Skoda India Ltd launched the Laura, it is Skoda’s new Octavia based on the VW Group’s A5 platform. Skodas in India are better known for their superior build quality and the diesel power plant that powers current Octavia’s.

The Laura is sportier. The lines and creases are sharper and are better executed. And the edgy design character continues throughout. The hood for instance is more sculpted with a prominent nose line running top to bottom, evocative of Formula 1 cars and also seen on the earlier Octavia though a little subdued in the latter. The grille meanwhile is typically Skoda, understated with vertical slats giving it the sober trait. The headlamps, which are suggestive of Superb, are again from the edges-are-beautiful school of thought. These are more like a sculpted trapezium.

Longer, wider and taller than the current Octavia, the Laura is a half size bigger with the new A5 platform, adding much-needed additional rear legroom and better stability. The Laura has features like Electronic Stability Control, Park-tronic parking sensors front and rear, rain sensors that start the wipers automatically, six airbags, a system that monitors the tyre pressure, puddle lights at the base of the outside mirrors, enough space in the 560-litre boot for a kitchen sink. The Laura has also been kitted out with what is known as a bad road suspension, essentially raised springs for greater ground clearance and marginally stiffer dampers for better body control.

Inside the Laura you will be amazed by the solid tree trunk-like build quality. Everything functions with a slick quality feel, the plastics used are much superior to those on the Octavia and the design of the dash is modern if slightly sedate. However the interiors look rather dull as if someone’s emptied a pail of paint on them, their shades of black being monotonous and boring in the extreme. Splashes of silver span the cockpit in an attempt to liven up the gloomy cabin, but it’s a gesture that feels like an afterthought. Driver and passenger comfort, however, is top notch. The large seats are extremely supportive; the power adjusters are nicely calibrated. The additional wheelbase or the distance between the front and rear wheels also mean much greater legroom, something the Octavia desperately needed.

The DSG or (Direct Shift Gearbox) is another feather in the Laura cap, with it being the latest in automatic gearboxes. Unlike a conventional automatic, which employs a torque converter to transmit power, the 6-speed DSG employs two input shafts with a dedicated clutch for each for the same purpose. The two clutches are of the wet multi-plate type; that is to say, these operate in an oil bath, and have been employed as these are better equipped to handle more power compared to their single dry plate counter parts.

The Laura uses a direct rack and an electromechanical dual pinion steering with power assist besides discs all around (ventilated up front and solid discs at the rear) with single-piston floating type caliper. Our test car also came equipped with ABS (Anti-lock Braking System), MBA (Mechanical Braking Assistant), MSR (Engine Drag Control) and ASR (anti-skid regulation).

The Laura’s engine is similar to the Octavia’s. It uses the same 1896cc iron block with a single camshaft and two valves per cylinder. However, the injection technology is different and the Laura comes with unit injectors known as pumpe düse (PD), which is unique to cars from the VW Group’s stable. PD technology combines the fuel pump and injector into a single entity, known as the unit injector, and each cylinder gets one. Developed by VW and Bosch, and tested extensively on Indian fuel, it allows for far greater injection pressures (up to 2068 bar in this case). The benefits are better throttle responses and greater control over the combustion process. Power and torque, as a result, are much higher and the motor makes 104bhp and 25.49kgm of torque over the Octavia 1.9Tdi’s 90bhp and 21.4kgm. The Laura also uses turbochargers with variable vane geometry for quick throttle response at low speeds as well as higher levels of resistance and thus, higher power. The well-sorted suspension and longer wheelbase chassis deliver a flat and composed ride which is truly exceptional.

The manual transmission Laura returned an amazing 12.9kpl in city and 18.65kpl on the highways. The automatic Laura with the DSG gearbox gave 11.4-kmpl in the city and 16.8-kmpl on the highway, a shade below the manual version. Skoda has however launched the DSG (Direct Shift Gearbox) version of Laura first since luxury car buyers have a distinct preference for automatic transmissions. DSG uses two clutches simultaneously to ensure smooth and quick shifts without interrupting power delivery from the engine to the wheels. It can be operated in a fully automatic mode or Tip-tronic manual mode. Laura takes 4.76 seconds for the run up to 60kmph from stand still or 12.13 seconds that she takes to get to the ton mark are certainly impressive.

Filed under: Skoda Cars in India