[Karthik.thm]

Originally Posted by Dr.Vikas

Hi friends,
I'm very happy and also excited to announce that I have been shortlisted for the #DriveWithSLAVIA event to be held at Goa on 28th Feb & 1st Mar.

Congratulations!

If you happen to drive a 1.5 TSI MT and failing to report about the driving experience here is considered as one of the serious crimes according to Indian penal code.

Have fun and drive safe.

[Dr.Vikas]

Originally Posted by Karthik.thm

Congratulations!
If you happen to drive a 1.5 TSI MT and failing to report about the driving experience here is considered as one of the serious crimes according to Indian penal code.
Have fun and drive safe.

Thanks Karthik.thm, for the statutory warning.
Hope I won't need to cancel my participation on that.

@ sunikkat, thanks for the compliment.

Would certainly love to have somebody from the community as a 'Partner in Crime' there to update the proceedings.
It'd be a great experience, full of fun out there, I guess.
Let's see how things go.

Anyways, missing the free Air travel for 2 persons to & from Goa, as I'll have to drive more for the nearest airport i.e. Pune as Goa falls half the distance from my residence.

[sachin_cs]

Originally Posted by Dr.Vikas

Hi friends,
I'm very happy and also excited to announce that I have been shortlisted for the #DriveWithSLAVIA event to be held at Goa on 28th Feb & 1st Mar.

Is anybody else from the community joining?

Cheers,

So excited to see you there Dr, I'm joining from Raipur along with my brother. I received the mail on 16th regarding my shortlisting and I have sent them the required details yesterday. I'm really looking forward for the event and I really liked the concept. It will be interesting to experience the Slavia from Octavia and Rapid owners point of view.


This was the mail I received-

So glad that Skoda is inviting existing customers for a review. More and more manufacturers should be doing this, it really helps build a brand.

Originally Posted by ron178

Škoda announces competition for a test drive of the Slavia in Goa:
Entry form
Attachment 2271319
Entries close on 15 February at 6 p.m.

All thanks to you buddy, I saw about the contest on your post. Somehow I missed it in Skoda's social media pages, where exactly did you come to know about this contest?

[Venkatesh]

Skoda Slavia best in class ground clearance of 179 mm is perfectly tailored to the needs of customers in India.

[hagarthenormal]

Was out today with the family, looking at various cars. Slavia was naturally on the tour.

Crystal Blue and Carbon Steel were on display. Both were very nice colours and I was quite impressed.

That nice feeling almost immediately vanished once I went in - because of the seat colour combination (off white and dark grey), the off white plastics on the doors, rear a/c vent unit etc (these are already getting dirty in the showroom). Overall, except for the dash (especially the super cool looking circular a/c vents), the interiors were quite an underwhelming experience; more so in the back seat. It did not seem like it was a 20+L car at all (MG Astor, one of the 4 other cars we looked at today, looked far more premium on the inside, in spite of its reddish upholstery). Even the Kushaq looked far better colour co-ordinated, in its dark seats.

I might still test drive the 1.5litre Slavia next month just to see if its driving experience totally compensates for the sub-par interiors. And may be wait for a few more weeks to see what VW's take on Virtus' interiors would be.

All in all, much mismatch between expectation and reality.

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by hagarthenormal

. It did not seem like it was a 20+L car at all (MG Astor, one of the 4 other cars we looked at today, looked far more premium on the inside, in spite of its reddish upholstery).

I might still test drive the 1.5litre Slavia next month just to see if its driving experience totally compensates for the sub-par interiors. And may be wait for a few more weeks to see what VW's take on Virtus' interiors would be.

I am on the same boat as you are. Compared to the Seltos, Astor top end versions which are similarly priced as the Slavia is going to be, I dont see the Slavia or Kushaq coming close to them in terms of interior quality and equipment. Yet, I am somewhat leaning towards the Slavia just for the driving experience and the 1.5L engine. The features on the Astor are impressive, but its handling is not upto the mark as per the reviews. I will be taking a longer test drive of the Astor on Nice road next week to get to feel this handling first hand and then probably decide. However I am unsure of MG as a brand and a little worried about the long term ownership/reliability.

[neel911]

Originally Posted by hagarthenormal

It did not seem like it was a 20+L car at all

I agree. Yesterday I checked Honda City ZX CVT (Top End) and Slavia (Top End) back to back. First it was Honda City. I currently have 2014 CVT SV Variant. The new Honda City feels so rich. The colour combination/ dashboard all looked premium. The infotainment could have been better laid out but you get premium and roomy feeling be it on front or rear seats.

From here I went to check Slavia and it was a let down. We were impressed with front exterior and extra ground clearance was evident. Though the dashboard layout is good, the car felt smaller inside. This was more evident when I sat on rear seats. Both, me and my wife felt as if we were sitting in a car, one segment lower than Honda City. The width felt less and the colour combination was not helping here. Even the roofline from inside did not feel premium. Personal opinion: From interior point of view, I would any day go with City over Slavia.

[hagarthenormal]

Originally Posted by audioholic

Yet, I am somewhat leaning towards the Slavia just for the driving experience and the 1.5L engine.

Yes, I will make up my mind too after a TD.

Originally Posted by audioholic

The features on the Astor are impressive, but its handling is not upto the mark as per the reviews. I will be taking a longer test drive of the Astor on Nice road next week to get to feel this handling first hand and then probably decide.

Very true @audioholic. Astor's exteriors and interiors really catch the eye. I asked the sales rep if customers have made any comments on the assistant possibly rattling. She told me that it can be taken off if that's a concern (!). And takes the center place away from an idol (!!).
I look forward to your notes from the Nice road drive. Please see if you can test the suspension on a few 'Bangalore grade' speed breakers and axle breaking pot holes too, ideally with 5 adults in the car.

Originally Posted by neel911

I agree. Yesterday I checked Honda City ZX CVT (Top End) and Slavia (Top End) back to back.

I did visit the Honda showroom too, right after Slavia, but it looked desolate. May be another time.

Originally Posted by neel911

Both, me and my wife felt as if we were sitting in a car, one segment lower...

Same here. It just didn't click when we both sat in the back. And as you've rightly said, the exterior & the dash are the main attractions. (Didn't like the loud Š K O D A lettering on the boot lid).

[pqr]

Here are some pointers for Skoda’s pricing Manager


Source: feature comparison is based on several walk around videos available on YouTube

Variant wise comparison

• Slavia Active is a bare-bones variant, target price should be ₹ 9,99,000
• Slavia Ambition variant is more close to City’s V variant
• Slavia Style variant has a slight feature advantage over top-end City ZX - only pricing opportunity
• Honda City has clever VX mid-variant positioning and pricing
• Bold text highlights price-wise heavy items
• City 4th generation is meant for lower sticker price

Secret sauce

• In the recent past, Mahindra XUV 700, Nissan Magnite, and MG Astor, all were a runaway success and customers made a beeline to buy one – they have two things in common – aggressive launch pricing and features which customer and their whole family cares (value) about
• This also proves that feature and equipment level at a right price is a needle mover for a large majority of the Indian customer, remember, not everybody is an auto enthusiast

Subjective assessment

• City 4th generation now has a proven GNACP safety crash test rating of 4 stars, and VAG’s new India specific platform isn’t, yet
• City has feel-good factor inside-out, offers segment-leading rear-seat experience, proven track record of reliability and refinement, and has always been an aspirational product in the segment, but Kushaq has dented Skoda’s brand image
• Slavia’s turbocharged 1.0 TSI engine has 33 Nm torque advantage over City’s 1.5L naturally aspirated engine
• Torque advantage is what brings a smile to enthusiast’s face – that’s the brownie point
• But then Honda City is more drivable in city traffic conditions as it doesn’t suffer any turbo lag, as 1.0 TSI somewhat does on Kushaq
• Slavia could be an enthusiast’s delight due to VAG’s engineering charisma, but City VTC is no slouch either
• City’s CVT is not an enthusiast choice but it is quite a fuel efficient which Skoda’s torque convertor gearbox isn’t
• Virtually 1.5 TSI doesn’t have any competition within the executive sedan segment, but then it doesn’t mean that Skoda has inelastic demand for the high-performance version of Slavia

Brand identity

• Skoda is harping on 1st generation Octavia dimension data to establish Slavia’s price positioning
• What Skoda conveniently trying to forget is – Honda City 5th generation is already as big as Slavia
• This is why a potential customer is looking at Slavia as Rapid’s successor only and not yet as poor man’s Octavia
• By the way, given the in-cabin quality level of Kushaq, Slavia has much more to prove than some weird comparison with 1st generation Octavia, which was built like a tank, and feel still the same, even after 20 long years
• Skoda’s badge and value luxury drama means nothing if the product fails to deliver the expected value
• Creating such a smokescreen could backfire

Source: Autocar

Competitive pricing guidance

Step beyond below ex-showroom pricing and sales will be far more challenging. Do remember, the Indian market was unforgiving to Yaris with a mighty ‘T’ badge.



Honda is already offering discounts on City due to the onslaught of crossovers, and any pricing debacle on Skoda’s part, Slavia has to follow the suit.


Source: Honda website (19th February, 2022)

Skoda, please get your act together on the pricing and quality front, as enthusiasts don’t want you to follow in Ford India’s footsteps.

[m8002?]

Visited the Skoda showroom to check out the Slavia. I can totally relate to the comments here. The car looks beautiful on the outside. The GC really shows and will be a boon in the pot-holed and speed-breaker filled cities. The dashboard is also good. There is some public interest as well, saw a couple of families checking it out.

But after seeing the new Honda City, this car feels very ordinary. The 1.5 TSI engine might be a great one but that is offset by the DSG problems.

There is no way Skoda can price this above the City variant for variant and make any decent volumes. It would be a hard sell even if they price it on par with the City. The City screams luxury and this doesn't. Some Skoda fans will buy it initially and then the sales will taper off.

[Bibendum90949]

Originally Posted by m8002?

The GC really shows and will be a boon in the pot-holed and speed-breaker filled cities.

Better verbatim is Bangalore

[ganesc]

[*]This also proves that feature and equipment level at a right price is a needle mover for a large majority of the Indian customer, remember, not everybody is an auto enthusiast

+1. And not even all auto-enthusiasts get to choose what they want considering family needs and practicality.

Subjective assessment

Brand identity

• Skoda is harping on 1st generation Octavia dimension data to establish Slavia’s price positioning
• What Skoda conveniently trying to forget is – Honda City 5th generation is already as big as Slavia
• This is why a potential customer is looking at Slavia as Rapid’s successor only and not yet as poor man’s Octavia
• By the way, given the in-cabin quality level of Kushaq, Slavia has much more to prove than some weird comparison with 1st generation Octavia, which was built like a tank, and feel still the same, even after 20 long years
• Skoda’s badge and value luxury drama means nothing if the product fails to deliver the expected value
• Creating such a smokescreen could backfire

Very valid points, hope Skoda goes thru’ this point by point and price it sensibly. Given this segment already has something for anyone still interested, Skoda really has to price it aggressively keeping in mind all these shortcomings.

O.T: Never knew Vento and Rapid had different length! Probably bumper designs?

Skoda, please get your act together on the pricing and quality front, as enthusiasts don’t want you to follow in Ford India’s footsteps.

+1, more than Skoda themselves, makes us worry a lot.

[m8002?]

Originally Posted by Bibendum90949

Better verbatim is Bangalore

True that . I was hoping there are a few cities that can compete with Bangalore on that front. My teammate bought a new City in Chennai and is happy with the GC on full load.

For all the talk about Slavia being bigger than the 1st gen Octavia, I looked at the dimensions of the 2007-2010 Civic. Guess what, the new City is as big as the old Civic in terms of length and width. I dont remember Honda making a big deal of the size.

[Aravind_M92]

I just have a small doubt. The overall height of Slavia is 1487 with ground clearance of 179mm. That leaves a cabin height of about 1209 (considering about 100 mm for roof and flooring ).
While Honda City has height of 1489 mm with GC of 165 mm leaving a cabin height of approval 1224 mm. Can someone clarify the cabin height discrepancy?

[dipen]

Nobody does packaging better than the Japs. The space / roominess / airy feeling is definitely better in the City than the Slavia. City interiors while old school are definitely more elegant. Has one of the most elegant and practical climate control switches.

The only real cons in the city is outside noise and tyre noise at 80 + in the cabin from most reports. Rest everything one can live with (dated ICE, no subwoofer, etc)

When you have a chiller AC like the City with a MAXcool function, you can do without ventilated seats. In fact the rear sunshade in the City is a better functional feature. Wireless phone charging is available as accessories as well from OEMs.

Kushaq is priced at 1.5 lakhs more than the City for the matching variant ex-showroom. How much would Skoda be able to come close to the City. They removed projected headlights from all other than top variant. Don't think Slavia can come closer to City unless Skoda decides to play aggressive and take things head on which Skoda is not known for. For pricing it premium than the City substantially, they better have a 3.0 strategy. Other than the top variant (Style and ZX) which is more or less matched feature-wise, the lower variants (V and Ambition) is where City is a lot more value whereas the top variants (Style, ZX) will have lesser price differential.

The 1.5 may bring 10 % additional sales as there is no real alternative in the sedan space. Skoda may think it is smart not to considering imported components, but I feel a 1.5 Ambition in the Slavia can be a sales changer. It would justify well worth upto 2 L premium over the City ex-showroom. More cars on the road would mean more visits to the showroom, happy dealers and build better faith with the brand. You give someone just bragging rights for a 1.5 150hp motor and he/she will forgot about the rest of misses / sunroof / headliner / lack of space /etc