Skoda Laura [2005-2009]

Buying experience: It was a great day for me to buy that car. I went miles and miles to get that beastRiding experience: Nice and very convenient car also feels very comfortableDetails about looks, performance etc: Awesome engine producing great performance and convenient for fuelServicing and maintenance: That was a huge amount to get service for this beastPros and Cons: The service charges could have been the best and the parts charge should decrease

Exterior Macho Looks and Presence on the road. On a lighter note the only bad part is that everyone is staring at You and Your Machine Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) Excellent Interior with loads of features which are not even there in Merc C Class and BMW 3 ERIES. Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox My car gives me a fuel economy of 13 in city and around 16 on highway, subject to No Rash Driving. Gearbox is all excellent and Ride Quality & Handling Excellent on Ride and Handling. Final Words A very Well Packed car from the Skoda Stable, a sheer luxury experience at the price of a Normal D Segment Car with lots of safety including atleast 8 airbags and a very high quality music system. Areas of improvement Ride can be a bit softer but otherwise the car is of a very strong build and has ample of space and loads of features, so nothing much to improve except for the cost of Service and Spares.Excellent on HandlingFully Dependable and Safe Car

Exterior The exterior of the car is well built, being skoda know for it. The shape and upgradations are good. You get some good features like Head lamp washer but it also lacks some required features like Electronic foldable Mirriors.  Overall good package on the Extrior front. Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) You get ample space with this car, any long journey with 6 to Baggages you neeed not worry at all. One great thing about this car (L&K) is you get almost all the required features at a reasonable price. Seat Heaters are really wonderful. The car has got good comfort in front and back seat. Some features like Cruise Control give problem (it does not work). I got it repaired couple of times but not that great. The wrost part of this car is its Air Conditioning, it does not cool properly and its compressor needs to be changes every 2 years ( Rs.40,000 cost of a compressor) . I think skoda needs to learn some thing from Maruti - a low maintenance and mind blowing AC. Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox The Engine of Laura i found it a bit under powered, it should have been atleast 140  BHP ( Offered in New  Laura Automatic) becaue of the heavy weight the same requires the more power. The drive is smooth, gear Changing is again swift but again Skoda has a big problem of Clutch Plate. I had to change clutch Plate twice again every change costed me approx Rs.40 K. We have other Hyundai and Mitsubhishi cars that have been driven for approx 1.5 lacs kms but not a single cluth plate problem was encountered.This is not all, if your car crosses 1 Lac Km the you need to change your Turbo this would cost you around Rs.1 Lac. Then comes the turn of Timming Belt which would cost You Rs. 30k. The Mileage that I usually got inside city was 12.5km/ L and on highways aprox 14.5 Km/L. Ride Quality & Handling Ride quality and Hndling of a car is really good. Final Words If you are ready to spend approx Rs.4 to Rs.5 per Km as a maintenance cost then its a really nice car to buy. You get the premium feeling while driving but you just get fed up with the recurring bills. Areas of improvement Skoda if wants to retain there market share they need to work upon the maintenance related issues, offer better spare parts with the car (Compressor, Clutch Plate, Turbo). They should may be increase the car cost by Rs.50 K but should atleast cover the maintenance for 5 years. Otherwise your pocket starts bleeding.Best Drivability, grip & featuresHigh Maintenance Cost, Electronic problems

Exterior Body line is very good, looks like a tuff car from front, and the ground cleareance is very good. Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) Very good features like 12 way electronically adjustable driver seat, cooling compartment under front handrest and glove-box, tire pressure monitor,audio control on the steering wheel, it gives a feeling of a mercedes benz when you sit in it. Seats are a bit not comfortable they must have a good leather and a better cushion. whooa at the boot space - such big it is. Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox Engine is too good, It can deliver what a 1900 cc engine can deliver with such a heavy body, fuel economy is not that good in the city it gives 9.6 - 11.2 and on highway it gives 16.5. Best transmission in its class, DSG the most modern gearbox by VW group, effort-less driving like any othe automatic gearbox(cvt) you just need to put on drive mode and it goes, very smooth gear shifts. Ride Quality & Handling Handling is very good, it doest leave the road(curves) at any speed. But better if you go for upgraded tires, the steering wheel must have been improved like what they have build the new generation Laura. Final Words Best in class I took drive of every car in this segment before taking this car, And I should say I did'nt do any mistake by taking this car. Areas of improvement After sales need a major attention.Interior, exterior, featuresafter sale servise at showroom and parts are a bit costly