Skoda Laura

Skoda Laura

Czech Republic auto giant Škoda Auto, commonly known as Skoda, launched Skoda Laura in the Indian automobile market in May 2009. The wholly owned subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, Skoda, launched Laura as a grown-up Octavia. With its contemporary and dynamic styling, the 5-seater sedan Laura makes a statement at first glance.  Both the exterior and the interior of the Laura cars give an impression of perfection. The Skoda Laura is designed to cope with the coarse Indian roads and give the feel of a better driving experience.

Skoda Laura has been launched in the Indian market in petrol as well as diesel versions. The petrol variants of Skoda Laura are powered by 1.8 TSI 4V 1798cc, turbocharged petrol engine. On the other hand, the diesel variants are packed with 2.0 TDI 1968cc 4V diesel engine. Models of Skoda Laura that were powered by 1.9 TDI 4V 1896cc, turbocharged diesel engine have been discontinued. Like every Skoda automobile, Laura features perfect handling, directional stability and enhanced braking ability.

Skoda Laura Launch History

Skoda Auto India Private India, commonly known as Skoda Auto India was established in November 2001. Skoda Laura, launched in May 2009, is a 5-seater premium sedan model and is one of the most successful cars in Skoda’s global portfolio. It has been awarded as the ‘Mid-size Car of the Year’ at the ‘Auto Bild India Golden Steering Wheel Awards 2010’. Both the petrol and diesel version of the Skoda Laura are available in the Indian market. It carries 3 trims, including Laura Laurin & Klement, Laura Elegance and Laura Ambiente.

The Skoda is regarded as the alter-ego of the international Octavia, albeit the previous generation Octavia is still sold. The Laura is a D segment entry level luxury sedan and believes prevails that Skoda has launched Laura for Indian market. One can choose either the petrol engine variants or the diesel engine variant, as both are powerful and give pleasurable driving experience. With a classic look, the Skoda Laura is a car with difference. Skoda Laura RS India the upgraded version of Skoda Laura is all set to be launched in the Indian market at August 31, 2011.

Skoda Laura Variants

Skoda India incorporated its innovative techniques to bestow the engines of new Skoda Laura cars with much power. After being fully conscious about the hike in the demand of small cars in Indian market, Skoda India launched Laura to cope with the coarse Indian roads. Hence, the new Skoda Laura is designed to meet the challenges of Indian roads and the demand of Indian customers. Details of the variants of Skoda Laura are discussed below:

Variants	Features and Specifications
Skoda Laura 1.8 Manual Classic	It comes with 1.8L 1798cc, 4-cylinder, 6-speed manual gearbox, and renders the peak power of 160 bph. It also features A/C, P/S, P/W, ABS2, airbags, Music system, and electrically adjustable driver seat.
Skoda Laura 1.8 TSI Ambiente	It comes with 1.8, 1798cc, 4-cylinder, 6-speed fully synchronised gears, and renders the power of 160bph at 4500–6200, Torque: 250Nm at 1500–4500. It features P/S, P/W, ABS6, and airbags.
Skoda Laura 2.0 TDI CR Ambiente 5-MT	It is powered by 2.0 TDI CR 1968cc, engine with manual 5-speed fully synchronised gears, and renders the Power of 110 bhp at 4200 rpm, and the torque of  250 Nm at 1500 to 2500 rpm. It also has P/S, P/W, ABS6, and airbags.
Skoda Laura 2.0 TDI CR Ambiente 6-DSG AT	It has the engine of 1968cc, automatic 6-speed, DSG, with Tiptronic manual gear changing gears, and renders the power of 140 bhp at 4000, and the Torque of 320 Nm at 1750–2500rpm. It also possesses P/S, P/W, ABS6, and airbags.
Skoda Laura 2.0 TDI CR Elegance 5-MT	It is packed with the 1968cc engine and manual 5-speed fully synchronised gears that render the power of 110 bhp at 4200 rpm and torque of 250 Nm at 1500–2500 rpm. It also has P/S, P/W, ABS6, and airbags.
Skoda Laura 2.0 TDI CR Elegance 6-DSG AT	It carries the engine of 1968cc, automatic 6-speed, DSG, with Tiptronic manual gear changing gears, and renders the power of 140 bhp at 4000rpm, and the Torque of 320 Nm at 1750–2500rpm. It too features P/S, P/W, ABS6, and airbags.
Skoda Laura 2.0 TDI CR Laurin Klement 6-DSG AT	It comes powered by 2.0 litre engine, 1968cc, automatic 6-speed gearbox, DSG, with Tiptronic manual gear changing gears, and renders the power of 140 bhp at 4000 and the torque of 320 Nm at 1750–2500rpm. It also P/S, P/W, ABS6, and airbags.

Skoda Laura Pricing

Skoda India has always endeavoured to provide best to its customer within reasonable price range. All the variants of Skoda Laura come within the price brackets of Rs.15 lacs to Rs.22 lacs. Skoda Laura prices vary in different states due to the taxes levied by government of the state as well as the dealer's margin.

Skoda Laura Review

Skoda Laura in India is a 5-seater sedan is basically the international Octavia that is still sold in the market. Packed with powerful mills, Laura is extremely fun to drive classic car. There are seven variants of Skoda Laura in India is available, Laura 1.8 Manual Classic, Laura 1.8 TSI Ambiente, Laura 2.0 TDI CR Ambiente 5-MT, Laura 2.0 TDI CR Ambiente 6-DSG AT, Laura 2.0 TDI CR Elegance 5-MT, Laura 2.0 TDI CR Elegance 6-DSG AT and Laura 2.0 TDI CR Laurin Klement 6-DSG AT.

The Skoda Laura cars have powerful engines that render not only generates peak power but also churn out high torque for acceleration and top speed. Skoda Laura cars in India boasts of perfect handling, directional stability and fully advanced braking ability. Along with the elegant design, these cars are also known for the comfort and convenience. Features of Skoda Laura like Xenon curve projector headlights with dynamic levelling and 12-way electrically adjustable driver seat with programmable memory makes it a leading car. The Skoda touchscreen audio player with SD/ MMC card reader and dual zone Climatronic gives this car a luxury touch.

Skoda Laura has bagged rave reviews and great responses from the buyers. Its calibre and beauty has been recognised by many experts. Moreover, it has been awarded as 'Midsize Car of the Year' and the 'Best Variant of the Year' by Auto Bild India Golden Steering Wheel Awards 2010. Seeing all these, the true connoisseur of luxury car will find himself totally entangled in its charm. On the whole, the new Skoda Laura is a car that suits those who give preference to aesthetic and power over money.

Skoda Laura Used Car Market

For purchasing a used Skoda Laura, buyers can turn towards the approved retailers of Skoda Auto India. The main benefit of choosing the approved retailer is that they provide warranty with the car. Moreover, they offer many facilities like a year’s free RAC Road Assistance, multi-point vehicle inspection check, vehicle status check and 30 days or 1000 mile exchange.

Skoda Laura Specifications

The secret of the success of the Skoda Laura lies in the culmination of a robust and bold appearance along with functional details. New Skoda Laura in India provides a jerk free and enjoyable driving experience to its owner. The Skoda cars are known for their facilities and innovative technologies that are incorporated in the car to make it more powerful and comfortable.

Skoda Laura has bold and emphatic exterior along with comfortable and luxury interior. Both the variants, Skoda Laura Ambiente and Skoda Laura Elegance come to demand the throne of perfection and take over all cars of their likes. Some of technical specifications of the various variants of Skoda Laura are discussed below:

Technical specifications	1.8 TSI/118 kW	2.0 TDI CR/81 kW	2.0 TDI CR/103 kW (A)
Variants	Classic and Ambiente	Ambiente and Elegance	Ambiente, Elegance and Laurin & Klement
Engine type	Turbocharged petrol engine, in-line, liquid cooling system, direct injection, 16V DOHC, transverse in front	Turbocharged diesel engine, turbocharger with self-aligning blades, in-line, liquid cooling system, high-pressure direct injection system, 16V DOHC, transverse in front	Turbocharged diesel engine, turbocharger with self-aligning blades, in-line, liquid cooling system, high-pressure direct injection system, 16V DOHC, transverse in front
Displacement	1798cc	1968cc	1968cc
Power	160 bhp at 4500–6200 rpm	110 bhp at 4200 rpm	140 bhp at 4000 rpm
Torque	250 Nm at 1500–4500 rpm	250 Nm at 1500–2500 rpm	320 Nm at 1750–2500 rpm
Transmission	Manual 6-speed fully synchronised	Manual 5-speed fully synchronised	Automatic 6-speed, DSG, with Tiptronic manual gear changing
Kerb weight (kg)	1380	1389	1465
Gross weight (kg)	1965	1971	2015

Besides, the front axle of Skoda Laura cars is integrated with McPherson suspension with lower triangular links and torsion stabiliser. On the other hand, the rear axle is incorporated with multi-element axle, with one longitudinal and three transverse links, with torsion stabiliser.

Braking system equipped in all the models of Skoda Laura is hydraulic dual diagonal circuit braking system vacuum, which is assisted with dual rate system. Front tyres of this car have disc brakes that have inner cooling and come with single/piston floating calliper. The rear tyres of this car are also integrated with disc brakes that make the braking system efficient.

Exterior

The new Skoda Laura features distinguished design that not only hints at its sporty side but also makes it stand out of the crowd. Its strong shoulder line optically elevates the cars, accentuating its broad shoulders. The bold swage line along the entire lower side, in unison of the thick lower sills, intensifies the look of strength and stability. Fluently sloping roofline of Laura further imposes its contours.

Flared headlamp brows, turn indicators integrated into external mirrors, new chrome front grille and Parktronic sensor integrated into the bumper makes it more secure and apparelled. Moreover, new 16” alloy wheels, new tail lamp with chrome central insert and new 1-piece bumper with 2 reflective strips not only add up to its beauty but security too. The 'Laurin & Klement' badge gives a touch of luxury and royalty to the car.

Exterior Measurements

Skoda Laura is a mid-size car, which can easily accommodate five passengers. Other dimensions of this car are as follows:

Criteria	Measurements
Overall Length (mm)	4569
Overall Width (mm)	1,769
Overall Height (mm)	1485
Wheelbase (mm)	2578
Ground Clearance (mm)	164

Interior

Skoda Laura provides space, comfort, convenience and luxury interior. The interior of the new Skoda Laura are a culmination of contemporary design and high quality materials.

Interior Appearance  

The interior of this car are designed in a way to give it a touch of elegance and practicality. The soft-touch dashboard of the car makes it look chic and the controls make it easy to operate. The basic storage capacity of Skoda Laura is 528 litres. Pleasantly, one can easily enhance the luggage space and capacity to 1328 litre by folding the rear seats. The dual tone Onxy-Ivory dashboard further emphasises the charm of the Laura car interior.

Equipped with centre console, door panels Laura stands out to lead all. The ivory colour upholstery and wood design decor clads the Skoda Laura in such a way that it seems that it is a modern classic. The Skoda Laura Ambiente models come true to their name as they possess silver alloy decor with weave design on front dashboard, centre console and door panels.

Interior Comfort

Skoda Laura is loaded with several features that make this car one of the most comfortable and convenient cars in the Indian market. All the models of this car come with height adjustment for driver seat and rear seat centre armrest. The front centre armrest, which is adjustable for length and height, is available in Ambiente, Elegance and Laurin & Klement. 12-way electrically adjustable driver seat with three programmable memory functions in Laurin & Klement model makes this car very comfortable. 

For maintaining a comfortable temperature inside the car, Climatronic automatic air conditioning with electronic regulation of cabin temperature is provided in Skoda Laura cars in India. All the variants of Skoda Laura are loaded with multi function display (MFD) that gives the driver information about travelling time, distance travelled, average speed and immediate consumption, to name a few.

Interior Measurements

Skoda Laura has the maximum legroom space of 82 cm and minimum of 52 cm. The headroom space is 92 cm. The Skoda Laura also carries high quality leather that is soft and durable and enriches the comfort and cosiness of the car.

Skoda Laura Mileage, Average and Fuel Economy

Skoda Laura in India is designed in such a way that it reduces the air resistance. The body of this car helps in air resistance coefficient and consequently renders a better mileage and fuel economy to the Laura cars. The engine of Skoda Laura is powerful enough to make the car spin rapidly into a gap in traffic. Generally, the petrol engine variants of Skoda Laura in India renders the mileage of 9.8 kmpl in city and 14 kmpl on highways whereas, 2.0 TDI L&K engine provides the mileage of 10.1 kmpl in city and 14 kmpl on highways. Moreover, the Laura cars come equipped with the engine, which is also fitted with electronically controlled direct injection system.

Skoda Laura On Road Drive

The powerful engine of the Skoda Laura along with its bold exterior and luxury interior ensures a better on road driving experience. It provides excellent hold on the road and the chance of a safe and secure driving too makes the driver feel relaxed. Skoda has incorporated many innovative technologies and features to make the Laura a more driver friendly and comfortable car. One will surely feel satisfied with the inner beauty and power of the Laura and the comfort of the car will also give a pleasant feeling.

Skoda Laura Power

Skoda Laura in India comes powered by three types of engines. There is 1.8 TSI 4V 1798cc, turbocharged petrol engine delivers power of 160 bhp at 4500 rpm to 6200 rpm and maximum torque of 250 Nm at 1500-4500rpm. Another more powerful version of Skoda Laura diesel is also available. These models feature the 2.0 TDI L and K AT mill that comes with 2.0L, 1968cc, 4V diesel engine. It also features an automatic transmission gearbox and renders the maximum power of 140bhp at 4000rpm with a maximum torque of 320Nm at 1750rpm.

The intermission between the gears in the 5-speed or 6-speed fully synchronised manual and automatic gearbox favours the feature of concerning engine. Hence, the Skoda Laura provides better fuel consumption and higher power. The Skoda Auto India always presented itself as fully conscious of the demand of fuel efficiency. Thus, the Skoda incorporated such innovative techniques that not only help to get more power but take care of the fuel economy.

Skoda Laura Acceleration and Pick Up

It is the engine of Skoda Laura that decides the acceleration and pick up of any car. Skoda Laura is featured with very a powerful engine, as mentioned earlier, hence it ensures higher acceleration and better pick up. The diesel variants of the Skoda Laura give better performance than the other variants. On the whole, all the petrol variants of Skoda Laura render the acceleration of 100kmph within 8.17 seconds with the top speed of 223 kmph. The variants that are powered by 2.0 TDI A/T L&K are capable of attaining the acceleration of 100 kmph in 11.07 seconds with the top speed of 207kmph.

Skoda Laura Safety and Security

Skoda Laura is deftly synchronised with the updated safety instruments and devices. The Skoda Laura cars provides many major security features like dual front airbags, seatbelts pre-tensioners for front seats, seatbelt warning light and height adjustable 3-point seatbelts at front and rear. Besides, 2 Isofix child-seat preparations on outer rear seats also prove beneficial in unfavourable conditions.

The Skoda Laura also features under body protective cover, acoustic warning signal for over-run speed, side door protective strips, door open indicator and dual-tone warning horn, in order to enhance the security level. The child proof rear window, door locking, and emergency triangle in the luggage compartment further makes this car safer.

Halogen projector headlights with manual levelling, front and rear fog lights, warning lights on front door, automatic dimming interior rear view mirror, keep the driver conscious enough. The external mirror defogger with timer, rear windscreen defogger with timer ensures better safety too. The Skoda comes true with the idiom that precautions are better than the cures, hence, ABS (Anti-lock Braking System), EBD (Electronic Brake-force Distribution) has been incorporated to give the Skoda Laura advanced and secure profile.

The MBA (Mechanical Brake Assistant), HBA (Hydraulic Brake Assistant), ASR (Anti Slip Regulation) and TCS (Traction Control system) along with high level third brake light, check the driving security and provide better hold on the roads. Furthermore, the direct rack and pinion steering with electro mechanic power steering makes the car easy to handle and provide safe and secure driving experience.

Skoda Laura Comfort and Convenience

The Skoda Laura looks elegant and stylish and is available with lots of comfort features. Skoda is known for providing comfort and convenience to its customers and the new Laura is not an exception. The Skoda Laura is steeped with the features which will make you feel home while driving. The Skoda Laura provides better storage options, as the storage compartment are available under the steering wheel, front and rear centre console, front and rear doors.

There are storage pockets on the front seat’s back-rest, coat hoot on rear roof handles and B pillars with jumbo box-storage under front arm-rest along with cooling. This car has a boot space of 560 litres, which can be extended to 1420 litres of total luggage space when rear seatbacks are folded. Moreover, luggage compartments also feature foldable baggage hook, six load anchoring points and rear seat centre armrest with through-loading. All unites to make the Skoda Laura cars more convenient and comfortable.

The interior of the car seems more emphatic with the attachment of dual tone Onxy-Ivory dashboard. One can find the Skoda Laura variants equipped with centre console, door panels, ivory colour upholstery and wood design décor. The Skoda Laura Ambiente models give the true sense of ambience as they possess silver alloy décor with weave design on front dashboard, centre console and door panels. On the whole, the Skoda Laura cars come forward to ensure better comfort and give a sense of pleasure.

Skoda Laura Wheels

Skoda Laura features the tyres with dimensions 205/55 R16 in its all variant. The Skoda Laura Ambiente possesses 16” alloy width with Pyxis and the Skoda Laura Elegance arrays 16” alloy wheels with Lyra. On the contrary, the Skoda Laura Classic features 15” alloy wheel.

Variants	Classic and Ambiente	Elegance	Laurin & Klement
Wheels	6.5J×15"	6.5J×16"	6.5J×16"
Tyres	195/65 R15	205/55 R16	205/55 R16

                       

Skoda Laura Stereo and Accessories

Skoda Laura carries Skoda Swing audio player, 8 speakers, climatic-manually regulated air conditioning, odour filter and pollen filter. This luxury sedan also features textile floor mats, 12V power socket in centre console.

Skoda Laura Dealers

Skoda Auto India provides a number of dealers to its customers throughout India. Here are some of the well-known dealers:

New Delhi	Mumbai	Kolkata	Chennai
Arshia Motors	Autobahn Enterprises Private Limited	Jia Auto Sales (P) Ltd	Gurudev Motor
Fahrenheit Automobiles Pvt. Ltd	JMD Auto Private Limited
Giriraj Motors Pvt. Ltd
Nawab Motors Pvt. Ltd.

Skoda Laura Company Quotes

Mr. Thomas Kuehl, Board Member, Sales & Marketing, Skoda Auto India said, "We are proud to present the 3 variants of the new Laura, which assures the customers a Perfect 10/10 driving experience. Skoda Auto India has achieved tremendous success since its inception in India and we are looking forward to achieve many more milestones with the support of our valued Indian customers."

Skoda Laura Competitor Analysis

Skoda Laura faces competition from Honda Civic, Volkswagen Jetta and Honda Accord. If compared with Honda Civic, Skoda Laura is an expensive car but the price is overshadowed by the amount of exterior and interior features integrated in the vehicle. Honda Civic takes an edge over Skoda Laura in terms of fuel efficiency.

Another chief competitor of            new Skoda Laura is Volkswagen Jetta. Skoda Laura lags behind Volkswagen Jetta in terms of pulling power or pick-up. However, Laura dominates Jetta in terms of handling Skoda Laura. When compared with Honda Accord, Skoda Laura wins in terms of pricing, but losses in terms of fuel efficiency.

Skoda Laura LPG/CNG version

Presently, there is no information regarding the LPG/CNG version of Skoda Laura.

Skoda Laura Pros

Skoda Laura is a much appreciated car in the D segment. The main highlight of the vehicle is its impressive design, be it exterior or interiors. This car also gives value for the money, as it comes with several new and technologically advanced features.

Skoda Laura Cons

The new Skoda Laura has some negative aspects too, which makes its customer raise their noses. This car is smaller than the other cars in the segment and has less rear legroom.

Skoda Laura Conclusion

The Skoda Laura is a car, which everybody will like to drive. Its power, torque, average, mileage, pick up, acceleration, along with bold exterior and charismatic interior and ample space spare no one’s attention. One will surely find it a better car, albeit its high price will allow its rivals like some advantage. Available in petrol as well as diesel variant, Skoda Laura is suitable for metropolitan cities as well as the rural areas. Due to the impressive power, excellent mileage and stylish looks, Skoda Laura has grabbed many high valued awards in Indian market.