Skoda New Laura Ambition 2.0 TDI CR MT

Skoda entered the Indian market back in November 2001, as a subsidiary of Skoda Auto of the Volkswagen Group, and happens to be one of the most successful auto-marques of Europe. The first car launched by the company was Skoda Octavia, but it was discontinued in 2010. However, Skoda relaunched this premium saloon with new identity Skoda Laura. The previous version of this car was a great success and was presented with the awards of the ‘Mid size Car of the Year’ and the ‘Best Variant of the Year’ at the Auto Bild India Golden Steering Wheel Awards. This model, at present, has 8 variants available in the market, which include both petrol and diesel engine options. In the lower end variants, the car has manual transmission, whereas in the higher end variants, it has automatic transmission. Skoda Laura Ambition 2.0 TDI CR MT is one of the base diesel variants and is powered by a 2.0-litre, 16 Valve, turbocharged diesel engine, which produces 108.5bhp at a rate of 4200rpm and a torque of 20Nm over a range of 1500-2500rpm. The mileage delivered by this power-mill is exceptionally good as it falls somewhere around 18kmpl. Apart from the fabulous engine, this saloon also offers better like perfect handling, directional stability and enhanced braking ability, which have always been the hallmark of every Skoda automobile and in the new Skoda Laura as well, these features are mirrored quite explicitly, making the ride soar high on the design, safety, security, comfort, and convenience aspects. Apart from these, Xenon curve projector headlights with dynamic levelling, 12-way electrically adjustable driver seat with programmable memory, Skoda touchscreen audio player with card reader and Dual-zone Climatronic with air are the main highlights of the new version of Skoda Laura. The effort that has gone to make Skoda Laura an outstanding car is reflected in the design of its exteriors that gets adorned with alloy wheels, chrome surround for the radiator grille, body-coloured protective side door strips, body-coloured bumpers, external mirrors and door handles, ORVM-mounted turn indicators and rear mud flaps.

Exteriors

With the second generation, Skoda Laura receives a design revamp that emphasizes on its athletic side. The car’s bold, muscular shoulder line helps to lift it optically, highlighting its strong shoulders. Its lower side sports a striking swag line all the way down, and combined with the car’s expanded lower sills, this helps in accentuating its stability. The car’s lines are fluid and not blocky, and its well-sculpted roof-line creates a good-looking silhouette. In addition to that, the upgraded chrome front grille, flared lamp lids, integrated turning indicators, smart alloy wheels and unibody bumper, all work together to highlight the saloon's great build quality and Skoda’s eye for detail, consequently, making it one of the best designs that Skoda has ever presented. Skoda New Laura is available in the market in 4 different colours, namely, Candy White, Black Magic, Brilliant Silver and Cappuccino Beige. Exterior dimensions of this sedan are 4569mm x 1769mm x 1485mm ( length x width x height). The car has a ground clearance of 164mm with a wheelbase of 2578mm while the kerb weight that it carries is 1389kg, its gross weight being 1971kg.

Interiors

Inside, the Skoda Laura is as pleasing as it is on the outside, with some hidden surprises as well. It offers slightly more interior space than its nearest rival, the Volkswagen Jetta, uses high quality materials throughout the cabin and, in all, sports a warm and luxurious look. High quality wooden panelling, embellished with chrome door handles and smart ivory upholstering adds a beautiful and classy touch to the whole interior décor of Laura. The seat-leather is durable, soft and well made. The interior lamps are well positioned, providing relaxing illumination. There is plenty of luggage space too, with the luggage compartment supplying a whole 560 litres, besides the provision of fold-away hooks and 6 anchor points to help keep things secure. In the infotainment section, we have a touchscreen audio player with different types of memory card readers and Bluetooth connectivity, which allows you to connect your cellphone with the audio system and play the songs directly from your cell-phone.

Comfort Features

The car has plush interiors, which ensure that the occupants are absolutely comfortable and relaxed throughout the ride. Apart from that, Skoda New Laura comes equipped with a power steering wheel, which helps the driver maintain complete control on the car on all kinds of terrain and also provides a low turning radius. Plus, we have front and rear power windows that open and close with a single touch of a button, remote trunk and fuel lid opener to pop them open without needing to insert the key, seat lumbar support option that allows the occupants to increase the pressure in the back of the seat for better comfort, rear parking sensors to avoid any damage to the car while taking reverse or parking. On top of all this, Laura has a host of standard features like low fuel warning light, accessory power outlet, trunk light, vanity mirror, rear reading lamp, rear seat headrest and centre armrest, height adjustable front seat belts, front and rear cup holders and rear AC vents that take the comfort, convenience and safety levels of this sedan to all-new heights.

Engine and Performance

The premium sedan, under its hood, carries a turbocharged diesel engine, which provides a displacement of 1968cc. The 4-cylinder power-mill has 4 valves per cylinder in DOHC configuration and sports a direct injection fuel supply system with a compression ratio of 9.6:1. Producing 108.5bhp at the rate of 4200rpm for a torque of 250Nm over a range of 1500-2500rpm, the engine comes mated with a 5-speed manual transmission gearbox. With the kind of power and torque generated here, we can readily accelerate the car from 0-100kmph in just 11.07 seconds and can touch a top speed of 207kmph. The mileage delivered by this car is somewhere around 18kmpl, which is quite good and is surely going to attract the Indian car buyers.

Braking and Handling

In the brake mechanism, we find disc brakes both in the front and the rear section of the car. We also have ABS with brake assist, which reduces the braking distance and avoids skidding of the car in case of instant braking. For handling, Skoda provides a power steering wheel with tilt adjustable column and rack and pinion gear type, thereby, facilitating a turning radius of around 5.1 meters. To avoid any bumps and vibrations on the go, Laura comes loaded with McPherson Suspension with Lower Triangular Links for the front and Multi-Element Axle with One Longitudinal and Three Transverse Links for the rear, both of which come paired with Torsion Stabilizers, and together create the perfect suspension system for the sedan.

Safety Features

The safety features in the car include power door locks, child safety locks, passenger side rear view mirror, adjustable seats, key-less entry, engine immobilizer and centrally mounted fuel tank. It also features halogen headlamps, which emanate two to three times more light with only half energy consumption as compared to other available alternatives. Besides that Laura also offers driver and passenger airbags to provide proper cushioning effect in case of collision, thereby, avoiding any kind of injuries.

Pros

Stylish and sporty exteriors and dashing interiors.

Cons

Insufficient knee-room in the second row.