India Broadband Forum

just4kix

I am thinking between Skoda Laura and Toyota Innova. I would like opinions of esteemed members on the pros and cons.

For information the (approximate) Pune prices are as follows:

just4kix

No answers after 4 days?

player

ok i am here to answer!!

first of all

Toyota Innova: its simply a "TAXI" look i wouldnt prefer a tycoon like you will buy this car oh please forget about innova

now coming to skoda laura ambiente: Its a good car and gives you a executive class and a lot more powerful than Innova overall its a great car

my personal opinion
if your family is big then buy TATA Safari 2.2 VVTI nothing beats this car when it comes to Indian SUV's

And if you need some executive class i would suggest Honda Civic or Accord

just4kix

LOL. What gives you an impression that I am a 'tycoon' or 'high flying exective'?

I am middle class to the core. I drive a Santro for the present and looking for a bigger car.

My family is not very big - 5 people but parents are old (with all spine/bones related problems) and if we are to travel together for an outing they get cramped. Hence the desire for some comfort.

But thanks for the opinions. I shall keep them in mind.

__________________

player

Then in my opinion you should buy Safari DICOR its cheaper than the VVTI version but its also great and very comfortable i mean very comfortable car(SUV) it retails around 8.5 lakhs on road my friend just bought it as i also own a Safari thats why i am referring you, keeping in my mind parking is not a problem

and there are many impressions to me that you are a high flying executive

player

when you will travel with your family in Safari you will feel like that you are sitting in your apartment!!!!!!!!!

Admin

I have a toyota innova G4 and to be honest I have no regrets. I agree there are loads of them running as a taxi but then what difference does it really make?

In my opinion resale value of a toyota innova is far higher then any skoda model given the fact that innova has a taxi angle aswell.

Skoda octivia is used extensively by police in UK but thats due to its manuverability and acceleration and top speed.. we wont need that in India as we dont have such high speed limits anywhere in India.

Innova gives you a better feel on a highway then you would get in any sedan.. be it a Laura or octivia or even a Tata safari.

Player,
Have you noticed the interiors of tata safari? the plastic inside looks so cheap.. after spending all that money you actually become a gunie pig for tata as none of their cars or suv's can match the quality of a toyota.


If youve got kids they will just love the extra space in an Innova.

The best part is maintance... toyotas are known to run without trouble for years and even service costs would be less then 35k for the first 3 years.

If you have any specific questions about innova I would love to answer them from my first hand experience.

The best thing would be go for a test drive and try pushing an innova to the limits and take it on a bit rough road and then see the difference as compared to Laura.. The amount of noise from the tyres is a lot less in an Innova as compared to skodas on a little rough roads.

There is another advantage but dont know if this suits you or not>> My plan is to keep this innova for another one year and then rent it out for two years which will give me all the money back which I have spent on buying it including all the maintance and drivers salary.. There are a lot of large tourist operators in Pune as well who would be willing to pay Rs45000 flat per month and they keep the car 24/7 and they have their own drivers.

As far as the registration goes I only paid Rs 6800 coz I got it from Chandigarh where all cars and muv's are charged at a flat rate of 6800 as opposed to 4% here in Delhi. I am sure you can save some 73000+ on registration if you can manage to get a number from any Union terretory.. I think Pondichery is somewhere down south so shouldnt be a huge issue if youve got some friends there

Innova will give you more then 14km/l on an average. I travel from Delhi to Jallandhar and then back with a tank full and the distance is 400km one way so it runs well over 850 kms with a tank full and I normally go at 120-125km/h
The only thing I hate about innova is that its a mission to wash it if you ever have to do it yourself otherwise I have no complaints.

There is another huge advantage in both summers and winters.. if you ever have a long power cut and dont have backup for aircons, Innova uses very little fuel through out the night and has got the kind of space you would need if you ever had to use it for that purpose .

At last luggage.. I have carried around things ranging from gensets to office chairs, tables, aircon, and there is even good space for a mini fridge at the back.

Admin

As you mentioned about your parent... Innova's doors are fairly wide and one of the easiest to get in and out of.

I dont know about others but I dont prefer to get into a car I like to walk into a car and thats something you cant do in a sedan and Innova server the purpose just right.

Player,
Safari is not good value for money and it needs a lot of maintanance and resale value is pretty bad be it dicor or the older versions. Moreover safari might look ok from outside but the plastic used in the interiors looks really cheap.. Safari is just a tata experiment.You just cannot compare a TATA with a Toyota.
Safari does come handy offroad but I am pretty sure none of us goes camping every month so its just good to hire a 4x4 then owning one.

just4kix if you decide upon an innova then make sure you have a look at both the versions 6+1 and 7+1 and pick the one which suits your needs.

I have the 6+1 version and the reason I got it was that the seats in the middle are very comfortable and I didint like the bench kind of look in the 7+1 version.

Skoda Laura is a lot more costly to maintain in my opinion but this opinion is not based on hard facts its just my own belief so better check with some exerts

There is another thing I like about innova and thats the breaks which bring your car to a halt in no time even when you are doing 140km/h... Ive done that a few times and Its a very stable vehicle.

Some people say is hard to park an innova... well I havent ever had a problem parking here at Delhi where we do bumper to bumper all day long then I would imagine it shouldnt be an issue in Pune either.

Yes there are a few blind spots but once you driven it 200-300 kms you get used to it.

If you are very image concious then innova is not for you.. its just pure comfort and that does come at a price Some people might just take it for granted that its been driven by a driver but I compensate that issue with my looks full of attitude

There is another major difference in both the cars... In an innova the driver and passengers actually sit upright as compared to a Laura where the seats are a bit lower then an innova which makes a huge difference when you drive for more then an hour.. After driving or travelling as a passenger in an Innova for 12 hours you would still come out fresh but in any sedan be it a Skoda Laura or a VW Passat or any others you would come out fairly tired and will feel a need to strech your legs.

My mum and dad who are in thier late 50's just love innova and have stopped travelling in the shatabdi since we got this to go to Jallandhar.. and now they travel more often then they used to before and I feel they go to Jallandhar just for the sake of it some times.

just4kix

Good. My mind is made up. I will probably go for Innova 2.5 V or G4.

I don't really care for status symbols and all that jazz - I want value for money. I have been doing a lot of research on Skoda and it appears that Skoda spares are difficult to come by and are extremely expensive.

Another point that rules in favour of Innova are almost all told me that the engine, gearbox and transmission are exteremely reliable. The local dealer is personally known to me (he lives in a bunglow next to my apartment block) so I could (hopefully) expect better attention when it comes to maintenance. Many people on the web have said that Innova paint scratches easily.

I travel approximately 36 km daily (to office). My highway travel will mostly be between Pune and New Mumbai. Admin, does it make sense to go with Petrol or stick to diesel?

Admin

The petrol version will work out very costly for you in the long run and you will not find many buyers when you want to sell it after using it for a few years.

just4kix

Gotcha!

player

ALRIGHT.................. we are going to get a party oh yeah party as just4kix is buying a brand new car so PARTY!!!!!!
@just4kix
be prepared on your wallet

@to all the dearest members
be sure to book a reservation to pune we are going to attack just4kix........we are coming be prepared!!

Admin

just4kix

All most welcome. But the purchase is not going to happen for at least a couple of months. I need to have the pipeline to pay an EMI of Rs. 18,000+.

GadgetGuru

Why not try getting TATA SAFARI??
It looks far better than Innova dude..

sable

Skoda laura is a bit expensive car. But it has got a good standard than Innova. Innova is also a good car. My friend has got both the cars. He tells me that Skoda gives me good mileage upto 19km/liter and Innova upto 13km/liter. In spacing Innova is a good car. Its a very comfortable car. If your family is big i would suggest for Innova if not Skoda laura. It has got a good look.

aneesh2k7

i agree with u admin