Firstly, i know these two cars are placed at all together different segments but i had to check out and compare these two cos i had to choose between the two ... Having said that IMO these cars does make a lot of sense to be compared ,believe me they are very much alike ...
I took the test drive of both the cars on monday(sorry for posting a lil late as i was lil busy) ,the Laura and the Octavia ..
It was a short test drive though ,but was sufficient to open the mind .
DESIGN :
Laura : The front end is totally changed and that differs it from what looks like any other octavia . The side is exactly the same and the rear is somewhat kinda looks Facelifted ... Its only the front that makes it look different otherwise even a trained (Bhpian) eye would be in two minds(espically when we look from the sides).
I dont think there much to say between the two except that the Laura is margionally more Bigger(2-3 inches) Wider (1-2 inches) Taller (2-3 inches) .
ENGINE :
As we all know ,the engines are the same but the technology is different ...
I revved hard both the cars and TBH i did NOT find any difference in the acceleration of the two ... Both the engines are equally noisy .. the Laura def has a better tuned engine but i was unable to find out any difference in the initial acceleration. (it could be because one is a manual whereas the other has the DSG) .
The true comparsion would take place when we compare the Laura manual .
ENGINE - SAME(seems that way) .
INTERIORS
Now this is one of those areas where i was not able to distinguish between the two ,as i ve said many a times ,the Space is more or less the same in both the cars(except the rear passenger seat,which marginally has more leg room)
but believe me guys no matter what ,you CANNOT seat 3 people at the back due to the lack of shoulder room and that is inexcusable in a car of Rs. 18 lacs
The Material used in the Laura is of a very High Quality ,better than the Octavia , Accord ,Camry , the best in the class ... The one with the black body color has a two tone (black+beige) interiors and let me tell you ,it looks fantastic ,very pleasing to eyes and the Doors shut with now even more of that "THUD" sound ... Once you shut the doors ,you leave the outside world where it belongs ,the car is very quiet inside(its only the engine sound) ,quieter than the Octavia ...
The drivers seat is electrically adjustable and there are host of
features you get in the Laura ....
SPACE - SAME(nearly)
QUALITY - LAURA .
GEARBOX :
We all are familiar with the fantastic gearbox the Octavia has ..
The laura has the DSG and guys believe me the best part i liked about the Laura is the DSG(all those guys who praised it and were going gaga over this new technology were not wrong by any means) ..
Man,the way it changes gear is just impeccable ,you dont actually feel it ... All you have to do is push the throttle and enjoy the seamless gear change .. In one word FANTASTIC .
GEARBOX - The DSG in a league of its own .
RIDE QUALITY :
The ride quality again was nearly the same in the two (atleast in the front) ,very comfortable and soaking up all the bumps with ease ,giving a plush ride on all kind of roads ... The laura seemed marginally better on the rough roads though . But overall excellent ride quality in both ...
RIDE QUALITY - Laura better but just by a whisker .
VFM Factor :
Now thats where the octavia which is priced at 12ish ON ROAD makes you feel special , i mean the car which is getting compared to the Lura priced at 18n lacs (i know the Octavia is not a direct competitor ,but when you sit in both ,compare both ,you do get a sense they are very much alike) must be truly something ...
and after driving the Octavia i feel the Laura is way OVERPRICED ..
IMHO ,A car of its size ,catogery should not be priced this high . I agree the car has all the world class features and loads and loads of safety features too but that does not change the overall feel of the car ....
Now ,tomorrow if you get the same features in the Honda City and the price of 11-12 lacs ,nobody of us would go and buy it cos that place/category belongs to the Civic ,not the NHC .
VFM = Octavia by farrrr ...
Bring in the base version of Laura at 14ish and that could turn the tables .
The Laura as we all know in real is the NEW OCTAVIA and it clearly shows when you compare the two .
P.s. While i was standing at the red light, i was looking here and there to find out whether it is a Head-turner and if people were giving a second look to the Laura but i must say i was not impressed ... It was way less than the kinda impression a 18 lac rupee
Newly launched car should get ..
I feel, even few years after its launch ,the Accord does make the Head turn when compared to the Newly launched "Laura" .