Team-BHP - My '09 Skoda Laura 1.9 Diesel

Long Awaited Review : The all new Skoda Laura 2009

Greetings fellow petrosexuals! I bought the new skoda laura elegance 2 months back. Been enjoying every moment of this beauty since I got it. Got the car from Vinayak Motors, Bangalore. After reading all the horrible reviews about Tafe, i decided to stay clear and as far away from them as possible. Here's what I think of the new baby from Czech Republic:

Dealership: Vinayak a little better but still horrible when it comes to keeping their word and honesty. Was promised a black car but later told me that its no longer being manufactured, so bought the Brilliant Silver!

Pricing: 18.6 lakhs; got a discount of 15K after haggling with the GM

Styling & lights: The car looks more elegant and classy when compared to its older sibling but less sporty. The headlight assemble when viewd from the side has a resemblance to the Merc c-class. The Laura badge is built into the assembly...a nice touch! The projectors look awesome and are bigger than the older laura's. However, no xenon headlights which is very sad. I'm a big light person so i checked with multiple places regarding fitting philips HID kit. But apparantly, skoda's electricals does not match any aftermarket products. So, i'm thinking of putting Philips blue vision which are the closest i can get to xenons. No coming-home or 'leaving-home' function.

Wheels: 16" alloys with a fresh design. looks a little more stylish than the plain rectangular ones on the older laura

Interiors: Majority of the changes have been made here. Wooden panels and more chrome has been added. The gear shifter is black in color, so less chances of getting dirty quickly. extra storage box under passenger seat, good idea! Otherwise, fully beige interiors with white backlight for the meters. New steering wheel taken from the Supurb (4 spoke). The climatronic is new and is the same being used in the Supurb. A/C has been improved and made more powerful to suit indian conditions.

Engine: I bought the 1.9 TDI. Still sounds the same as the older model but has been refined and tuned to give higher mileage. Its extremely responsive and the 'sport' mode is a rage! Less turbo lag compared to the older laura. DSG is fantastic!

Stereo: 8 speaker system. Skoda "audio Swing" is the new system being used. Sounds Awesome. Has extra features/options to connect external devices and phone via bluetooth.

Drawbacks: No sunroof, no xenons, no headlamp washers.
Pros: Great styling and road presense. People actually stop what they're doing and druel at the car, esp. girls!

Thats all for now folks... Feel free to write back regarding any experiences you may have with the car!
I've driven 1200 km and yet to complete the 'running-in' period!

Where the new Laura is better.

1) Petrol 168 bhp engine - faster than even the V6 Accord in real life conditions at about half the price. - who needs a VRS.
2) New diesel 140 Bhp - best of both worlds - power and fuel effenciency
3) smaller size parking sensors better the looks.
4) LCD touch screen entertainment and parking system in top model.

where it lags be earlier model
1) Earlier model lights actually gave a more classy look.
2) Sun roof
3) Xenon lights in L&K. (even the the new L&K has it.)
4) Alloy wheels - earlier model lights were better.
5) rough terrain package - Black spoiler below front and rear bumpers, side skits and on door sides.
6) Earlier side view mirrors looked better, but the newer ones have better visibility.

A case of you win some you loose some.

Congrats Kiranjoshy! If i were to write a review, it wouldn't be very different. I have similar views on the car. Mine is an Elegance 1.9TDI A/T too. Had booked mine in early June. Had 'booked' Black. Later got a call from the dealer that black is not manufactured for Elegance trim, so either change the variant or the color (agreed it was his fault of not informing earlier and booking the car in black). Settled for white. Looks awesome! Here are some pictures of her: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...h-4000-km.html
Got delivery on 13 July as i had delayed the purchase because i was in two minds with the Superb. Finally when i told the dealer i wanted a White Superb 1.8 TSI, he heartlessly informed me of a waiting period of 3 1/2 months. While my white Laura was already in stock! As i could not wait, just got the Laura. Stuck to Elegance and did not go for L&K as i did not want to have the guilt of not paying a lakh more and getting the Superb! stupid:

The car sure is beautiful and in the first month people used to stare at it, though it's kind of reduced now. Mine has been here for a little over 3 months and has done 7000 kms. Except for a few issues, everything else is fine.

Can u please check the following for me?
1. The driver side ORVM is a plane mirror with bad visibility. Left side ORVM is a convex mirror.
2. The ORVMs do not heat even though they should in Elegance. (dealer checked with VAS and said they are programmed to heat when the ambient temperature is below 20 deg Cel. He is awaiting the required software to come from Skoda so that he can change the settings for me! On my Octavia there is no temperature condition.)
3. The ORVMs are not dimming like the centre RVM. Again they should in Elegance. (dealer said everything is fine. Maybe i have just gone blind with all that high beam from the tailing vehicle shining into my eyes.)
4. The AC vents used for defogging of windshield 'leak' air sometimes and my cause misting of windshield. Just a small fix. Satisfactory.

If you have any other issues, kindly let us know too.
Have fun with the beautiful beast!

Quote:

Originally Posted by ACM (Post 1531270)

Where the new Laura is better.

3) Xenon lights in L&K. (even the the new L&K has it.)
4) Alloy wheels - earlier model lights were better.
5) rough terrain package - Black spoiler below front and rear bumpers, side skits and on door sides.
6) Earlier side view mirrors looked better, but the newer ones have better visibility.

A case of you win some you loose some.

6) The new side mirrors are same as Superb and very similar to the A4. The old ones were too small. IMO the new ones are a good improvement.
4) The 6 spoke alloys on the older Laura were better than the current 6 spoke alloys on the Elegance.
3) No Xenons for Elegance! :Frustrati But xenons were available standard only on the L&K earlier too. The same now. I had asked dealer to put xenons on my Elegance. I was told the entire assembly needs to be changed. A pair is for Rs. 60,000/-

Can u please check the following for me?
1. The driver side ORVM is a plane mirror with bad visibility. Left side ORVM is a convex mirror.
2. The ORVMs do not heat even though they should in Elegance. (dealer checked with VAS and said they are programmed to heat when the ambient temperature is below 20 deg Cel. He is awaiting the required software to come from Skoda so that he can change the settings for me! On my Octavia there is no temperature condition.)
3. The ORVMs are not dimming like the centre RVM. Again they should in Elegance. (dealer said everything is fine. Maybe i have just gone blind with all that high beam from the tailing vehicle shining into my eyes.)
4. The AC vents used for defogging of windshield 'leak' air sometimes and my cause misting of windshield. Just a small fix. Satisfactory.

Hi Akki,

Glad to hear about someone else who's as excited as i am with the new Laura! Regarding your queries....

1. ORVM's are better than the old laura; bigger but still visibility is poor and cant be trusted. Esp. distance of vehicles

2. Your doubt regarding dimming of ORVMs at night. Well they do dim but the single sensor for all three mirrors is located in the central reversing mirror on the inside, so even if a high beam is hitting the OVRM, if the inside mirror sensor does not pick this up then the OVRMs would not be dimmed.

3. I covered 1500 km finally and am planning to get oil change and filter change. Dont listen to company regarding oil change intervals. I've done extensive research on engines, esp. diesels. The shorter the duration between oil-changes, the healthier for the engine!

4. Regarding the lack of xenons. I'm planning on installing 'Philips Blue vision' H7 bulbs for the projectors since these are the closest i can get to aftermarket xenons. I would but philips xenons but every single expert i've spoken to has told me that skoda's circuits are incompatible with aftermarket xenons. I'm also installing the "hybrid" white-colored park lights. Only problem is that after i contacted the Philips dealers here, there is no stock of "blue vision" or "crystal vision" anywhere in karnataka! Could you please check for me at your place. 55w H7 Philips blue vision.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kiranjoshy (Post 1552009)

3. I covered 1500 km finally and am planning to get oil change and filter change. Dont listen to company regarding oil change intervals. I've done extensive research on engines, esp. diesels. The shorter the duration between oil-changes, the healthier for the engine!

4. Regarding the lack of xenons. I'm planning on installing 'Philips Blue vision' H7 bulbs for the projectors since these are the closest i can get to aftermarket xenons. I would but philips xenons but every single expert i've spoken to has told me that skoda's circuits are incompatible with aftermarket xenons. I'm also installing the "hybrid" white-colored park lights. Only problem is that after i contacted the Philips dealers here, there is no stock of "blue vision" or "crystal vision" anywhere in karnataka! Could you please check for me at your place. 55w H7 Philips blue vision.

hey
thanks for the info. will update you on the phillips bulbs as and when i get any info.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jigbarai (Post 1552644)

Hey -
Glad that you brought this up. It happnes on my Fabia also, at times.
What was the fix done for this ?

just complain to your service center, they'll fix it up. basically they need to readjust the ac vents in the defogger to close completely when the defogger is switched off.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Akki_5 (Post 1642040)

@ kiranjoshy - your car is an Elegance 1.9 TDI? is it A/T or M/T?
what is the kind of FE you're getting out of your car? mine gives about 6kpl in city and 12kpl on highway. When i was about to buy the car, the sales guys told me that it gives 12kpl in city and 18kpl on highway. a whole load of crap, i say.
i filled fuel for about Rs. 1000 (@36.70 Rs/L) bucks and it ran 180 km on it!

Akki,
I own Laura 1.9PD ambiente (2008 model though), and I get anywhere between 10-13kpl in city and 17kpl on highway consistently whatever the driving style be.
On highway, on a sedate driving and almost cruising all the time at 80-85kph for about 200kms drive yielded close to 20kpl, that is the best I have ever got on my car.