Snow white Skoda Laura 2.0 DSG

amitk2kin · 24th March 2011, 13:19

My garage had a Swift 2007, Vxi (ABS) NHC Vtec 2007, ANHC VMT, 2009. And it was time to upgrade and set my Swift free and with the change in my job wanted to upgrade. Was using my Vtec to office and back, in bumper to bumper traffic in Mumbai of a total of 50Km per day. I am sick of having a manual car, wanted a auto with the milage same or better than my Vtec.

I am 6" feet tall, like to have a car that has some punch and pleasure to drive, so in December 2010 started my quest for a new car. Had crawled the forums and seen some amazing review of the Civic AT, Laura AT and Cruze AT. So these were my options, being a Honda owner, knew Civic was a good choice, but wasn’t too sure to the milage.

TD Time:-

TD of the civic was good, I loved the AT and white color just was perfect for me, the paddle shift worked beautifully. The seating was low to my liking overall, it was something that I wanted only if the milage was better! The honda dealership was very nice the overall experience was fantastic. The sales rep knew about the car and explained everything in details. The car was clean and had 10k on the odo! The car left an impression on me,as I moved to the next dealership!

Next Was the Cruze, with prior appointment they had a new AT, liked the car from the outside, the overall road presence was awesome. However the interiors were not upto my liking, the features like the cruse control, Sun roof, start button, steering mounted controls were nice. The car had power and punch, somehow, it just did not prompt me to spend my money on. The dealership experience was good, the sales rep knew his car and was attended to very well, over all experience was good!

Next door was Skoda dealership, Saw the laura on display, was love struck! They had a TD car, had 15k on the odo, and I justed loved the way she drove. DSG was as smooth as silk, the shift was just awesome, far better than the Honda or the Chevy, in my opinion! In the "D" mode she was super! It was like I was driving the car that knew when to shift the gears, was like I would do. After a drive of about 3 Kms, the sales guys asked to shift it in "S" mode ! Wooooooo! I cant explain the feeling, it was the sheer power that made me forget the Cruze and the Civic.

Once I came out, I had made up my mind, Laura it is for me. Knowing the potential pit falls that could be with A.S.S, what the heck some time you listen to your heart and not your head!

On the 20th December I visited both Autobhann and JMD for discount and final offer! Both the dealers were aggressive to give discounts and freebies, but AutoBhann did not have a white in Stock, JMD did. So after all the negotiations, I cut a cheque on JMD, to block the car. The Date as per the panditji was 17th JAN, so I had to wait till I could get my hands on her.

JDM team was okay, but not as aggressive as the Linkway Honda, based on my past experience of buying two honda's. I wanted to see the car before registration, had to check the car based on the check list that we have on the forum, JMD agreed to pay the octroi and get the car to the showroom, post the inspection of the car and my acceptance they would send it for a registration.

I saw the car on the 11th Jan at their showroom, and she was perfect! Has 96km on the odo. Had a couple of couple of friends who came along for the inspection and after spending 2 hours, we went back , happy!

From the 11th to 16th I would have slept for 3-4 hours a night as all I could see was a laura! Finally on the 17th I reached there with my folks , must tell you, it was love at first site! She was just awesome, the paper work took 20 mins, post that the puja took 20 mins more, finally I got the keys to My Laura! They gave me a demo of the car, the do n don’t for DSG, before I knew I was on the road!

The feeling was just awesome to start with, driving in the evening, in a brand new car, bigger than what you are use to and AT, was not as simple that I assumed it to be but i sailed home!

My fist impressions:-

The fit and finish was simple, good and functional, build to last!
The AC was awesome!
The rear view mirrors are smaller than the Honda, they have blind spot!
The pick up and power is just amazing
The seating is very comfortable
The steering is heavy as compared to Honda but precise

Over all Happy man! Attached are few pic, loads more to come!

Auto_Fan · 24th March 2011, 13:29

Congratulations on your new car! Laura is my favourite car of the segment.
Do you mind disclosing the OTR prize?

akhilesh51 · 24th March 2011, 13:44

Congratulations! The color adds finesse to car's character.

amitk2kin · 24th March 2011, 13:56

18.2 lac's on road Mumbai with corporate registration

Swooper · 24th March 2011, 14:18

Congrats Amit,

Your engine deserves a coconut under the tyre to crush ... A lesser size engine can do only a lemon ... lol

Happy and safe driving !!!

Cesc · 24th March 2011, 14:31

Congrats! Your avatar pic changed pretty soon

. Hope the car gives you years of trouble free ownership.

amitk2kin · 24th March 2011, 15:37

@ swooper, couldn't agree with you more!

@ Cesc, I hope the same!

trumpcard · 24th March 2011, 16:24

congrats for the sexy acquisition!!!!!You will never have a dull moment with this car.by the way this looks like the ambient version.

amitk2kin · 28th April 2011, 18:44

Last weekend took the Laura for long drive, the trip was from Mumbai to Shridi via Nasik and back! This trip was for visiting the holy shrine and to drive the beast on the open roads! The overall trip was 523KM and with a 1/100 mileage for the trip 5.3 or 18.86kmpl, with AC on with 4 people, at a constant speed between 80 to 110 kmph and at one stretch pushed the peddle with a peak speak of 186Kmph. The high speed stability is commendable, felt that car would do better than that, but I have passed that age to risk it! Happy to enjoy the ride in the rage 80 to 110 kmph!

The rear Aircon vents are a boon for the passengers on the rear seat and the luggage holding point in the boot come really handy. Over all experience was excellent, the Laura on the highway is just superb! The Mumbai Nasik stretch has good tar roads as compared to the Mumbai Pune express way with concrete IMHO. The ride was silky smooth the car was very well planted on the road, while descending on the Ghats moved the car in the manual shift for better control.

So far I have 3200kms on the odo, the only down side that I see is the rear view mirrors, as there is blind spot that exists. I have seen cars have these circular convex mirror stick on’s, I am sure they can help, will check out those over the week end. Any suggestions for the rear view mirrors.

On the way back after getting into mumbai, had a rickshaw run into the car, have right side tail light damaged, will have it replaced over the weekend. Also have been a victim of the logo thieves! The rear logo is missing, got flicked when I had parked the car near powai yesterday. Need to get that fixed as well.

After I lost the rear logo started noticing that many of Skoda’s/VW don’t have logos, among other cars. I have seen cars with a skoda sticker’s, maybe that’s an option to explore if the logo go’s missing again. The cost quoted by JMD is Rs.1100 plus taxes for the logo.

Have been contemplating to upgrade the head lights to HID, need to do some research on kits that are available that can be done without major alteration to the existing wiring. Will search the forum to see if any similar upgrades have been done

amitk2kin · 28th April 2011, 18:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by trumpcard

congrats for the sexy acquisition!!!!!You will never have a dull moment with this car.by the way this looks like the ambient version.

Yes, it is the ambient version!

mikon · 29th April 2011, 16:08

Congratulations on the Car!!
Regarding the HID, i would suggest you to upgrade from the skoda dealer itself. Personally i love the skoda HIDs.
The salesman told me it costs about 18k to upgrade. I need to confirm it.

Dry Ice · 30th April 2011, 15:51

Congrats Amit! Skoda does make beautiful cars, only suspect being the service part. However, there seems to be a drop in the horror stories about them, with newer owners reporting a better/good experience at the service centers! Hope it stays enjoyable for you too!

And do post some more shots, complete profile and interiors!

amitk2kin · 2nd May 2011, 19:12

I got the tail light and logo replaced, from JMD! The workshop was nothing compared to the LinkWay Honda that I am use to! Never the less, the job was done in under 30 mins!

I spoke to them for HID upgrade, they are quoting 18k per set, I need two sets, one each for the low and high beam. I asked them about the brand, thought these would be Skoda OEM, but they mentioned these are P4!

Checked out with other car dealers, the P4 kit is for 7k, I don't really know if i should get these fitted from the Skoda dealer and pay 11k extra! View's please?

.anshuman · 2nd May 2011, 19:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by amitk2kin

I spoke to them for HID upgrade, they are quoting 18k per set, I need two sets, one each for the low and high beam. I asked them about the brand, thought these would be Skoda OEM, but they mentioned these are P4!

18k per pair for P4 is daylight robbery. You can get Philips genuine HIDs sets for less than 10k with bill and warranty.

amitk2kin · 6th May 2011, 22:55

@anshuman, I agree with you, will check out philips hid kits, on a side note, have noticed black power on the front wheels, spoke to the jms guys, as per them it is from the break pads! Is that what is? Have other Laura ownes noticed that?

24th March 2011, 13:19	#1
amitk2kin BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Mumbai Posts: 108 Thanked: 51 Times	Snow white Skoda Laura 2.0 DSG My garage had a Swift 2007, Vxi (ABS) NHC Vtec 2007, ANHC VMT, 2009. And it was time to upgrade and set my Swift free and with the change in my job wanted to upgrade. Was using my Vtec to office and back, in bumper to bumper traffic in Mumbai of a total of 50Km per day. I am sick of having a manual car, wanted a auto with the milage same or better than my Vtec. I am 6" feet tall, like to have a car that has some punch and pleasure to drive, so in December 2010 started my quest for a new car. Had crawled the forums and seen some amazing review of the Civic AT, Laura AT and Cruze AT. So these were my options, being a Honda owner, knew Civic was a good choice, but wasn’t too sure to the milage. TD Time:- TD of the civic was good, I loved the AT and white color just was perfect for me, the paddle shift worked beautifully. The seating was low to my liking overall, it was something that I wanted only if the milage was better! The honda dealership was very nice the overall experience was fantastic. The sales rep knew about the car and explained everything in details. The car was clean and had 10k on the odo! The car left an impression on me,as I moved to the next dealership! Next Was the Cruze, with prior appointment they had a new AT, liked the car from the outside, the overall road presence was awesome. However the interiors were not upto my liking, the features like the cruse control, Sun roof, start button, steering mounted controls were nice. The car had power and punch, somehow, it just did not prompt me to spend my money on. The dealership experience was good, the sales rep knew his car and was attended to very well, over all experience was good! Next door was Skoda dealership, Saw the laura on display, was love struck! They had a TD car, had 15k on the odo, and I justed loved the way she drove. DSG was as smooth as silk, the shift was just awesome, far better than the Honda or the Chevy, in my opinion! In the "D" mode she was super! It was like I was driving the car that knew when to shift the gears, was like I would do. After a drive of about 3 Kms, the sales guys asked to shift it in "S" mode ! Wooooooo! I cant explain the feeling, it was the sheer power that made me forget the Cruze and the Civic. Once I came out, I had made up my mind, Laura it is for me. Knowing the potential pit falls that could be with A.S.S, what the heck some time you listen to your heart and not your head! On the 20th December I visited both Autobhann and JMD for discount and final offer! Both the dealers were aggressive to give discounts and freebies, but AutoBhann did not have a white in Stock, JMD did. So after all the negotiations, I cut a cheque on JMD, to block the car. The Date as per the panditji was 17th JAN, so I had to wait till I could get my hands on her. JDM team was okay, but not as aggressive as the Linkway Honda, based on my past experience of buying two honda's. I wanted to see the car before registration, had to check the car based on the check list that we have on the forum, JMD agreed to pay the octroi and get the car to the showroom, post the inspection of the car and my acceptance they would send it for a registration. I saw the car on the 11th Jan at their showroom, and she was perfect! Has 96km on the odo. Had a couple of couple of friends who came along for the inspection and after spending 2 hours, we went back , happy! From the 11th to 16th I would have slept for 3-4 hours a night as all I could see was a laura! Finally on the 17th I reached there with my folks , must tell you, it was love at first site! She was just awesome, the paper work took 20 mins, post that the puja took 20 mins more, finally I got the keys to My Laura! They gave me a demo of the car, the do n don’t for DSG, before I knew I was on the road! The feeling was just awesome to start with, driving in the evening, in a brand new car, bigger than what you are use to and AT, was not as simple that I assumed it to be but i sailed home! My fist impressions:- The fit and finish was simple, good and functional, build to last! The AC was awesome! The rear view mirrors are smaller than the Honda, they have blind spot! The pick up and power is just amazing The seating is very comfortable The steering is heavy as compared to Honda but precise Over all Happy man! Attached are few pic, loads more to come! Attached Thumbnails Last edited by amitk2kin : 24th March 2011 at 13:21. Reason: Mod's need help in morphing the number plate pls
	(2) Thanks

24th March 2011, 13:29	#2
Auto_Fan BHPian Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Pune Posts: 45 Thanked: 4 Times	re: Snow white Skoda Laura 2.0 DSG Congratulations on your new car! Laura is my favourite car of the segment. Do you mind disclosing the OTR prize?
	() Thanks

24th March 2011, 13:44	#3
akhilesh51 BHPian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Jaipur, RAJ Posts: 631 Thanked: 339 Times	re: Snow white Skoda Laura 2.0 DSG Congratulations! The color adds finesse to car's character.
	() Thanks

24th March 2011, 13:56	#4
amitk2kin BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Mumbai Posts: 108 Thanked: 51 Times	re: Snow white Skoda Laura 2.0 DSG 18.2 lac's on road Mumbai with corporate registration
	() Thanks

24th March 2011, 14:18	#5
Swooper BHPian Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Chennai Posts: 25 Thanked: 6 Times	re: Snow white Skoda Laura 2.0 DSG Congrats Amit, Your engine deserves a coconut under the tyre to crush ... A lesser size engine can do only a lemon ... lol Happy and safe driving !!!
	() Thanks

24th March 2011, 14:31	#6
Cesc BHPian Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Philly, Gurgaon Posts: 651 Thanked: 286 Times	re: Snow white Skoda Laura 2.0 DSG Congrats! Your avatar pic changed pretty soon . Hope the car gives you years of trouble free ownership.
	() Thanks

24th March 2011, 15:37	#7
amitk2kin BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Mumbai Posts: 108 Thanked: 51 Times	re: Snow white Skoda Laura 2.0 DSG @ swooper, couldn't agree with you more! @ Cesc, I hope the same!
	() Thanks

24th March 2011, 16:24	#8
trumpcard BHPian Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Gurgaon Posts: 103 Thanked: 32 Times	re: Snow white Skoda Laura 2.0 DSG congrats for the sexy acquisition!!!!!You will never have a dull moment with this car.by the way this looks like the ambient version.
	() Thanks

28th April 2011, 18:44	#9
amitk2kin BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Mumbai Posts: 108 Thanked: 51 Times	Re: Snow white Skoda Laura 2.0 DSG Last weekend took the Laura for long drive, the trip was from Mumbai to Shridi via Nasik and back! This trip was for visiting the holy shrine and to drive the beast on the open roads! The overall trip was 523KM and with a 1/100 mileage for the trip 5.3 or 18.86kmpl, with AC on with 4 people, at a constant speed between 80 to 110 kmph and at one stretch pushed the peddle with a peak speak of 186Kmph. The high speed stability is commendable, felt that car would do better than that, but I have passed that age to risk it! Happy to enjoy the ride in the rage 80 to 110 kmph! The rear Aircon vents are a boon for the passengers on the rear seat and the luggage holding point in the boot come really handy. Over all experience was excellent, the Laura on the highway is just superb! The Mumbai Nasik stretch has good tar roads as compared to the Mumbai Pune express way with concrete IMHO. The ride was silky smooth the car was very well planted on the road, while descending on the Ghats moved the car in the manual shift for better control. So far I have 3200kms on the odo, the only down side that I see is the rear view mirrors, as there is blind spot that exists. I have seen cars have these circular convex mirror stick on’s, I am sure they can help, will check out those over the week end. Any suggestions for the rear view mirrors. On the way back after getting into mumbai, had a rickshaw run into the car, have right side tail light damaged, will have it replaced over the weekend. Also have been a victim of the logo thieves! The rear logo is missing, got flicked when I had parked the car near powai yesterday. Need to get that fixed as well. After I lost the rear logo started noticing that many of Skoda’s/VW don’t have logos, among other cars. I have seen cars with a skoda sticker’s, maybe that’s an option to explore if the logo go’s missing again. The cost quoted by JMD is Rs.1100 plus taxes for the logo. Have been contemplating to upgrade the head lights to HID, need to do some research on kits that are available that can be done without major alteration to the existing wiring. Will search the forum to see if any similar upgrades have been done
	() Thanks

29th April 2011, 16:08	#11
mikon BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Pune Posts: 438 Thanked: 386 Times View My Garage	Re: Snow white Skoda Laura 2.0 DSG Congratulations on the Car!! Regarding the HID, i would suggest you to upgrade from the skoda dealer itself. Personally i love the skoda HIDs. The salesman told me it costs about 18k to upgrade. I need to confirm it.
	() Thanks

30th April 2011, 15:51	#12
Dry Ice Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: -- Posts: 3,552 Thanked: 7,262 Times	Re: Snow white Skoda Laura 2.0 DSG Congrats Amit! Skoda does make beautiful cars, only suspect being the service part. However, there seems to be a drop in the horror stories about them, with newer owners reporting a better/good experience at the service centers! Hope it stays enjoyable for you too! And do post some more shots, complete profile and interiors!
	() Thanks

2nd May 2011, 19:12	#13
amitk2kin BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Mumbai Posts: 108 Thanked: 51 Times	Re: Snow white Skoda Laura 2.0 DSG I got the tail light and logo replaced, from JMD! The workshop was nothing compared to the LinkWay Honda that I am use to! Never the less, the job was done in under 30 mins! I spoke to them for HID upgrade, they are quoting 18k per set, I need two sets, one each for the low and high beam. I asked them about the brand, thought these would be Skoda OEM, but they mentioned these are P4! Checked out with other car dealers, the P4 kit is for 7k, I don't really know if i should get these fitted from the Skoda dealer and pay 11k extra! View's please?
	() Thanks

6th May 2011, 22:55	#15
amitk2kin BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Mumbai Posts: 108 Thanked: 51 Times	Re: Snow white Skoda Laura 2.0 DSG @anshuman, I agree with you, will check out philips hid kits, on a side note, have noticed black power on the front wheels, spoke to the jms guys, as per them it is from the break pads! Is that what is? Have other Laura ownes noticed that?
	() Thanks