[raihan]

Originally Posted by Sumesh_Jazz

From this point of view which one will you prefer - the Laura 1.8 TDI or the Octavia 1.4 TSI as an all-rounder?

Like I said before you'll be flying on inclines, twisties, back roads without effort really, you will only need to work the engine to maintain boost with more throttle while taking really steep hair pin bends, rest is not of concern.

Keep in mind that you are comparing a worst in segment torque(Jazz) to a car which produces the one among the best in segment torque(Octavia) it's no contest buddy.
I've the Laura 1.8 TSI only, if you do have the budget for the 2.0 TDI then I think it wins this contest. All boils down to personal preference.

[Sumesh_Jazz]

Originally Posted by raihan

Like I said before you'll be flying on inclines, twisties,

Hi Raihan,
Thanks for the reply. I understand that there is no comparison between the Jazz and Octavia torque figures. As you described, I faced difficulty in very tight and steep hairpins with the Jazz, in one of the steep hairpins en route the Sajjangarh Palace near Udaipur my car almost came to near standstill and it was very scary..somehow it managed to climb.

I think the inner side of a steep and tight hairpin is a challenge if the car lacks sufficient torque in the low rpm band. And it is not very easy to rev very hard at that point of the curve for it is blind and you can anytime expect the local Mahindra guy coming down at very high speeds unbothered.

My father owns a Ford Fiesta 1.6 Duratec and it handles such slopes and bends very effortlessly. In any case I am planning to invest nearly 18 Lakhs, the 1.4 TSI Ambition variant of Octavia costs nearly 18+ Lakh and the 2 TDI variant comes at nearly 20+ …and hence the confusion.

I have driven mostly petrol cars and may be because of that I did not feel the refinement and smoothness when I took TD of the 1.5 TDI Rapid and the 2 Litre Diesel of Compass. I have not taken TD of the Diesel Octavia, will take soon and then decide.

Ragards,
Sumesh

[adimicra]

Another Jazz owner looking for an upgrade.
Initially, I was more inclined towards the SUV/crossovers, but after driving a few and checking the features, quality,performance vs the price, I think Octavia is a better buy in the 20Lakh range. Since I prefer a manual, I am more interested in the 1.4 style variant.
I drove it for 20 kms and I enjoyed the drive a lot. There is some turbolag but I am used to shifting gears at a higher rpm generally and therefore, it did not bother me. Once in the zone, the car just flies and it is hard to believe that this is just a 1.4L engine. I was reading various reviews and it seems the 0-100 timings for the 1.4 TSI manual is almost similar to 1.8 TSI DSG(8.4 vs 8.2 secs). I would have liked to go for the 1.8 TSI if manual transmission was available.

The Skoda dealer is offering a 1.5Lakh discount other than 6 years warranty which is very reassuring. Now I have a couple of questions -
1> Ground clearance - Is this going to be an issue over bad roads and outsation trips etc? Is there any underbody protection?
2> Should I buy now or wait closer to launch of the new car? When is the next gen car expected?

[Pancham]

1.5L discount on the 2019 make? That is great. I have a couple of questions:

1. Feature and equipment wise is the 1.4 Tsi Style same as the 1.8 Tsi?

2. What is your final ex-showroom and OTR coming to after the discounts?

[adimicra]

^^

The 1.8 style has the multi-leak rear suspension as additional feature. Obviously it gets the more powerful engine and DSG.
I haven't negotiated at all. The dealer mentioned 1.5L discount on all variants on the onroad price. I feel more discounts are going to come as we move closer to the BS6 deadline. Might be good idea to wait for the festive season.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by adimicra

The Skoda dealer is offering a 1.5Lakh discount other than 6 years warranty which is very reassuring. Now I have a couple of questions -
1> Ground clearance - Is this going to be an issue over bad roads and outsation trips etc? Is there any underbody protection?
2> Should I buy now or wait closer to launch of the new car? When is the next gen car expected?

The 1.4TSI is actually quite brilliant, and the Octavia will the right upgrade from your Jazz (when compared to the crossovers in Seltos/Hector space).
You should be able to get some good discounts on it; my guess is that the new gen will get a global unveil towards end of the year and maybe in India sometime latter part of next year.

And GC won't be an issue - when I drove the TDI last time, it managed the rain-soaked bad roads in Kerala pretty well. And I believe all Skoda cars get the rough-road package as standard.

[livezero]

Originally Posted by Sumesh_Jazz

Hi,

I would like to know from you as to how good is the 1.4 TSI is in terms of responsiveness. I have read on one of the online forums that the car, owing to its lower displacement, may suffer on inclines/ghat sections when fully laden. How did you find the performance of the 1.4 TSI on hilly roads/inclines? Does it pull effortlessly or do we have to really strain the engine?

Hey Sumesh, after doing 50k in a 1.4 TSI, I can safely say you won't face an issue on Hilly roads. I stay in Pune, lots of hilly roads around it, and have taken it to on Ooty's 36 Hair pin bends. It pulls effortlessly as long as you keep it 1st/2nd gear. 250nm torque helps a lot.

Originally Posted by adimicra

1> Ground clearance - Is this going to be an issue over bad roads and outsation trips etc? Is there any underbody protection?

Never faced this issue. Just that you need to bit careful on big speedbreakers when you are full-loaded. I have taken it on some seriously bad roads with big potholes where it did scrapped but the underbody protection takes care of it.

[adimicra]

Thanks for your replies.
It is reassuring to know the GC is good and about the underbody protection.
I am still not sure whether to go a for a crossover/SUV vs a sedan like octavia. I think with the craze of the SUVs, sedans have become more VFM. I will probably wait for the Karoq to check pricing and features before making a call.

Here are some of the highlights from my test drive of the Octavia 1.4 TSI manual -

Engine and gearbox - I did not feel much of a turbo-lag. The response is a bit slow at low rpms but not a bother. However, once it crosses 1500 rpm, it pulls very strongly. The midrange is awesome and the car just flies and managed to put a smile on my face. Also, the refinement is very good and does not sound harsh even when revved hard. The gearbox is also extremely slick and easy to use.

Ride and handling - My test drive include terrible broken roads and smooth tarmac as well. The suspension handled bad roads pretty well - it is slightly firm but not uncomfortable at all. There is a certain maturity in the way the car goes over bad roads. In fact, it felt slightly better than the Jeep compass which I drove over the same roads. I managed to do some lane changes at 100+ speeds and the car felt extremely stable. The steering is small and quick and a joy to hold.

Creature comfort - the Style variant is well loaded but there are some misses considering the price point of the car. I would have liked to have a TPMS which is only reserved for the L&K variant. This might become a deal breaker for me as I value TPMS as an essential safety feature. Apart from that, the reverse camera guidelines are static and does not change with steering inputs which is disappointing. The MID is very small, limits is usability. Surprisingly, the door pads lacked any sort of fabric or leather. Only the armrest on the doorpad has leather(ette?). Again, this should not be the case for such a costly car considering B-segment cars also have some trim on the doors where your hands touch (including my 10-year old jazz). Also, no ventilated seats. Surprisingly, all these misses are covered in the Seltos GTX/GTX+ which just goes to show how well the Seltos is loaded.

I must mention that the audio system is very responsive and easy to use. Also, the adaptive LED headlights not only look cool but lights up the road very nicely. And the lumbar support along with electric adjustment made the seating position extremely comfortable.

----------
I have decided to adopt a wait and watch approach for now. I think both the 1.4TSI and 1.8TSI engines will be phased out shortly as those are not BS6 compliant. I am sure Skoda will bring the new 1.5 TSI which is already BS6 compliant. Hopefully, the new version of the car with the 1.5 TSI will be launched by Q1 2019 and will have some added features which will make it a more compelling buy. If not, I think we will get even bigger discounts once we come close to the BS6 timelines.

[SidR]

Although, I think Octavia 2020 would be launched in 3rd or 4th quarter of 2020, I think you have taken a good call of waiting till Feb/March 2020 so that discounts deepen even further. I am also waiting it out for February so as to get the best deals.

I would love to know what kind of discounts were you offered on 1.4tsi model?

On another note, VW group is still struggling to refine the 1.5tsi, so that's another reason for me to be inclined on the 1.4tsi (ofcourse at a cheaper price) There are a lot of reports of kangarooing issue in the 1.5tsi engine and VW has acknowledged it.

[adimicra]

Originally Posted by SidR

Although, I think Octavia 2020 would be launched in 3rd or 4th quarter of 2020, I think you have taken a good call of waiting till Feb/March 2020 so that discounts deepen even further. I am also waiting it out for February so as to get the best deals.

I would love to know what kind of discounts were you offered on 1.4tsi model?

On another note, VW group is still struggling to refine the 1.5tsi, so that's another reason for me to be inclined on the 1.4tsi (ofcourse at a cheaper price) There are a lot of reports of kangarooing issue in the 1.5tsi engine and VW has acknowledged it.

I think I mentioned in another thread that the dealer offered 1.5 Lakh discount (OTR) on all models of the Octavia provided those are available in his stock. This is without any negotiation. I am sure there is scope for further reduction.

Can you point me towards the issues you have read about the new 1.5TSI engine. As per my knowledge, the 1.5 TSI is built on the 1.4 TSI engine with better refinement, economy and similar performance with lower emissions. I was actually looking forward to owning a car with the 1.5 TSI engine

[SidR]

The 1.5tsi is particularly sluggish and hesitates in the 1st and 2nd gear. This problem is there particularly in cars with manual gearbox. The term they use to describe the problem is "Kangooring". The car basically hops and grounds again in lower gears causing a kangaroo like effect.

See this link for more details.

https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/news/ow...si-evo-engine/

[SidR]

I believe Karoq is also getting 1.5tsi. So I just thought I should highlight the issue. The 1.5 tsi problem is non-existent in automatics but is pretty evident in manuals.

[Sumesh_Jazz]

Originally Posted by adimicra

Another Jazz owner looking for an upgrade.

Thank you Adimicra for the inputs.
The OTR price for 1.4 tsi Style variant in Ahmedabad is nearly 22.8 Lakhs. This price is before discounts/ negotiation.

[Sumesh_Jazz]

Originally Posted by livezero

Hey Sumesh, after doing 50k in a 1.4 TSI, I can safely say you won't face an issue on Hilly roads.

Thank you @livezero for clearing my apprehension.

However I am now more inclined towards the 2 TDI variant of Octavia. The Ambition variant of 2 TDI comes nearly at the same price as that of the Style Variant of 1.4 TSI.

If I opt for the 2 TDI Ambition, I may be missing out some good features that comes with the Style Variant (front sensors, rear camera, auto folding mirrors, LED headlamps, chrome lines, leather seats and in fact a lot more).

But the 2 TDI engine option ensures that there is no compromise on low end torque, performance as well as mileage. It comes with the manual gearbox as well. It may not be as smooth as the TSI. The test drive is yet to be taken.

Can anyone comment on the aspect of “driving pleasure” if we compare 1.4 TSI with the 2 TDI.

Thanks and regards,
Sumesh

[adimicra]

Originally Posted by Sumesh_Jazz

Thank you @livezero for clearing my apprehension.

However I am now more inclined towards the 2 TDI variant of Octavia. The Ambition variant of 2 TDI comes nearly at the same price as that of the Style Variant of 1.4 TSI.

If I opt for the 2 TDI Ambition, I may be missing out some good features that comes with the Style Variant (front sensors, rear camera, auto folding mirrors, LED headlamps, chrome lines, leather seats and in fact a lot more).

But the 2 TDI engine option ensures that there is no compromise on low end torque, performance as well as mileage. It comes with the manual gearbox as well. It may not be as smooth as the TSI. The test drive is yet to be taken.

Can anyone comment on the aspect of “driving pleasure” if we compare 1.4 TSI with the 2 TDI.

Thanks and regards,
Sumesh

Sumesh,
I will strongly advice against buying the Ambition variant as it misses out on a lot of basic features which will not give you the kind of experience you expect from a car of this segment. Here is the list of features I feel are absolutely important for a D-segment experience which is not present in the Ambition variant. Some of these features are present in B segment cars which are like 2-3 segment below the Octavia -
DRLs, LED headlights with adaptive light system (very useful and gives the car a premium look, halogen lights look odd in such a car)
Auto-dimming IVRM and OVRM (basic function)
curtain airbags (extremely important safety feature)
push-buttion start, keyless entry (absolutely basic function)
basic 6" ICE with no apple carplay/android auto (basic function, this will have big impact on your overall experience)
electric folding mirrors
rear parking camera (seriously?)
leather seats (can be done later though)

Also, the 2.0 TDi being a BS4 diesel will always have some risk associated with regulatory/compliance issues in future.
Even if you are going for the 2.0 diesel, please spend a couple of lakhs more and go for the style variant. Finally, your choice obviously.