[aditya116]

congrats on your new buy.class choice.just a question though,how do you rate the steering feel,suspension,handling vis a vis that of punto as much is raved about the latter?

[.anshuman]

Originally Posted by aditya116

congrats on your new buy.class choice.just a question though,how do you rate the steering feel,suspension,handling vis a vis that of punto as much is raved about the latter?

From an enthusiast's point of view the Punto has a better steering, it cleares scores over the Laura because of the pure hydraulic unit. Ride is better in Laura. It's too early to comment on the handling, let me log on a few more miles before i reveal all the details.

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by .anshuman

From an enthusiast's point of view the Punto has a better steering, it cleares scores over the Laura because of the pure hydraulic unit.

Now that is some news. Have had the pleasure to drive the GP/Linea and agree, though not a Skoda.

Sadly, most Cars are going electro-hydraulic way (hope I coined the right term).

I hope your ownership will cover the AT aspect over an MT, shall look forward to it.

Congratulations

[.anshuman]

How does it compare to the Yeti? A lot of Laura buyers will have this question their mind when visiting a Skoda dealership, Especially because it's priced very close to the Laura. Luckily i have access to a Yeti which was recently bought by our family friend.

Laura and Yeti share a lot of mechanical parts, in fact the Yeti is based on the same platform as the Laura. They also share the 2.0 CR TDi 140bhp engine. The Yeti comes with a 6 speed manual and the DSG is not available as an option. The Laura MT only comes with the lower state of tune i.e 110bhp(Same as Jetta).

The Laura is made to be used only on roads but the Yeti is design to do a bit of offroading expected from an softroader. Yeti comes with a part time 4wd which activates only when slip is detected. Also the Suspension has a higher travel range to allow some articuation off the road. The gear ratios are different too, Yeti gets much lower ratios(Maybe to compensate for absence of Low range), as a result it feels a bit peppy but is not as relaxed as the Laura. The Laura is quicker too, thanks to the taller gears it's quite more fuel efficient too. And Yes Yeti has the annoying tendency to stall at low rpm, starting at steep incline is a tricky job, even for the experienced.

Compared to the Laura the Yeti's Ride feels a bit tighter, but viewed in isolation i do not find anything wrong with the Yeti's ride. Due to the higher suspension travel it feels a bit absorbent on roads with sharper bumps. The handling again is very car like, on roads with loose gravel the activation of 4wd can easily be made out. Personally i found the Yeti huge fun to drive, it handles like no other softroader does, it's easily a notch above the CRV and the Outlander in the Handling department. Laura in comparison is better to attack the corners but the AWD's absence can easily be made out. Steering feels similar in both cars, though it's nice, a bit more feel and feedback would be welcome.

On the Insides both cars feel very similar, most of the components here are shared. The seating is higher in Yeti, the rear seats recline a bit. Overall space is in the same league. The boot in Yeti is considerably smaller than Laura's huge boot.

Overall the Yeti just like it's sibling Laura is a huge fun to drive car than do a fair bit offroading(not the serious OTRs though). Those looking for a SUV to boost ego may find the Yeti a bit small and lacking the street presence of the larger rivals like Fortuner and Endeavour.

For more details on Yeti search for the official Yeti testdrive thread.

Time for some Pics.

[lamborghini]

@anshuman: If you were still looking for a car today, what would you pick between the Yeti and the Laura? To me, prospective owners will have the same requirements:
- Status
- Comfort
- Drive and Handling.

[ampere]

I see at the Skoda site that TSI elegance is not listed. Is that so?

[vb-saan]

That was a great comparison Anshuman. And the pictures really helped. Thank you

Originally Posted by ampere

I see at the Skoda site that TSI elegance is not listed. Is that so?

Laura TSI is available only in the base variant.

[.anshuman]

Originally Posted by lamborghini

@anshuman: If you were still looking for a car today, what would you pick between the Yeti and the Laura? To me, prospective owners will have the same requirements:
- Status
- Comfort
- Drive and Handling.

For me it will be Laura again, i had driven Yeti before i bought Laura.

1. Status- Yeti does not score too high on road presence or Flaunt factor. The Laura does better.
2. Comfort- Unless you need the extra GC or the ability to hit that lone trail Laura scores better because it's more car like(Because it's actually a car).
3. Drive- Laura scores better due to lower COG but Yeti huge fun to drive too you can't go wrong with either of them. For me lack of DSG in Yeti is a deal breaker. Laura has that extra performance an enthusiast will like.

Originally Posted by ampere

I see at the Skoda site that TSI elegance is not listed. Is that so?

Laura TSi is only available in Ambiente variant.

[suhaas307]

Congratulations Anshuman, on acquiring one of the most sought after mid-sizers in the market. The Laura is a fantastic car, and the colour you've gone in for compliments it pretty well! Solid build quality, comfortable and well-put-together interiors, great looks and German engineering! Just hope that servicing wouldn't be an issue.

We will be looking to replace our Civic sometime next year as well, and we have our cross-hairs aimed at the Laura and the Yeti. We might decide on the Yeti as we frequently leave the city and travel to the townships nearby, apart from our annual Bangalore-Goa-Bangalore road-trips. So the Yeti's added ground-clearance might be the deciding factor for us. It seems to be perfect for us. (the Civic has taken a battering through the rough roads, and we would not want to subject a Skoda to it, for obvious reasons). A Laura on stilts if you will!

Although we would've liked it if the yeti came with the same DSG 'box.

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by .anshuman

For me it will be Laura again, i had driven Yeti before i bought Laura.

Which of these is a more comfortable 5 seater Anshuman?

This would be a deal breaker in many cases. I d go for the Yeti if it seats 5 adults in as much comfort as the Laura does. And by comfort, I mean the amount of space available to all the 5 people on board. I can negate the difference in suspension, ride etc.


Also, is the Laura/Yeti more comfortable than say, the Safari, in the middle row? It is a strange question I know.

[.anshuman]

Originally Posted by n.devdath

Which of these is a more comfortable 5 seater Anshuman?

This would be a deal breaker in many cases. I d go for the Yeti if it seats 5 adults in as much comfort as the Laura does. And by comfort, I mean the amount of space available to all the 5 people on board. I can negate the difference in suspension, ride etc.


Also, is the Laura/Yeti more comfortable than say, the Safari, in the middle row? It is a strange question I know.

Honesty speaking i did not check out the fifth seat in either of these cars. Legroom is good for 6 footers at back, the Yeti's seats also recline a bit.

The Safari in comparison has a bigger seat with more legroom, but the overall ride composure is not even close to the Yeti, Safari suffers from typical constant vertical movement. But Yeti is an entirely different vehicle, i don't think anyone would be cross-shopping between these two, even if someone does, i'd call him Royally confused. Let me make it clear, the Yeti does not have the road presence of bigger SUVs, but despite being a raised offroader it handles beautifully just like best of the hatchbacks. So if you always wanted the ability go on some trails or maybe visit Ladakh in your family car and were not ready to lose your car's manners, all those SUVs looked too big and lacking in driving involvement, Skoda Yeti is the right car for you.

[ACM]

Anshuman - Agree with your selection even if you had to decide again.

I think the Laura is the better bet compared to the Yeti also because a trip to Ladak (with winter clothes) would require a lot of luggage space, and Yeti has that in short supply and frankly would not want to bet even the Laura to Ladak, so neither the Yeti nor the Laura AT are a good bet for Ladak. For Ladak I feel the Safari is the safer bet.

So if you can't take a crossover to Ladak and a Sedan is better on the road, better stick to the Sedan for the road.

[.anshuman]

Originally Posted by ACM

I think the Laura is the better bet compared to the Yeti also because a trip to Ladak (with winter clothes) would require a lot of luggage space, and Yeti has that in short supply and frankly would not want to bet even the Laura to Ladak, so neither the Yeti nor the Laura AT are a good bet for Ladak. For Ladak I feel the Safari is the safer bet.

So if you can't take a crossover to Ladak and a Sedan is better on the road, better stick to the Sedan for the road.

I disagree with your analysis here. The Yeti is a very capable vehicle, the boot may not be as huge as the SUVs but is not that small that it cannot carry 4 passenger's luggage. Obviously unless you plan a month long trip.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by .anshuman

I disagree with your analysis here. The Yeti is a very capable vehicle, the boot may not be as huge as the SUVs but is not that small that it cannot carry 4 passenger's luggage. Obviously unless you plan a month long trip.

Agreed.

In fact, our Civic manages to swallow a week's worth luggage, and we're a family of four, so that's pretty good. As a matter of fact, our Jazz does it too despite being 50-60 liters lesser. The Jazz's boot is so well planned, that it does manage to swallow 5 medium-sized suitcases, and that's as good as an entry-level sedan! And the Yeti, with a similarly planned and designed boot, should do even better!

And the Yeti should be able to handle most of what Ladak can throw at it. A true-blue off-roader will be able to handle it better, obviously. But the Yeti is a better bet than a regular sedan and is competent enough to tackle rough roads, if not breeze through them.

[fi.robin]

Originally Posted by .anshuman

I disagree with your analysis here. The Yeti is a very capable vehicle, the boot may not be as huge as the SUVs but is not that small that it cannot carry 4 passenger's luggage. Obviously unless you plan a month long trip.

If the rack in the boot is removed a lot more space becomes usable. Enough for a Leh trip. I do long trips a lot. I have found Fabia's boot adequate for 4 people's luggage for 10 days, even without removing the rack.