back burner. I have got used to the EPS of the Slavia. This was one other thing which I was not happy about initially as the HPS of the Fiesta was the best.

My Skoda Slavia 1.5 DSG | The Blue Tiger | Ownership Review-rear-34.jpg


Recently I gifted a 3 feet X 3 feet & 3 feet X 2 feet photo frames of tiger images taken by me to one of my friends. The boot of the Slavia was a perfect fit for the 3 feet X 3 feet frame & could accommodate it even without folding the rear seat backrest. However, as I had 2nd frame to accommodate, folded the rear seat backrest to accommodate the same. That’s the kind of incredible & usable boot space the Slavia offers.

Added Pharaoh 3D mats a couple of months back for INR 7K. Was packed really well & delivered in less than 48 hours. The fit is perfect & the quality is fantastic. They look very classy & will surely last for a very long time. That’s how good the quality is. They are anti-skid, have the button locks for the front mats (the rear one does not have locks but it fits perfectly) & not once have they moved or slipped accidentally. The raised edges ensure that not a single speck of dust overflows to the carpet. It does not require pressure wash to clean it. Pour some water on the mats & wiping it with a cloth is sufficient to make it look like new. These are any day better than the GFX mats etc.

My Skoda Slavia 1.5 DSG | The Blue Tiger | Ownership Review-driver-side-mat.jpg


My Skoda Slavia 1.5 DSG | The Blue Tiger | Ownership Review-front-passenger-mat.jpg


My Skoda Slavia 1.5 DSG | The Blue Tiger | Ownership Review-rear-mats.jpg

Added the Curated for cars perfume (love the Tobacco Vanilla scent) even though I do not smoke in the car. It smells fantastic & is long lasting. The dispenser looks funky & quality is excellent (made from metal). This particular scent/flavor is mild. No issues with spillage etc. The intensity controller is swivel type. Got a complimentary Coffee scented perfume as well which will last for 30 days as mentioned on the package. Have not used it yet but it smells great too even without unpacking it but is a little strong for my liking. The subsequent liquid refills cost anywhere between INR 500-1000 based on the scent but each refill will easily last for more than 6-7 months. This has been the best car perfume I have used till date. Initially wanted to try the camphor cones but one day travelled to office in one of my colleague’s car which had the camphor cone. By the time we reached office I was reeking of camphor (it is not an exaggeration). It is way too strong for my liking.

My Skoda Slavia 1.5 DSG | The Blue Tiger | Ownership Review-car-perfume.jpg

Met with a small accident a couple of months back. A lady on an active ended up brushing the active against the LHS bottom corner of the rear bumper (can’t imagine how she ended up doing that), LHS front & rear doors of the stationary car. Thanks to the full body PPF, the entire impact on the LHS front & rear doors was absorbed by the PPF & there was not even a minute scratch on either of the doors (body/paint). If not for the PPF, the impact on the doors would have been such that both of them would for sure require painting. However, replaced the rear bumper completely as there was a small dent & did not opt for an insurance claim. Got the work done at TAFE access Hosur Road as they had the part in stock. The entire work was completed & car was handed over in 48 Hrs. Also got the horn replaced with the OEM dual tone one they sell for INR 1.4 or 1.5K. It sounds way better than the stock horn. No warranty impact as it was a plug & play types. Overall, I am very happy with the no nonsense, timely & professional service experience provided by TAFE Access. Got the PPF done from the same place (Xpert car care where I had got it done when I took the delivery of the car) for the LHS front & rear doors & the replaced rear bumper.

My Skoda Slavia 1.5 DSG | The Blue Tiger | Ownership Review-door.jpg


My Skoda Slavia 1.5 DSG | The Blue Tiger | Ownership Review-door1.jpg


My Skoda Slavia 1.5 DSG | The Blue Tiger | Ownership Review-doors.jpg


My Skoda Slavia 1.5 DSG | The Blue Tiger | Ownership Review-bumper.jpg

Have done quite a bit of trips (500 to 600 kms round trip) in the last few months. Have been consistently getting an FE between 15-16.5 KMPL (tankful to tankful method & 100% AC ON). In the city it consistently delivers an average of 10-11.5 KMPL (tankful to tankful & 100% AC ON). From the recent tankful, I covered a distance of 575 KMS, got an FE of 15.3 KMPL (tankful to tankful & 100% AC ON) & 15.5 KMPL (MID). When I filled up the tank again, it gulped 37.6 liters of XP95. This involved around 300 KMS of very good roads (BLR-MYS expressway) + 175 KMS of single lane highways with not so good road conditions (MYS - HD Kote - Kabini) + 100 KMS of city driving. If the last 100 KMS were also driven on highways, then the FE would have surely been more than 16.5 KMPL. I had mentioned in my first post of this thread & am repeating it again, I expected the car to deliver an FE equal to that of my Fiesta 1.6 & anything more than that would be bonus. Overall, this expectation is surpassed & for the kind of performance this car delivers the FE it is returning is incredible. One can surely expect an FE of 17-18 KMPL with cruise control set anywhere between 95-110 km/hr if majority of the distance covered during the trip is on very good roads like the BLR-MYS or Delhi-Mumbai expressway. The ACT (Active Cylinder Tech) is a master stroke. Works flawlessly even in heavy to medium city driving conditions & contributes majorly for better FE. It works even when I am at a speed >20 km/hr & maintaining a consistent speed (even if it is for a short duration) in any gear (2,3,4,5,6,7) by feathering the accelerator pedal to maintain speeds (when cruise control cannot be used kind of conditions). This is something which one will learn over a period of time. Let me also remind you that I always deactivate the auto start/stop functionality before the start of my every single drive. This functionality has zero contribution in the FE figures I am able to get.

Note - The first image was taken right after I refilled to calculate the FE from the previous tankful. So ignore the range of 660 that's showing up.

My Skoda Slavia 1.5 DSG | The Blue Tiger | Ownership Review-refuel1.jpg


My Skoda Slavia 1.5 DSG | The Blue Tiger | Ownership Review-refuel.jpg


The stock wipers have not survived even one monsoon season. For a car costing almost INR 23 Lakhs on road, quality of stock frame type wipers provided is pathetic. They have started leaving streaks when used. Will replace them with some good aftermarket frameless ones soon. Can someone confirm what is the stock size of the wipers in Slavia?

I found the stock LED headlights to be weak ONLY when it rains. Many owners have given similar feedback as well. I guess, I got to live with it as I do not want to upgrade to better LED lights/bulbs mainly because of the voiding warranty crap given by service centers. Maybe I have to start using the fog lamps when it rains. I do not use them at all. Not sure how much of a difference will it make though.

I use wired Android auto (as it is an 8” screen & the same does not get wireless Android Auto) only during trips. It has been working absolutely fine. No issues faced even once. Only gripe is that the intensity of sound/volume when played via Bluetooth is much better/more than when played via Android auto at same volume levels. Guess this how it works in all cars. Kindly correct me if I am wrong. Cannot comment much on wireless charging as my current phone is not wireless charging enabled. However, my better half’s Samsung S20FE gets wirelessly charged as expected but gets heated up if charged for longer durations. No other issues such as wireless charging intermittently working etc faced till date.

The superb ride quality & handling of Slavia even with the average Securadrive tyres from Ceat is something everyone is aware off. I am sure it will be even better with a tyre upgrade (stock size/profile though). Should have done this on day 1 but by getting it done now or in near future I will be able to better gauge & experience the improvement in ride quality & handling. Will run the car on the stock Ceat Securadrives for another 5k kms & then switch to Vredestein Ultrac Vorti’s or Conti UC6’s.

Kudos to the person who came up with the Jopasu duster. Have been using it from the time I got the Slavia & it is a life saver. Dusting the car has never been so easy & less time consuming. It works like a charm. Have to get one for our Honda City too.

My better half added a pre-owned Honda City CVT to our garage a couple of weeks back against my recommendation. It is basically bought & is used by her for her daily office commute. I use it occasionally too on weekends. Will put up a detailed experience & comparison between the 2 cars shortly. But for now, to put it in simple & short words – The monster 1.5 TSI & butter smooth DSG of the Slavia have pampered me so much that the City 1.5 NA CVT feels so dated, lethargic & unenthusiastic. Only thing I found to be better in the Honda City was the AC. Yes, it is definitely better than Slavia & is a chiller. Thinking of replacing the City CVT with a pre-worshipped Rapid 1.0 TSI AT or a facelifted/pre-facelift i20 N-line DCT (new/pre-worshipped) or a pre-worshipped Polo TSI (which I doubt due to insane pricing) in the next 6-8 months or so. VW should have not stopped the production of the Polo TSI. What a gem of a hot hatchback it is. The best I would say. It would have been a perfect city car for our current needs. No wonder the pre-worshipped ones cost a bomb in the used car market.


Last but not the least, I am not able to find a keychain online which is to my liking. Eagerly waiting for the Team-BHP keychains to make a comeback. If any of the members have an extra Team-BHP keychain which they can offer it to me, I would be very grateful.
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