[BUSA]

I have compared the braking with the Octavia vRS which i drove earlier and yes the RS feels much much better, hence i was dissapointed.

[karthik247]

I never knew L&K (or any diesel version) of the Octavia had disc brakes all around.

Definately the RS will be better cuz it has 4 discs and ABS and not to forget stiffer suspension and fatter tyres.

[determinus]

At what price is Octavia (or Laura) sold in UK? I just happened to find a 2005 "Laura" with manual shift for sale in UK for ~8 lakhs. Do dump the post if of no value or in the wrong place.

[clipto333]

hi,

its an old thread but i would still like to comment on your findings. i had an octy ambiente with leather upholstery for 2 years and i put up 125000 kms before it got stolen.

i dont agree with you on some points. here they are:


So firstly we tried to get ourself familar with the car. Sat in it. The Steering was a bit of a problem. It touched the leg and if you adjust it properly then there is no room at the rear.

the steering whee has adjustmens for reach and rake, the seat hight can also be adjusted and it is quite easy to find a comfortable position. iam 6 feet tall but i never had such a prob. ok it happened to you but maybe you didnt adjust the steering and the seat. i agree the rear seats are a bit cramped.

Half the features werenot working on the car. Checked out the music system, 4 speakers unit with tweeters. It was good but not as good as a Optras.

I had an octavia for more than 2 years and i put up 125000+ kms. i never had such an experience. everything worked properly throughout the ownership period and i there was not a single part failure. i cant comment about the music system cause i changed it the day i bought. i have heard the optra LT's(?) ice but i didnt like it. but this my opinion.

Got down to driving it. First speedbreaker made it jump and it flew, the Manager got a bit pissed off, but then we told him Buddy its a car for test drive and we test drive the way we like it, you should have confidence in you car.
i wansnt there so icouldnt enjoy the flight:-)

Ride : - Is good, and i would rate it high on its riding characters.

I agree.

Braking : Totally dissapoints, the brakes were not at all good and the Gooyear Eagle NCT 3 didnot help at all, ABS was working or not that was a riddle in itself, on gradual braking as well it was locking up and skidding. No where close to the Optra. He(Sales Guy) said that on braking on road due to the mud the car skids. Later on we gave him a test drive in our car and on standing on the brakes at 160, no drama, no lock. He totally shut up.

Were you driving on mud at 160? oh my god. thats great.:-)
i have a fiesta with ABS. on slippery terrain the wheels do lock up and the car skids for a fraction of a second. even in my accord(last generation) the same thing happens on mud but the wheels dont lock up tarmac at all even at 170+. And IMHO the goodyears are not at all bad. i didnt switch to any other brand(2 sets changed)

Handling : Was good again if you compare it to the Corolla , Elantra, but not as good as the RS(Maybe since it rides on bigger wheels and also wider) My bro found the Handling of the Optra better(it too has wider rubber then the L n K)

ive driven the optra for 20 kms and i really didnt like the handling and the suspension was quite audible. the corolla has a bad rear suspension. it bounces alot. the skoda's is a little bit on the stiffer side but its much better than the rest. imho its the best handling car in its class.

Build Quality : I have heard the Octy is build to last. But failed to impress. The car was vibrating and the rear doors were looking as if they will leave way. Also doors did shut with a loud thunk which is good.

you can ask anyone, its built like a tank. rear doors were leaving way?? can you please pinpoint exactly what happened and you felt that way? i thought japs and Koreans are tinny :-)

Fuel Efficency : Totally Overhyped. 75% of normal driving and 25% of ripping all done by my bro. The Average achieved after driving 13kms was a mere 9.6km/L, under same driving conditions RS/Optra would easily return 8, on a petrol engine with more power. So why would i hear the diesel noise and vibrations for mere 2 kmpl more???

dont agree with you at alllll. i never got an fe below 15. even with a/c and i used to drive it like was on a track day session. on highways i used to get 18+ everytime. my dad used to get around 23. he drives at 90 constant.
once i tried to get the best fe and i drove at 60 constant on the highway, i got a mileage of 30. i have a dozen friends who own or owned the octy and they also were getting the same mileage. some got more. some of them have upgraded to laura because its the new gen octy. it also has amazing FE. The fe is not hyped at all. and if you are going by the indicated 9.5l per 100km after driving for 13 kms, try it again driving for more than 50kms and you will know what im saying. the onboard computer is fairly accurate. but it needs some kms to accurately calculate the average fe of the trip. did you reset that thing? maybe the car was parked with engine on. there are many possibilities like this.

Space : Car is not spacious. Neither as spacious as an Corolla/Optra for that matter. Infact the sales guy himself admitted that Optra is in a league of its own when it comes to comfort. Dicky space is ample but compromised in the interior. Interiors dont look sleek.

Now the best part : Performance : Performance is totally flawless. Superb crisp power delivery and ample torque is a bonus. Car shouts like crazy when you rev her and thats something which may appeal to many but i am not one of them.. after having driving a car with TNRS.


Service Costs : Appear Quite heavy compared to the competition. Diesel saving - Service cost = No gain but loss. I also heard karthiks octy fuel pump replacement to be 1.8L??

Likes - Looks, Engine, Performance, Brand Name, Features(Loaded to the max, though half wont work)
Dislikes - Braking, Overpriced(at 15.3L OTR, Mumbai), Space ( Not good for tall drivers)

Verdict - Good but not as good as the Optra if you compare it overall, leaving the performance out as thats another story for another day. The Octy is good no doubt( i would love to have one in RS trim) but its not the best and is highly overhyped


The octy's rear is a bit cramped but the front seats are just superb(i had leather upholstery so it can be compared to l&k) there are so many adjustment you ca make to find a comfy position. about the interiors, it a matter of personal taste. i liked the understated but elegant interiors. i like simple and easy to use controls. but that is my opinion.

performance is great. the engine is a touch noisy when compared to fiesta's diesel.
service cost is okay for the performance. 4k is not bad at all considering the service interval(10k kms if im not wrong). Hyundai charges 3k for the accent and that too after 5ooo kms. ford charges 3k for the fiesta after 7500 kms. overall its cheaper than some and equal to some. the spares are expensive though but i didnt have to shell out for any spare except for the parts which are subjected to wear and tear.

its expensive in the L&K trim but you get park sensors xenon lights, sunroof etc. why dont you try the rider? it has the same engine same performance, fe etc. its for 11k aprox. ok compare it to the accord, what does accord give you in 15L? no xenons,sunroof, park sensors, no on board computer. the accord has more spce in the rear no doubt but i would buy the L&K anyday.

verdict: good but not good as the optra? well i wont compare a car after driving for 15-20 kms :-). also why leave the performance out? its the main thing. if you are not comparing the performance then all the comparisons you made are of no use. you are comparing the feature and equipment then and not performance. :-)

both cars are good in their class. both cars cater to different audience.
This is my opinion and i dont doubt yours or anyones claims.



cheers
clip.

[Ricky_63]

Originally Posted by BUSA

Hey Insane, the dealer went to such an extent that he quoted the Laura to give 18 kmpl on highways and 15 in City. I asked him how is that possible he said PD and DSG.

Anywayz say the Octy gives 13-14 why did the on board computer show the figure of 10.4??

Hey

The dealers claims are for once CORRECT. I have a 1.9 TDi which is mostly driven in city with A/C on 100% & I get an average of NEVER less than 15 kmpl, on longer drives I have got upto 19 kmpl without any problem & I drive upto 120 kmph on highways maybe more & upto 90 kmph in the city including crawling at 20 kmph in traffic.

Believe me one of the strongest points in the Octavia Diesel is the FE. This is first hand report after 2 years of ownership of the car. Service no doubt is expensive.

The Laura is even better - for whatever it is worth take my word for it.

Cheers

[BUSA]

the steering whee has adjustmens for reach and rake, the seat hight can also be adjusted and it is quite easy to find a comfortable position. iam 6 feet tall but i never had such a prob. ok it happened to you but maybe you didnt adjust the steering and the seat. i agree the rear seats are a bit cramped.

With the steering wheel at the highest position the legs still touched, yes with the seat tilted backwards it doesnot but then the rear passenger is

I had an octavia for more than 2 years and i put up 125000+ kms. i never had such an experience. everything worked properly throughout the ownership period and i there was not a single part failure. i cant comment about the music system cause i changed it the day i bought. i have heard the optra LT's(?) ice but i didnt like it. but this my opinion.

Well that was a problem with the car that came to me, so hence i said so, it isint that Skoda cant build a lemon but keeping a lemon for test drive is shocking. About the music system i am talking all stock systems nothing else.

Were you driving on mud at 160? oh my god. thats great.:-)
i have a fiesta with ABS. on slippery terrain the wheels do lock up and the car skids for a fraction of a second. even in my accord(last generation) the same thing happens on mud but the wheels dont lock up tarmac at all even at 170+. And IMHO the goodyears are not at all bad. i didnt switch to any other brand(2 sets changed)

2 tyres off road with lots of dust and mud. I drive a Optra 1.8LT with ABS and on hard braking in any condition be it wet, mud it stops dead straight on its tracks on stock Kumhos, i had test driven the RS to same conditions on same road and route and the car stopped in its tracks without any locking there itself, maybe the lack of rear discs causes that. Goodyears are one of the worst tyres and few can swear never to buy them even if you get them free.

ive driven the optra for 20 kms and i really didnt like the handling and the suspension was quite audible. the corolla has a bad rear suspension. it bounces alot. the skoda's is a little bit on the stiffer side but its much better than the rest. imho its the best handling car in its class.

Suspension Audible, thats a first, Optra's suspension is one of the best with AWIS, also TNRS makes the cabin supersilent, please test drive the 2007 Optra which has 15inch wheels standard which were optional back when i bought mine.

you can ask anyone, its built like a tank. rear doors were leaving way?? can you please pinpoint exactly what happened and you felt that way? i thought japs and Koreans are tinny :-)

Thats a old school thought about Jap's and Koreans being tiny just check out the SX4 and the Verna's their door closes with a loud thud. And about the rear door was vibrating very badly and many Octy owners have complained about the vibrating of the rear door which the dealer has not been able to rectify.

try it again driving for more than 50kms and you will know what im saying. the onboard computer is fairly accurate. but it needs some kms to accurately calculate the average fe of the trip. did you reset that thing? maybe the car was parked with engine on. there are many possibilities like

I agree that due to short driving of 13kms the car couldno give good FE figure but 30 seems to be difficult even my Swift DDiS doesnot manage to give 30 but at 60 it might just beat is so let me try.

The octy's rear is a bit cramped but the front seats are just superb(i had leather upholstery so it can be compared to l&k) there are so many adjustment you ca make to find a comfy position. about the interiors, it a matter of personal taste. i liked the understated but elegant interiors. i like simple and easy to use controls. but that is my opinion.

Little cramped, the new Octavia = Laura is also cramped so the Octy cant be called little cramped. Leather seats can be put in any car, but lumbar support cant be, did your car have Lumbar Support? Interiors differ from poeple to people as different people have different taste.

performance is great. the engine is a touch noisy when compared to fiesta's diesel.

But now with new cars like Optra TDCi and Verna VGT, the Octy looks underpowered.

service cost is okay for the performance. 4k is not bad at all considering the service interval(10k kms if im not wrong). Hyundai charges 3k for the accent and that too after 5ooo kms. ford charges 3k for the fiesta after 7500 kms. overall its cheaper than some and equal to some. the spares are expensive though but i didnt have to shell out for any spare except for the parts which are subjected to wear and tear.

If you need parts after your out of warranty to be replaced then its going to be expensive? And yeah go to Chevrolet - Magnum Optra and click on low cost of ownership and you will see the Octy cost bin is almost double.

i

ts expensive in the L&K trim but you get park sensors xenon lights, sunroof etc. why dont you try the rider? it has the same engine same performance, fe etc. its for 11k aprox. ok compare it to the accord, what does accord give you in 15L? no xenons,sunroof, park sensors, no on board computer. the accord has more spce in the rear no doubt but i would buy the L&K anyday.

Just for xenons which can be put aftermarket, sunroof which has no use(dont even remember when i opened by Optra's roof last), park sensors [Accord has them] (3k), i would not go for a Octy and for the price of a LnK a little more and voila a Laura.

verdict: good but not good as the optra? well i wont compare a car after driving for 15-20 kms :-). also why leave the performance out? its the main thing. if you are not comparing the performance then all the comparisons you made are of no use. you are comparing the feature and equipment then and not performance. :-)

I have compared the noisy performance to the silent performance of the Optra and i would choose the Optra which is faster and handles better, brakes better and is VFM too, good leg room.

both cars are good in their class. both cars cater to different audience.
This is my opinion and i dont doubt yours or anyones claims

Anyways why should we waste time on a car which is a totally outdated model, common the Octavia is a 1996 model and has stopped selling world wide since the new octavia = Laura came, its just another story how Skoda is fooling us and giving us Octavia wheras the Laura should be at that price and now with new entrants like Verna, Optra Magnum, the performance of the Octy bears so resemblance in its positives.

[narayan]

[quote=clipto333;463321]hi,

its an old thread but i would still like to comment on your findings. i had an octy ambiente with leather upholstery for 2 years and i put up 125000 kms before it got stolen.


125K in 2 years !!! thats a lot of driving!! my OHC has done half of that in 3 times as many years

[BUSA]

125K in 2 years !!! thats a lot of driving!! my OHC has done half of that in 3 times as many years

Had the Chor known it had done so much and it was out of warranty he would not have stolen it knowing the high cost of Skoda spares

[clipto333]

[quote=narayan;463358]

Originally Posted by clipto333

hi,

its an old thread but i would still like to comment on your findings. i had an octy ambiente with leather upholstery for 2 years and i put up 125000 kms before it got stolen.


125K in 2 years !!! thats a lot of driving!! my OHC has done half of that in 3 times as many years

hi,

yup i really enjoy driving. its been almost 14 years now. was 13 when i started lol. i had a tata estate which i kept for 4 years and i did 200000+ kms. then i bought an OHC( first gen ) i ket it for 4 years and i clocked 150000+ before it got totalled. i bought a fiesta and an indica last year, both of the have clocked 50000+. its alot of driving and now ive started to cool down a bit and i dont drive more than 60-70 kms per day. lol

cheers
clip

[clipto333]

[quote=BUSA;463354]With the steering wheel at the highest position the legs still touched, yes with the seat tilted backwards it doesnot but then the rear passenger is

it never happened to me but anyway.



[quote=BUSA;463354] Well that was a problem with the car that came to me, so hence i said so, it isint that Skoda cant build a lemon but keeping a lemon for test drive is shocking. About the music system i am talking all stock systems nothing else.

Thats really bad on their part.



[quote=BUSA;463354] 2 tyres off road with lots of dust and mud. I drive a Optra 1.8LT with ABS and on hard braking in any condition be it wet, mud it stops dead straight on its tracks on stock Kumhos, i had test driven the RS to same conditions on same road and route and the car stopped in its tracks without any locking there itself, maybe the lack of rear discs causes that. Goodyears are one of the worst tyres and few can swear never to buy them even if you get them free.

2 tyres offroad??? at 160?? please dont try this again. i dont agree with you here. also ABS is not about stopping dead straight but to have control of the car while heavy braking(emergency stop)



[quote=BUSA;463354] Suspension Audible, thats a first, Optra's suspension is one of the best with AWIS, also TNRS makes the cabin supersilent, please test drive the 2007 Optra which has 15inch wheels standard which were optional back when i bought mine.

it was audible and thats when i decided not buy this car. maybe i was wrong also im not talking about the 2007 cars. im comparing it to my 2004 octy. And IMHO with 15 inchers it will be more audible and harsh but ill see how it is after a test drive.



[quote=BUSA;463354] Thats a old school thought about Jap's and Koreans being tiny just check out the SX4 and the Verna's their door closes with a loud thud. And about the rear door was vibrating very badly and many Octy owners have complained about the vibrating of the rear door which the dealer has not been able to rectify.

old skool or new skool, i still find them tinny.



[quote=BUSA;463354] I agree that due to short driving of 13kms the car couldno give good FE figure but 30 seems to be difficult even my Swift DDiS doesnot manage to give 30 but at 60 it might just beat is so let me try.

do try it out. i drove for like 70 kms continuously and i got this mileage(i talking about the on board comp)



[quote=BUSA;463354] Little cramped, the new Octavia = Laura is also cramped so the Octy cant be called little cramped. Leather seats can be put in any car, but lumbar support cant be, did your car have Lumbar Support? Interiors differ from poeple to people as different people have different taste.

ok agreed its cramped but i only sat twice there and it was quite comfy.



[quote=BUSA;463354] But now with new cars like Optra TDCi and Verna VGT, the Octy looks underpowered.

and when you didnt have these cars aroud then octy was the best right? :-) i dont think its under powered at all.



[quote=BUSA;463354] If you need parts after your out of warranty to be replaced then its going to be expensive? And yeah go to Chevrolet - Magnum Optra and click on low cost of ownership and you will see the Octy cost bin is almost double.

agree here. spares are expensive. but please dont compare what the company says. they usually list parts in the comparison that are cheaper than the competition.


[quote=BUSA;463354] Just for xenons which can be put aftermarket, sunroof which has no use(dont even remember when i opened by Optra's roof last), park sensors [Accord has them] (3k), i would not go for a Octy and for the price of a LnK a little more and voila a Laura.

are the projector beams available with the xenons? if you dont open your sunroof doesnt mean that other dont. park sensors are available on the v6 i guess. dont agree with you again. what if i can only afford 15k at the maxx? then how can i buy the laura?



I have compared the noisy performance to the silent performance of the Optra and i would choose the Optra which is faster and handles better, brakes better and is VFM too, good leg room.

you comparing a diesel with a petrol? also IMHO octy handles way better than the opty. the octy is quite fast. the optra 1.8 does 0-100 in 11.11 secs. the octy tdi does it in 13 secs. not bad at all for a diesel. the 2 litre petrol octy does 0-100 in 11.2 secs. and the octy has the best gear box in the business.

Originally Posted by BUSA

Anyways why should we waste time on a car which is a totally outdated model, common the Octavia is a 1996 model and has stopped selling world wide since the new octavia = Laura came, its just another story how Skoda is fooling us and giving us Octavia wheras the Laura should be at that price and now with new entrants like Verna, Optra Magnum, the performance of the Octy bears so resemblance in its positives.

yup we shouldnt waste time as both the cars are outdated. what can i say about GM. the are selling the matiz again.lol anyway i really enjoyed here. im not kidding. :-) nice debate.

cheers
clip

I mean no offence to you or anyone.

[TRANSAM]

wow clipto, very interesting reading..was surprised see the k's youve run in your now stolen octy

[BUSA]

you comparing a diesel with a petrol? also IMHO octy handles way better than the opty. the octy is quite fast. the optra 1.8 does 0-100 in 11.11 secs

0 - 100

Optra 1.8 - 10.6secs
Optra 2.0 - 9.8secs
Octy 1.9 - 13.11secs
Octy RS - 9.06secs

the are selling the matiz again.

Haha, i am not trying to get down the Skoda company, i am just stating facts, the Spark, Optra all of the GM cars sold in India are sold worldwide then why do Skoda sell us a 1996 Octy which they dont sell anywhere else? I like the Laura but its highly overpriced, if you see international prices then you will realise how we are being taken for a ride, the Laura is the new Octy which Skoda India is fooling us. The Skoda was good in 2004 but now it has lots of competition, PERIOD.

[abhibh]

BUSA PAJI (Bro). Bas kar yaar baksh de octy ko.. Sabko pata hai what is good what is not its just like HONDA vs FORD vs SX4.. All know SX4 / Fiesta is good and provide more stuff etc etc.. ppl still buy HONDA due to their good image and same is with the octy.

But I hope the D Optra will make a difference or atleast it should give competition to octy so that they sell it at lower price and reduce their services / parts charges.

Originally Posted by BUSA

0 - 100

Optra 1.8 - 10.6secs
Optra 2.0 - 9.8secs
Octy 1.9 - 13.11secs
Octy RS - 9.06secs



Haha, i am not trying to get down the Skoda company, i am just stating facts, the Spark, Optra all of the GM cars sold in India are sold worldwide then why do Skoda sell us a 1996 Octy which they dont sell anywhere else? I like the Laura but its highly overpriced, if you see international prices then you will realise how we are being taken for a ride, the Laura is the new Octy which Skoda India is fooling us. The Skoda was good in 2004 but now it has lots of competition, PERIOD.

[clipto333]

Originally Posted by BUSA

0 - 100

Optra 1.8 - 10.6secs
Optra 2.0 - 9.8secs
Octy 1.9 - 13.11secs
Octy RS - 9.06secs



Haha, i am not trying to get down the Skoda company, i am just stating facts, the Spark, Optra all of the GM cars sold in India are sold worldwide then why do Skoda sell us a 1996 Octy which they dont sell anywhere else? I like the Laura but its highly overpriced, if you see international prices then you will realise how we are being taken for a ride, the Laura is the new Octy which Skoda India is fooling us. The Skoda was good in 2004 but now it has lots of competition, PERIOD.

i gave the autocar timings. seeing the international prices how much does an accord cost in the us? if im not wrong the accord there costs around 18000$. then why are we being ripped off here? why is the camry soo expensive here when it competes with the accord in the us? this ripping off thing is never gonna end. the biggest ripoff IMHO is selling a daewoo with a chevy bowtie. why was toyota selling the qualis? everyone is getting ripped off.

cheers
clip

[BUSA]

selling a daewoo with a chevy bowtie.

All GM products which use Daewoo tech has written on it "This car is made using GM-DAT technos" Skoda uses VW tech doesnot it and the camry is imported hence its costly. Atleast these cars sell else where in the world the Octy doesnot.