[shuvc]

Originally Posted by GTO

Thought to ponder upon; VW has priced the Jetta lower than the Laura. This is actually a first as, worldwide, VW's are more expensive compared to their Skoda counterparts. Has VW accepted that the Skoda is a more luxurious brand in India?

The price might be slightly lower, but doesn't the Jetta have lesser features than the Laura? A Jetta with the same equipment level as the Laura DSG L&K would surely cost more.

But yes, the general perception would still tend to be that the Jetta is cheaper than the Laura.

Let's see where the new Superb is priced vis-a-vis the Passat.

[anandbhat]

Originally Posted by GTO

If your car has mechanical seat adjustment, you haven't opted for the top-end variant which has all the gizmos. Which gizmos do you like in particular?

Yes, as stated in earlier thread I settled for Ambiente, which is low end model of Laura against top-end L&K of Octavia.
Following are nice on Laura compared to Octavia (not between L&K and Ambeiente versions of Laura itself)
+ Full automatic windows (can be controlled through remote as well)
+ ICE is better
+ Triptronics with large display (larger than Octy)
+ front seat hand rest (larger compared to Octy)
+ remote fuel lid & tail gate opening
And some more that are not on top-of my mind.

Originally Posted by GTO

The biggest problem of the Octavia is its smallish cabin....space is at a serious premium. Forget the rear, a tallish person stays uncomfortable even in the front seat!!

Space was not a big concern for me, having driven Accent Viva all along last 4 years... and I'm not that tall as well.
A self driven car and small family ==> no major need for big back seat (but would have loved to have more leg space in the back seat compared to huge boot!

[GTO]

Originally Posted by shuvc

The price might be slightly lower, but doesn't the Jetta have lesser features than the Laura? A Jetta with the same equipment level as the Laura DSG L&K would surely cost more.

In my opinion, thats even more of a downmarket image. Look, we aren't even as gizmo-loaded as the other luxury brand!

[s0uljah]

My cousin is in the market for a new gaadi and we are letting the 2.5 year old Getz go instead of the 5 year old Lancer. The lancer has been repainted, shod with new rubber, a K&N and free-flow giving it a new lease of life. Its still going strong

So my suggestion was the Passat. What happened was upon inquiry he was told it would cost close to 30,000,00 INR and this kind of ruled it out. Stretch some more and your in Beamer theen series territory!

We visited the dealer yesterday (Ganesha habba) and were only allowed to inspect and not given a TD as it was a holiday. Apparently this the only dealership for the entire Southern region at the moment. Approx 45 cars have been delivered. Black commands a waiting period. This is a CKD and apparently the German plants have faced an overwhelming demand for black in particular.

1. The car is striking with the VW standing proud on the grill and yet understated. Its not so much of a head turner. Rear is almost identical to that of the Passat because of the tailamp design and the 'Rear Euro fog lamps'.

2. Ground clearance is great and the rubber is from Continental and 205/55 with 16" VW rims. Build quality is apparent. Just get in and pull the door shut you will know what I mean.

3. Display/trip meter is in red which makes for great visibility.

4. Manual seat adjustments but lumbar support is electronically controlled.

5. Interiors. You get that feel of quality once your inside... like the Skoda's. 3 colour options for the interiors, beige, light grey and dark grey/black. They beige is absolutely disgusting!!

6. The AT model comes with 10 drivers, 6 cd changer and a handy steering remote. The entry level variant has a single cd player with 8 drivers. AT has 8 airbags and the entry level has 6 airbags. Couple more differences that have slipped my mind now.

7. The console lighting is a blueish/amethyst sort of colour. Really nice and different. Taking photo's of the interior/console is apparently not allowed so I didnt bother with that either.

8. High/Low are both halogen in a reflector assembly with no projector setup.

We left after getting a general impression of the vehicle leaving our details for an appointment.

Today we got a call from Abhilash who said he would bring a TD car around to the office. Its nice that they offer the fully loaded variant for TD and not just the entry level.

TD Experience :

FYI my daily drive is a DDiS shod with 205/55/15.

1. I didnt fire her up as I just switched with the driver. Engine noise is apparent but not a bother. There's no clatter or vibration but noise level seemed high to me.

2. There seems to be some amount of turbo lag.. or maybe its its because Iv not driven an AT for a while now so its just the responsiveness of regular vs AT. But then my cousin also commented upon it... seems like 1k mark is when its coming alive slowly. Might be wrong about this.

3. Driving in traffic/low rpm's is a breeze and no stress at all. We were stuck in a major jam as we returned to town and I wasnt fatigued at all. You just dont feel the steering to be heavy or a sluggishness when traffic is crawling.

4. Sport mode is handy for when you want to use the paddle shift. Havent used the Civic paddle shift but have heard complaints about it. The paddle on the jetta is sweet to use and can be fun once you get used to it I reckon!

5. We didnt have much time and peak traffic was also building so didnt get to check on high speed stability (120+). But I can only assume that it has great potential. Breaking is smooth and the suspension also seems like it can handle whats thrown ahead of it.

6. My cousin was complaining about the centre seating in the rear. Seems like it will not accomodate someone comfortably due to the arm rest provided.

7. Turning radius is great. From a stop you can just steer out like a small car and pull away. This is great for Bangalore traffic.. you dont feel the actual size.

Now comes the interesting part, I was telling the sales guy how I was pitching for the Passat but the cost doesnt justify it. And then he gave us the actual cost of the entry level (approx 26,00,000 INR).

Now after some research it seems like the cars are a couple of lakhs cheaper in MH than KA!!! Whopping savings on the car even taking into consideration the 3x tax in MH for Corporate regn.

So next comes the Passat TD experince cheers:

[theMAG]

Sainik,

If they have a buy 2 get something free offer, your cousin and Viddy can book together.

[s0uljah]

I dont know about that thewag.

As of now they have absolutely no accessories to offer. Consignment hasnt even been shipped from Germany.

Also if a purchase is made it would be in MH considering there is a difference of couple of lakh rupee's between states.

Here's a pic of the bay that I forgot to add earlier.

[Vid6639]

Yeah no mudflaps or the VW parking sensors.

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by vid6639

Yeah no mudflaps or the VW parking sensors.

While you are in the US, you might be able to pick em up for a lot less than over here!

[kuttapan]

I had a chance to ride shotgun in the GLI model and was impressed by the way the suspension handles bad patches of road. Not potholes but lot of undulations/irregular surfaces etc, which would have been felt by the passenger in say an accord/camry did not transmit into the cabin at all.

[rahuldeodhar]

I noticed VW is pricing Jetta lower in Mumbai v/s delhi and rest of India (ex-showroom). Is it to equalize on road prices?

Can someone please clarify?

This is first time I am noticing this kind of pricing.

RD

[s0uljah]

Yep Rahul it was surprising for us too! Thats enabled my cousin to go with the Passat instead of the Jetta

[rahuldeodhar]

Good let me look at the Passat as well

[rahuldeodhar]

Boy I am confused

Jetta and Passat have similar engines

Passat has lower boot space as compared to Jetta

Jetta is lighter by ~ 200 kgs and slower than Passat

leg room is lower in Passat (thats ridiculous - but it says so in the brochure)

Passat has bi-xenons - but the pics show bi-xenons only on few pics - rest have LB xenons and hibeams standard.

Am I seeing things or what?

RD

[GTO]

Jetta and Passat have similar engines

Jetta is lighter by ~ 200 kgs and slower than Passat

Passat has 35 more horses!

[s0uljah]

Originally Posted by rahuldeodhar

Passat has bi-xenons - but the pics show bi-xenons only on few pics - rest have LB xenons and hibeams standard.

Passat DSG-S has the Bi-Xenons +cleaners, Sun roof, Parking sensors etc etc.

Passat DSG- has a projector Low beam with halogen, and high beam reflector with halogen.

The Passat felt a little more sluggish to start off with than the Jetta but boy oh boy the Passat is