[rjalihal]

Originally Posted by ampere

So what is the answer finally?
Is it worth buying the TSI at this price or go for an equivalent Honda/Toyota?

I would recommend the TSI. Its got better performance, more space, more luxurious and asking price has come down now with this 11.99 lakhs offer. But they come with skimpy tires. That needs to be re-placed right away as it looks lame on a large sedan like a Laura TSI. So keep $$ aside for that! But if peace of mind is top of your list the Jap sedans will be better. I still do not know if Skoda in Bangalore have pulled their socks up after their shoddy service in 2004-06.

[bigron]

1.5 off the base or not, I would still stay away from the laura and the superb despite the amazing petrol engine, the features and the rest of the package.. Their A.S.S will give anybody enough mighmares to negate the discount. Take a little more money from me but give me peace of mind. And skoda does not give you peace of mind.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by ampere

So what is the answer finally?
Is it worth buying the TSI at this price or go for an equivalent Honda/Toyota?

If i was in the market for a petrol luxury sedan and was considering the Civic or Altis.

I would not blink even once before putting my money on the Laura TSI over the other two

[jkdas]

Originally Posted by mobike008

If i was in the market for a petrol luxury sedan and was considering the Civic or Altis.

I would not blink even once before putting my money on the Laura TSI over the other two

Even if the others give you extended warranty?

For more about TSI

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...est-drive.html

[jigbarai]

^^

Yes, even then. +1 to the Laura.

If I had the inclination to pick a car from Laura / Civic / Altis, for a nearly equal amount of money to spend; I'd pick the Laura 1.8 tsi Manual, base version, without second thoughts.

One - there's nothing too automated or complicated in the base version to worry about.

Two - Skoda service may be a tad of a bother only at some places. At most places it is perfectly acceptable - personal experience.

Three - I'd be wary of any extended warranties in the first place. It all depends upon manufacturer how they want to play the cards, and comes with 'terms and conditions applied'. Extended warranties dont provide equal cover as the original warranty. It is a stripped down version covering only the key mechanical elements of the car at best.

for eg : A Honda extended warranty would not match up with one provided by Toyota. (I'd agree I am speculating here, based on feedback & market perception.)

[Ravveendrra]

Hi Avi, I see that the Skoda bug has not yet left you. Good for you.

Before I left for Arunachal, I was considering selling my Laura to move onto a SUV. As I have mentioned in AP to AP: In search of a white X-mas and found a street party!, once we completed that 7500 km trip, I have dropped all plans to sell my Laura (no punjabi). The car is that good.

As regards the service, Mahavir is good and they do enormous business (enough to support 3 workshops one at Sanatnagar, one on Raj Bhavan Rd. and one in Secunderabad). You also have the option of Prabhu's New Mars. The TCO for a Skoda is not as much as people would have you believe. My long term ownership thread is testimony to that. In any case you guys know I am a miser who would have got rid of a car that is expensive to maintain.

The TSI is a damn good petrol engine which makes the car a rocket with one of the fastest 0 - 100 times in India. I am not sure the new Diesel Laura is a PD, I think they have bunged in a TDi engine into the face lifted Laura but, I could be wrong.

Cheers,

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by jkdas

Even if the others give you extended warranty?

For more about TSI

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...est-drive.html

Sure. Even then i wont mind considering that car. Its simple, VFM is very important in these days of overpriced cars.

Btw, thanks for the link, thats what i mean a car should be. Beating the pants of A4 and likes

Originally Posted by jigbarai

^^

Yes, even then. +1 to the Laura.

If I had the inclination to pick a car from Laura / Civic / Altis, for a nearly equal amount of money to spend; I'd pick the Laura 1.8 tsi Manual, base version, without second thoughts.

One - there's nothing too automated or complicated in the base version to worry about.

Two - Skoda service may be a tad of a bother only at some places. At most places it is perfectly acceptable - personal experience.

Three - I'd be wary of any extended warranties in the first place. It all depends upon manufacturer how they want to play the cards, and comes with 'terms and conditions applied'. Extended warranties dont provide equal cover as the original warranty. It is a stripped down version covering only the key mechanical elements of the car at best.

for eg : A Honda extended warranty would not match up with one provided by Toyota. (I'd agree I am speculating here, based on feedback & market perception.)

Just my thoughts. At Hyderabad, there seems to be absolutely no such issues about Skoda customers having issues. So its a perfectly safe city to buy in as there is a good support system installed.

Some of my friends ( including Raveendra) have had good experience with their A.S.S

Originally Posted by Ravveendrra

Hi Avi, I see that the Skoda bug has not yet left you. Good for you.

Before I left for Arunachal, I was considering selling my Laura to move onto a SUV. As I have mentioned in AP to AP: In search of a white X-mas and found a street party!, once we completed that 7500 km trip, I have dropped all plans to sell my Laura (no punjabi). The car is that good.

As regards the service, Mahavir is good and they do enormous business (enough to support 3 workshops one at Sanatnagar, one on Raj Bhavan Rd. and one in Secunderabad). You also have the option of Prabhu's New Mars. The TCO for a Skoda is not as much as people would have you believe. My long term ownership thread is testimony to that. In any case you guys know I am a miser who would have got rid of a car that is expensive to maintain.

The TSI is a damn good petrol engine which makes the car a rocket with one of the fastest 0 - 100 times in India. I am not sure the new Diesel Laura is a PD, I think they have bunged in a TDi engine into the face lifted Laura but, I could be wrong.

Cheers,

Yessir, Like i mentioned to you several times, if i had the money i would have upgraded to a Laura light years ago.

After seeing your car take that beating in your Arunachal Pradesh trip, my respect for your tank has gone up by a notch

[ampere]

I see folks on both sides of the fence.

Even for that matter I was eagerly waiting for the Yeti with the TSI. But the folks surrounding me in my office have a had real bitter experiences with
Skoda.

Though I agree, that servicing is a very personal experience, which each individual goes through, but these scare stories do leave a lump in your mouth when you think about it.

Yes logically 1.8 TSI seems to be a terrific engine, but the rest of the stories really leave you undecided. That is a state even I am in today.

[sabynag]

Originally Posted by ampere

I see folks on both sides of the fence.

Even for that matter I was eagerly waiting for the Yeti with the TSI. But the folks surrounding me in my office have a had real bitter experiences with
Skoda.

Though I agree, that servicing is a very personal experience, which each individual goes through, but these scare stories do leave a lump in your mouth when you think about it.

Yes logically 1.8 TSI seems to be a terrific engine, but the rest of the stories really leave you undecided. That is a state even I am in today.

The car quality is controlled by the manufacturer, while A.S.S. quality is largely dependent on the ASC/dealership. The manufacturer may have guidelines, some control on processes etc. but ultimately it is the ASC who will service your car. Generally speaking, a manufacturer has more control over a dealership if the brand sells in high volume. The dealer has a lot to lose if the manufacturer terminates the contract. But when a brand sells low, the manufacturer is forced to allow the dealer to make some money from alternative sources. Why would someone take dealership of brand A, if brand B sells 10 times that of A every month ? More sell naturally leads to more service. So, only a fool will apply for brand A dealership/ASC unless the brand assures him of high margin on sales and service.

If you like, you can talk directly to Skoda pre-sales folks in Bangalore (they do have an office in Bangalore). Once you do that, I am confident that your mind will be a lot clearer - saying it from my very own experience.

[mikon]

Had called up the skoda guys in pune.
They told its the price for outside the octoroi limit and no discount available now (previously they were offering a 75k discount on the TSi)

I do not know how far its true

[oss]

Originally Posted by sabynag

BTW, during my TD, I found a irritating problem with Laura TSI - it stalls at very low speed (<10km/hr) even on 1st gear. I am not sure if this is a defect or feature but will certainly make it painful to drive in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

This was reported even in the Yeti TSI engine. Some of the european testers who were in the test drive in Czech republic last year, mentioned the engine to be stalling at low speed if not revved a bit. They too found it to be annoying.

Not sure if this is an issue with Turbo petrols.

[ACM]

Low speed stalling could be due to blocked injectors.

The TSI is a great engine, but somehow they have not kept a top full featured model like with the TDI or the earlier PD L&K. So we have smaller tyres, manual seats etc.

For 11.99L it is still a steal.

[suman]

13.65 lacs on-road Gurgaon which is a pretty sweet deal. But I do think its a bit of a sham because (as mentioned earlier), the Road Tax & Insurance continue to be calculated on the earlier ex-showroom price of 13 & not on the 11.99.

So essentially, one should look at it as a discount of 1 lac odd on the on-road price. But, still an excellent buy I'd say

[shankar.balan]

worth checking on the base version of the VW Jetta too considering that car is priced quite well as per the auto mags.

[oss]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

worth checking on the base version of the VW Jetta too considering that car is priced quite well as per the auto mags.

with a lousy 1.6 petrol engine