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BHPian adi_pterolhead recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
Just last week the odo tipped over 15K kms. That’s precisely over a period of 7 months. For those who are interested and considering this as their next ride, I'll share my observations below as positives and negatives:
Engine:
Gearbox:
Comfort:
Maintenance:
Service: I’ll get these standard issues out of the way, the whole experience of owning a 40 Lakh car is sometimes ruined a bit due to the service experience. During first service, there was an issue with the steering which I reported, they couldn’t figure it out, even though I told them what the issue was after seeing similar examples on the forums.
The headlight LED Modules vibrate while idling, or over rough roads, for which again they did not do much except for asking me to leave the vehicle for a couple of days during which they plan to remove and refit the bumper, don’t know how that’s gonna help, and try and make videos of the vibration which is impossible to capture on our phone cameras due to frame rate issues. I tried this but did’t work. And neither am I letting them take the bumper off!
One of the rear most LED cabin light’s switch is stuck, they recorded and told me they have ordered the same under warranty of course, but till date, after 4 months, I haven’t heard anything from them.
Now to the more irritating niggles. Tyre noise has increased a lot. Especially if you’re cruising on the highway with music off. Subdued on tar roads but accentuated on RCC. Since I have no issues with grip or braking performance, I am going to stick with the set until there is visible and quantifiable wear and tear.
This next one is quite peculiar and I am sure a lot of other owners here have also experienced this. Everytime I have someone sit on the middle bench, and after a short drive they get off, the seats start to make a weird and irritating rattle / creak noise. Every single time, I have to re-adjust the seat on the sliding rails, adjust the back rest, make sure everything “locks” in to place, sit and almost jump on each seat, and then the noise settles on its own. Its going to be impossible to demonstrate the issue to service centre.
The creak from the dashboard returned soon after the first service. They did place some felt tape to control it, but I think its not going to be a permanent fix.
The fuel efficiency in city is extremely poor. Yes I try to justify the same by the facts that its a heavy car, 4x4’s added weight and strain, etc etc. But 6.5-7 kmpl on a sedate drive of about 7-8 kms (my office route) is too low to digest. On the same stretch, same driving style, my Octy even to this day, returns 14-15 kmpl consistently.
If I can call this last one a negative, please hear me out. When I decided I needed a new car, and my budget was a tight 40-45 Lakh on road, I knew it was going to lean in favour of either the Superb / Kodiaq and a few other German options. Till last year I never imagined myself driving a 7 seater SUV. 99% of the time I am alone in the car, and on the weekends, its just me and my wife. It was a difficult choice to make and digest / compromise a lot when I bought this car. If I wanted a sedan which drove as beautifully as the Octy, it has to be a 330i. But I was just not interested in the bare bones Sport variant. There were also issues with availability at the time and I just dropped the idea of buying the 3er. The C-Class was stratospherically out of budget. The Superb, by the time I decided, stopped being sold with the dark brown interiors and black exterior. I did not want another beige interior and I had put my foot down on that. The Fortuner was a bit too much for me, again out of budget, similar to drive as my Crysta, did not want it. Endeavour / Ford shut shop. The only option other than the Kodiaq which came to mind was the Audi A4. I really like that car, the looks, the equipment, interiors, everything about it just tugs at my heart every time I see one on the roads, and I am still stalking all the ownership threads on T-Bhp. So when I saw the Kodiaq, it did feel like, its BIG! But as soon as I started driving it, it literally shrunk around me and it took me mere seconds to feel comfortable with the size. Yes, I wish it had more grunt, a little more drama, a little more geeky, came in black, but I had to settle. That’s the problem, I had to settle, for a white, big SUV, compromise on some or the other aspect like DCC and cooled seats, and somehow be happy about the possession. I still remember when I got the Octy, I would be sitting in the car for hours, exploring, feeling, just experiencing. Everyone here knows, that if you park your car and walk away without looking back, you’ve got the wrong Simran. I just hope the Kodiaq’s stint in my life is a safe and trouble free experience, otherwise I could have just gotten another Octy (RS245) when I had the chance.
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