Skoda Octavia or ....?

[Jazzy]

HI Guys,

I'm in the market for the new Octavia 1.4tsi. Problem is the dealership doesnt have the car for display or TD. How do I put in 17lacs for a car Iv not driven, although Iv driven the 1.8tsi. But these 2 are different cars altogether with different engines & suspensions.

Iv looked at VW Jetta but not impressed with the features. Iv also TD the new Corolla but it lacks power for sure (even though its rated for 140bhp)...its not a drivers car...Iv called the cruze guys this weekend. But my heart is set for the new octy...

what about the horror stories about skoda service? does it still haunt people?

Thanks

 

[swiftkolkata]

With this budget you can also look for Toyota Altis 1.8 Autometic along with Toyota reliability.

 

[Gurrala74]

@Jazzy

As I know nothing can give that driving pleasure and comfort like the Octavia for sure. As I heard now most of the spares are localised and service has improved a lot.

Yes corolla may not give you that kind of driving pleasure, but believe me it is more reliable and a workhorse for long time.

 

[karthick raja]

Consider Jetta as it has the most important multi link suspension for diesel variants too and also the features are more or less same as the skoda. Also the service quality may be better than the skoda atleast from the users opinion.

Anyway if you are set on Octavia then go for 1.8Tsi even if you extend budget its worth it.

 

[amiti]

IMHO, Go for Corolla Altis CVT, it is good to drive and you will have complete peace of mind with the after sales, not quite sure with Skoda and VW. I did drive all the three cars and octavia 1.8 was really good to drive but the service is..... I have also driven the Jetta but the suspension setup didn't do justice to otherwise smooth car. Corolla is an all rounder package.

 

[anshuman8]

Please do consider VW Jetta or you may wait for new Audi A3 which may be priced at par with Octavia/Jetta higher versions.

 

[Surfer]

what about the horror stories about skoda service? does it still haunt people?

Yes it does , imo stay away from skoda.

 

[AMG]

Yes it does , imo stay away from skoda.

Ever owned a skoda?
If not, then how can you call yourself authorised to advise on something with which you have no first hand experience?

@ Thread Starter

I'm an extremely happy and satisfied Skoda owner since 2012, and everyone I know is happy too.

 

[furious_driver]

^^ Good for you that you are satisfied and got a good vehicle. But it is not the case with all users. All manufacturers sometimes sell lemons to customers, and no one is exception. But the main concern is, what they are doing after the customer realizes that it is an lemon and he want to have a good one. instead of that. This is where companies like MSI, Honda and Hyundai do justice, whereas VW,Skoda will scare and treat customers in a different way.

 

[AMG]

^^ Good for you that you are satisfied and got a good vehicle. But it is not the case with all users. All manufacturers sometimes sell lemons to customers, and no one is exception. But the main concern is, what they are doing after the customer realizes that it is an lemon and he want to have a good one. instead of that. This is where companies like MSI, Honda and Hyundai do justice, whereas VW,Skoda will scare and treat customers in a different way.

Maruti: http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/ownership-reviews/1310-red-hot-alto-spice.html

Honda: http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...-acts-frustrated-car-owners-2.html#post112966

Hyundai: Hyundai Motor India - Extremely frustrated with Hyundai Service center - Dee Hyundai Allahabad

Hyundai: http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...-acts-frustrated-car-owners-4.html#post233523

Chevy: http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...-acts-frustrated-car-owners-4.html#post233523

Ford: http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...-acts-frustrated-car-owners-3.html#post233406

Harley: http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...-acts-frustrated-car-owners-5.html#post349382

Jaguar: http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...-acts-frustrated-car-owners-5.html#post389699



No company is a saint.
Even a Lambo owner wrecked his car because he was dis-satisfied.

But its only VW and Skoda issues that get highlighted.

 

[furious_driver]

^^ How can I put this?

MSIL - 2/10 issues, 1 got resolved and 1 is left alone stranded
HMIL - 3/10 issues, 1 got resolved, 2 left alone stranded
Skoda - 3/10 issues, 3 left alone stranded.

Do I need to make this more clearer?

Read Team BHP , TAI and other relevant forums and you might see, 5/10 horrors stories are from the so called German car manufacturers and rest 5 will be including Honda,Hyundai or MSIL. I am not vouching for any of these brands, but I personally seen attitude of Skoda showrooms guys in Bangalore,Chennai, Coimbatore and they think themself to the likes of Audi and not even treating customer's who come to the showroom with below-par dressing sense. I have heard enough horror stories and read more, and this made me stay away from these brands.

I am not willing to take such huge risk but putting myself in a trouble like the stories I heard/read. Yes, Japs also not 100% perfect, but if one dealer is acting weird, I can go for best one in the lot and sort things out. But with the meager presence of VW/Skoda dealers, this will not happen. May be it will get better, if company started taking India market little seriously, and expand their service network, educate service guys as well as SA.

 

[Jazzy]

Okay so as i can see there are 3 people vouching me to go for the toyota. Yes the corolla would give me peace of mind, reliability & lots of features too, but I drove it & wasn't too impressed with the pulling power. Moreover, it has a naturally aspirated engine...the FE was showing around 6 in the TD car.
But with the 1.4tsi I am assured of performance plus at least a 10+ FE if driven by me. Correct me if Im wrong guys.
One things sure, @17lacs, the Elantra or the Cruze is offering more features, so is the Corolla. But an European car is after all a different class. Frankly Im not a fan of the exotic styling of the Hyundai. And regarding the Cruze, even though Im yet to drive it, I suppose its a heavy car & not meant for city driving. The Jetta is German & very well built no doubt but it doesn't have climate control. Thats a deal breaker for me, if Im spending so much.
The Octy on the other hand misses out on the following features which makes me sad:
> No powered driver seat
> No cruise control
> No Projector headlamps with DRLs

Okay, on the Skoda service front, does everyone know that they have put up the servicing costs of all their vehicles in their website?
Thats a first from any manufacturer. This brings a lot of transparency.

What say ?

 

[AMG]

^^ How can I put this?

MSIL - 2/10 issues, 1 got resolved and 1 is left alone stranded
HMIL - 3/10 issues, 1 got resolved, 2 left alone stranded
Skoda - 3/10 issues, 3 left alone stranded.

Do I need to make this more clearer?

Read Team BHP , TAI and other relevant forums and you might see, 5/10 horrors stories are from the so called German car manufacturers and rest 5 will be including Honda,Hyundai or MSIL. I am not vouching for any of these brands, but I personally seen attitude of Skoda showrooms guys in Bangalore,Chennai, Coimbatore and they think themself to the likes of Audi and not even treating customer's who come to the showroom with below-par dressing sense. I have heard enough horror stories and read more, and this made me stay away from these brands.

I am not willing to take such huge risk but putting myself in a trouble like the stories I heard/read. Yes, Japs also not 100% perfect, but if one dealer is acting weird, I can go for best one in the lot and sort things out. But with the meager presence of VW/Skoda dealers, this will not happen. May be it will get better, if company started taking India market little seriously, and expand their service network, educate service guys as well as SA.

You know what?

I can right now, sitting here, fabricate a horror story of magnanimous dimensions about any auto maker you want me to.
ANY MAKER!
Without even having touched that thing with a barge pole.

So share your personal experiences, dont believe on hearsay, and dont spread rumours.

 

[Crazy cat]

HI Guys,

I'm in the market for the new Octavia 1.4tsi. Problem is the dealership doesnt have the car for display or TD. How do I put in 17lacs for a car Iv not driven, although Iv driven the 1.8tsi. But these 2 are different cars altogether with different engines & suspensions.

Iv looked at VW Jetta but not impressed with the features. Iv also TD the new Corolla but it lacks power for sure (even though its rated for 140bhp)...its not a drivers car...Iv called the cruze guys this weekend. But my heart is set for the new octy...

what about the horror stories about skoda service? does it still haunt people?

Thanks

You can TD jetta if you want to know about the 1.4 engine.

I would suggest you to get Jetta or Altis. Skoda is definitely expensive. My brother's Fabia's(1.2 tdi) service cost is slightly more than my Vento(1.6 tdi), for regular servicing. Besides, Octavia is prone to rattles and not as well built as Jetta. Altis will give you peace of mind, but its not a driver's car.

 

[nishant5858]

The Jetta is German & very well built no doubt but it doesn't have climate control. Thats a deal breaker for me, if Im spending so much ?

Jetta does have Climate Control on the updated versions which VW introduced earlier this year. All variants get Climate Control, 6 Airbags, ABS EBD, Hill Hold, ESP, TC, Electronic Differential Lock, etc. It is a fantastic car and is well worth the money. Dad has a Diesel Jetta Mid Trim and it has not given a problem yet. Please check the new version of Jetta in showrooms.