[.anshuman]

Originally Posted by Swanand Inamdar

Ok, an update on the thread-
Did a TD of the below mentioned cars. Here's my view on the TD's.
They may be different to others view, but then, to each his own.

BMW 320D:
180+bhp! Probably the most FTD car in the segment.

Not only this segment, this is one of finest four door passenger cars you will come across when considering Driving Involvement and directness, Wish it had more powerful engine options.

X1:
To be very honest, didnt like it one bit.

So, VW or Skoda?

Fun to Drive = The new Jetta is coming in August or the Laura 140hp DSG.
Luxury= Superb or Passat.

[Swanand Inamdar]

Originally Posted by VW2010

If its between Superb and Passat,....... why not Audi A4?

Great analysis of the Passat and the Superb. So what are you saying, go for the Superb or the Passat?

The A4 was also in the consideration for a brief time, but the asking price is 30l+ in Pune. Out of the budget. Sadly.

Originally Posted by .anshuman

Not only this segment, this is one of the finest four door passenger cars you will come across when considering Driving Involvement and directness, Wish it had more powerful engine options. .

Very true. While TD'ing the car, the only reaction on my face was that of the guy from the Indica ad. I used to think that the Laura is powerful, but then after the TD, sitting into the Laura was... lets just say, not that exciting .

Fun to Drive = The new Jetta is coming in August or the Laura 140hp DSG.
Luxury= Superb or Passat.

Laura is already there in the garage, so I guess its the Passat or the Superb. Regardless of the choice, VW would be happy. Its either something from them, or their notorious sibling.

@All: So I guess its pretty much safe to assume that the final contenders are the Passat and the Superb. Shall try and get a TD this weekend, and hopefully put an end to this dilemma.

[subodh]

Dude, I think you should go for a Land Cruiser. Park it at my house during the week and park the laura at my house during the weekends alternatively this also goes with whatever car you would end up buying. Superb also works well.

On a serious note, I think you should buy the Superb Manual as your dad does not like auto boxes. It will suite his personality as well as his needs and demands.

And if he is not happy, he can always donate the car to me

[Swanand Inamdar]

Originally Posted by subodh

Dude, I think you should go for a Land Cruiser. Park it at my house during the week and park the laura at my house during the weekends alternatively this also goes with whatever car you would end up buying. Superb also works well.

Lets make a deal. I park the new car in your house, and you park the 5 (whenever you buy that) in mine .

On a serious note, I think you should buy the Superb Manual as your dad does not like auto boxes. It will suite his personality as well as his needs and demands. And if he is not happy, he can always donate the car to me

I think, this time around, it would be the AT, since this would be chauffeur driven. Plus he himself has started thinking about shifting to the AT after all these years of driving in Pune traffic. My nagging worked .

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by Swanand Inamdar

Suhaas, you are spot on with the analysis of the S60. If the requirement was of a self drive option, then the S60 would have been an extremely strong contender. But then, an S60 with a chauffeur! Man, thats sacreligious .
Also, I did TD the 320D CE. To be honest, didnt really like it, apart from the fact thats its the most FTD car in that segment. But space being an important factor, we've got to let it go.
Its not that I dont like the Passat. What I do not appreciate is the understated looks. The car is Superb (pun intended)! Its surely a great ride, both to drive and to be chauffeured around in.

So you see, the battle now, is pretty much between Skoda and VW. Whoever wins, I am sure it would be a win win situation.

So there you have it, then.

You've answered your own question. If a chauffeur driven car is your priority, don't hesitate, and buy the Skoda Superb. As you've said, it's genuinely superb! The roomy interior and the luxurious rear-bench and the 'limo' feel will leave you wanting for more every time. But if you'd drive yourself, I don't see why the Passat won't fit the bill. It might be a tad boring, but then you'll grow to like it, and once you do, nothing else will cut it.

Now I'm waiting for the 'Initial ownership report'

[VW2010]

Great analysis of the Passat and the Superb. So what are you saying, go for the Superb or the Passat?

If its a Diesel i would go with Passat. The Car is roomy for four people. Superb is roomy for 5.

Questions for you?

- Are you ok with the mundane looks of passat?
- Are you ok with the only 4 comfortable seating in Passat?
- Can you live without the pillar vent that is available in Superb?
- Did you check the rear seat cooling in both the cars.?
- Does the Passat seat cooling work in rear seat and does it cool the rear space comfortably?

If the answers favor passat, go for the passat.

I for one would go for passat though i know Superb has everything this class can never offer. If Skoda comes with 2011 Superb, i will blindly get the 2011 mode.

Passat being newer, i am absolutely sure some complaints would have been taken care of during the R&D. This may also include the DSG box of the new passat.

The Skoda DSG box is not a really reliable box after 50K. My friends story just coincided with one of our forum members story. Specially the mechatronics.

Unless i need that extra space in the rear, my pick would be Passat.

[subodh]

Originally Posted by Swanand Inamdar

Lets make a deal. I park the new car in your house, and you park the 5 (whenever you buy that) in mine .



I think, this time around, it would be the AT, since this would be chauffeur driven. Plus he himself has started thinking about shifting to the AT after all these years of driving in Pune traffic. My nagging worked .

The deal is only till the time i get a new car.
I like the idea of DSG Superb. My opinion, freeze on it and go ahead and buy it. You have very less time to enjoy it. you know what I am talking about Plus I would love to use then Umbrella since its the rainy season or else would have to wait for one whole year for the same.

[VW2010]

i forgot to mention the most important point.

Buy a car that you will love to drive or look at or sit on it. Never buy a car that pleases the masses. Their liking keeps changing.

Also if its a passat, check out the Black on beige one which atleast makes the interior appear bigger than the black interior ones.

[Swanand Inamdar]

@VW2010: I guess I get what you mean. The questions you've asked in the previous post can only be answered once I TD the car. That should most probably happen this weekend.
I couldnt agree more, on the liking part. The car would need to appeal to us more than anyone else. I can live with people not liking the car at all .

@Subodh: I completely know what you mean. Lets TD the car on Saturday and then, take a call.

[.anshuman]

Originally Posted by VW2010

The Skoda DSG box is not a really reliable box after 50K. My friends story just coincided with one of our forum members story. Specially the mechatronics.

Unless i need that extra space in the rear, my pick would be Passat.

The DSG is same for VW and Skoda, the chances of failure are same.

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by .anshuman

Not only this segment, this is one of finest four door passenger cars you will come across when considering Driving Involvement and directness, Wish it had more powerful engine options.

What about the Mercedes C250 CDI. It seems to me that for the asking price this is the most powerful car within pricing strikerange of the regular A4 / 3 series (I'm not counting 3.0 TDI / 3.2 TFSI / BMW V6 - they're far too expensive).

I'm sure the BMW handling might be superior but is it fair to say that the C 250 CDI is in fact the more powerful car amongst the big 3 within this segment / price point combo?

[.anshuman]

Originally Posted by Axe77

What about the Mercedes C250 CDI. It seems to me that for the asking price this is the most powerful car within pricing strikerange of the regular A4 / 3 series (I'm not counting 3.0 TDI / 3.2 TFSI / BMW V6 - they're far too expensive).

I'm sure the BMW handling might be superior but is it fair to say that the C 250 CDI is in fact the more powerful car amongst the big 3 within this segment / price point combo?

The 250 CDI must be around 10 lakh Rupees more expensive than the 320d CE, that makes it priced closer to A4 3.0 TDI.

BMW's maintenance packages are very assuring for first time buyers who might be worried about the high maintenance costs. I wish both Mercedes and Audi have something similar in pipeline.

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by .anshuman

The 250 CDI must be around 10 lakh Rupees more expensive than the 320d CE, that makes it priced closer to A4 3.0 TDI.

BMW's maintenance packages are very assuring for first time buyers who might be worried about the high maintenance costs. I wish both Mercedes and Audi have something similar in pipeline.

Taking the CE as the benchmark, you're right. And for those candidates there's always the 220cdi as a comparable benchmark which seems to offer at least on paper similar performance.

But for a Highline customer the price difference is marginal between the 320d highline and the 250 cdi. And the performance on the latter seems to be considerably better. 250 cdi elegance is retailing in bbay at around 38 lakhs. That's comparable to high line pricing. They've got comparable discounts going as well currently - about 4-5 lakhs approx. I'm quite sure the audi 3.0 is considerably more expensive which is why I left it out of the equation. I think it's a CBU if I'm not mistaken.

I too hope Merc and audi bring comparable packages out soon. As of today if I were in the market in that segment, I'd be torn between picking the BMW on account of the BSI and rejecting it outright on account of the run flats.

[VW2010]

The DSG is same for VW and Skoda, the chances of failure are same.

Why was the Indian Variant of Passat or Jetta(2010) stopped selling the AT though the same box was used in Skoda. Beats me to understand the logic.

The old superb still stands its ground against the new Passat and yet i would go get a Passat over the superb.

Feels far more new and the ride quality of Passat from the reviews appear to be way better than Superb.

[.anshuman]

Originally Posted by VW2010

Feels far more new and the ride quality of Passat from the reviews appear to be way better than Superb.

Because Superb has stiffer suspension, which also means it feels more sporty to drive despite the long wheelbase.