Luxury diesel on a reasonable budget, no one else does it better than Skoda. But for its fantastic build quality, capable handling and high-quality interiors, the 1.9-litre Laura had only 150bhp of propulsion which, for a luxury car, seemed quite weedy. Presenting the solution the range-topping 2.0-litre oil-burner for the Laura puts out a healthy 140bhp and adds to the line-up of the 1.8litre turbo petrol and the 1.9-litre Pumpe-duse engine that the Laura always had. It’s a familiar engine-we’ve seen it in the new Superb and the Volkswagen Passat and it comes with a sex-speed twin-clutch gearbox. It’s available only in the top-of-the line Laurin & Klement trim and costs Rs 20lakh, a pretty substantial Rs 2.4 lakh over the 1.9. The question is, is it worth the extra price, or does the 105bhp engines make more sense AutoCar (July ’09) finds out.
This engine has a lot going for it. It’s a 1968cc twin-cam unit, breathing through 16valves (the 1.9 was an 8-valve unit) and making 32.6kgm of torque at 1750rpm. Thanks to the extra torque achieving three-digit cruising speeds is easy and staying there is easier. It’ll hit 100kph in 11.07seconds, which is just 0.2sec fastr than the 1.9-litre engine but should improve considerably once it is full run-in.
The downside of this engine is the considerable amounts of lag you get at lower speeds. And, despite being the top-of-the line spec, there are no paddleshifts to help you work around the  inherent lag. The ride is pretty much luxury car. Independently sprung all around, it’s got MacPherson struts up front and multi-link rear suspensions are immediately apaarent. It rides with real poise, the suspension dealing with all types of raod surface in a quiet, well-controlled fashion. The body control is generally very good, apart from over long-wave undulations, when the extra weight of the engine block up front can set the car’s nose nodding a bit. The electro-mechanical steering is among the best we’ve experienced and it’s only the extra mass of the 2.0Tdi unit that tends to blunt its responses over the petrol engine a bit. That said, this car comes with bigger wheels and wider yres than the petrol Laura, and these only improve grip. Inside, the stylish, contemporary cabin lives up to the luxury tag. The top of the dash is swathed in soft-touch plastics there are splashes of high-quality chrome all over the dashboard and the only thing AutoCar (July ’09) testers didn’t take an instant liking to is the wood trim on the dashboard.
Space is good, even at the rear, and the only criticism we can level at it is that the rear seat backrest is a bit too upright and the cushion in on the firm side. Boot capacity is impressive too. With the rear seats in place the capacity is 560litres, which grows to 1,420 litres when the rear seats are folded down. This being the L&K it is impressively specced. You get the touch screen audio system from the Superb, leather seats, steering-mounted audio controls, climate control and a powered driver’s seat with memory. Fuel economy is pretty good too. The Laura gave us 10.1kpl  in the city and 14kpl on the highway.
The updated Laura with its fresher looke, more power, new interiors and equipment will really appeal to a lot of people. The engine nicely complements the overall competency of the chassis and solid build of -the Laura. The extra power and the brilliant high-speed manners make it a fantastic, long-legged tourer and also give you that little extra bit to exploit the chassis. Sad then that it costs so much. You see, the 1.9litre diesel is about 90percent this car, but you’ll have to pay Rs 2.5 lakh more if you want the extra power. Skoda would do well to broaden its appeal by offering the 2.0litre with a more affordable trim level. This is the Laura to buy if you want a stronger diesel motor, or want a lot of the goodies that comes with the Superb sums up AutoCar (July ’09). |
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